Nebiros

iTrader: (1)

Hey,
I work at a gm dealership and we get in engines and cores all the time. I have a chance to buy a 5.3l all alum. Motor out of a 07 suburban, that is coming out as a core due to low compression and burning oil. The tech said it just needs rings and some seals. Being that it is a long block I would need a ton of other parts to complete it, most of which I would be putting on any motor I would have picked up at a junkyard. I can pick it up for $600. I just wanted a second opinion on if this is a decent deal or if I should just pick up a drop-out engine/trans off ebay/LKQ.

Thanks

Cass007

iTrader: (34)

Good deal only if you plan on punching it out to a 402 IMO. Then you are looking at adding other components. For comparison, an 05-06 GTO LS2/T56 dropout will go for ~$6500 delivered to a business addess w/o a liftgate.

bbs350z

iTrader: (85)

yea you can find larger ls aluminum blocks for cheaper. id look around or bargain buy.

ps buying all the sensors and accessories was a pain in the dick

Langdonious Rex

iTrader: (2)

All those little parts (accessories, sensors, coil packs, etc, etc, etc) are going add up very fast. Just nut up and get a complete LSx dropout. The 04-06 GTOs seem to be the best donors for the swap.

10-E-C-350Z

iTrader: (9)

you can find 5.3's in excellent running condition for cheaper than what you've been offered. I wouldn't do it. Why discount rings just because it came from a junkyard? Hotrod magazine just got over 1200 crank horsepower on a turbo'd junkyard 4.8 that had a rust stain in one of the cylinders. Before they boosted it, they did the standard bolt-ons and got something like 470 crank horsepower. They tore it down to check out the rust stain and reassembled it using the old bearings, rings and everything. It made over 60 back to back dyno pulls and was begging for more. Just food for thought.

Langdonious Rex

iTrader: (2)

There is no doubt that the 5.3's are well known for putting down some insane power on stock internals. They are a great, cheap start to make some great, cheap power. To do this you really need to know what you are doing. If you are a great mechanic, fabricator and hardcore DIYer, I would highly recommend going the 4.8 or 5.3 route for an LSx 350Z swap. For most of us mere mortals, it's going to much easier to pony up the extra cash for a 04-06 GTO drop out as it's known to work and fit properly.

jerryd87

iTrader: (4)

external dimensions and bolt patterns are all the same the only difference is the accesory drive(i think cant remember 100% but thats no biggie) intake(which makes equivilant power to after market lsx intakes), and the oil pan. worst case scenario is you would have to get the gto oil pan(if the truck one dosnt work with the swap kit, or is the kit dosnt come with one im not sure havnt looked into the swap kits.) and mayby get a different intake if the truck intake is too tall. other then that swapping a truck engine in is going to be the same process as a ls2. you can then go with the truck trans or buy a t56 seperately but like i said externally the dimensions are the same, cylinder heads, exhuast manifolds, intakes, bell housing, motormounts all the same exact location. like i said in a previous thread the domestics dont go by engine model like imports do they go by engine family. if all your v8s use the same parts on the outside its alot cheaper to produce. heck the actual name for the engines is gen 3/4 small block the ls2 is just the option code like a paint color for what option you have.

Langdonious Rex

iTrader: (2)

There are many more differences in the Gen3/4 engines than that. Yes there is a lot of interchangibility of parts between them but saying they are identical if false. You can make the right combination of parts work for your application, but going back to the OP the $600 5.3 isn't that great of a deal. If he really, really wanted to make it work, he could. Would it take a lot of time in parts gathering, testing, fitting, etc? Most likely. Would it be a better use of his time and money to just buy a complete, known running dropout? Most likely.

jerryd87

iTrader: (4)

actually they are because the transmission used in the 4.8,5.3, and 6.0 trucks are all the same, actually its the same trans used in the 98-02 camaros as well(the automatic that is.) and while the motormounts ARE different the location of them on the block and the bolt pattern on the block are identical. hell the only difference between the 5.3L, 6.0L truck, and 6.0L aluminum ls2 is the pistons on the short block, long block the 5.3L has a smaller port/valve version of the 5.7L aluminum head but the casting is the same. the 6.0L step up to a different port style and larger valves but they will bolt right on you just encounter problems with the valves contacting the cylinder walls due to them being so large.

now is 600 bucks for a 5.3L a bad deal? yes yes it is you can pick them up for $150 bucks plus another 100 tops for the wiring harness and computer.
and as far as a t56 you can buy a complete swap on ebay because it is popular to put them into 3rd gen camaros half the parts you wont use but it will have everything he needs. or he can go with the automatic out of the truck, 2wd wont need anything, 4wd will need a tailshaft as the transfer case replaces that and bolts directly to the transmission via a adapter plate instead of the tailshaft being there.

end of the convo is they are the same engine family very minor differences between them however outside the rotating assembly. outside the rotating assembly every single part between them will interchange, yes some such as cylinder heads will have issues with clearances but theres no reason to put ls2 heads on a 5.3L when the stock heads flow comparable(only a little less) to the stock 5.7L heads and you can have them ported and polish to flow damn close to what the aftermarket 5.7L heads do. even though the ls2 heads will fit the valves will hit the cylinder walls at higher lift due to the angle of the valve in the head. hell even with the internals they are interchangable. the 5.3L,5.7L, and 6.0L gen 3/4 small blocks all use the exact same crank. the 4.8L uses a different stroke crank but it uses the same pistons as the 5.3L you can swap in the shorter stroke crank and longer rods of the 4.8L into a 5.3L block to make a 4.8L. the only difference between them is some of the cranks have a different toothed wheel on t hem for the crankshaft position sensor. This difference however has nothing to do with the engine, it has to do with the year the engine was made, dont remember which year they switched though.

