dajuggernoff85

Whats up fellas! I recently acquired a 5.3L (LM7). Im new to LS engines and I'm thinking Id like to push my 5.3 up to 500hp. Is that possible, without forced induction or blowers?

Looking for an all motor 500hp 5.3. If its possible, which is the best route to go. If not possible what would you guys recommend, to get the most out of my 5.3?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to have a plan before i start breaking bread. This motor will be going in a '00 Silverado reg cab/short bed. Making a nice street truck.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Blown06

iTrader: (32)

It can be done, but trying to do it N/A won't be a walk in the park. If you're thinking of doing it N/A for cost reasons, thats a mistake as you can easily make 500 hp with a turbo blower for a ton cheaper than what it'll cost to do it N/A.

If N/A, your gonna need some pretty big compression (possibly requiring better fuel that is readily available at the gas station), a nasty camshaft that's gonna need a loose as **** converter. RPM is what will get you to that 500 number. Be ready to have the valvetrain to support shift points approaching 8000 rpm. It's gonna take a very nice induction system (intake and heads that flow big numbers) and a dialed in exhaust system.

If you do it with a turbo or blower, you can literally bolt something on and not even have to touch the long block as long as it is in good shape.

Don't forget the fuel system as well. The cost of the fuel system will hinge on your decision of N/A, turbo or blower. The blower route will require the bigger of the 3 setups as you have to account for the power lost to drive the blower.

This site along with ls1tech has enough information to consume days of your life researching proven combos. At this point, the search function is your friend.

Gbrown1320

iTrader: (6)

One thing to think about too is that the more radical you get on an NA setup, the less enjoyable it typically is to drive on the street. When you're talking about a huge cam, huge heads and a loose converter it pretty much makes the truck no fun unless your getting on it. Trying to drive in traffic on the street becomes a pain in the ***. It takes a hell of a tuner to get the idle stability dialed in on a setup like that. And even still, you're giving up all your power under the curve without loading the converter - which is where you're going to be driving 95% of the time on the street.

With a poweradder, you can make the same power if not more and still drive like stock when you're out of the throttle. Not to mention, it will likely be cheaper and more reliable in the end.

Lil brother PI

All of the above I did truck was a beast when on it. But gets very frustrating just driving around if I could go back I would have gone turbo and truck would prolly still be with me. Truck went 12.0 na never hit the dyno

dajuggernoff85

Awesome. I really appreciate the insight and knowledge. With regard to you guys experience & knowledge, it seems I should consider a different approach in terms of longevity of my street truck.

With that said, which setups do you guys recommend? Any one over the other or a specific setup that's tried and true?

Gbrown1320

iTrader: (6)

I think if I did it all over and a budget was still a concern, I would have put an On3 Turbo system on my 4.8 instead of swapping in the cammed 6.0. Also would have gone with a spec'd converter with a tighter STR than my current off the shelf unit. My converter is way looser than I would have liked for street duty. But it sure makes for fun when you step on the loud pedal. I'm hoping some steeper gears will help out my drivability in regard to my converter's looseness.

ZO6Ted

For off the shelf power and a HELL of a lot of fun go with a blower if you can afford it... reliable as ****. No need to f with it just drive. To really go fast though a turbo is the ultimate but somewhat more complicated on a daily basis I would say. Either way the 5.3 is totally sufficient.

DR132

i love my turbo on my daily..excellent manners and hauls *** when i want it to.

dajuggernoff85

DR- Which turbo setup do you utilize?

dajuggernoff85

Thanks man. Honestly I can't make up my mind on either a Procharger or a Turbo system. If you had the choice, would you prefer one over the either?