Project Silver Bullet!
05-27-2015, 02:35 AM
#1
Project Silver Bullet!
My first post! and my first 'project' truck! Located in Phoenix,AZ. Decided to change up hobbies/toys and sold all my camera equipment and decided to use these freed up funds to purchase a new to me pickup. Found a 2003 Silverado RCSB 5.3l pickup that has a stock engine, stock 4l60e and stock rearend. All stock except he does have K&n filter/tube, and I think a muffler because the exhaust is louder than a stock truck. Been reading up a lot on these forums (thanks guys!) to determine what my plan is and what I need , in terms of parts, to execute these plans.
My goal is to have a faster truck(duh)! I do not plan on taking it to the track , although I may a few times just to get some time slips. It will be my DD for the most part and I just want a fun truck to drive around town. Based on this I want to have high low-end torque. I know , bigger displacement, swap out for a 6.0. I know, but that is not going to happen. I have a 5.3 so that is what I have to work with. I originally wanted to get close to 500rwhp but I do not think that is realistic anymore (based on what I have been reading) so I think if i get 350+rwhp then that should be about right. Ideally I will push it over 400rwhp but I think that may require some FI which I am still trying to figure out how to fit that into my parts list/plan/schedule. BTW this will all need to be run on 91 octane .
Rough overview of the plan:
new heads
new cam
new headers/exhaust
new efans
matching fuel system ( pump and injectors)
supercharger? ( want power in low rpm so i think a roots style would fit best)
tranny/rearend work?
detail of plan and in order of installing:
-HPtuners - figured start learning early so its easier when i get to larger upgrades ( heads/ cam)
-corvetter servo
-efans
-headers - some brand of 1-7/8" (get largest i can right?) figured this would be the easiest to research on which ones to get so I have not done much research in this area. i noticed that ARH has multiple bungs for o2 sensors
-upgrade fuel pump (based on my goals - walbro 255?)
-injectors 36#? for under 450 hp? 36 should be fine with low boost SC?
-heads/cam combo - id like to get some 243 heads . specifically some TAE stage 2 . figured might as well do it right the first time? now here is my biggest dilemma . Do i mill them to get stock CR (9.5:1) or do i bump up the compression closer to 10:1? The reason for the dilemma is the fact that I may add a supercharger ( low boost tvs1900 ) later down the road. i see people throwing these SC on stock silverado SS"s (lq9 with 10:1) so why couldnt I ? figured the higher ratio would help with my low end torque. sorry still have not done the math but maybe mill to get higher CR with thin gasket and then use thicker gasket when i throw on the SC ( if i do) to lower the CR a bit?
-cam - cam would match the current heads (something that has slight lope but also aimed at low end torque) and if i put a supercharger in i would probably get a different cam at that point. I would put the heads and cam in at the same time. then use my newly acquired skills using hptuners to get it running decent and then probably pay a professional to help it out a bit more...
-keep stock truck intake until i maybe SC it.
-then if i sell some more organs i may find a used SC
as for tranny/rearend -
-tranny - would like to take truck to a tranny shop and have them rebuild it to withstand 500-600hp so i dont have to worry about it. same with the driveshaft and differential . not sure when i should do this in my timelime ( first?)
FYI i live in an apartment and can not work on it at my home. most heavy work ( heads and cam ) will probably get installed at my parents house over a weekend ( 3 hour drive away ) . headers/fuel / fans i can probably do at my friends house ( if he says ok).
hopefully you enjoyed my book of questions/ concerns and almost no facts as of yet other than i have a stock truck! drove it around all day today.
now its in my garage!
Cheers! hopefully I can start updating this thread soon! I was able to convince the owner to pull the stereo so I could get a lower price. so right now it has no radio but still has stock door speakers. just ordered a cd player so I can at least listen to tunes (first upgrade). my other truck has a bangin stereo ( hertz 6.5, jl 10w6v1's , hd600/4, hd750/1, dynamat, MLV, etc)
Stereo build
-**** looks like all of my pictures expired...
so I am going to keep the stereo in that truck and focus on performance on this truck...well we will see how long that lasts...
any suggestions or recommendations on my plan please do not hesitate to add your input. thats really the main reason for starting this thread. and if someone was thinking of doing similar build - this could help them in the future too..
