I guess I accidentally deleted my post so here it goes again.

OK so I'm new to the Chevy 5.3 but not engines or vehicle. I recently purchased a 2008 Suburban with a 5.3 and wanted to rebuild it and make a little bit more power on a budget. I've seen "budget builds" all over the internet but want to make sure I have all the right info before I start ordering parts.

My plan was to swap my cylinder heads to a set of 799 and put in a cam and have the block gone through at my machine shop.
My questions are:
What cam would I need? I'd like to get rid of AFM all together if possible. It's currently disabled with a tuner. Would I just need a cam and lifters? Or do I need other components too?

I've also found a complete 5.3 with 799 heads already on it. Could I use that block? Are there differences in 5.3 blocks other than aluminum vs iron?

I know I will need a custom tune to go along with the build as well.
The Suburban will be my daily driver so I can't have a lopey idle and it doesn't need to be on the bleeding edge of performance. Reliability is a definite must. I was thinking in the low 400's at the crank for hp. Which I would assume would be a fairly noticeable increase in performance. The vehicle will be used to tow a bit but nothing like a 10k trailer.

All the advice is really appreciated.

 

Just so you are aware 243 and 799 heads are the same thing. Your 2008 truck will already come with one or the other depending on what day/time/factory they go the engine from. There is no need to swap heads.

Look up the AFM/DoD kits. The come with a new headgaskets, new bolts, new valley cover, new timing gear. Some come complete with lifters and other gaskets as well.

Stay small on the camshaft, something close to a 212/218 size or smaller. That way you will not need a stall converter and it will add a little bit of power too. Get pushrods to match whichever cam you buy. You can probably even call people like Texas speed or Brian tooley racing to discuss this stuff with either of them as well. Other companies sell cam kits and dod delete kits too.

 

Awesome thank you so much for the great info.