Hey guys, im new to the forums so with that I currently have a 2004 Silverado crew cab z71 with of course a 5.3l. I have done some research and from what I understand I can swap to a 6.0l LS2 or a LQ9 plug and play style. All I would have to do is update the PC.

I am trying to decide if I want to rebuild my 5.3(has 150,000) she is starting to get real slugish and not so tight. I started looking and weighing my options, should i just rebuild her or swap to a 6.0? I ask this because of my later plans and upgrades. She is my daily driver, I plan to lift her to 6in with 35s. I want to supercharger her with a whipple, and I want to be sitting at around 500whp to 600whp.

I understand I would have to rebuild the tranny and beef it up, that just comes with it. It is cost effective to swap? what are the problems i might encounter? Is there some one on the forums here that has completed the kind of swap and could lend some advice?

I thank you guys for your help, and look forward to the advice.

 

Maybe I should claify what I am asking, Has anyone rebuild there 5.3L engine and how much did it cost them? As well has anyone swapped out to a 6.0L and how much did it cost them? How much power did you recieve after the rebuild/swap? Was it cost effective?

 

i just did my swap in october. i have a 205k z71 and the 5.3 felt great but put coolant in the oil. i did my swap in a weekend ,alone. i was going to do another 5.3 but i found a lq4 for 1150 at my local yard. i have hp tuners and the donor tune, so getting the calibration right wasn't an issue. i also will be going turbo this summer. trans has the same mileage and feels fine. as far as cost effective i would think dropping another low mile 5.3 in would be the wisest move.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, I dont plan to replace my 5.3 with another 5.3. I would perfer to rebuild it with some add ons, such as increasing the bore ad oversided pistons and new rods and crankshaft. I do agree with you swaping to a low mile 5.3 would be cheapist of all plans. I have found a LQ9 for 2500. So I will be going that route.

 

I just built a 5.3 for my wifes 03 Suburban, with the machine work, new flat pistons, rings, valve springs, lifters, lifter trays, gaskets, head studs...it was about $1000

Most LS series engines do not need to be bored during a rebuild, using a set of std size 3.78 rings showed that all 8 of the cylinder where still factory spec. The only reason I had to bore the block was because of a few rust spots that were pitted. For anyone building a 5.3 its well worth it to swap in flat top piston, the set of 8 fully coated (like LS6 pistons) speed pro pistons was only $240

 

Good lord, I just bought a GM reman crate LQ9 for $2900