My goal is to have a faster truck(duh)! I do not plan on taking it to the track , although I may a few times just to get some time slips. It will be my DD for the most part and I just want a fun truck to drive around town. Based on this I want to have high low-end torque. I know , bigger displacement, swap out for a 6.0. I know, but that is not going to happen. I have a 5.3 so that is what I have to work with. I originally wanted to get close to 500rwhp but I do not think that is realistic anymore (based on what I have been reading) so I think if i get 350+rwhp then that should be about right. Ideally I will push it over 400rwhp but I think that may require some FI which I am still trying to figure out how to fit that into my parts list/plan/schedule. BTW this will all need to be run on 91 octane .
Rough overview of the plan:
new heads
new cam
new headers/exhaust
new efans
matching fuel system ( pump and injectors)
supercharger? ( want power in low rpm so i think a roots style would fit best)
tranny/rearend work?
detail of plan and in order of installing:
-HPtuners - figured start learning early so its easier when i get to larger upgrades ( heads/ cam)
-corvetter servo
-efans
-headers - some brand of 1-7/8" (get largest i can right?) figured this would be the easiest to research on which ones to get so I have not done much research in this area. i noticed that ARH has multiple bungs for o2 sensors
-upgrade fuel pump (based on my goals - walbro 255?)
-injectors 36#? for under 450 hp? 36 should be fine with low boost SC?
-heads/cam combo - id like to get some 243 heads . specifically some TAE stage 2 . figured might as well do it right the first time? now here is my biggest dilemma . Do i mill them to get stock CR (9.5:1) or do i bump up the compression closer to 10:1? The reason for the dilemma is the fact that I may add a supercharger ( low boost tvs1900 ) later down the road. i see people throwing these SC on stock silverado SS"s (lq9 with 10:1) so why couldnt I ? figured the higher ratio would help with my low end torque. sorry still have not done the math but maybe mill to get higher CR with thin gasket and then use thicker gasket when i throw on the SC ( if i do) to lower the CR a bit?
-cam - cam would match the current heads (something that has slight lope but also aimed at low end torque) and if i put a supercharger in i would probably get a different cam at that point. I would put the heads and cam in at the same time. then use my newly acquired skills using hptuners to get it running decent and then probably pay a professional to help it out a bit more...
-keep stock truck intake until i maybe SC it.
-then if i sell some more organs i may find a used SC
as for tranny/rearend -
-tranny - would like to take truck to a tranny shop and have them rebuild it to withstand 500-600hp so i dont have to worry about it. same with the driveshaft and differential . not sure when i should do this in my timelime ( first?)
FYI i live in an apartment and can not work on it at my home. most heavy work ( heads and cam ) will probably get installed at my parents house over a weekend ( 3 hour drive away ) . headers/fuel / fans i can probably do at my friends house ( if he says ok).
hopefully you enjoyed my book of questions/ concerns and almost no facts as of yet other than i have a stock truck! drove it around all day today.
now its in my garage!
Cheers! hopefully I can start updating this thread soon! I was able to convince the owner to pull the stereo so I could get a lower price. so right now it has no radio but still has stock door speakers. just ordered a cd player so I can at least listen to tunes (first upgrade). my other truck has a bangin stereo ( hertz 6.5, jl 10w6v1's , hd600/4, hd750/1, dynamat, MLV, etc)
Stereo build
-**** looks like all of my pictures expired...
so I am going to keep the stereo in that truck and focus on performance on this truck...well we will see how long that lasts...
any suggestions or recommendations on my plan please do not hesitate to add your input. thats really the main reason for starting this thread. and if someone was thinking of doing similar build - this could help them in the future too..
05-27-2015, 10:09 AM
#4
Looking forward to this build! Its nice to see a more budget friendly build every once in a while. With that said here is my .02 regarding your plan and your goals (I say these things based on some personal experience but mostly from what I have researched so take it for what its worth)......
1) A 5.3 that makes 350+ RWHP will not have great low end torque as you said you wanted. That is not to say it still wouldn't be fun to drive but you will need a stall converter on the larger side to go with the larger cam you will also need to meet that HP goal with a 5.3
2) The way to get great low end torque is, as you already stated, to increase the displacement of the engine or to add forced induction, preferably a roots style supercharger.
3) For a 5.3, IMHO especially if you want to keep some torque down low, 1 7/8" headers are overkill unless you end up going with a supercharger.
4) I would suggest some 8.1L marine injectors which are plug-and-play and are 42#. This should be good for anything you can do with the 5.3L NA and should also be good for small amount of boost as well.
5) I would shoot for a SCR of 9.5:1 if you know for sure boost is in your future, however, that's not to say 10:1 wouldn't work as many have run that much compression and higher with forced induction and have been fine. Its all about the quality of the fuel you use and the quality of the tune.
