i have a 2003 chevy siveraldo donor truck, 4.8 with wire harness w/ computer. hopefully going in my '91 camero. can anybody tell me what i'm about to get my self in to? as far as mounts,tranny swap,intakes ect....

 

Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.

This is basically an LS1 swap. Read the LS1 swap sticky, being sure to read the part about starting with a truck engine.

 

Basically the stuff that applies to the 5.3L swap and general LS1 swaps will apply here. However, unless you got the 4.8L for next to nothing I wouldn't bother. The 4.8L motor is a bit of a dog in my opinion.

 

I disagree. I've driven a 4.8L work truck, and was surprised by it. it's nowhere near a 5.7L LS1, but properly geared it's practically the equal of the best stock L98s.
And it'll get you ready for a later swap to something with a bigger bore and a longer stroke. Plus there's way less chance of this ever hurting your stock rear axle.

 

My ex-girlfriend drove a truck with the 4.8L and I was unimpressed to say the least. Beyond that I've driven a couple 4.8L based trucks in regular cab/short bed form and found them to be lacking. For stock power I'd hardly call them the equal of the L98. I'm surprised you said that more than anything. They've got more HP sure but they make FAR less TQ. It wouldn't take much to get the same amount of HP from an L98 and you'd still have an engine that produces far more torque. Add to that the cost and effort required to do an LSx swap and it hardly seems worth the effort. You'd probably have a bit more top end power than you would on the L98 but none of the low end grunt the L98 can give you. Top end is where LSx engines shine but that's exactly where the 4.8L engine is seriously lacking compared to LS1, LM7, and other LSx engines. I'm sorry but the 4.8L engine is a dog. They are the 305's of the Chevy Truck world. No thanks.

 

that dumba$$ must be used to driving 572s all day every day. There's nothing unimpressive about 285 HP and 290 ft-lbs when it's geared where you can use it. The way those trucks come standard, with 30.5" tires and 3.23:1 axles, is like 2.73:1 gearing with 26" tires like our third gens use. The one I drove was a 2WD SWB, but with a 4.56:1 gear swapped in. That's like a 3.90:1 gear in a third gen. And with the 285 HP arriving at 5600 rpm, that's the gearing the 4.8 wants.
Do the 4.8 with a 3.90:1 axle, you'll nose ahead of the stock L98s. No doubt. but even with tamer gearing, it'll still move well, these things are a ton lighter than those pickups. With better aero.

 

Did you just call me a dumbass?

I've driven a lot of different vehicles. My point of reference is all over the map. I've daily driven a few dogs like my 1998 Ford F-150 Supercab with a 4.2L V6 all the way up to a 2005 GTO with an LS2 and T56. I've had four third gens, a fourth generation Firehawk to an Expedition and a Suburban. I'm sorry but the 4.8L still doesn't impress. Daily driving is done at 2,000-3,500rpms most of the time in a V8 car. That's the RPM range the L98 loves. Stop light to stop light there is no contest. The 4.8L just doesn't have it. Beyond that I'm sorry, 285 HP and 290 ft-lbs of torque doesn't do it for me either. Not in a 3,300lbs+ car. Gearing does matter, but all things being equal the L98 is going to be more fun with the same gears most of the time than the same car with a 4.8L engine.

If all you were concerned about was top end then I *MIGHT* agree with you.

 

I wouldn't mind having a 4.8, matter of fact I might get one for my 79 malibu when I decide to do an LSX swap in it.

 

i think the issue here is less about what the 4.8's able to do and more about the value vs. a 5.3L. if you're getting the 4.8 for a song, do it. but the 5.3s go for next to nothing (mine was complete with harness and ecu for $400) already.

that being said, i think its a good starting point on a lsx swap. i've got an ls1 sitting in the shed waiting to be all done up, but i'm too broke to take it to a good level. and i was missing a lot of the little parts (cause i got it for $300). however, i can get all the dirty work done on the car side (wiring, fuel, guages, etc) and have a stock 5.3 in to play with while i save up to do things right

 

That's kind of my point as well. The 5.3L engines are cheap as hell and make more power. In fact they are very close to the LS1 in terms of HP and TQ. So why not go with one of them? They are common enough.

 

I say do the 4.8 since you've already got it, then upgrade to a 5.3,5.7,6.0 or whatever you want later on down the road

 

my apologies for misreading the original post. if you've already got the motor, do it. it'll make the ls1 or 6.0 swap much easier later

 

I'm a big fan of doing something once. Get the engine you want and install it one time. Obviously you may need to pull it down the road for different reasons but I don't see the point of swapping an engine in only to change it a little bit later.

Too each their own I suppose.

 

the 4.8 will mod the same as any of the other ls motors. its the same block as the 5.3, i think just the crank is different.

 

This is a 2 year old post.

 

Now it's an over 10 year old post!