New to ls motors and engines in general picked up a 5.3 out of a 03 avalanche for $335 first off for those of you that have 5.3's how much hp are you getting and what have you done to it?

 

Can the truck crank pulley be used or do I need an F-body one

 

if you use truck accy drive setup then use the truck crank pulley,fbody crank fbody accy drive.

and welcome to the ls family. 5.3s can make good power..really depends on what you run for heads cam intake and exhaust so hp can range from over 270whp-400+ n/a.boost is a whole other ball game.I think a nice budget 5.3 setup would be ls6 cam,243 heads,ls6 intake and longtubes/3inch exhaust behind a 6spd would be fun..good mileage and not break the bank and have respectable numbers.

 

All other accessories brackets are/will be f body just wondering if the stock truck crank pulley would work I'd like to see 350 closer to 400 would be nice

 

I believe the truck pulley is spaced further out than the fbody or vice versa.What accys do you have? I know for sure with fbody accys the truck crank on my 6.0 did not line up and I had to change it to fbody.I just dont remember which one was shorter.

 

Makes sense now im sure ill have quite a few other questions pics below of the motor

 

 

5.3's are really not far off of ls1 numbers with the right combo.My only reason for going 6.0 was just for more bottom end torque on the street.5.3s can make just as much power as other ls engines so dont worry about making steam.Budget heads can be 241 heads also very cheap and raise compression for a bump in power. Cam wise I think 220-226 would make for a nice lope and put some power down.Lots of options out there.

Dont be like me..get longtubes now lol.Im severely choked with the stock manifolds

 

Dreaming of 400 at the wheels how possible is that?

 

400whp ...sure is possible lol.Easy to do with boost or spray..going to take a well thought out combo n/a.And narrow power band up top imo.

http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversion...-possible.html

http://www.performancetrucks.net/for...-5-3-a-462779/

Some other input from forums.Do some homework.

 

Thinking ls6 intake, cam maybe this one http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-54-601-11 long tube headers, CAI, borla exhaust any other suggestions?

 

Anybody else have input

 

Yeah, get a real cam. Those Thumpr things are for "that muscle car sound" only.

If you want 400 FWHP, then a 5.3 is fine. If you want 400 RWHP NA, then get a 6.0.

Of course, the real 1st question is, how did you come up with 400 HP for a goal?

BTW, the truck damper is about 1/2" farther out than the f-body damper. Won't work with f-body accessories.

That's a clean looking engine. Not the mess you often see under the valve covers with used engines.

 

Yea im not a fan of the thumpr cams but they sound cool.not sure how good they are for making power and driveability.lots of better options out there for the money.

is this going to be a track car or dd? 400whp na is going to take a good amount of effort if you get 330whp out of it..im sure it will make you happy for awhile

get cam supporting mods(hardened pushrods,better valve springs),not sure what heads you have on there but cheap easy power can be had milling the heads and thinner gaskets.

 

Stock heads I believe and no mostly just a car to drive to work everyone and then cruise take to a strip so what cam would you guys recommend

 

You can get some good ideas on LS1tech, search 400rwhp 5.3 on there and see what people have already put together to achieve that goal. I too am putting together a temporary 400hp 5.3 and going twin supoercharged on an LC9 5.3 next year. Basic list of mods to get as close to that # include, cam/springs/push rods, LS6/NNBS intake, LT's, as mentioned some head work. Theres so many LS parts available aftermarket that it can make your head spin, i strongly suggest a few hours poking around on LS1tech.

 

Let's go with this instead of the "400 RWHP" stuff.

It doesn't take anything special for this to be a great daily driver, cruiser, and occasional strip car. You will want f-body accessories and oil pan, and a non-truck intake. An LS6 cam, valve springs, and intake will make that car run very well while staying tolerable for the daily drive. Headers and higher stall torque converter will finish the package.

Although mine is a 5.7, with 3600 stall, 3.73 gears, 26x9.50-14 DOT slicks, it ran 12.0's in Topeka. At our higher altitude here, it "only" runs 12.7's (a little quicker on really good air days - like last Saturday evening when it ran a 12.595 - the bad news is I dialed a 12.63...). And, with highway radials, I drive it to work year round. Admittedly my car is a little light with no GFX or AC, and I've taken the extra seats out to stay below 12.75 for one class. But, you should expect a 5.3 built like I suggest to at least run low-13's fully dressed.

