2007 (GMT-900) Silverado 1500 extended cab, regular (short) bed, 4x4 with the LMG 5.3, 3.73 gears. My original mission was to beef up my stock engine since I'm on borrowed time with the failure prone AFM system. I frequently tow cars, trucks, and SUVs on a 2k lb. flatbed dovetail trailer. I'm at 122k miles now, only because I've been running a Range disabler since 75k. My thought process was, well, if I'm gonna go in, I might as well have some fun with it at the same time. Might as well make it like the diesel I SHOULD have bought to begin with. I was bouncing back and forth between forced induction, and a stroker short block. In hindsight, it would've made better financial sense to go with the short block ... but I always have to do things the hard way - I went for broke (LITERALLY) and bought a Magnuson.

SO long story short, I got in WAY over my head! In my day, I could to a complete build for what my friggin catted headers cost me. I've got sticker shock BAD, and now I'm in too deep to go back. Should've thought this whole thing through a bit better ... What happened was, I went and chatted with Ted Jannetty (Anyone from the Northeast knows he's the guy to go to for any LS mods or tuning - he's not cheap, but the best in the business, hands down). Long story short again, when he asked how many miles on my truck and I told him, his exact response was, "You're nuts". Back when I was young, 200k miles was about half done on an engine. I've been blown away how with '07 and up GM products that 100k is the new 300k, unless you drive like an old lady. I wasn't planning on doing the engine over at 122k. If I leave it stock, I'm sure I could probably hit 200k or more with an AFM delete, but force-feeding this thing after all the abuse its already taken is a bad idea.

Now I know there's going to be 100 people jumping in here and saying that's bullshit, "I've got 100k on mine putting out 600 RW and it's fine", because I've already heard it locally. "Just run it till it blows up!" Yeah, maybe if I had Rockerfeller's bank account! I can't afford to send metal through brand new lifters, camshaft, oil pump, rocker bushings, and a $7k+ (After tax) supercharger. I'd be bankrupt! This ship has sailed - with that in my head, I'll NEVER trust this build unless I go brand new. Nobody is going to convince me otherwise. All I can think of is being 800 miles from home with a ventilated block - that would RUIN me financially.

Backing up a bit, last March I decided to go all in on a Magnuson supercharger, AFM delete, triple-disc converter on a PerformaBuilt Heavy Hauler with 5-pinion planets I already installed 2 years ago. My rear end was the first thing to go, with the tips of my spider gears sitting on the magnet during a fluid change. Swapped that out to an air-actuated Ox Locker since I already had compressors. So now it's a short block I need ... but from who?

Golens is the closest that I know of that builds. It seems there's no in-between when shopping on the net - it's either stock, or a fire-breathing $5k short block that can handle 1,500. I guess I'll have to call someone and let them know what I want.

My other option was rebuilding what I already have, but I think it would just make more sense time and effort wise at this stage to just go with a short block, even if I have to sit on this mountain of parts another 6 months or more. At least that way I could recoup SOME money for this insane project from a hot rodder looking to repower a classic.

So, who's the best builder out there for what I'm looking to do?

 

Used block. Local machine shop. Forged pistons, stock crank, maybe some upgraded rods, ARP hardware. Call it a day.

I just had a 383 built by a local shop and punching the block out, scat rotating assembly, double roller timing chain, new cam, new lifters, new rockers, new pushrods, new aluminum heads, oil pan, arp hardware, aluminum intake, basically a complete engine, was right about $6200 assembled for a point of reference. But this started as an old iron blocked vortec 350 and I’m doing an NA build.

If I was planning a blown LS build I’d do pistons, maybe rods, hardware, fresh hone, fresh bearings and rings, maybe a new cam and lifters since I’m that deep, and send it. The LS is a really strong platform in stock form. Depending on the year of the engine you got to build you might just need a fresh hone, rings, and bearings. Have a machine shop check clearances and straighten anything out that needs it.

 

Thanks - I appreciate the insight.

It's looking like I'm going to have to build what I've got for the least hit on the wallet. Nothing is EVER simple in today's world!

 

Why do you need a whole new block? I agree with used block but I am not sure I picked up on what happened exactly.

 

Sounds like panic with some fear and an overwhelming amount of doubt mixed in.

 

I agree I think you might be reading a little bit too much into the forum posts...

 

What Ted told me was, my engine, with how I drive, regardless of using Amsoil and changing it on time, is clapped out and DONE for a boost application. He knows I don't have a money tree in my backyard to just throw money at things when they grenade. If I smoke this engine and send metal through a $7k supercharger, this truck will be parked up on the hill with the rest of the junks that are beyond repair, probably because by the time I get the cash to fix it, there will be nothing left to fix after a couple years of Northeaster weather. He said he'd put money on every one of my cylinders having major leakdown. That's something I haven't had time to investigate yet, but just based on the way this engine runs compared to when it was brand new, the gradually decreasing oil pressure, AND the fact this POS started to use oil at 50k miles at high RPM / high load, I have no reason to doubt him. This truck overall has been a POS from day one, so it wouldn't shock me in the least that the engine falls right into that category. That said, with a blower on top of this thing, I'd be afraid to give it any throttle UNTIL the engine is brand new again, whether that's a short block or a rebuild of my LMG. I don't want a $14,000 engine I can't even use ... or blows up on the dyno during tuning.

So far I've managed to somewhat bulletproof the driveline as each component has failed by replacing it with something much better. All that's left is the engine, transfer case (MP3023, auto), driveshaft yoke, U-joints, and driveshaft.

 

Fear of going bankrupt, you bet your ***!

 

If you had the stuff to do the AFM delete you should have just done that. Once that is gone the engine is going to outlive your interest in the truck.

 

That's what I keep hearing, but I'm no longer convinced of that. The lower oil pressure and the oil burning are major concerns. I've NEVER had an engine in my life do either.

Case in point, I've got an '86 Grand Marquis with 292k miles on the ORIGINAL driveline that doesn't burn a drop. Even has the OE electric pump in the tank! Before that I had a '72 El Camino with so much blowby I had to cut a hole in a plastic ashtray to put my breather in, so it wouldn't blast the entire engine compartment with oil whenever I slammed the throttle shut. I ran that thing from CA to MA pulling a trailer at 4k RPM for 5 days straight, then beat on the thing for 11 years afterwards as my daily. I have no such confidence in this truck.