chevysrule94

iTrader: (2)

Im tryin to do an LS1 swap in my truck, but I just dont have to cash to do it right now, and I've seen the 5.3 truck motors go for around $750, I was wondering if anyone knows if it will bolt up to my 4.3's 4l60e in my S10. Any info would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks, Matt

Ls2Sonoma

iTrader: (4)

it does bolt up. not all the bolt holes line up, but enough of them do...theres more to it than that though

id go into more detail but i see you say that the funds arent there, so i would suggest this swap isnt for you. it usually gets pretty expensive

Read

Jones'n

I just read today that TCI has released a torque converter with the flywheel bolts set up for the LSx flexplate. That'll save some trouble for people who intend to swap the converter anyway.
http://www.tciauto.com/WhatsNew/File...eConverter.pdf

chevysrule94

iTrader: (2)

I've read that about 5 times before, I know this isnt a cheap swap, but what I really want is an LS1/6sp swap... and I definitely cant afford that at the moment. So I decided to go for the less expensive 5.3 and use my stock trans if possible. I've been thinking that the ls1/t56 wont be worth it, I think it will still be an S10 even after I put $6K into a swap, so I'll settle for a cammed 5.3 w/ an auto and 1 wheel drive haha.

I've been told that the truck accessories will work also, but not too many people know that cause nobody has tried it. I have another car so Im not trying to do the swap over the weekend or something.

So Im confused, what do I have to do to get the trans to bolt up? Will the torque converter bolt to the 5.3 flexplate?

So the other things I'll need is to have the harness made, computer programmned and headers right? anything I might be forgetting? Im not really worried about cutting and welding that has to be done, I have a mig and a plasma cutter.

Thanks, Matt

Jones'n

The truck brackets work.
Take a look here... http://www.s10forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265079

shifty`

iTrader: (3)

I tend to agree. $3200 in my (complete) LS1/T56, and I think I've spent more in conversion parts than I have invested in the drivetrain. I reused a ton of stuff, too. Even if you go with one of the truck LQ-bases, you'll want a complete drivetrain with PCM, harness, all of the peripherals and, most importantly, the tranny, and you're looking at ~$2k for one out of a truck. Tack another ~1-$2k for the swap and you got your end price. Add another $2k if you actually go with an LS1, and another $1k if you go T56. This is if you do a lot of the work yourself and buy pre-made aftermarket parts for the swap.

You know, the truck engines are just as nice, and have close enough power that it'll still be a kick in the pants. There are nearly as many bolt-ons, and if you wanted to, you could ultimately swap the top end (intake and other stuff) from an LS platform and dump it onto an LQ platform. I could be wrong, but I'm 99% sure it's all direct bolt-up.

I will say this also from someone doing the swap into a '68 C10, the predecessor to your truck - I think your swap is going to be 10x easier if you go with an auto. Trying to deal with hydraulics when you've never done a swap like this is a serious pain in the ***. Unless you know of a kit that somoene is selling to make it easy for your truck, or easy in general (and if you do, please let me know!!), then go for it. But chances are that won't be the case.

I can't tell you what's involved with bolting a T56 up to an LQ base, either, but that's something you probably want to look into also.

jeepinpete

I used your tranny in my swap, simply because that is what I had. It bolts up fine. You have to modify the stock 5.3l flywheel to use your torque converter, which is nothing more than slotting the holes. You will also need the spacer/adapter that GM sells, and the bolts that go with it. Take a look at my site under project & cherokee. The parts numbers are in there. FYI, the electrical side of things is no issue. It is plug and play.

All that being said, your tranny isn't going to last long with a 5.3. Mine is dead already. Another guy I know who also used a 4.3 tranny also had his die in short order. It seems GM designed the 4L60E to hold the power of whatever engine is attached, not much more. You can rebuild yours with what amounts to all the parts used in the 5.7 SBC version, and it would survive just fine then. Just don't kid yourself into thinking it is going to last for more than a couple months as is.

To do your swap on the cheap, forget headers. Find some F-body exhaust manifolds. The truck manifolds will not work. For whatever reason, they exit very wide of the engine, and usually right into the frame rail. The F-body manifolds tuck up real nice to the block and provide pretty decent clearance.

As for programming, check out wait4meperformance.com. He will do the VATS delete cheap, or a whole tune if you like for a little more.

shifty`

iTrader: (3)

To further add onto the comments about manifolds, the stock '98 F-body manifolds fit better than anything else I could find. They fit nice and tight. The '01-'02 hit my engine mounts and smacked into my framerail on the passengers side. They don't flow as well, but I picked them up for just $50 shipped in the used parts forum, so I can't complain!

EDIT: Ok, I lied, one more thing - pay close attention to people's signatures at the forum. You can learn so much by clicking on links to their buildup threads. A little reading goes a LONG way and learning from the mistakes and hardships of others is priceless -- well, ok, it's not totally priceless, it WILL save you a few hundred bucks though.

chevysrule94

iTrader: (2)

Awesome info guys!! Thanks! I think I might just try to find a decently priced 5.3 engine/trans combo. If anyone knows of any let me know!

eagleuh1

Try and get your engine with everything possible, including cats and y-pipe. You can probably modify these to fit. If your doing your own wiring, get the underhood fuse box also. Makes it easy to wire up using the stock engine harness. Alldata is good source for wiring diagrams. What year and engine s10 do you have? I used the 98 f body manifolds and modified them to work on my 4x4 frame 96 Blazer. Little ballpeening required to clear stearing and shock mount though. Good luck.

chevysrule94

iTrader: (2)

My truck is a 2000 4.3 auto.

99 BUCKET

its all in the motor mounting and some luck. that is my s-10 with the truck acc and intake. I covered as much as I could for people in the thread on the s-10 forum

'JustDreamin'

Just make sure you're prepared financially for this project.

Your trans can be made to work, but as was mentioned earlier, its a ticking time bomb. Actually, the 60E behind almost any v8 application is a bomb waiting to go off (in my opinion).

I've probably got just over $7k in my swap. But, I've also replaced everything between the AC Condenser and Rear Driveshaft (2004 6.0L & 80E, rebuilt NV246 tcase, radiator, full C5 accessories, harness, mounts, custom oil pan, etc). And its 4wd, so there is some added expense because of that.

I couldn't reuse the stock 60E because the rear planetaries blew up behind the 4.3 V6 (which is what prompted me to start hacking and chopping). So, be warned, the trans isn't exactly a bulletproof piece.....


Basically, what I'm saying is be sure you can swing the money. And be prepared for the V6 trans to go bang (better have some $$$ saved or be working on a replacement as soon as you get the truck running). Personally, I decided that putting in an endless stream of 60E's sounded like a foolish idea.

Think hard about what you want the truck to do, what parts that will require, and the budget required to get there. It may be in your financial best interest to start aquiring parts now (scoring good deals as you can get them) and do a better swap later, than to do it now and do it half a$$ed.....

Not a sermon, just a thought.

'JustDreamin'

chevysrule94

iTrader: (2)

Thanks bro, good advice