MMroc86

So I ended up with the 5.3l. The engine has 46k miles on it paid $300 for it. Below are some pics of what it looks like right now.



I'm aiming for about 400rwhp.

I've been reading alot about these badboys so I know it can be had with the right heads, cam, intake &exhaust. I'm definitly keeping turbo open has an option in the future.

Like the title says I'm a novice when it comes to this kind of stuff but I'm ready to take on the challenge. This should also help/encourage anyone else who has been thinking about doing it, but intimidated by the work....

Couple of questions

1)Should I replace pistons/rods? How do I check pistons & rods? remove plate where intake should be I'm assuming?
2)What else should I check to make sure everything will be in good working order when I drop it in the car?


FYI

I will try & get this thing in the car by May for my b-day, but there's no big rush, I want to make sure it all gets done right the first time. So if I have to wait so that I can save up for the good parts, no problem....

lunati397

If you are ging turbo the rings should be regapped and the rod bolts upgraded to ARP (not required but theses things help it last)

If you are staying at low boost then you can leave the bottom alone

Are you going with fuel injection or carb and most important whats your budget and what do you have right now ...Just a block or engine and trans or all of the above and wireing harness

lunati397

Cheap way to go get some LS6 heads a good cam LS6 intake and good exhaust and you will be close to or at your goal as for trans you can put anything behind a LS some require adapter parts ect

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Is that all you got?

400 HP is fairly easy to do with a stock bottom end 5.3. Heads, cam, tune, good exhaust, you're there.

The problem is you said "rw". There is about a 15-25% loss from an engine dyno to the wheels. That means 400 at the crank will yield about 300-340 at the rear wheels. How married are you to 400 HP at the wheels?

Before you do anything to the engine, you need to decide if you're going with a power adder or not. The stock bottom end can take a lot of power, but you'd better be careful about tuning.

If you don't go turbo or supercharger, then it might be wise to consider boring the cylinders out to the 5.7 diameter. You can put in 5.7 forged pistons, and with good heads, cam, and tune, 500 HP at the crank isn't too hard to do. You don't need to change the rods, but ARP rod bolts, as suggested, would be a very good idea.

BTW, you get to the rods by removing the oil pan. You have to remove the rod caps to remove the pistons.

MMroc86

All I have right now is the block. I'm going fuel injected. Next thing I'm planning on doing is getting an ls harness & prepping it. I'm not going to put a cap on the budget, but I am going to challenge myself to make it happen as low as possible. From what I've seen the parts are plentiful & very sturdy, so no need to break the bank on ALL new stuff. If I do go boost it won't be over the top, so I will leave the rings alone. I'm definitly going to upgrade the rod bolts tho.

Very married to the idea of 400rwhp, got a guy at work with a ford lighting running 12.6's, brags about it daily! I wanna do mid 11's & put him to shame! Thats been the motivation behind this thing.lol Aside from that I really want to be just slightly more powerful then the majority of sport cars on the street.

I like the idea of boring the block out to a 5.7 is something I'm definitly going to look into. It'll make it much easier for me to achieve my goal.

Once I get this thing on a stand I will be removing the oil pan, this may seem like a silly question but will it be okay to have the engine upside down while I check the rods?

As for transmission I am seriously considering a t56, just not sure I want to extend the project out that much longer. My car is currently an auto.... I'm shopping for t-56's now tho & if I come across a solid deal I will jump on it.

Buggy Disaster

iTrader: (1)

Im going to be following your build very closely. I am going to start the same swap around May with goals of 400hp at the crank. Hopefully you will be done or nearly done with your build by the time I start.

You have any clue how much your accesories are going to run you? I can't figure this out.

Good luck!

MMroc86

I will def have some progress in by May, but the more I look at it the more I doubt it will be done by may. probably more like December. lol

Accesories? Please specify... I have put a price list of certain things together based on searches I've done here, I'm just not sure what you mean when you say accesories.

MMroc86

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...2/viewall.html

Good read. A budget friendly turbo build on a 5.3l. With a pricesheet at the end.

Buggy Disaster

iTrader: (1)

Haha I know what you mean. A weekend project seems like it always takes months.

By accerories I mean front engine accesories. Like the AC, power steering, alternator, etc. From my understanding these won't fit under a stock camaro hood due to the brakcets. Please correct me if I'm wrong, this is my biggest dilemma.

