hi everyone, i have a few questions, im in the process of rebuilding my camaro and instead of the old 350 im going with the 5.3. i have been reading many threads and i have learn alot from this site

my question is, with a 5.3 truck motor i know that there is multiple things that must be changed in order to complete the swap. intake, oil pan, ect... my question is if i go with the spohn tubular crossmember would i have to change the truck oil pan. Also if i get a 5.3 with ac, which i will not need can i simply remove it and change the belt or do i need another pulley to be installed?

The reason i ask is if the oil pan works with the tubular member then i discount the cost of ls1 pan from tubular member ect. im sure you see where im going with this cause im on a budget?

thank you for the time and i know i will prob catch flak for this but do you think its possible to do the swap with 3K

i wanna take the time to pre thank everyone for any help on this. thanks again.

The reason for the pan clearance is the rear sump will drag the ground. Us 3rd gen guys luck out and the Fbody pan fits our stock K-member without mods, most cars are not so lucky

With a tubular K, most any low profile pan will work fine

LSx engines are unique in terms of AC drive systems as they use an independent 4 rib belt off the rear of the crank. To delete is as simple as unbolting the stuff you dont want. There is also the issue of the crank pulley being too long. Read over the sticky again and pay close attention to the truck engine section

Yes, a 5.3/auto swap is easily do-able with a $3k budget. Be prepared to DIY on most things and deal shop a long time for the rest. It doesnt leave much for upgrades either

thanks pocket so even with tubular the pan is a no go, so i have no choice good to know thank you

If you're good with a TIG or have a hook-up you can cut the pan down and still run it

im just gonna save and get teh correct parts, just trying to gauge if it is cheaper to get 5.3 truck or ls1 from fbody

When you find out, let me know. I am struggling with the same question.

I'm thinking about a similar swap in my car, let us know how you make out!

Cost me just under $2k to piece together a totally stock 5.3/4L60E swap using Fbody parts. A LS1/4L60E dropout is commonly sold for $2-2.5k. It also took me 9 months to track down all the deals and what I could find I fabbed myself

So Jon, the difference in cost is not huge... and it took some time to amass the parts. So I guess it's a "pick your poison" deal.

From what I am reading, the truck block is more desirable for those who are going to try to squeeze as much HP as possible from the engine (ie Pocket). It can withstand more punishment.

For my own purposes, I'm OK with a stock setup.

Sounds like you'd be better off saving up for a 4th gen dropout

A $2-2.5k LS1/4L60E drop-out won't have everything you need like the swap mounts. You might be able to use f-body LS1 exhaust manifolds, but you'll still need to fab the connections to the 3rd gen exhaust.

Hey, Five7...

So... does that mean that for less money I can get everything together that I need for the swap using the truck engine? I have plenty of time to do this, so I am inclined to save money if it is practical.