I need some serious help. I’ve got an 09 Silverado 1500 with the 4.8 in it and 4l60e. I do a lot of off-road work like pulling people out of hairy situations and trailing around out there. It’s coming up on a rebuild with 140k miles on it and I’m stuck trying to figure out if I should Rebuild it and do a few things to get more power out of it. Or swap it for a 5.3 and a 4l80. I’m looking to see what the masters have to say because I’m pretty green with this kind of stuff and I’m a little lost on what to do.

 

Going to a 5.3 would be what I would do. A lightly modded 4.8 is going to make stock 5.3 power but only in certain area's. The larger engine will have far more grunt down low where you'd want it pulling trailers and stuff.

I'd go with a 5.3 and do the upgrades to that. Like removing the AFM system and using a mild camshaft that retains the stock stall converter.

A fresh 4L60e would be better suited for you compared to a 4L80e in my opinion. The gearing in the 4L60e is better for your needs.

 

Why not a 6 liter?

 

5.3 is cheap and easy to source, plus they can make gobs of power when built correctly.

 

5.3's are cheaper than 6.0's around here anyway.

Either engine would need changes done because 2009 never had VVT either, so on a 6.0 that would have to be dealt with anyway.

 

What’s going on at 140k for rebuild?

 

Maybe he thinks it's a Chevy 350 for the 70's?

 

It’s got quite a few eng problems and If I’m gonna sink money into this truck I might as well do it smartly than shoot myself in the foot. It does have a persistent eng misfire on cylinder 6. I’ve done just about everything besides pull the engine out and take it apart. And I’ve read on some other forums that getting a different eng can be done and that the 5.3 and 6.0 were plug and play, however I’ve sorted out that the 6.0 would require too much money and I’m not made of it. So the 5.3 stepped into light and I’m trying to see what would be better keeping the stock 4.8 and tearing it apart and basically rebuilding it. Or just get a different engine. The big thing I’m trying to get out of this deal is the ability to pull people out of the sand and actually not have to worry so much about if I have enough to get through some of the stuff I’ve gotten stuck in. Basically I realized the 4.8 isn’t suitable for my needs let alone my wants.