Just some food for thought. Sounds like a fun build and I am looking forward to how it turns out! Good Luck!
1) A 5.3 that makes 350+ RWHP will not have great low end torque as you said you wanted. That is not to say it still wouldn't be fun to drive but you will need a stall converter on the larger side to go with the larger cam you will also need to meet that HP goal with a 5.3
2) The way to get great low end torque is, as you already stated, to increase the displacement of the engine or to add forced induction, preferably a roots style supercharger.
3) For a 5.3, IMHO especially if you want to keep some torque down low, 1 7/8" headers are overkill unless you end up going with a supercharger.
4) I would suggest some 8.1L marine injectors which are plug-and-play and are 42#. This should be good for anything you can do with the 5.3L NA and should also be good for small amount of boost as well.
5) I would shoot for a SCR of 9.5:1 if you know for sure boost is in your future, however, that's not to say 10:1 wouldn't work as many have run that much compression and higher with forced induction and have been fine. Its all about the quality of the fuel you use and the quality of the tune.
Just some food for thought. Sounds like a fun build and I am looking forward to how it turns out! Good Luck!
05-27-2015, 11:17 AM
#5
Looking forward to this build! Its nice to see a more budget friendly build every once in a while. With that said here is my .02 regarding your plan and your goals (I say these things based on some personal experience but mostly from what I have researched so take it for what its worth)......
1) A 5.3 that makes 350+ RWHP will not have great low end torque as you said you wanted. That is not to say it still wouldn't be fun to drive but you will need a stall converter on the larger side to go with the larger cam you will also need to meet that HP goal with a 5.3
2) The way to get great low end torque is, as you already stated, to increase the displacement of the engine or to add forced induction, preferably a roots style supercharger.
3) For a 5.3, IMHO especially if you want to keep some torque down low, 1 7/8" headers are overkill unless you end up going with a supercharger.
4) I would suggest some 8.1L marine injectors which are plug-and-play and are 42#. This should be good for anything you can do with the 5.3L NA and should also be good for small amount of boost as well.
5) I would shoot for a SCR of 9.5:1 if you know for sure boost is in your future, however, that's not to say 10:1 wouldn't work as many have run that much compression and higher with forced induction and have been fine. Its all about the quality of the fuel you use and the quality of the tune.
Just some food for thought. Sounds like a fun build and I am looking forward to how it turns out! Good Luck!
1) A 5.3 that makes 350+ RWHP will not have great low end torque as you said you wanted. That is not to say it still wouldn't be fun to drive but you will need a stall converter on the larger side to go with the larger cam you will also need to meet that HP goal with a 5.3
2) The way to get great low end torque is, as you already stated, to increase the displacement of the engine or to add forced induction, preferably a roots style supercharger.
3) For a 5.3, IMHO especially if you want to keep some torque down low, 1 7/8" headers are overkill unless you end up going with a supercharger.
4) I would suggest some 8.1L marine injectors which are plug-and-play and are 42#. This should be good for anything you can do with the 5.3L NA and should also be good for small amount of boost as well.
5) I would shoot for a SCR of 9.5:1 if you know for sure boost is in your future, however, that's not to say 10:1 wouldn't work as many have run that much compression and higher with forced induction and have been fine. Its all about the quality of the fuel you use and the quality of the tune.
Just some food for thought. Sounds like a fun build and I am looking forward to how it turns out! Good Luck!
ok great thanks for the input.
For some of these items I would like to add parts that have some headroom for growing later such as larger headers, larger injectors, pump etc. So now if i am not quite to FI yet, can you have too large of injectors? I think I already know the answer to this but is there a point where you need to stay above a certain duty cycle (have not found any info on this topic really about min duty cycles)? as for header size , same thing - any performance cons to 1-7/8 vs smaller diameter ? again i think i know the answer but just have to ask while on this topic.
thanks!
05-28-2015, 12:23 PM
#6
I think tunning, especially at idle, can be made more difficult with sufficiently oversized injector and fuel pump but others with more experience will have to confirm. I would think if you stay over 50% you should be good and still allow for some room to grow in the future.
