i have an '04 ECSB stock 5.3L / stock 4L60E / 3.73's with limited slip. my goal is to get my truck into the 12's. im on a college budget and i hope to get there within the next 2 - 3 years. does anyone have a similar truck with a sub-13 e.t.? suggestions are highly encouraged

i was thinking an STS turbo kit, cam, stall, and custom tune to start off. anyone else have any ideas to help me out?

 

You will need to do something about your tranny too but yeah.

 

trans-go, servos, stall be enough?

 

Servo and shift kit will help but the power it will take to run 12's you're going to want to go to a 4L80e or do like I did and get a built 4L60 and hold your breath.

 

My suggestion, build one area of the truck at a time. Don't try to go from 15's to 12's in one shot.

 

I'm in the 12's with a couple mods... your trans and rear will definitely have to be addressed... if I had to do it over I'd have gotten a trans and converter FIRST, then started tuning, rearend stuff... all I have done to the motor is a custom grind cam, valvesprings to handle the lift, and some nitrous... I went 12.8's on street tires.... add some slicks and a little more work on the launch I'd have been VERY low 12's on the bottle that day. you dont need an STS to get you in the 12's... fun to drive? yes, but you can have a truck that drives almost like stock and put a bottle on it and be there...

 

Nitrous would be the cheapest way, but the downside is that is is hard on your bottom end. I agree with the above posts. YOu will to beef up the trans bigtime,and you need some 4.10 or lower gears, maybe 4.56.
From what I understand, the bottom end of these engines are pretty tough, so they should take the nitrous blasts pretty well.

 

my stock bottom end is loving the 150 shot. no problems... I know people spraying 100-150hp shots on 200K motors.

 

Yes and no, there is way too many variables on trannys and drivetrains to make definitive statements. I have a friend with a 2000 5.3l with 300k miles on it, stock tranny which is amazing. What I'm saying is its all how that vehicle has been treated. If you could have two absolutely identical vehicles and give them to two different people and tell one person to drive hard and the other to drive like a grandma, there could easily be 100k mile differences in the life of parts. Adding performance parts, factory inconsisties, and different drivers in different geography makes everything unpredictable.

Now with that said, You are lucky. You dont have a crewcab (me) or a z71 (me) So getting your truck in the 12's (I mean high 12's) won't be too hard. I would stay away from a turbo, as the investment that that requires is huge (I too am a college student) Nitrous is a good way to keep driveability and drop your 1/4 mile times. I wouldnt change your tranny yet. I would use the spray and just plan on changing your tranny eventually. So don't install nitrous unless you have the money to go with a new tranny when needed. It could be 2 spray's or 2000 you never know just dont put yourself in a bind and leave your 12 second truck in your driveway with no transmission.
If you get a set of lt's, a tc, a 100 wet shot, a tune, and a intake, you would be flirting with mid 13's. All that + a cam, you should go for high 12's. I run a 15 flat all day long in Texas heat (never run in the winter) with a 2004 CCSB z71, with a 3" lift 33"s and 20"s still on the factory rearend with nothing but a tune, efans, and a intake.

If it was me here is the order that i would mod my truck (im kinda in the middle of the process myself and would definitely do things differently so here is from someone who has lived and learned) :
1.)Tune $(160-....)
2.)Vette Servo $(40-60)
3.)Cold air intake $(100-300)
4.)Long Tube headers $(300-....)
5.)TC lots of choices and price variation $(250ish-....)
6.)Cam $(will not even throw a number out there, there is way to many variables)
7.)Nitrous 100 wet shot $(500ish-....)

Assume these prices as estimates for the the product only not for installation. Keep in mind after every mod you will need to get your tune updated. It would optimal if you could do 5 and 6 at the same time, and they could actually be interchanged with nitrous as long as they are at them same time. Run at the track between each mod, and keep everything documented. You could make a badass sticky of what parts actually do, compiled from stock to sub 13 second.

Everyone chime in, let me know what i said that was wrong, because its late and im tired and Im sure i messed up something.

 

stall, tune, headers, intake, nitrous, tires if you just want a number.