ZQ8LS1

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Some of you guys may know me from S10 forum & S10 Planet & LS1 Tech.

Fiqured I would drop in here & post some pics of my truck.

Its a 2003 S10 ext cab. Early this year I decieded to install a 5.3 aluminum L33 motor I built from scratch. Its a daily driver & with the economy the way it is I just wanted to get the motor in & driving & maybe do a turbo later or a 6.0.

RS/SS 4.8

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Nice. Best s dime bodystyle of em all. Event though there was only 2.5 gens

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

Its a ZQ8 that came with a 4.3 but after doing some mods to the 4.3 & getting **** poor fuel mileage I decieded to do a LSx swap.

I use the truck as a daily driver & to pull jetskis for my business.

Mods before swap.

Urathane sway bar bushings
Tubular upper A arms
Tall upper ball joints
SS brake lines
Torsen Zexel diff 3:42 gears
JTR driveline align kit
Corvette Sawblade 17 inch wheels
ZQ8 Hop shock
Flaming River steering joint

Body mods

Sonoma hood
Color matched grill
SS Mirrors
RollnLock Tonneau
Roll pan with hide a hitch

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

In July after 6 months of gathering parts & rebuilding the motor I decieded it was time to remove the 4.3 & install the 5.3. I gave myself a 4 week time frame to do the swap & got it done in 2.5 weeks doing everything by myself.

Details on motor.

I bought the motor off of ebay as a L33 bottom end. Upon reciving it I tore it down & it had a few spun rod bearings so I bought a turned crank & bearings & sent the block to the machine shop & had it cleaned & new cam bearings installed & cyls honed.

I rebuilt the motor using the stock cam & pistons & rods. Installed new rings,oil pump,timing chain & gears,H3 oil pan,gaskets,LS6 valley cover,LS1 intake,Potz ported throttle body,D85 truck coils,SS shorty headers,truck acc drive,LS3 water pump,CPW poly motor mounts

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

Also did the Comp Cams trunnion upgrade.



Started assembling the motor.







Front acc drive all mocked up



New PS pump with small Dorman pulley for better steering box clearance.



Potz ported throttle body.

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

Pulled the front end off & pulled the 4.3 out.

ZQ8LS1

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I had the frame notched for the ac compressor.



Then started test fitting the motor. Had to massage the trans tunnel with a hammer for better clearance of the headers,move the brake line to the top of the crossmember & bend a few brake lines on the drivers side for better header clearance. I am using the stock 4L60E transmission & its in the stock location so I wouldnt have to cut the driveshaft either,mounted on the stock crossmember.



The steering shaft is real close to #3 cyl header pipe but gain clearance by a few small dents & placing washers in the front two steering box mount bolts between the frame & the box which kicks the shaft out a little & gained clearance.



A little close to the ac box on the passenger side so I used a little heat shield material glued to the box.

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

Now comes the scary part....WIRING

Here you have a couple choices.

Buy a custom made harness $850

Or take a donor harness from a 5.3 Silverado & modify it by cutting & splicing wires

OR like I did...Take a 5.3 harness & PCM & elminate the rear O2 sensor leads & the EGR wiring & mount the PCM on the drivers side by the underhood fuse box just like the Silverado.

I mounted the PCM on the back of the radiator support,it was easy,saved $ & works just fine.

ZQ8LS1

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The fuel system was easy,just use a Covette fuel filter with some Russell adapters,it has a built in fuel regulator.

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

Pics of installed motor.