The headers you will have no negatives from the 1 7/8" except maybe on the low end. The TVS will take care of that though
The headers you will have no negatives from the 1 7/8" except maybe on the low end. The TVS will take care of that though
06-08-2015, 05:36 PM
#7
Got my servo and HPtuner in the mail today!
also have a AFR500 wideband and efans on the way. decided that I am going with some SS 1 3/4" heads for cost savings and plan on pulling trigger on some new Texas Speed SS header and ORY when they get some in stock. Unless some used kooks or ARH pop up in the meantime.
also decided that I am just going to utilize some stock 243 heads ( get them milled to keep stock CR) and piece together a heavy duty valvetrain instead of paying top $$ for some TAE ported heads. after i determine the setup I want , as far as valvetrain , I will be picking up second hand lifters , springs , rockers , and rods. hoping to keep the heads/complete valvetrain and cam around $1k total.
also have a AFR500 wideband and efans on the way. decided that I am going with some SS 1 3/4" heads for cost savings and plan on pulling trigger on some new Texas Speed SS header and ORY when they get some in stock. Unless some used kooks or ARH pop up in the meantime.
also decided that I am just going to utilize some stock 243 heads ( get them milled to keep stock CR) and piece together a heavy duty valvetrain instead of paying top $$ for some TAE ported heads. after i determine the setup I want , as far as valvetrain , I will be picking up second hand lifters , springs , rockers , and rods. hoping to keep the heads/complete valvetrain and cam around $1k total.
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06-20-2015, 12:20 AM
#8
I have been non-stop reading and researching and calculating how much this is all going to cost. Man it adds up fast. I have decided to make a lot of changes.
Updated plans:
installed:
-hptuners (installed and playing with TQM and learning VE table tuning etc - no wideband installed yet until i get my headers/ORY)
-corvette servo (installed)
Ordered and not installed:
-efans ( bought used from member on here - need to order OEM 34" rad and OEM wiring harness )
-tranny cooler - tru cool 40k
Waiting to be ordered:
-speed engineering 1 7/8 SS headers and ORY ( going to go get emission passed before installing these )
-heads/cam - going to stick with stock 706 heads. going to go with TSP 224R 112lsa cam with .625" lift beehive springs or similar. chromo pushrods.
-Converter - going to get either Circle D or Yank 245mm 3600stall
-rear end - going to probably get some 4.10's posi
-update fuel system when needed.
-either performabuilt or FLT tranny built 4l60e when $ allows or tranny blows up
when swapping my cam I am going to get new GM ls2 timing set ( gears and chain) and a high volume ls6 oil pump . also all new gaskets and bolts where needed.
_Zblee
Updated plans:
installed:
-hptuners (installed and playing with TQM and learning VE table tuning etc - no wideband installed yet until i get my headers/ORY)
-corvette servo (installed)
Ordered and not installed:
-efans ( bought used from member on here - need to order OEM 34" rad and OEM wiring harness )
-tranny cooler - tru cool 40k
Waiting to be ordered:
-speed engineering 1 7/8 SS headers and ORY ( going to go get emission passed before installing these )
-heads/cam - going to stick with stock 706 heads. going to go with TSP 224R 112lsa cam with .625" lift beehive springs or similar. chromo pushrods.
-Converter - going to get either Circle D or Yank 245mm 3600stall
-rear end - going to probably get some 4.10's posi
-update fuel system when needed.
-either performabuilt or FLT tranny built 4l60e when $ allows or tranny blows up
when swapping my cam I am going to get new GM ls2 timing set ( gears and chain) and a high volume ls6 oil pump . also all new gaskets and bolts where needed.
_Zblee
07-14-2015, 03:53 PM
#9
Got a couple of items installed over the weekend!
truck now has efans and tru-cool 40k tranny cooler!
here is engine bay before , you can clearly see the large radiator shroud that is hiding the clutch fan
Here i dropped in the new 34" spectra CU2423 radiator with tranny cooler. You can see that i ran the new line that goes from the radiator tranny cooler OUT to the tru-cool IN (see black cooler line that is plugged in the upper cooler outlet on the radiator).
I also ordered the wrong lines so we had to modify the line that came in the mail and cut this into the existing return line to the transmission
Here is front grill removed to show I did not have the Aux cooler that most tru-cool install threads utilize .
Here is the tru-cool 40k mounted up
Here is the tru-cool with lines installed
custom line installed
had to modify the splash guard to allow the lines through
electric fans in and wired up using ls1fans.com harness
While we were in there we replaced the serpentine belt, the a/c belt and put in a larger 145a alternator. needed to get a little longer serpentine to compensate for the slightly larger pulley on the new alternator.
with the 34" radiator, the K&n airbox that I had would not fit. The box uses the empty (now occupied by radiator) radiator mounts . So we cut and bent the box to allow room for hoses and radiator.
before:
after: cut out a section and bent it over, this allowed us to utilize the radiator mount still. We also drilled a new hole for the lower mount.
