Originally Posted by RU1NER

And isn't the 5.3 only in trucks? I know it's in my dad's 1500. That wouldn't be a passenger car.

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

carb is for sure cheaper.....we built our chevy powered mustang that way....using a lot of used parts, like a used carb and intake....we had a set of camel hump heads rebuilt and ported, flat tappet cam (cheap new), rebuilt the stock bottom end (turned crank, resized rods, new pistons, bore .030 over), it has a stock distributor, stock water pump, etc. etc.
The intake, heads, carb, headers, cam, and such are a good combo......the dyno pull ran out 300 horses, not too bad for a cheaper build....I know a lot of stock stuff, especially the bottom end, but it doesn't need too fancy of stuff, not making tons of power, for sure could daily drive it.

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

oh, were probably 2 or 3 thou into this motor.....but you could build a 400/350/327/305 or whatever for about two or three thousand if you shoped your parts well, and still have a powerful reliable motor.

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

well, is that a crate motor??? You probably will spend more money buying that than building one....if you're new to building you could do that, or have an experienced person help you.....which is always a good idea anyway.

Also, they are claiming 290 hp, which is at the crank, so you might put down 240 horse, which is same as factory 350 tpi (close anyway).....I would build something with a bit more power personally.....do you have a link to a website about this motor, where can I see it??

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

well, is that a crate motor??? You probably will spend more money buying that than building one....if you're new to building you could do that, or have an experienced person help you.....which is always a good idea anyway.

Also, they are claiming 290 hp, which is at the crank, so you might put down 240 horse, which is same as factory 350 tpi (close anyway).....I would build something with a bit more power personally.....do you have a link to a website about this motor, where can I see it??

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

junkyard....or craigslist....or just about anywhere to find a block...I've got two sitting in garage!!
I looked at that link, that's pretty much a stock motor.

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

junkyard....or craigslist....or just about anywhere to find a block...I've got two sitting in garage!!
I looked at that link, that's pretty much a stock motor.

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

well, before you get a block, you need to figure out what type of block you want, older non roller 2 pc, factory roller 1 pc., 327, 350, 400, lt1, or what.....figure out your combo before you start on anything. You also need to learn how to identify the block so you don't come home with something you don't want. Do your research.....keep reading articles on here...you're young, no rushing into things, be patient and do you research well, it will pay off in the end.

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

fast burn 385 are popular, at least used to be....
learning is a lifelong process.....I learn stuff everyday on this board....
for example, I just learned about an RPO production code of r7u, actual race camaros...didn't know about them till just now.

Cams is one of the most difficult thing to understand because there are so many and so many different measurments on them.....

