Flat top 4.8 Pistons into my 5.3 HOW TO Video
#21
Good build man, if u would have seen this earlier I would have saved u the trouble I have a complete set of 5.3 pistons and rods out of a 2011 5.3. Rods are the Ls2 style and pistons are flat tops
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THanks man! And I'd still take those rods and pistons! I'm always building something. Gotta keep scratching the itch... PM me on those, when you get a chance.
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My exact thoughts. From what I read after researching this yesterday, the pistons alone should push compression to 10.3:1, so more than simply milling the heads. According to a few this is how the HO 5.3s are built, just by adding 4.8l pistons. I was planning on putting in a 228R cam from Texas Speed or something similar from Tick to get closer to my goal of 375whp on a N/A 5.3. I think 4.8 pistons with the cam and a good tune would put me really close.
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Thank you! Guess that means with 861 heads, my compression would be higher then I expected. But this just means less mill on the heads.
Let me go play with the compression calculator again with the info compressed head gasket info of .052 that 1FastBrick posted on my other thread.
Let me go play with the compression calculator again with the info compressed head gasket info of .052 that 1FastBrick posted on my other thread.
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Whatchu looking for? No more updates on this engine if thats what you mean. I'm itching to crank it up on the stand but I haven't finished porting the heads. I've also gotta save up the cash for the valve job and mill. SO it'll be a while. I've got another project called the "Squirter Project" that has been sucking up my time. I'm hoping to port these heads this winter though. I've got three sets of heads waiting to be ported.... work.
I also plan to learn to paint this winter and plumb the turbo on my LS '92 Camaro. So, I hope that all happens...
I also plan to learn to paint this winter and plumb the turbo on my LS '92 Camaro. So, I hope that all happens...
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With the help of others here and rechecking numbers into the compression calculator I'm now expecting about a .7:1 increase in compression with these 4.8 flat top pistons in this 5.3. So, that brings the compression from about 9.5:1 to 10.2(or .3):1.
I'm aiming for this engine to be at about 10.5:1 as an easy going, daily driven street work truck but still powerful and ready to rock. So, I'll mill the 5.3 (862 cast) heads about .020" to get me there or a lil over. These heads will also have the 2" LS1 intake valves and a full home port and polish.
I'm aiming for this engine to be at about 10.5:1 as an easy going, daily driven street work truck but still powerful and ready to rock. So, I'll mill the 5.3 (862 cast) heads about .020" to get me there or a lil over. These heads will also have the 2" LS1 intake valves and a full home port and polish.
#29
l33 5.3ho uses 4.8 flat tops and has the 64cc 799/243 heads for a compression of 9.9:1. if you milled the 243/799 heads you would be very close to 10.4:1 on a l33.
on an iron block 5.3 with 4.8 flat tops switched in you would be around 10.3:1 compression with the 706/862 heads that have the 61.2cc chambers.
on an iron block 5.3 with 4.8 flat tops switched in you would be around 10.3:1 compression with the 706/862 heads that have the 61.2cc chambers.
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l33 5.3ho uses 4.8 flat tops and has the 64cc 799/243 heads for a compression of 9.9:1. if you milled the 243/799 heads you would be very close to 10.4:1 on a l33.
on an iron block 5.3 with 4.8 flat tops switched in you would be around 10.3:1 compression with the 706/862 heads that have the 61.2cc chambers.
on an iron block 5.3 with 4.8 flat tops switched in you would be around 10.3:1 compression with the 706/862 heads that have the 61.2cc chambers.
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Ok here is my most current compression calculation attached. I now believe this to be correct. 1FastBrick over on the Performance Truck forum has been helping me out. He showed me that I've been using the wrong input for the deck height with the Summit calculator. I was entering it as a positive when it should be a negative.
So this sets my compression at 10.6:1 with only 4.8 pistons in my 5.3. This leaves no need to mill the heads to reach my desired compression ratio.
So this sets my compression at 10.6:1 with only 4.8 pistons in my 5.3. This leaves no need to mill the heads to reach my desired compression ratio.
#32
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Interested to see how this works out for ya. I like building stuff cheap. It's funny so many people think any used engine needs a complete rebuild. One of the best I've ever had was a junk yard Pontiac 400 I had a total of $300 into after replacing gaskets, timing chain, and oil pump.
I'm piecing together a 6.0 right now, so we'll see how that one ends up.
I'm piecing together a 6.0 right now, so we'll see how that one ends up.
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Interested to see how this works out for ya. I like building stuff cheap. It's funny so many people think any used engine needs a complete rebuild. One of the best I've ever had was a junk yard Pontiac 400 I had a total of $300 into after replacing gaskets, timing chain, and oil pump.
