salemetro

iTrader: (5)

I would not doubt it. Many claim that the 5308 cam adds roughly 50hp on a 5.7....so figure 35-40 on a 5.3. Add another 15-20 for long-tubes, and maybe another 20 or so for a good dyno tune....and you're at roughly 375 (real world) I would estimate. Not bad for a 323! All that without swapping heads...so yeah, I'd say a cam and head swap could get ya 120 over stock.

OldBBody

That is awesome! This is definitely worth doing! It'll be like a whole new car! Can't wait! I will be so glad when its over!

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

this might not be a good idea at all, but its along the same path i took. why not go with the l33 long block, a carb intake and one of the new self learning efi setups. not sure if the $s would add up, but you could keep the 700 trans, save a ton of wiring work and not have to pay someone to tune it. any future upgrades wouldnt require paying for a retune ( the efi would self-tune). an msd box would take care of firing the coils. this is a build you could do yourself, saving a ton of labor money. im sure the mounts are avalible out there somewhere. im a complete idiot when it comes to LS technology, being an old school hotrodder, but i built my 72 camaro complete with efi , all by my lonesome, with an LS3. all i have to do is crank it and go. it an idiot proof set-up that works well for me. hope this gives you something to think about. good luck with your build!

OldBBody

I have seen those self learning kits and have read up on the quite a bit. I do like them and although its a valid approach... its not really what I want at this point. I really like the LS style intake and the front TB intake design. For what its worth... I've also had a Ram Air hood on this Caprice of mine for almost 10 years that I finally want to put to real use. I realize that it won't even do anything spectacular performance-wise but I've been wanting to utilize the hood in the fashion it was designed for ever since I got it. Thanks a lot for the idea though... I sincerely appreciate the input.

KC Henry

I would go with a junkyard 5.3, they are a dime a dozen so they are very cheap and have proven reliability in the GM fullsize trucks.

This is coming from someone who has a 6.0L LQ9 in his Caprice.

Also check out this website, they have a section dedicated to Caprice swaps: http://www.impalassforum.com/vBullet...d.php?t=228454

OldBBody

Hey there KC Henry! I am very familiar with your set up!!! Your videos on You Tube are a personal favorite of mine and inspired me for my Caprice!!! Anyone that can power a 79 Brickbox Caprice into the 12's is alright in my book! Correct me if I am wrong but you started with an LS1 series engine and then went with the LQ9 later right?

The question I have for you is: Why did you go to an LQ vs. another LS1??

Thank you for your insight and advice!

JB

KC Henry

Thank you for the kind words, glad my set up could be an inspiration for you.

You are correct, I started off with a LS1 back around 2002 or 2003 and had it running by 2003 or 2004. Back then the LS1 swaps were just starting to become mainstream. My Caprice started off with the factory 350 then went to a 454 and then a 355, and I could never get the carbs dialed in to my liking so I wanted to switch to EFI, and thats where the LS1 came into play.

I was more then happy with the 98 LS1 I had in it since it ran 12.7 with being stock. Then life happened and I was laid off for a while and had to sell the engine and trans to make rent.

When I finally came up with the money to get another LS engine, I decided to go with the LQ9 since it is an Iron block and had a larger displacement, both were a plus for me should I consider boosting it later.

That being said, the 5.3 is not to be over looked. One of my best friends (Skinnies) holds the record for a stock short block with a turbo 5.3, so I have seen just how stout those lil powerhouses are.

You should be more then happy with a 5.3 vs the old TBI set up.

OldBBody

No problem! I like your car a lot... not only because of the engine or that its a Caprice (totally biased) but the fact that it is a complete sleeper... looks wise. I bet it pins you back in the seat with no problem just sitting still...lol...

Yeah... those are all good points that should be taken seriously!

Its hard to compare them all knowing how good the basic foundation is... the bottom end is so much more stout than any previous GM engine.

I wish I could put a turbo on it but right now I am just looking for a strong cruiser and maybe later on I can add a few things to give it that extra pop but I KNOW I will be more then happy with a 5.3.

I am going to keep an eye open for the larger engine just in case I come across a good deal but... the bang for your buck is on the 5.3.

Thanks for the positive input!

KC Henry

No problem, the guys around here can normally find a 5.3 complete for around $700-800.

OldBBody

That would be pretty cool if I could find the sweet deal near me when the time comes. I have been reading a lot and I sometimes just look at price ranges on car-part.com to see what's out there...

OldBBody

Thanks to every one that is helping me in this desktop engine building session... LOL... I know this is idle chit chat but I keeps my mind going... I hope it keeps your mind going too...

Anyway.. so since this thread is about "What model year engine is good or bad"... I found a quote from a Wiki page to share...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_LS_engine

Problems

In the early production run of the LS-series engine, some engines encountered abnormal amounts of 'piston slap' - a problem caused by too much clearance between the cylinder bore and the piston.[11] 'Piston slap' sometimes sounds more like a knock or the sound of a diesel engine running. It is typically worse when the engine is cold and lessens as the engine reaches operating temperature. The noise of 'piston slap' often is louder when listening for it below the oil pan.

Another common problem with the 04-06 5.3L engines was cracking cylinder heads. This is commonly called the 'Castech Head' failure on the internet. GM issued a TSB on this failure to help service techs identify the problem. The head casting (which can be viewed from the passenger side of the vehicle just in front of the valve cover) was 706. Some heads with this casting number would fail, but not all of them as GM had different suppliers for the same head. The failure was due to undetected porosity around the oil drains in the head.[12]

Let me know if you have any insight on this! It makes me want to concentrate on 07 or newer engines...

JB

OldBBody

I was reading up on heads...