oil pans are different depending on the chassis they go into but its an easy fix i mean theres only 4 oil pans(not counting the ls4, yes its a gen 3/4 engine but well its a fwd engine no reason to count it.) theres an oil pan for trucks, an oil pan for corvette/caddy xlr, an oil pan for the 4th gen camaros/firebirds, pan for the new 5th gen camaro/firebirds and then the gto oil pan.

6.2L introduce variable valve timing and cylinder shutdown however the stuff from the older engines can be swapped into these by eliminating these features(which only come in the new camaro, corvette, and trucks anyway and are harder to find.) these options cannot be swapped onto the older engines however.

10-E-C-350Z

iTrader: (9)

^ correct. visually, you can't tell the difference between an ls1 and a 5.3. evidently theres no difference between the 5.3 and 4.8 because the hotrod guys thought they were playing with a 5.3 the whole time but it turned out to be a 4.8 instead. They didnt find out until they tore into it and examined the rods. I will be going 4.8 or 5.3 with my swap. I'll let you know how it goes.

jerryd87

iTrader: (4)

if you can find it i would suggest the 5.3L i imagine it varys by area but in ne ohio the 5.3L was a bit easier to find might as well grab the bigger displacement if they are the same price. pull apart style junk yards are excellent as you can usually pick up a complete engine with accessorys, wiring harness and computer for 250-400 bucks. yah 4.8 and 5.3L is pretty much impossible to tell the difference without tearing it apart or having the vin for the truck it came out of.(or the rpo listing but vin is super easy and super easy to get to lol.) see if whatever swap kit you are going for comes with an oil pan, if it dosnt ask them which one is recommended and get the parts might be able to find one in the same junkyard and get them to throw it in for a couple bucks extra. going with a 4l60e or t56?

Brew_haha

I got my entire long block from LKQ for $1,200.00 shipped to my work. It was the long block only so not alt, starter, water pump, idler pulley, belt tensioner, or wiring harness, but came with injectors and intake manifold. It was a 04 LQ9 6.0 motor out of escalade. These motors are iron block and produce 325 hp and 345 tq is what factory rated them at. With Intake, header, FAST 102mm TB and manifold and a custom ground cam i made 478hp and 430 tq. I suggest this route because you can get the stuff you want, i got the tucked swap harness through work, accessory drive pieced together from ebay and a couple of LSX shops around town.

jerryd87

iTrader: (4)

ouch you used lkq? not saying anything bad about them because we used to use them at...........well every dealership i worked at lol especially the cadillac one replacing northstars. but that price for a lq9 is absurd you can get a ls2 longblock for that. it might require a bit more work but you can easily go to a local junk yard yourself and get it much much MUCH cheaper, probably around 600 bucks if you have them pull it out or if you pull it out yourself at some place like cleveland pick a part(where i used to go in ohio) its about 150 bucks, might be slightly higher now but shouldnt be much more its been a couple years since i was in ohio. and yes that would be for a long block as well

bbs350z

iTrader: (85)

^but with lkq its guarantee to work. most lower priced lq's motors are just the blocks or are fugged up internally.


although it is nice to see on ls1tech threads where guys doing a 1200rwhp budget build and try to destroy a stock boosted lq, and it takes over 2 years. lmfao

Cass007

iTrader: (34)

An LS2/T56 dropout from LKQ is going to be ~$6K + delivery. You can spend less and find one in the classifieds over at ls1tech, but I didn't want to take a chance on another failure.

jerryd87

iTrader: (4)

lol thats the issue with this community they think they have to spend alot of money to get a good deal. ive barely seen any blown up lq's in stock trucks...............actually i dont think ive seen any damn near all the the trucks are ones that are wrecked. its just this is a more of a........elitiest community for lack of a better work most of the people on here dont appear the type to go spend a couple hours at a junkyard. i cant tell you how many engines i have bought out of wrecked trucks that all i had to do is throw a little fuel in the tank hook up a battery and it fired right up, now most of those vehicles you would never get back on the road, bodies where just too bad. sorry but if i have my choice of paying someone 1200 bucks for something or going and getting it myself for 150 bucks and they are both the exact same thing........well the choice is obvious im gona grab 150 bucks and my portable cutting torchs and have that engine out in about 30 mins =P ive never encountered a junk yard that would'nt let you hook up a battery before hand and make sure the engine ran before taking it out.

oh yah and ive also never seen a junkyard who is going to make you take apart a engine and just sell you the block, you pay 150-200 bucks and you take the whole long block, you CAN however buy just a block for them but its probably gona cost you more then the entire longblock if you take it yourself because they take it out then have to take it apart.

Brew_haha

LKQ came with a 90 day warranty and I'm all about some warranties my tick performance stage 2 t56 came with a 1 year warranty. Plus most of the ones that i was finding local in the south east area had fire damage of some sort or overheating damage LQK was the best bet at the time