Ok guys i just picked up a 5.3 with 12000 miles has everything including the 4L60E tranny, harness and computer. What do i need to change on this engine to drop her in besides motor and tranny mounts? I have heard i need to change to an LS1 intake? If i do does all my sensors and fuel injectors fit the LS1 intake? also would i have to get rid of my 5.3 harness for an LS1 harness? Also what would be a good cam to put in this engine? I would like to see around 400hp out of it. Thanks for any help....

you need an accessory belt drive from a camaro or vette lsx motor

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

This is an LSx family swap, so I'm moving this to that sub-forum.

You'll also need a torque arm mount. I believe the TH700 tailshaft housing will swap over, but I'm not sure about that. An aftermarket swap crossmember and torque arm from Spohn moves the TA mount to the crossmember and solves that issue.

Motor will fit in your car just fine. (hope this makes some of you feel better).

easier to use ls1 camaro intake manifold

Ignore Andrew. Another know-it-all who doesn't unlike five7kid, who does know nearly all. For Andrew's info as well; this is just a minor variation of the LS1 swap.

He did say at the very bottom of his post, "j/k" - just kidding.

I will admit those kind of posts, when not followed up by usable information, do tend to irritate me.

Maybe I'll delete your post for you, Andrew.

People who think they know it all really annoy those of us who do.


j/k . . .


For the record, I learn something practically daily from others on this Board. If I seem like I know a lot, it's just that I tend remember what others have said, and can sift through the bad information to retain the good fairly reliably.

Another fellow 5.3'er, this pleases me. I'm doing this same swap except for I'm going for the t56 instead. One thing I did not see in your list is that you do need an f-body oil pan as well. Read the sticky up top a few times, do a few searches and you should be well on your way. I would go with an ls1 intake and yes an ls1 harness. There is a stand alone harness on ebay I have my eye on. The seller name is techrods and it looks like they do good work for a reasonable price.

yeah i guess people didnt see the j/k at the bottom. 5.3 will fit as well as any other motor in the lsx family

Think of it as contributing to the discussion. The intent of this Board is to share technical information about third generation GM f-bodies (you acknowledged that when you signed up). If your post doesn't accomplish that, it's not our feelings that are violated.

I swapped a 5.3L/4L65e into my car last year, this year is a 6.0/T56.

Here's what i found:

-F-body Accessories fit nicest. You need to drill/tap a M10 hole for the alternator bracket.
-F-body Oilpan, fits best out of all the pans w/ stock K. Bolts up, you need the pan, windage, pickup. If your running a tubular K, the C6 pan will fit, its a truely impressive piece, excellent oil control going on in it.
-Intake wise, i advice an LS1 intake. Lower height, fuel rails fit nicer, and pick up the input in a better location, and the EV1 injectors give more options later down the road.
-Exhaust, truck manifolds wont fit, i tried everything. Ever went as far as cutting the collector flanges off, and re-clocking them. No dice, dont even waste your time. They shoot into the subframes.

Wiring, you CAN use your truck harness. I used one last year, with a DBW throttle setup, it worked like a champ, my only grief was it sat on the intake in a manner i wasnt happy with, crossed the intake at the front. As part of my re-do the car, this year, i completely re-did the harness, while setting it up for a T56.

For your mounting, use F-body clamshells, and then spohn mounts. The adapter plates alot of guys use, wont work. Trust me, i tried it. Sits the motor about 2" Further forward. Meaning a f-body pan no longer fits, and your stock driveshaft is now useless, requiring a custom one. The transmount on the 4L60e will be suitable, no need to replace it unless its worn out.

As for a cam, in the 5.3L, a cam will act as if its got 4* more duration then it really does. So, a 224/224 cam, will behave likes a 228/228 cam. 99% of cam's you'll see are designed for a 3.89 or 4" bore motor.

Truth be, some 1 5/8" or 1 3/4" headers, a LS6 intake, TR224 cam, you'd have 360ish at the rear wheels, with translates to about 400hp. Not bad at all for a 325ci motor.

