I have been looking for a spare engine, and 6.0's are getting scarce
5.3's are plentiful, so I thought about picking one up-I wonder if I would see much diff in spooling a 5.3 using existing turbo over my 6.0
I have an S475 T4, I think a 92 turbine

 

I didn't feel THAT bigga difference between the 5.3 and the 6.0 that I'm running now...very slight difference. I had a loose converter at the time which probably covered that up.

 

I scored a spare 04 iron 5.3 for $500. I'm hoping it has the later rods. 84k miles. Take out because the owner saw milky coating on the oil fill......
Oil was fine.

Possibly use this in my sons S10. I'm tired of messing with carbs and distributors!

 

I think we can post and disagree without calling each other names and escalating feuds, right?

It's a bit more challenging to argue your point without demeaning the other person. But, it's generally easier to relate to other people. If you see something wrong with something someone posts, respectfully fact-check it, so they don't bristle at your reply.

That's my recommendation.

 

What just happened?

 

I second that emotion

 

What'd I miss here lol?

 

Guessing that was probably meant for me and my pal BCNUL8R in our other post, lol Had a similar title anyway!

Drag car? Trans brake?

Generally like a 30ish ft lb difference under the curve with like heads and decently matched cam between a 5.3 and 6.0. Not a massive diff if your converter is loose enough to get to launch boost easily.

Guy at out track wanted my motor and made a pretty ridiculous offer. So I ended up going from a pretty nicely built 370” to a $300 4.8. Same turbo kit. Same S480 and 1.32 T6. (87/96 wheel) Ran the exact same numbers with the 4.8 the following weekend. Just needed about 900 more rpm and 4-5 more lbs to do it. Ran that 4.8 for a couple years and sold to another member here. Thing was bullet proof.

 

For the record I have not commented on this post prior to this comment lol.

The only point I’ve ever tried unsuccessfully to make on this sort of topic is that a sbe 5.3 isn’t the best option for all goals and most specifically for full weight daily drivers.

The 5.3 sbe is absolutely a great low budget option and a great option for a backup as well.

If you offer me one of these two options for a daily driver:

1) sbe 5.3

2) 427 LS dart block forged internals

I’m going with option 2 every time.

For the op wanting a backup to his 6.0 hell yes a sbe 5.3 is an excellent option. If both combos are turboed you probably wouldn’t notice any difference in ET. One might take more boost, more rpm, or maybe a different converter but I have no doubt you could achieve the same ET with a 5.3 that you could with the 6.0.

 

And the question was originally posted in 2015 I believe.

 

lol wow and a moderator bumped it lol

we all took the bait like someone wants us to argue by bringing this back from 10 years ago lol

 

We all got hit on this one lmao.

 

I noticed the 10 year difference but was still confused. lol
To the op, I'm sure you have figured it out by now. But I bent a rod in a sbe 6.0 and swapped a 5.3 in while I fixed the 6.0. It was a night and day difference to me, but the converter was setup for the 6.0. It was noticeably lazy with the 5.3. Also used the same cam but 706 heads with springs

 

Also for the record...

I respect you Forcefed86. You are very knowledgeable on several topics related to this hobby we all share. You are also very willing to share what you know. I agree with you on almost everything and I obviously disagree with you on a couple things...LOL. I enjoy the discussions.

 

Well no kidding we'd all go with the nicer engine if they were equal options lol.

I put a gen 3 SBE LM7 in mine because I ran out of cash and didn't want to put anything on cards.

But I've got the parts to build the all forged LC9, just chasing down my block.

 

You realize that some people are arguing that a built LS is a stupid waste of money. In their opinion sbe 4.8 or 5.3 is the answer for any goals and if you want more power than a sbe 5.3 putting forged parts in an LS is dumb and you should just go straight to a big block at that point.

Knowing the context of why I said what I said matters, but most only care about being right and winning an online debate.

Personally I would always use the best parts you can afford. Some have bad experiences with built motors because they didn't have good engine builders. So yes I understand if you spent 10g+ on a motor that didn't last because of a poor builder or machinist spending $300 on sbe and just changing them out when they go boom sounds good to you.

I only build daily drivers and can afford a little better stuff than a sbe plus my cars are heavy.

I recently changed jobs to what most would consider a less desirable job which requires a lot more overtime, getting dirty, and more money just so I can have more cash for this hobby. Now I have a well-built rolling chassis race car and will eventually build it to see what I can do with a proper built drag setup with much less weight than my 4000 lbs GTO. For now it's on the back burner as I continue to stack funds. My house was also paid off this year so at 51 years old I'm in the best financial position of my life and old enough I don't want to change motors regularly so I'm working towards a better motor for the GTO as well as the race car build down the road.

Goals are different and the 5.3 sbe has it's place as they are amazing but my only point has always been the sbe 5.3 isn't the answer for every goal for all people and I would always use the best parts you can afford.

 

Other reason I started off with SBE was I built most of my car myself and that included the wiring. So if I duffed up anything in the wiring to the point where it could hurt an engine, no biggie I have about $300 into the block and heads lol.

Been 5.6@127 with the lil gen 3 SBE, that's ~8.75 in the 1/4. I'm shooting for a 5.30 with this thing, after which I will pull it.

 

Main point and “take away” is to know your goals. Then spend your money as *smart* as possible to hit those goals. Whatever they may be. Having the budget to spend more doesn’t really change that IMO. Also doesn’t mean cheaping out with JY parts is the best solution for every goal.

I think most would agree when building an engine that you want the most power per $ spent. And any engine is only as good as its weakest link. Which is why over a certain power point, the factory LS block/crank/etc no longer makes sense. Thats not opinion. Its simple fact.

From there depending on your goal you can either go aftermarket LS block or step up to a stronger OEM block outside the LS platform. The next step up if sticking with *smart spending plan” to get the most HP for your $ is a stock block BBC. As its costs less than aftermarket block LS build.

Past a certain power point it really doesn’t matter once you get into solely aftermarket blocks and parts. If I had 4 sec dreams with a heavyish chassis, I’d start with a BBC. You’d be money ahead in the end and not leaning on the engine near as hard. Plenty of other places to spend money.

 

I agree with this.

That is why I’m only working to get my 4000 lbs GTO with independent rear suspension into the 5’s as a true daily before moving on to a much lighter proven chassis Togo as fast as I can for probably less than I will need to put into this fat irs pig.

Im highly motivated to see what I can do with a better chassis and build an actual race car. I even gave up my 40 hour cushy metrology job for a dirty higher paying job with lots of overtime just to fund it. To say im highly motivated is an understatement

 

Sorry guys... I thought I was reading a quite current post where two guys were insulting each other during a disagreement and probably linked over here in my reply. I had been reading a number of posts. Sorry if I caused any confusion or contributed to any chaos... LOL