noonzor

iTrader: (1)

favorite vehicle purchase, my 98 sierra z71 ext cab short box. but the the ol vortech's getting a little tired and theres something about a budget 5.3 turbo build that sounds like fun! sooo.....

2000 5.3 longblock
317 heads
ls6 cam
dbl roller timing chain
ls1 ported oil pump
truck intake

this is a short list of some things ive heard work well together, and ive got most of them already. now im no avid engine builder or exceedingly knowledgeable in the art, so any and all advice will be appreciated. im looking for advice on figuring my c/r, turbo selection, injector choice, and more as the build goes on im sure.

looking for a 450hp-ish, pump gas, mild boost, daily driven truck. as well as used for medium duty towing. (car hauler, boat, small trailer)

Thanks Folks!
kyle.

BottleFedZ346

iTrader: (17)

You deff. have a good start as far as a setup with 317's your c/r should be around 8.5 -8.7 depending on gasket thickness.....As far as injectors goes 60lbs should be fine and leave you enough room to grow if desired.......For 450whp i would think that a Master Power T70 would be great for your goals and like the injectors you will still have room to go if you wanna crank the boost up.....

noonzor

iTrader: (1)

awesome, yeah ive heard great things for the 317heads. but ive also got a set of 863heads that came on the 5.3l, are they good? with either head, are the valvesprings a weakpoint at all?

also wondering about the transmission, its a stock 4l60 with 240,000kms. worthy upgrades? also what upgrades will be necessary to make to the fuel system?

kbracing96

iTrader: (25)

Sounds good, sep I would not run the 317 heads on a 5.3 for that low of boost. It will be a dog out of boost. Your better off keeping the compression higher since you not looking for a lot of boost 243, or 799 would be better. 9.5-10 comp would be fine and still plenty pump gas friendly. A MP T70 would be a great choose for that setup also. The 43 lbs/hr 8.1 marine injectors would work for that power level as well and they plug right in. Let me know if I can help.

noonzor

iTrader: (1)

how will the 863 heads do for my goals? can i keep them?

Rick_Vor

iTrader: (36)

Like KB said, keep the stock 863 heads for your goals. It will feel lke another 100 cubic inches with the MP T70. Kyle makes a really stout street kit for a great price.

Rick

noonzor

iTrader: (1)

awesome, in keeping the 863's should i upgrade springs/rockers? and after reading through my genIII rebuilding book ive noticed they reccomend not using components that i had originally planned on using. and after opening it up and seeing what the junkyard 5.3 had in store for me, i noticed no oil and a lot of water. rust in the cylinders, and throughout the block. pistons dont look great and they are a component in the "not for reuse" category according to the book. looks like it was a highmiler engine. had to get rough with a cpl of the roller lifters as they were quite stuck and damaged a few as well...oops. see new ls6 ones on ebay for $100.

so it looks like ill only really be keeping the crank and connecting rods for the bot.end, so the new parts list will be...

new pistons
ls6 hydraulic roller lifters
ls6 camshaft
pushrods
top n bottom stud kit
all new bearings
dbl roller chain (1pc or 2pc cover?)
blueprinted/ported oil pump
truck intake w/ 43 lbs/hr 8.1 marine injectors

however id like some help on piston choice to keep compression in the 9.5-10 range. and that mp70 looks like a great option and i will be going with that and once again kbracing96 we'll be in touch! i'll be building the engine to swap in, and turbo later.

i will however be upgrading the transmission asap to get out of the way and done. so with that, a 4l60e transmission needs "____" to adequately handle my goals. (please fill in the blanks haha)

thanks folks!

kyle.

kbracing96

iTrader: (25)

To be honest with you, you'll be pissing away a bunch of money building/rebuilding that motor the way you are describing for your intended use. A plain old stock, good condition motor with a LS6 cam and the GM "yellow" valve springs can be had CHEAP and will make every bit of the 450-500 you want with a MP T70 turbo. Heck, I made 505rwhp with my old stock 4.8 with a LS6 cam and 11psi of boost. I certainly wouldn't spend money rebuilding a 5.3 when you should be able to find a good, running used one for around $5-700.

As for a tranny, 4l60e's aren't very strong to begin with I personally would only put a Transgo shift kit and vette survo in it. If you break that, look into a 4l80e swap be for wasting more money on 60e's.

I've been playing this turbo truck game for 6 years now and have wasted plenty of money doing it!

noonzor

iTrader: (1)

yeah ive got a problem with over thinking and going overboard haha. thats why i always post what im thinking before going ahead with it. im taking the dissassembled and cleaned shortblock to the machine shop to have the check everything out for me, and ill be making decisions once they get back to me.

the water that got into the engine was from having the intake taken off and left outside for a cpl weeks. so the water is post removal and not present while running which is good news i guess. and if im not mistaken the pistons and rods are aluminum which doesnt rust anyways so they should be fine eh? and as for the damaged roller lifters ive got a set from my 6.0L i took out, should fit the 5.3 though right?

kbracing96

iTrader: (25)

If there is rust in the bore's then IMO it's not worth it, cus it will have to be bored and new pistons. Will cost more to rebuild to a stock configuration, then you will have just picking up another stock motor and you won't be any better off. GM's machining is better then 80% of the shops out there, so even rebuilt, your really not getting a better motor. I spent $2200 rebuilding my stock bore LS1 short block with the cheapest forged pistons and rods I could find and even kept it stock bore. I could have bought probable 3 good 5.3 stock long blocks for that if i looked hard enough. Look for 05 and newer motors, they have the stronger LS2 type rods in them.

Oh and they all use the same lifters.