Also, further plus note, if you want to up the ante at any point, you can apply everything to a 6.0L block as i did, makes extra power production easy

Oh, to fit the LS1 intake with a truck harness, you need EV1 injector pigtales. I got mine from a JY, all the Grandprix's, cavaliers etc etc used the same plugs.

99% will ahve the same colour coded wiring, pink power feed, then a colored wire the goes to the computer for grounding

Ok got the 5.3 and i am going to sell the 4L60E and buy a T56 for the swap. Will the accessory drive off the 5.7 TPI motor work on this setup? I also got an LS1 intake and throttle body coming. Now i need the manifolds and the accessory drive if i cant get something figured out. Thanks everyone for your replies

i dont believe any of the stock accessoried (other than A/C with conversion bracket) will fit your swap.

remember, whichever pulley config you decide to run, you need to run all of the accessories from that drive. the truck, vette, and f-body accessories do not innerchange as they all sit different distances of the face of the block.

how about exhuast which manifolds fit? I have found some for G8, Vette and camaro

I know the f-body manifolds will work. i have no idea bout vette or g8 manifolds.

I'm doing this swap in my 89 camaro and here is the reason why you need the f-body windage tray to go with the f-body oil pickup and pan, in case anybody is wondering. I went ahead and bought the f-body pan, windage tray, and pickup tube all at the same time but I tried to see if I could use the 5.3 windage tray with the f-body oil pickup, and pan as you can see it won't work.

the mount on the oil pickup tube interfere's with the 5.3 windage tray




and here's a pic with the f-body oil tube and windage


part numbers:

12558762 Camaro/Firebird oil pan
12558253 Camaro/Firebird windage tray
12558251 Camaro/Firebird oil pump pickup

Got a set of 98 trans am exhuast manifolds just given to me the other day so now i need to find the accessory drive and the oil pan. Does anyone know of a good wiring write up on this truck engine? I also picked up an intake and throttle body for the LS1 as well.

PM me what you'd be willing to pay for f-body accessories.

i have a question about the 5.3,

i herd that if you put a 5.3 crankshaft into a 6.0 lq block , it would make the motor redline very high. is this true?

Ya need to check into the stroke length on both, if the 5.3 has a shorter stroke you basically destroking a 6.0. Alot of ppl have done this with the old 400's they put a 3.48 stroke crank in instead of the factory 3.75 and it drops the cubic inch's down to a 377 and it is a high winding little motor as long as everything else in the engine is made to match the setup. Id say thats why someone mentioned it to you, but 8 outa 10 times you lose low end torque cause the rpm range is so high....better have some steep gears

nice , a highway motor ( supra killer lol)

run gears like 4xx ?

What sheldon said about the adaptor plates not fitting is not true. I am running adapter plates on mine with the original clamshells. been on mine for about two years. I am running a f-body pan and didn't have to notch k-member or nothing. it set in fine. Only thing is you have to drop the motor in by itself this way. you cant do motor and tranny together. tranny from bottom, unless you notch it.

You can also make ac fit in stock location(sort of...) You can make a custom bracket for a sanden compressor(6-rib) to line it up with the main accessory belt. I found a guy on ls1tech that did this. He's in New York. I cant think of his screen name but I think it is John something. He was nice enough to send me all the drawings and directions on how to make this bracket. He is running a vette setup so just add .75" to the bracket he has and its ready for f-body accessories. If I can scan it in I will try to.

Also I used my truck windage tray. I just notched it for the pickup tube and cut the front off so the f-body pan goes flush with the block.

If you want to avoid the AC notch, I have a Sanden with relocation brackets & belt that I was originally going to use until my first engine stab; got weak-kneed and notched the K-member before trying to get the engine in again (was afraid the Sanden wouldn't clear the strut tower - it does, with room to spare).

well depending on the tranny...if your gonna go t-56 id shoot for 4.56's if your going with an auto more like 4.10

I just created a thread about the ac bracket. check it out.