A couple of busted studs that needed replacing
studs removed
new studs going in
new aluminum 17" rims to replace the steely's
Then when I went to test drive to make sure all works I got back and immediately started leaking fluid on the driveway. water pump just went out!
pulled it off and got a new one from napa. with the new fans already in place all we had to do was remove the belts and the hoses. easy swap.
Installed new pump and thermostat and all is good. fans work as they should , tranny cooler working ( wish I had a temp gauge ) , and new water pump is pumpin.
Updated plans:
installed:
-hptuners (installed and playing with TQM and learning VE table tuning etc - no wideband installed yet until i get my headers/ORY)
-corvette servo (installed)
-efans ( bought used from member on here - need to order OEM 34" rad and
OEM wiring harness ls1fans.com)
-tranny cooler - tru cool 40k
Ordered and not installed:
-Edge Performance Pro 3600 stall (craigslist find) has about 6k total miles and less than 2k from being sent to edge for cut and clean.
Waiting to be ordered:
-speed engineering 1 7/8 SS headers and ORY ( going to go get emission passed before installing these )
-heads/cam - going to stick with stock 706 heads. going to go with TSP 224R 112lsa cam with .625" lift beehive springs or similar. chromo pushrods.
-rear end - going to probably get some 4.10's posi
-update fuel system when needed.
-either performabuilt or FLT tranny built 4l60e when $ allows or tranny blows up
when swapping my cam I am going to get new GM ls2 timing set ( gears and chain) and a high volume ls6 oil pump . also all new gaskets and bolts where needed.
_Zblee
truck now has efans and tru-cool 40k tranny cooler!
here is engine bay before , you can clearly see the large radiator shroud that is hiding the clutch fan
Here i dropped in the new 34" spectra CU2423 radiator with tranny cooler. You can see that i ran the new line that goes from the radiator tranny cooler OUT to the tru-cool IN (see black cooler line that is plugged in the upper cooler outlet on the radiator).
I also ordered the wrong lines so we had to modify the line that came in the mail and cut this into the existing return line to the transmission
Here is front grill removed to show I did not have the Aux cooler that most tru-cool install threads utilize .
Here is the tru-cool 40k mounted up
Here is the tru-cool with lines installed
custom line installed
had to modify the splash guard to allow the lines through
electric fans in and wired up using ls1fans.com harness
While we were in there we replaced the serpentine belt, the a/c belt and put in a larger 145a alternator. needed to get a little longer serpentine to compensate for the slightly larger pulley on the new alternator.
with the 34" radiator, the K&n airbox that I had would not fit. The box uses the empty (now occupied by radiator) radiator mounts . So we cut and bent the box to allow room for hoses and radiator.
before:
after: cut out a section and bent it over, this allowed us to utilize the radiator mount still. We also drilled a new hole for the lower mount.
A couple of busted studs that needed replacing
studs removed
new studs going in
new aluminum 17" rims to replace the steely's
Then when I went to test drive to make sure all works I got back and immediately started leaking fluid on the driveway. water pump just went out!
pulled it off and got a new one from napa. with the new fans already in place all we had to do was remove the belts and the hoses. easy swap.
Installed new pump and thermostat and all is good. fans work as they should , tranny cooler working ( wish I had a temp gauge ) , and new water pump is pumpin.
Updated plans:
installed:
-hptuners (installed and playing with TQM and learning VE table tuning etc - no wideband installed yet until i get my headers/ORY)
-corvette servo (installed)
-efans ( bought used from member on here - need to order OEM 34" rad and
OEM wiring harness ls1fans.com)
-tranny cooler - tru cool 40k
Ordered and not installed:
-Edge Performance Pro 3600 stall (craigslist find) has about 6k total miles and less than 2k from being sent to edge for cut and clean.
Waiting to be ordered:
-speed engineering 1 7/8 SS headers and ORY ( going to go get emission passed before installing these )
-heads/cam - going to stick with stock 706 heads. going to go with TSP 224R 112lsa cam with .625" lift beehive springs or similar. chromo pushrods.
-rear end - going to probably get some 4.10's posi
-update fuel system when needed.
-either performabuilt or FLT tranny built 4l60e when $ allows or tranny blows up
when swapping my cam I am going to get new GM ls2 timing set ( gears and chain) and a high volume ls6 oil pump . also all new gaskets and bolts where needed.
_Zblee