Thanks for the link. I put it under favorites. Thats some serious HP for a 5.3.

lunati397

Ive got a few sets of heads some stock LS1 heads and 317s

I would sell the shortblock and just get a motor that is complete like a 6.0 by the time your done piecing it together you can have a 6.0

hell there is a LQ9 with 4l80 trans for sale complete minus the alt and ac comp with wiring and ecu for 1750 its in amarillo

cprmn14

iTrader: (3)

That was an impressive article. Thanks for sharing!

TKR 88 GTA

The truck accesories can be used but it does sit taller and I dont remember if the guy up here was using a stock hood or not but he did have the truck accessories in his 91 camaro I think it was. Even had the truck coolant overflow tank next to his original one. Idk if he had to do modifying or anything for it to be done but yes he had the truck accessories on it lol

MMroc86

Yeah not sure, hav'nt gotten that far yet. lol. I just ordered an engine stand from jegs.(http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...80040/10002/-1)

Once I get that I can start working on it... Right now its just sitting on the floor in the garage. lol

After that I will upgrade the rod bolts, as suggested by 5.7 kid & Lunati.

I want to be working on that damned harness through out the build, so I will need to purchase an ls harness next.

lunati397

I just installed my first Holley HP EFI and im blown away by it you have to look at long run cost to get over the price (around 1500) but its worth every cent

If you b got a ecu for 100 harness for 200 get the harness modified for 200 then get it tuned or dyno tuned your at 300 to 600 your at roughly 1000 to 1100 if you get a painless which looks a million times better you are over 1500
the Holley is a stand alone ECU harness and wideband O2 for 1500 and I may be able to get it for less for you it has its own self tuning fuel tables so all you do is imput all the specs for your motor and timing then let it go start it let it learn in idle then go drive it and it will learn and if down the road you want to turbo or nitrous the ECU can control either and in turbo is as good as the AEM E2 boost controler

lunati397

Harbour frieght has good engine stands for cheap too

25th327RS

iTrader: (2)

If somebody is modifying harness's for 200, I won't bother making another one for friends swaps, tell me where to send them for that price!

lunati397

his name is alex he is out in dallas his number is 469-556-4256 its 200 or 250 I cant remember but you send him your harness and he will set it up for stand alone

lunati397

I do alot of LSX swaps and when they are cheap thats the way I go and he does do a good job you will have everything you need when you get it back

I try to go with painless or standalone

25th327RS

iTrader: (2)

When I read your post, for some reason I was thinking in my mind a plug and play harness. 250 seemed too good to be true for that, so I had to ask, my bad for reading the post wrong....you were talking about standalone harnesses in the first place. 200-250 doesn't seem bad for a stand alone either, see listings Craigslist quite a bit for stand alones in the same price range, but the posters usually seem very shady.

lunati397

you might be right he takes your stock harness and makes it so its a power ground and has the outputs for your gauges you still use the stock ecu

MMroc86

Wow, yeah I was watching some of the vids on that item & it looks pretty awesome.

So if I bought this what kind of wiring would remain to be done? Will all my guages work properly with this product?

MMroc86

just got off the phone with a sales rep for holly. They tell me that I would have to get the dominator ECU for the 4l60 & that thing is $1800 alone! holy crap. lol

If I go t-56 I save a couple hundred on it since it needs no computer controlling. Even then 1500 seems very pricey. If I do the harness myself, I will pay between about 300 for ls harness, 100 pcm & 500 for dyno tune. Thats $900. or I could dish out an extra 6 big ones & save myself the headache, plus sell my tpi harness to balance it out a little.... You got me thinking about this one now lunati. How much cheaper can you get it for me? pm me if necessary.

thx

lunati397

get the HP unit and the TCI eztcu I just purchased both yesterday for 1980

NemeSS-TyranT

iTrader: (1)

u can get a brand new standalone wiring harness that controls the 60e. They are bout 500-600$ shipped. Pcm 100-150$. Tune 150-600$.
Depend on ur list of mods. A basic h/c/i. U can get away with a basic mail order tune from frost or other tuners. Stay away from chuck.

No real need for rod bolts. I have oe rod bolts in my ss. I shift 7000rpm every time i drive it. Open back road, u know it. Tollway, guranteed downshift.
my prvious 6.0 also had gm rod bolts. Also a 7000 rpm engine. That one is still going strong in a 70 nova with spray, runs mid 9s.
i would advice you to spend ur $ on cylinder heads/cam/intake and tune.
Leave the bottom end alone if it had no known issues.

