firebirddude98

hey guys,
i've been thinkin about building a sporty s10, and my friend has one thats about to crap out on him, and my cousin salvages them, so he's got a big pile of parts laying around. I'm wanting an extra cab, stepside, with a 00's front end, but i've thought about v8'ing it. i think i would be best suited with a 4.8 from a silverado, but was wondering, how much bigger is the 5.3. i'm pretty sure they are the same block, but do you guys think i'd have much fit problems?

christiandoy

iTrader: (1)

I have a buddy that just did a 4.3 vortec to a 6.0 lq9 out of an escalade. Nearing completion and its definitely a great build!
so to answer your question, as long as you have the correct oil pan for the swap there shouldnt be too much of a headache involved in putting a 4.8 or 5.3 in there !
Good luck with the build! I'll be awaiting pictures =D

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

look on s10 forum they have a nice section for lsx swaps. lots of the guys do complete build threads with great pics. Im sure they can help you out a lot

ZQ8LS1

iTrader: (3)

The 4.8,5.3,5.7 & 6.0 are all physically the same size just depends on how deep your pockets are.

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

http://www.s10forum.com/forum/lsx-discussion/

There pretty simple swap's if you know what your doing and your willing to spend a little bit of money. Holley makes a new retro fit ls pan that fits in the s10 without cutting the engine crossmember or hanging below it. I have a 03 Ext cab with a 5.3 and a 4l80e, I did not do the swap i picked it up from a buddy already all done and running like a champ. But if you do your research and look at other people's build threads on that link i posted it will get you going in no time!

firebirddude98

well guys, thanks for the info. one more thing im thinking is the trans, i was wanting a standard, and was wondering if i could use the s10's five speed, or if i should go with a silverado trans. i havent scoped out a donor truck, but my mom has an 02 silverado that is still perfectly running, has a 4.8 4l60e, and they are talking about gettin her a new truck, so might get lucky and have all the parts already, but i'm doubting that'll be soon

5.3blazer

wouldnt use 5spd even if it would bolt to it,those 5spd trans hate having a 4.3 in front of them, u will break it really fast just do a 60-e or 80-e trans or
t-56 6spd from fbody, if doing a n/a motor i would do a 6liter more power,if doing boost well then it dont matter 4.8 or 5.3 will work

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

Really if you want a manual i would go with the T-56 stated in the previous post from a f-body, there is a few mods you can do to the T-5 (s10 trans 5spd) that make it a little stronger but no matter what you do you will kill that transmission behind a ls motor. My buddy is putting a T-5 behind a LM4 5.3 which I'm sure will last like 10 mins but we shall see.

firebirddude98

well, i was thinking of a t56, but don't know if i could find one cheap enough, don't really want an auto, cus i want it to work, and i'm not into automatics enough to rebuild them RIGHT lol. i think i may hav a 4.8 lined up. one of my buddies from highschool is putting a 5.3 in place of a 4.8 in his truck, pretty sure he blew it up though, he said it doesnt run, so if i get it for cheap i may work with it. I'll let you guys know how my searching and luck goes

arob987

iTrader: (9)

yea t56 are strong qnd go for about 1300 to 1500 around me but there hard to find

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

Well just an option to through out there but by the time you spend all the money on a T-56 and a nice clutch, you could go a little cheaper and get a 4l80e which will take any damage a stock 4.8-5.3 can throw at it.

Were are you located at?

arob987

iTrader: (9)

ive read you lose a good amount of power from the 4l80.is that true?

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

You know I've never heard that before but I couldn't tell you really this is the first automatic I have owned. Maybe someone else could chime in on this I'm kinda curious now, I have just heard they are pretty tough transmission's and can take a good amount of abuse unlike the 60-65E.

arob987

iTrader: (9)

well i looked into it a little more heres a thread on it. https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...-over-t56.html

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

Cool thank you ill check it out.

5.3blazer

yeah 80-e will take some power over 60-e just like doing a ford 9inch rear end, strong but soaks up some power

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

How is the blazer running chad, get any dyno/running video's?

fat tony157

iTrader: (12)

I went with a mild 4.8/4l60e in my s10 and I'm wishing I had gone with something bigger. It pulls hard in the upper rpm, and shifting at 6500rpm is pretty sweet. But it just doesn't have the low end that a 5.3 or 6.0 would have. I'm sure it would be better if I had a bigger stall and some headers, but with stock parts the performance is just lacking. On the plus side, I only paid $150 for the 4.8 longblock.

5.3blazer

no not yet, hurt the rear end allready,and having fueling issues i got to figure out,need to find a 8.5 s10 rear end

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

That suck's are you gonna just rebuild a 8.5 out of the junk yard?

Ill have to come check the blazer out next time I'm home its been 2 years since i have seen it.