Originally Posted by 91interceptorZ

Here is some reading for ya....
LIFT refers to maximum valve lift. This is how much the valve is "lifted" off its seat at the cam lobe’s highest point. How is it measured? Valve Lift is the amount (usually in inches) that the valve is lifted off of its seat. It is usually measured with a dial indicator at the tip of the valve. Lobe Lift is the amount (usually in inches) that the cam lobe increases in radius above the cam base circle.
Tip: To quickly find maximum lobe lift, measure the base circle of the cam and subtract it from the thickness across the cam lobe’s highest point (see the diagram below).
Tip: Maximum valve lift can be calculated by multiplying the maximum lobe lift times the rocker ratio. For example, a 0.310" lobe lift cam yields 0.496" of valve lift when using a 1.6 ratio rocker arm.
Formula: valve lift = lobe lift x rocker ratio
What does it do? The intake and exhaust valves need to open to let air/fuel in and exhaust out of the cylinders. Generally, opening the valves quicker and further will increase engine output. Increasing valve lift, without increasing duration, can yield more power without much change to the nature of the power curve. However, an increase in valve lift almost always is accompanied by an increase in duration. This is because ramps are limited in their shape which is directly related to the type of lifters being used, such as flat or roller. DURATION is the angle in crankshaft degrees that the valve stays off its seat during the lifting cycle of the cam lobe. How is it measured? Advertised duration is the angle in crankshaft degrees that the cam follower is lifted more than a predetermined amount (the SAE standard is 0.006") off of its seat. Duration @.050" is a measurement of the movement the cam follower, in crankshaft degrees, from the point where it’s first lifted .050" off the base circle on the opening ramp side of the camshaft lobe, to the point where it ends up being .050" from the base circle on the closing ramp side of the camshaft lobe. This is the industry standard, and is a good value to use to compare cams from different manufacturers. Both are usually measured with a dial indicator and a degree wheel. What does it do? Increasing duration keeps the valve open longer, and can increase high-rpm power. Doing so increases the RPM range that the engine produces power. Increasing duration without a change in lobe separation angle will result in increased valve overlap. LOBE SEPARATION is the angle in camshaft degrees between the maximum lift points of the intake and exhaust valves. It is the result of the placement of the intake and exhaust lobes on the camshaft. How is it measured? Lobe separation can be measured using a dial indicator and a degree wheel, but is usually calculated by dividing the sum of the intake centerline and the exhaust centerline by two. What does it do? Lobe separation affects valve overlap, which affects the nature of the power curve, idle quality, idle vacuum, etc. OVERLAP is the angle in crankshaft degrees that both the intake and exhaust valves are open. This occurs at the end of the exhaust stroke and the beginning of the intake stroke. Increasing lift duration and/or decreasing lobe separation increases overlap. How is it measured? Overlap can be calculated by adding the exhaust closing and the intake opening points. For example, a cam with an exhaust closing at 4 degrees ATDC and an intake opening of 8 degrees BTDC has 12 degrees of overlap.
But keep in mind that since these timing figures are at 0.050" of valve lift, this therefore is overlap at 0.050". A better way to think about overlap is the area that both lift curves overlap, rather than just the crankshaft angle that both valves are open. Therefore, one can see that decreasing the lobe separation only a few degrees can have a huge effect on overlap area. What does it do? At high engine speeds, overlap allows the rush of exhaust gasses out the exhaust valve to help pull the fresh air/fuel mixture into the cylinder through the intake valve. Increased engine speed enhances the effect. Increasing overlap increases top-end power and reduces low-speed power and idle quality.

The intake centerline is the point of highest lift on the intake lobe. It is expressed in crankshaft degrees after top dead center (ATDC). Likewise the exhaust centerline is the point of highest lift on the exhaust lobe. It is expressed in crankshaft degrees before top dead center (BTDC). The cam centerline is the point halfway between the intake and exhaust centerlines. Advancing or retarding the camshaft moves the engine’s torque band around the RPM scale by moving the valve events further ahead or behind the movement of the piston. Typically, a racer will experiment with advancing or retarding a cam from "straight up" and see what works best for their application. How is it measured? A cam with a 107 degrees intake lobe centerline will actually be centered at 103 degrees ATDC when installed 4 degrees advanced.
Most camshafts have a certain amount of advance ground in. "Ground-in advance" can also be found by subtracting the intake lobe centerline from the lobe separation. What does it do? Advance improves low-end power and response; decreases piston to intake valve clearance;increases piston to exhaust valve clearance. Retarding does opposite effects.

Originally Posted by five7kid

Before anyone gets all excited about the FWD Impala 5.3, this info from tech:

"The 5.3L LS4 shares the basic architecture of the 6.0L LS2. This includes an all aluminum block, six-bolt main bearing caps, deep-skirt cylinders, and a structural oil pan. It has the 243 casting LS6 heads with LS1 valve springs, which are good for 6200-6300 rpms.

Engineers had to mount this engine sideways so some changes were made. The crankshaft is shorten by 13 mm overall, 3 mm at the flywheel and 10 mm at the accessory drive. This was done to accommodate a more compact accessory drive. Instead of a 2 belt system there is only 1 long serpentine belt, even with this to save space there is only about 2 inches between the crankshaft pulley and the passenger side wheel well. The water pump is mounted off center with elongated passages to connect to the block (see picture). Also a rear facing intake manifold was designed. To ensure proper oiling during high-g cornering the oil pan has special baffles built in. Since Displacement on Demand uses oil for activation an oil pump with 31% more flow than previous LS2 type oil pumps is used."

And, before getting too far down the road with a carb, it really doesn't matter what they do with regard to inspection or testing in Oregon. The requirements are Federal, not state or local.

Originally Posted by five7kid

I haven't heard of anyone using a FWD Impala 5.3 in a RWD swap. May have been done, but I haven't heard of it.

To be technically legal, yes, computer carb or full LS1 swap.