I have a 4.8 with 100% bottom end. Stock crank/rods/pistons/rings. No need to gap rings or bolts. The motor is good to 800hp as is from gm. Im also using the stock truck cam.
Im using stock 317 heads with btr springs, ls9 head gaskets,head studs. It will handle 600-700rw as built with.pump gas and up to 20psi. And 6500rpm
Again, no need for arp rod bolts. Or rip apart like a mad scientist and gap those piston rings.
This is not my first forced induction build

Get some good heads and a custom grind cam. If u want to stay n/a.

MMroc86

I'm thinking about the ls6 243 heads,ls6 Intake & some dyno dons. Think that'll get me to 400rwhp with a custom grind cam?

NemeSS-TyranT

iTrader: (1)

That 5.3 was 9.4:1 with the oe 706 heads which are 62cc stock. 243 heads are 65cc stock.
So compression will drop even more with 243/799. they can be milled up to .030 max before they start having alignment issues with gm plastic and fast intakes.
So if was me, and i was trying to get max hp n/a. I would get a custom cam. Only like 50$ more than off the shelf cams.
PRC 5.3 stg1 5.3 heads. Milled to raise compression. L33 5.3HO/5.7 gm mls head gaskets.
With the milled heads and gaskets get close 10:1 compression.
However with a custom cam and milled heads. Proper pushrod length and preload come into play. Ptv will also need to be verified. That 5.3 has a spherical dish. Ive i.stalled 22x cams in 5.3s. With milled, stock unported heads. In trucks and they run very strong in a truck. It will run stronger in a lighter 3rd gen.
if ur on a budget, a milled set of stock 243s is plenty. Solid valve 243/799 are plenty.
The ls6 heads are not needed. the valves are lighter and do help some by being lighter.
But a good strong, correctly setup set of dual springs is plenty. Like a set of BTR springs.
I use em on everything now. No more.pp springs.
I am putting together an ls2 with these springs and stock milled 243 heads with custom cam for a member/local on tech. Engine is gonna be around 550bhp with stock ls2 intake.
Hes gonna get a fast later on.
Stock 243/799 are plenty. But stg1 243 or 5.3 are a good choice also. If u can drop 1000+$ for just heads.

MMroc86

Alot of good info here. Thx!

I found a set of 243's for $200 bucks, trying to get in touch with the guy. Any tips on what to look for when buying heads?

SiCkRs

iTrader: (6)

check for warpage get a feeler gauge and straight edge and see the gap
it has

NemeSS-TyranT

iTrader: (1)

cracks or damage on valve seats
Bent valves
Stripped/crossthread/broken bolts in rocker arm and exhaust port threads
Chewed up chambers
Out of round valve guides
Amateur porting
Gouged or damaged deck
Bent corners/ on heads. May have been dropped.

U will need, new valve job, good time to also get a backcut, mill, new valve seals, new correct setup springs for your cam.

MMroc86

getting ready to pull the trigger on, ls6 intake with 42lb ford greentop injectors plus tb & sensors for $500. is this a good deal? need qucik response. pls

thx

SiCkRs

iTrader: (6)

that is a pretty good deal usually intake alone goes for $350-400

lunati397

does it have a TB then its a great deal but so far a good deal go for it

MMroc86

Got it. ls6 intake+throttle body & injectors for $500 I going to replace gaskets on intake as well as o rings on injectors to be on the safe side.

Thanks for the quick input guys.

LivinLarge

Dam that's an awesome score for the price! Have u decided on a cam yet?

SiCkRs

iTrader: (6)

nice now just for the heads and cam

lunati397

ive got a harness and ecu for a 5.3 4l60e with LS6 heads and intake the ecu is already tuned for a ls6 hot cam and vats ect deleted and the wireing harness is already modified for plug and play

PM me if you interested we just put a turbo on and went with the holley hp efi and tci unit

MMroc86

I'll probably be going with a custom grind cam....
No thanks, looks like ill be going with holley HP efi+ t-56. How quickly is it self tuning for the turbo?

lunati397

it self tunes the fuel tables and its FAST you still set timing but the program is very easy to use

lunati397

go with a LS9 cam if you are going boosted they are 130 off the shelf from GM if it can make 620 on stock car imagine with more boost

MMroc86

I have not done much reading into the ls9 cam. I'm aiming for 400rw with n/a. I'll be doing turbo about a yr after its all said and done. How much HP at the wheels you think I'll be pushing with 243 heads,ls6 intake and the ls9 cam?

lunati397

without forced induction not good better going with cam with better LSA