some dude

ok i just typed a freakin wall o txt and the auto logout just ruined my day...

starting over with less patience...

im a mechanic by trade. been doing it for about 15 years now. 13 or so professionally.

i have an ext. cab 4x4 s10 2000 model with a bad 4.3. the truck is beautifull. no problems except the motor. all new moog suspension, wagner bd series brakes, ect.

i also have an ext. cab 04 silverado with a drive by wire 4.8 with a bad valve stem seal or something on bank 1. burns through mobil 1 high milage 1 quart every 200 miles and keeps getting antifreeze in the oil.

225000 on the s10
180000 on the silverado

i purchased a lq4 6.0 mechanical tb out of a 2500HD yesterday for 1200 buck with everything that bolts to the engine cept the ac compressor and wiring harness. i even have the ecm. its got 70,000 miles on it.

so s10? or silverado?

if i put it in the s10 ill have to hope the 4.8 holds out till i get another one.
if i put it in the silverado i could build the 4.8 and put it in the s10.

what will i run into on each build?

and what will i need taking into consideration my budget now is 1000 bucks if i were to put it into the s10 and that it is a 4x4?

help me make it all fit into the budget and i will photo document every step of the process for yall to admire.

some dude

ive got a canon t2i so they will be awesome pics

Bo185

The head is probably cracked on the 4.8L remove the valve cover and inspect.

If the Silverado has a Gen III motor already (99-2007) it will be a long block bolt in swap. Just retune the PCM. Use the flexplate off the 4.8L. Take a day at most to do the swap.

Then find a $500 long block 5.3L with low miles and use the 6.0L accessories and buy a harness. And swap it into the S10.

Just sell the 4.8L long block.

5.3L will be perfect for the S10. The Gen III motor will bolt up the the S10 trans just need a dished flex plate and a crank bushing and elongate tq holes. Do your harness work. Buy off shelve motor mounts. Tie up lose ends.

some dude

will the electric throttlebody work on the 6.0 intake? and will the mass airflow work with it too? some people at work were talking about the 6.0 having an longer crank. not true?

MINK

I think the S-10 with the 4X4 would really be something SPECIAL! You don't see hardly any 4X4 swaps, it wouldn't be as easy, but the end results would be worth it!

RedRocketZ28

iTrader: (19)

I would love to see the S10 get the motor. I have a 97 Blazer 4x4 that I am going to eventually do an LS swap in. Good luck with whatever direction you go in!

K11PER

iTrader: (8)

I have an s10 I am putting an LQ4/LS3 build into so I would love to see you put it in the dime but I have to agree with bo in your case

Bo185

The long blocks are all the same externally. Just swap the complete 4.8L intake and accessories as they are the same ones anyway 4.8/5.3/6.0L! MAF are the same as well. Then you retune the PCM for the larger displacement. Although it will run on a 4.8L tune.

Now some of the early 99-2000 4.8 and 6.0L have a larger crank flange these were used with the 4l80e trans.

If its an early unit look at the crank flange. If it sticks out past the rear cover then it's the longer crank. If the crank is flush with the cover then its a regular crank. And your good to go!!!

The longer crank will NOT work with a Gen III/IV 4l60e. Then if will not fit the Silverado. SO if that's the case you can use the 6.0L in the S10 with just the flat flex plate. And find a 5.3L long block for the full size.

What year is your Silverado?

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

A LS oilpan and exhaust on any 4x4 s10 is a major PITA anything you do will be a purchase chop cut weld till it fits. You are going to have hack your OE truck pan to fit in the 4x4 s-10 chassis. Nobody makes anything that will direct bolt on and clear the front diff and driveshaft.

Any combination of headers and or exhaust is damm near impossible. Don't get me wrong it's doable people here have done it but it's a nightmare. Again chassis and diff and driveshaft are in your way.

Search feature here will be your best friend. There were a couple of guys doing 4x's back in 06-8 doing 4x's here while I was doing 6.0 in my 2x

philntx

iTrader: (8)

The oil pan and exhaust system are the most difficult components in an S10 4x4.

Bo185

Remove front suspension and make is a solid front axle! Run what ever pan you want problem solved!!! haha

TurboS10

iTrader: (12)

The H3 pan listed up top has the least clearance issues.
Still needs some cut an weld etc. but much less than a 6.0 pan.

The stock trans won't last.
Need to upgrade to V8 3rd clutch hardware etc.

Hard use will require an upgraded front prop shaft also.
The AWD guys snap the front shaft with only 35% of the power going to it. But that's on asphalt. It can wait to be replaced, but it's ugly when it goes if your going fast.

Ideally you put the radiator in the core support for the additional couple of inches of CAI clearance.

AronZ28

iTrader: (2)

**** the S10, and just throw that new motor in your full size. Its almost a direct bolt in on the full size, you're going to run into all kinds of wiring, transmission, cross member mounting, physical space, cooling(ie bigger radiator), and accessories issues on the S10.

Not to be biased or anything, but any S10 truck I've ever rode in was a piece of unsubstantial, poorly bolted together piece of junk. Rattled like crazy and felt like it was assembled by a bunch of communists.

1CAMWNDR

iTrader: (21)

As much as I'd like to see one, the S10 4X4 is gonna kill your bueget on fabrication alone. Even if you swap the front to a solid axle your budget is gonna vanish quick. $1000 will work very well to sawp the motor into the full size IF it had an LS based motor already. If you have to buy swap parts/kits it might not last long.

Stormed_Norm

iTrader: (10)

Screw doing a full size. The s truck might be more of a pita and cost a few bucks more, but the wow factor is better. Everybody has done a full size.

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

You should see the WTF looks when a 6.0 sonoma murders a "new hot 5.0" mustink. Challengers even get the WTF look free of charge also.

Bo185

He has a 4.8L in it now. SO its a bolt in swap.
The fullsize swap doesn't even cost that much! If everything is good just need few gaskets and a retune of the PCM!

some dude

Well i checked out my 4.8 and yes the head has a crack on cylinder 3. Right up against the intake valve. I guess it goes all the way through since all i can see is top. Ill take a pic to show yall when i pull it out. So the lq4 is going in the silverado since its my everyday driver and i need it to be running . The heads are aluminum and the flywheel has a spacer on it. And the crank is almost flush even with the rear cover.

I guess the 350 i bought months ago will have to go in the s10. Its an oldass 2 barrel 350 but i have a camero intake off of my 86 iroc im gonna use on it. There conversion parts everywhere for that motor. Before i put the lq4 in my silverado is therr anything i should do to it considering i want to put a garret turbo on it soonish?

Bo185

Nothing really, use the dished flex plate off the 4.8L. Then retune it. I would send out your PCM while your doing the swap so you can get it back when your have the motor in.

some dude

I was just gonna drive it over to nelson hall chevrolet like 4 mile from the shop i work at after i swap it and have them program it. Or should i do something else?