I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this link here. I found this to be a very detailed and thorough set of articles on the GenIII and GenIV GM V8 motors. With all the talk of LSx swap for this and that, I thought there might be some interest out there for readers of this board.
Here's a link to part 1:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/LSPrimer/Part1/