I'm piecing together a 6.0 right now, so we'll see how that one ends up.
I'm piecing together a 6.0 right now, so we'll see how that one ends up.
Speaking of proven no-need to rebuild, you should check out my "Squirter Project". Its a high mileage 5.3 that was full of water and rust when I got it. As an experiment to see what would happen, we sand papered the rust out until the engine would rotate and then put the heads back on. Never even pulled the pistons. It ran so good that I slapped it into my '92 Camaro and made it to LS Fest this year. Here it is first start-up on a stand in my garage.
Last edited by AGearHead4Life; 12-17-2013 at 07:57 PM.
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If you'd like to see more on that project, here is the whole video playlist on it. Not sure why it comes out this way in desktop view but if you click the title "YouTube Playlist" at the top of the video it'll take you there.
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Sorry guys! I've been maintaining the post i made just like this over on the Performance Truck site here.
http://www.performancetrucks.net/for...o-here-523548/
Ill copy and past the updates over to here as well.
http://www.performancetrucks.net/for...o-here-523548/
Ill copy and past the updates over to here as well.
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Slow progress. I've got two projects going at the same time. This motor going into my '87 Chevy Truck and a 6.0 turbo going into my '92 Camaro.
I got the Schoenfeld LS truck swap headers in and felt like I didn't want to use them bare and let them rust away. So I sand blasted them and coated them with Tech Line after I welded on the v-band flanges.
I've also almost finished porting the 862 heads for the 4.8 piston 5.3. I just need to polish the combustion chambers now. Then I'll take them to get a valve job and cut for the LS1 2" intake valve, hopefully next week.
I hope to be swapping this motor and my Camaro motor at the same time in about 2 or 3 months. The Camaro is already LS swap'd but that project is over. It was called the "Squirter Project" and is now dead.
Here is my latest update video on all the projects.
I got the Schoenfeld LS truck swap headers in and felt like I didn't want to use them bare and let them rust away. So I sand blasted them and coated them with Tech Line after I welded on the v-band flanges.
I've also almost finished porting the 862 heads for the 4.8 piston 5.3. I just need to polish the combustion chambers now. Then I'll take them to get a valve job and cut for the LS1 2" intake valve, hopefully next week.
I hope to be swapping this motor and my Camaro motor at the same time in about 2 or 3 months. The Camaro is already LS swap'd but that project is over. It was called the "Squirter Project" and is now dead.
Here is my latest update video on all the projects.
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Quick update for everyone. I've finish porting the 862 cast heads for this 5.3 with the 4.8 flat top pistons. I dropped them off at the machine shop this week to get a vavle job. The'll be cutting out the intake seat from the 1.89" to fit used LS1 2" vavles. Exhaust vavles are already the same as LS1.
I hope to have this motor swapped into my '87 Chevy truck with a 4l80e within two months. I'm going through my parts list this weekend to make sure that I have everything.
Getting close! I may do a video of it running on the engine stand before install.
I hope to have this motor swapped into my '87 Chevy truck with a 4l80e within two months. I'm going through my parts list this weekend to make sure that I have everything.
Getting close! I may do a video of it running on the engine stand before install.
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Got a video up of the heads back from the machine shop. They're ready to go onto the 5.3 thats going into the '87 Chevy truck. 862's, home ported and bigger LS1 intake valves. I should have it running on the engine stand this weekend. Getting it running will take longer then usual since I will be trying to capture it on video. I'll also vidoe the use of my home made LS external oil primer and make about three different videos out of this probably.
...
...
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I got a video of torquing down the heads last night. I might get a chance to crank it tonight. We'll see.
I had a scare last night that slowed down my progress. I spent all day out in the sun at a car show and i think it affect my brain. I decided to do a clay test to check PTV with a light valve spring and regular lifter. Well my intake valve hit the piston... because I torqued the rocker all the way down out of habit and pushed the preload into the valve lift. After jackin with that, cussing a while and researching a fly cutting tool, I finally realized what I had done and the PTV came out with plenty of room at .117".
I also got to hook up my home made external oil primer. I only had a quart of oil to test with but it seemed to work well. I hope to video using it on the other 4 or 5 quarts today.
Its getting close!
I had a scare last night that slowed down my progress. I spent all day out in the sun at a car show and i think it affect my brain. I decided to do a clay test to check PTV with a light valve spring and regular lifter. Well my intake valve hit the piston... because I torqued the rocker all the way down out of habit and pushed the preload into the valve lift. After jackin with that, cussing a while and researching a fly cutting tool, I finally realized what I had done and the PTV came out with plenty of room at .117".
I also got to hook up my home made external oil primer. I only had a quart of oil to test with but it seemed to work well. I hope to video using it on the other 4 or 5 quarts today.
Its getting close!