1. 243
2. 799

Are there other heads I should consider for a 5.3?

Also... what intake would go best with these? I know most LS intakes will work but notice the LS3 intake is mentioned frequently. Is the differences in the intake ports, the exhaust ports or both?

I am thinking of starting with a short block then adding pieces to it and I don't want to mismatch parts!

Thanks!

J

newschool72

iTrader: (12)

im not nearly as learned as these other guys on head compatibility, but i do know the 243s will need to be milled to get the comp. up and valve shrouding might be an issue. ive heard of people using the 4.8 piston to raise the compression of the 5.3, but then u are building the shortblock as well, some of the better 5.3 heads with some port work flow really good air. just some thoughts. maybe some of the forum members with more knowledge than me can chime in with specifics.

OldBBody

Ah.. that would make sense. I read that this style head came on the L33 and that engine came with Flat Top pistons and many 5.3 short blocks would probably come with Dished Pistons. Now I see where the money goes.

Its quite a toss up at times. An L33 engine is generally the most expensive 5.3... then I'd have to get the F Body accessories to boot and the intake as well... it doesn't make a lot of sense to start off with an entire pull-out engine complete with intake and accessories unless it comes with most of the parts you want to start with right away!

For instance... I was looking for aluminum black variations of the 5.3 and the 2004 Buick Ranier/Chevy Trailblazer has an aluminum block engine but lacks the better heads... so buying a lift out with the Trans. would be a bargain but if I am tearing the engine down to the block and not using the heads or modifying the ones that come with it... then that is just extra money spent.

In a perfect world... I would think trying to utilize the entire engine as is with out getting into it too much would be ideal...

I am going to be honest with you guys... I've been to A LOT of forums and there is a crazy amount of information and knowledge on this site...

Keep the info coming guys...

BTW.. thanks newschool!

OldBBody

OK... so after about a month of looking at every 4.8, 5.3 and 6.0 engine thread and article I could find... I have come to a conclusion... I am confused as all hell now... SO MANY DARN CHOICES!!!!!!!!!

L33, LM7, L59, LM4, LQ4. LQ9, LMG, LC9, LY5, LH6, LY6, L76... did I miss anything?

I at least know that earlier model LSX engines often had dished pistons and later model engines had flat top pistons.

Most engines had decent heads... but I should stay away from the 04-06 706 head...

The major thing I am mostly concerned about getting the right combo of parts without having to spend money twice.

My other hang up is the 5.3 vs. the 6.0 still. Its obvious that the 6.0 has the great benefit of having more TQ out the box and is a solid foundation for any future modifications... whereas the 5.3 is cheaper and easier to find... it will see its peak at about 400-450 hp and most likely never see 500 lb-ft mark.

I am all about saving money... but it seems that if I get a 5.3... its going to need some extra money to make the power I want. That being said... the 6.0 will be better in stock form with out adding any parts except a intake manifold and prove to be a better building block for the future.

Being cool is expensive!

CBAR02SLP

Clean you engine's cooling system (very inexpensive!) and use Evans Cool...you'll never look back!!!

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

I've gotta say, I really admire the way that you're taking a little bit of time to do your research & skip over the most-obvious hurdles. BIG props to ya there man.

OK, I guess I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian here, but here's my $.02, for whatever it's worth. If you're already concerned about the torque that the 5.3 will provide, I'd honestly just get the 6.0 right off the bat. If you do that, you won't have to spend the money twice, as well as going through the effort to yank the 5.3 that you just installed 2 or 3 years ago.

See if you might be able to locate insurance auctions within a reasonable distance, or befriend someone with a dealer's license, because if you can buy a reasonably-decent wrecked donor vehicle, you can save yourself a lot of the "nickel & dime" grief that many of us are dealing with - and you can probably sell some of the stuff that you won't be using to recoup some of the costs!

If that's not a realistic option for you, then it's probably worthwhile to compare the torque numbers of the stock 5.3 to the output of the stock engine in your car (what, around 210 or so, I'm guessing??) I'd bet that once you get the swap done, you'll be happy either way...

Good luck!

OldBBody

Thanks man... I am pretty OCD when it comes to planning this stuff out. LOL... I just don't want to pull it off half assed and have it be sitting for 10 years as a project that never gets finished... if I am going to do it.. I want to do it right. I think anybody who puts their hard earned dollar on the table wants it to be right the first time. I have read time and time again in these threads that these things can just nickel and dime ya to death... and I don't want to spend an errant dime if I don't have to because all this stuff is going to be expensive enough.

Yeah I think the TQ rating for the 1993 Caprice's TBI 350 was around 270 lb-ft. The 9C1 (L98 camshaft and larger 68lb. injectors) on the other hand was closer to 290 lb-ft. The 94-96 Impala SS LT1's was around 330 lb-ft.

I KNOW the 5.3L engine would suit the BBody just fine for my purposes. At 320 hp and 340 lb-ft... bone stock... it would be like a mildly worked up LT1... and coming from a 180hp TBI engine... it would feel like a huge shot in the arm. It would... but let's be honest here... the LQ4/9 has 40-50 ft lbs of TQ more and the foundation is there for the future. Seriously... I've seen these Suburbans and Escalades get down many times. I couldn't believe how fast my friend's Escalade went for how big it was. I immediately thought about how my Caprice would be with that engine in it and its obviously a hard feeling to shake off.

It would seem to me that the budget set up would be a 5.3 with less hp and more TQ but the animal inside of me wants what everyone else around here wants... more displacement.

OldBBody

This is a great little article that explain the various engines and slight differences between them.

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...n/viewall.html

KC Henry

Great article.