The building of a 5.3 for replacement of the stock 4.8.

The goal of this build was to get reliable, consistent performance without sacrificing my wallet, or gas mileage. My stock 4.8 did the job for years, but with 200k on the clock, I thought it was time for a replacement. A lot of people told me to go with the 6.0, and that was my original choice. But, due to the nature of my stock drivetrain (NV3500 Five speed), and keeping fuel economy in mind, I decided to go with the 5.3.

Here is a breakdown of the overall costs of my build:

Shortblock - $150
Bearings - $70
Rings - $60
Heads (with headwork) - $300
Fasteners and gaskets - $260
Valve Covers - $100
Plugs and Wires - $100
Oil and Filters (Valvoline Next Gen and AC Delco filter) X2 - 60
Misc. cleaners and such - $100
-
Total: $1200

I also purchased a engine hoist for $75, used locally.

I plan on parting out my 4.8 to recoup some of the costs.

Specs:

Clevite main and rod bearings
Stock cam bearings
Stock rods, pistons, crankshaft
Enginetech Moly Piston Rings
Stock 766 heads milled 20 thou
Stock valvetrain
Hand made polished aluminum valve covers
GM OEM fasteners

Below is the link to my build pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7912599...7629830485781/

 

Nice value covers did you tig those yourself, and the piston rings you are using are only $60 ? If they are, where did you get them from ?

 

Thanks for the reply! I got the valve covers from a guy off eBay. If you look at the pics, there should be a link to where I got them. The rings I got off eBay, and they were $56 plus shipping. I think the sellers name is redline automotive. I bought the bearings and rings from the same seller. The ring gap was near perfect too, only had to grind a hair off to get them right.

 

I did use the plug wires for the 8.1 liter for the taller valve covers. The stock ones probably would have worked, but I didn't want to take a chance.

 

Nice build! What are you using for a guide for your rebuild? I was looking at this for my 5.3 rebuild

http://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-LS...ref=pd_sim_b_3

Thanks and good luck!

 

Thanks! I actually used this one http://www.amazon.com/Modify-LS-Seri...4676047&sr=1-4.

It was extremely detailed.. i read through it a couple times before I tore into it.

Hopefully I can swap engines this weekend.. my girlfriends' BMW is undergoing some surgery this week, hopefully I'll get it going so I can work on my truck. I'd like to have atleast 1 working vehicle!

Good luck on your rebuild!

 

I think I found their the ebay store for the the piston rings Redline Engine Supply out of Oregon ,does that sound right.

 

I just checked my ebay history and that is correct.

 

Thanks Starkey,
What cam are going to use ? Keep us posted on the progress of your build.

 

I am using the stock 5.3 cam for now. Don't need a ton of power, just enough to pull the boat, 16' trailer, and a tow dolly for the BMW.

I'll shoot some before and after video, take some pics if I get to swap this weekend.

 

Alright fellas.. here's an update.

My remove and install took 28 hours this weekend, and I'll share with you all some things that would have made my life easier, and some things I did while I had the engine out.

1. Remove the steering shaft. This will allow the engine to be removed without unbolting the top PITA motor mount bolts.

2. Remove the front cross member or pull the transmission. Guys running automatics probably wont have this problem, but with the standard transmission, the oil pan hits the cross member during removing/installation. The front cross member unbolts from the frame with 6 bolts. My dad and I opted not to pull the member, and we were able to get the transmission stabbed in, but it took about 3 hours of asking the Lord to damn this engine. haha!

3. By an extra pilot bearing before you decide to do the swap, or get a quality puller for the original one. I rented a pilot bearing puller from advanced auto and broke it trying to remove the bearing. I finally got ahold of a slide hammer and a quality bearing puller tool and it came right out. The bearing was not in stock anywhere I called in Austin. AC Delco part number is CT1082. I worked on the bearing/sucky puller for about 3 hours.

4. Go ahead and put a new AC and Serpentine belt on. It's easy to do when everything is apart!

5. I reassembled the accessories in the following order: A/C bracket and belt, Water pump, power steering pump and bracket, Alternator, serpentine belt. Went together with ease. A word of advice.. invest in a 15mm and 13mm ratcheting wrench. The A/C bracket has a bolt that can only be turned 1/128th of an inch at a time. I may be exaggerating a bit, but it is sloooow. A ratcheting 15mm wrench would have been quite handy.

6. After all peripheral devices were on, I loaded the radiator with antifreeze by filling through the upper radiator hose on the drivers side. I've found that takes over a gallon by using this method, and doesn't require much burping. Don't forget to put in your engine oil either!

7. Last, but certainly not least, I recommend anyone with a 4.8 liter to perform this swap. After the rings seated, I have power when I want it, and where I need it. No more downshifting to go up hills and no more winding it completely out to pass someone. The power is not ridiculous, and it will not do a 10 second quarter mile pass, but I am more than happy with the swap.

 

So how has it been running the last 10 days? You said you got the bearings and rings from the same seller?

 

Thanks for the reply! The engine is running like a top. I've put about 1500 miles on it since the swap. The last oil change I did was at 900 miles and there were minimal signs of metal shavings on the oil drain bolt and in the filter, so I'd say she's broke in. During the 1500 miles, it has never smoked or used oil.. kinda suprised!

I pulled my 16' trailer about 400 miles loaded with my deer stand and I averaged 18.7 MPG.

I got the bearings and rings from a seller named 'theirongame' on ebay.

 

Glad the power is working for you. You should have put a mild cam like an 02-04 Ls6 cam or Comp truck grind in while you were building the motor though. Installation and degreeing the cam would have been cake and you would really be pleased with the outcome.

 

I hear ya.. but taking into consideration my fairly weak NV3500 five speed, I didn't want to throw any more power at it that it could safely handle. Considering I built a pretty good performing engine to the specs I wanted, for $800 (after selling my 4.8 and misc things), I couldn't be happier. Plus, I didn't want to run into any emissions testing errors with another cam, since Austin, TX is pretty hard on us!

 

One other thing.. I couldn't use the polished valve covers due to the fact that they did not have provisions for the PVC line.

 

Did you reuse rod bearings or get those as well?

 

I replaced the main and rod bearings. The camshaft bearings were fine.

 

look at a TSP 220r cam pkg for more torque.

 

Alright fellas.. here is the reason why I am staying with a stock camshaft.

1. Drivability. I'm sure any other camshaft would work wonders in front of an automatic transmission, but towing a trailer with a lumpy camshaft with a manual transmission is a pain. Not only is it rough at low rpms, it's harder on the clutch. I'm sure I could have paid somebody to tune the engine and get it close to stock idle, but I didn't want to go that route.

2. Cost. Yeah, I said it, COST. I don't make a pile of money, nor do I like to put unnecessary items on a credit card. I researched and saved the amount of money I needed for my desired engine build, plus a multiplier of 1.3. Any money that I didn't use went directly to my money market account. I don't need an engine with gobs of torque. If I were wanting that, I would have built a 6.0 and dropped a NV4500 5 speed behind it, but again, I'm on a budget.

3. Emissions. I wanted this engine to run without having to be tuned in order for it to pass my county's emissions test. Yes, this engine is running extremely well without a tune and passed the emissions test without a hitch.


I know people like to dream, and I appreciate the fact that others on this site have thrown there opinion in the mix, but please understand that I built this engine exactly the way I planned to. I wanted to build an engine for $1200, and, after selling the 4.8, I ended up paying $800 for a well performing engine that I like to drive and gets very respectable gas mileage.