I have a well kept 2002 Silverado 2500HD with a 6.0 and the manual 5 speed. I'm looking to make it something special as I love the truck. My question is what engine would be the best to swap in. I've driven a 2015 1500 with the 6.2 and it flies, so that would be nice or possibly the 8.1 that was offered as an option for my truck. My stock 6.0 is feeling tired and slow after many years of driving, slow throttle response, etc. With my truck having the manual, shouldn't that make it easy to swap with basically any GM engine? Thanks for the help guys.

 

Swapping to a 2014+ direct injection motor will run you a ton of money and headache just to make it work. You need a specific fuel system, wiring, computer/controllers and a bunch of other jazz to make the can-bus motor/electronics work. You also would not be able to use your cluster because it is totally outdated in technology compared to the new DI motors.

Even a 2007+ 58x GEN 4 motor would be extra work to make it right.

Seems easier to just refresh your 6.0 and slap a supercharger on it with supporting mods. That's an easy way to pick up 125-150hp to the tire and make it way more fun to drive.

 

Will a good tuner help with the throttle response? I've seen trucks on YouTube/tv that gain serious hp/tq guns from tunes. Where can I find a good one? Thanks for saving me a ton of money too