The 5.0 drinks some gas, but honestly the 5.7 L31 will do better than the LM7 in the van. Low-end torque is your friend when you are moving 6,000+ lbs of fullsize express with the frontal area of two telephone booths stacked togather into the wind. I have a 97 Express with the L31, the only modifications are a custom PCM tune by me and Doug THorley Tri-Y headers. It will run off and leave my dads 04 Express with the LM7 5.3. My slightly tweaked 5.7 gets better mileage too. I get 18-19 mpg @ 75 mph on the highway.

I need a new video of it, but this is the stock run 10-80.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WydwLghk_yw

 

I have personally worked on an express van that was a 2003 Express 2500, 4.8, 4L60E.

Dustin

 

I run the 0411 PCM with the 2002 L31-4L60E tune in my 1997 Express, so there you have it. 02 was the last year for the old engines, 03 for the new. That corresponds to the front-end change. The only thing I do not like about the 03+ chassis wise is the rack and pinon steering setup.

 

What was also funny is it was a 03 cable throttle 4.8, even though the van was manufactured like 11/03 so it was an 04 vin.

Dustin

 

Vans had cable throttles through 05, atleast if the junkyard had the vin/year/model tag right on the 6.0/4L80E I just looked at.