JoeNova

Prices are rounded, mostly up.

Stock 5.3 pullout with wiring/ECU/accessories - $600
Adapter plates/mounts to fit your G-body - $50
Trick or KB Racing Manifold and stock truck Driver's side manifold - $600
2.25" V-bands for crossover and 2.25" truck flange - $80
2.25" Mandrel bend kit and 3.5" downpipe kit for hotside- $140
Welding materials for for Hotside - $100
VS Racing wastegate - $100
VS Racing 7875 turbo - $500
Ebay intercooler/piping kit - $160
Oil fittings/bungs/lines for turbo - $100
Extra couplers and T bolt clamps - $50
Siemens Deka 80 lb injectors - $320
Walbro 400/AEM 380 $140
40 Feet of Summit Twist-tite fuel line with fittings - $120
Cooling Mist or Snow Stage 2 water/methanol injection $300
AEM wideband - $180
Dyno tune - $600
60 hours of labor - Free if you get off your butt.
Total: $4140

600 whp, 20+ mpg, quiet idle, daily driven sleeper - Priceless.

Tuskyz28

With what camshaft?

JoeNova

Stock.

Tuskyz28

Joe what will that setup do with a LS9 cam or a mild turbo cam? Also how much psi is needed to hit the 600 rwhp Mark?

JoeNova

I'm not a fan of the LS9 cam at all. It makes horrible low end power and spools slower than the stock cam. A real turbo cam will outperform it by a lot.

PSI depends. On a 100% stock engine, probably around the 18-20 PSI mark depending on turbo/tune, but boost is irrelevant. 40 PSI isn't going to stress the engine anymore than 10 PSI if the power/torque figures are similar. So many people seem to ignore that fact. I've had my stock 5.3 at 30+ PSI a number of times. A lot of people say "Yeah I make similar numbers but on less boost than you". That's great and all, but all my rods care about is torque.

JoeNova

With a mild turbo setup, you should use a camshaft to change the powerband. More boost will always get you the peak power you need.

Tuskyz28

Do you think 700 rwhp is doable with a 22X turbo type cam like from Tooley etc?

JoeNova

I made more than 700whp last year on a smaller cam than that.
There is a bone stock 4.8 running around here on the forums that made 800+whp on a stock cam and stock valvesprings, cutting 1.1 60' in a G-body. Like I said, cam changes the powerband, but boost will determine peak HP.

gula187

Why will a person go with a 5.3 over a 6.0 for a turbo setup

JoeNova

They're a third of the price, have more meat between the cylinders, and are easier to find (and therefore replace).

When you're using a stock engine, you're limited to what the pistons/rods can handle. The 5.3 and 6.0 have the same crank and rods and the only difference between pistons is bore size. With a turbo, displacement doesn't really determine peak power. So if the rods handle X power and you can easily make more than X power on a 5.3, spending the extra cash on the 6.0 doesn't seem necessary anymore.

gula187

The thing I got out people that's using 5.3's is that they will use the engine until it blows them switch to a 6.0. Does it make sense to go with forged Pistons and crank in the 5.3?

JoeNova

With a good tune, the rods give out before the pistons or crank. Crank failures are very very rare. We are talking 1200-1400 HP before they're normally an issue from power/torque alone.

The pistons will live forever as long as the rings don't butt together or you don't have heavy detonation.

Gen 4 rods are stronger than most forged rods from the 60s through the 80s. Its surprising how much they can handle.


Running a 5.3 until it blows and swapping in a 6.0 is how most people decide they want to use a 5.3 first. If it blows, you know what you did wrong and you're only out $400. Blow a 6.0, and you're looking for one for a couple of weeks and have to spend $1200-1400 for a replacement. You'll gain torque, but not really any power capability with a 6.0. This is why the stock bottom end record keeps bouncing back and forth between 5.3s and 6.0s. They handle the same amount of power. Unless you forge the 6.0, its not going to be able to make any more than a 5.3 will.

The problem with that is, most people never blow the 5.3, and then never feel the urge to swap in that 6.0.