For the record, that is a very quick street car. You won't have any problem getting yourself in trouble with that kind of power.

 

Oops, didn't see the "T56" part.

If you want to take this to the strip with sticky tires, you're going to need a good clutch and beefy rear end. The 10-bolt is history, don't even try it.

If you're just going to "play" at the strip and not expect it to hook hard, you can get by with a beefed up 10-bolt.

The LS7 clutch kit from sdparts.com is an excellent price for a very good clutch. Low pedal effort, smooth engagement, and will take a beating.

 

So say this kit http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-54100/overview/ with this cam http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cc...make/chevrolet


or just stock ls6 cam springs and pushrods?

 

Just used factory LS6 parts would be fine. People are pulling and selling them all the time.

 

okay any recommendations on heads? or would a mill and thinner gaskets be good?

 

L76 cam is an LS6 cam correct? if theres lil spots of rust on it is it safe to use?

 

L76 is Gen IV, rectangular port heads. Whole different animal.

Depends where they are, and how deep they are. If you can clean it with something like ScotchBrite, it's probably okay.

 

Okay would ls6 springs and rods be able to handle an Ls7 cam?

 

LS7 is its own animal.

Stick with a cam designed for Gen III cathedral port heads.

 

okay well looks like im just going do ls6- intake, cam, springs, pushrods, with longtubes and a cold air intake, a borla exhaust and the t56 behind it with an ls7 clutch kit thanks for the help everybody

 

would 28lb injectors be sufficient?

 

28# injectors are stock ls1 size iirc...will be plenty for 5.3. Im still using them on my cammed 6.0 getting them up there on the duty cycle i bet.

 

28.8LB injectors = 98 Bird/Camaro
26LB injectors = 99-02 Bird/Camaro

I know its not much but worth pointing out.

 

I just performed this swap last year on a 1992 Firebird. I pulled an 04 5.3 out of a Silverado, changed complete front drive to 98-02 camaro/trans am. I installed LS6 intake with fuel rails and injectors. I used a Tremec 6-speed, motor is stock. I also replaced suspension, Kmember, and added sub frame connectors, all Spohn. All of my original guages work. This car is real fun! Next year I will start upgrading the motor. I would be happy to answer any questions for you if I can. The reason, I changed the front drive by the way, is so I could close the hood. Truck intake setup wont let you do that with stock hood.

Rod

 

I know all the accessories need changed i could use the the truck stuuf minus the oil pan if I ran a cowl hood however im not hows that 5.3 run against other cars stangs,vettes etc

 

think I may be going with one of these cams
http://www.texas-speed.com/p-1147-te...-camshaft.aspx
http://www.texas-speed.com/p-1148-te...-camshaft.aspx

 

Your links aren't working (at least, not for me).

 

wont really pick up much with a ls6 cam, prolly it will be noticeable if the motor has 799/243 heads. if you really want the hp, get an appropriate cam now.
milling the heads for some extra compression is also a good idea and will help make hp with bigger cam.
have you verified the motor is a 5.3?
few ways to check, depend on yr model.
if u see any 482 or any part no. ending in 482 on the crank itself. the motor is a 4.8 and not a 5.3
4.8/5.3 use same block but not internals. piston compression height is same. connecting rods and crank are different.

 

You said the 5.3 has stock heads, I can't see what castings they are. My 5.3 in my 2007 PU came with 243s stock. Put a set on my LS swap also.

 

Links fixed

out of an 03 avalanche

There stamped 706

 

Well you guys got the ball rolling on whether it was a 4.8 or 5.3 happy to say it is a 5.3 went over to ls1tech found an easy way was to pull out spark plugs shine light in flat top pistons are 4.8 vs dished 5.3 also drained the oil out was still pretty fresh

 

can also run a popsickle stick over the top of piston to vefify flatness with flashlight

 

Whats the differance between drive by wire(dbw) and (dbc)cable which one will I need to use

 

just as it says..you can use a dbw throttle body which means you will need the electronic gas pedal and module etc to run that style throttle body or the much easier dbc,no module or extra wiring to be done,use stock gas pedal..get a new throttle cable and your done.

 

Thats what I figured but wanted to be sure since I now have the motor and absolutely will be getting a t56 Ive been looking into harness's PSI has one for $500 not to bad compared to painless thought about doing it myself but afraid of wiring something wrong plug n play is a good insurance to me and with only being in it for a grand so far with this project I can afford to splurge a bit