So I bought a 2010 Silverado LT 2WD.

It has a 5.3 Vortec.

I've done all the visual upgrades that I've wanted such as:
- Tinted windows
- Halo/HID headlights and fog lights
- Smoked Recon tai lights/ 3rd brake light
- Full LED conversation on interior lights
- Complete Custome RGB LED gauge cluster
- RGB LED under glow strips interior/exterior

I have also added on a flomaster super 10 with dual exhaust.

My last thing I want to do is a whipple stage 3 supercharge.

When it comes to engine modifications and performance I am lost.

The truck is flashy and a eye catcher. So my goals for this are:

- Daily driven
- reliable
- fast

So I will have the supercharger but what else is needed. (Headers? Cams? Intake?)

Goal horse power and torque would be 550+

What you guys think the best way to finish this project is. Thank you.

 

This will probably get moved to external engine.

Confirm that you will likely buy a complete kit including the Whipple? If performance work is foreign to you, I feel like that is the only way to give you confidence in completing the project and still have it functioning.

That being said, all of the things you are asking about will further compliment the performance of the supercharger kit but most kits are really pretty much follow the instructions and the truck will be amazingly faster. Usually even come with a handheld tuner. IMO, you should install the kit, enjoy it a while, and then decide if you want/need more.

Supercharger should give you about 40% more power to boil it down to a round, simple, predictable number. You can look to the other mods you indicated to add 3%-5% more each, assuming you get a custom tune to work with all of that.

If you are going to buy just the supercharger unit itself and try to piece the rest together, this is a much longer conversation, riskier proposition with a much steeper learning curve for you.

 

I would be buying the full kit from the whipple website. And it has the option to come with a tuner. But I would still probably take it and get it professionally done.

And as far as just the supercharger itself I think that is not the route I would want to go.

I would like the cams and heads or headers or intake whatever compliments the supercharger as well.

I'm just asking what cams what headers what heads what intake cause I see people with threads about ls6 cams or a lot of other stuff.

Just wondering on which would do me best for a fast flashy daily driven truck.

 

Several vendors have PD(positive displacement) blower cams that are designed just for such a setup. I recommend Cam Motion. Give them a call and listen and learn.

1-7/8" headers can benefit any setup. Vendors abound for this. If the Whipple kit does not come with an intake pipe/tube, I am sure they can recommend one.

If you want to truly maximize performance, a stall converter is required as well. PD blower can work without it(produces so much low-end torque) but any automatic transmission application will benefit tremendously from this.

 

Ok that sounds good. Any brands you know of that are top knotch?

And for this supercharger cams/headers/stall converter

Intake upgrade or heads upgrade needed or benefit at all? If so what am I looking for?

 

Cam Motion for the cam.

Headers, you get what you pay for. IMO with forced induction, flow paths being "just right" aren't as important as when naturally aspirated. American Racing, Kooks, Stainless Works are some premium brands where I'd say you can't go wrong.

The PD blower will replace your entire intake manifold so I assume you are referring to the intake tube(air filter to throttle body)? I don't have specific experience on late model trucks so some others will have to chime in.

I am a stick guy so stall brand is not in my wheelhouse. Post in the forced induction or auto trans forums.

Heads will help whether blown or NA but again it's a lot of money for diminishing returns. You can spend a grand porting your heads or spend $1500-$2K on aftermarket heads and make another 50-100HP. At that point you are probably looking at changing supercharger pulleys, bigger injectors, etc.

This tab is getting long. What's your budget?

 

The whipple is 7500 for the kit off their website.

So I was trying to keep it 12k or under for the entire supercharge upgrade.

Although I have no real max I just want you know I'd say a minimum of 500 horse power.

So cam motion cam. Although I've heard a lot about this gt2-3 or gt7 if you know anything about them. With ls6 springs

Kooks headers I have heard of before and would probably go with those.

And a stall converter.

If I upgrade these 3 things along with the supercharge I would imagine id be over my 500 hp goal and not hurt the rest of the engine and internals.

 

Are you planning to do all the work yourself(short of the tune)?

So you are looking at:

$7500 supercharger
$1300 Headers(added a bit for connecting pipes)
$800 stall
$450 cam
$100 lifters
$250 valve springs(good duals)
$500 fluids, gaskets, misc.
$450 tune(added a little for FI tuning)

To do all of the above without some stickier tires will be a waste IMO. So tires and such and you are at/over $12K. Maybe you can cut some corners here and there or find some good deals, but I don't think you're into head territory here. In a 2010, you have 243 or 799 heads which are the best factory cathedral-port heads.

On the Lingenfelter cams, the GT7 is basically the LS9 cam. It's a good PD cam but likely leaves as much on the table as you'll gain from heads. So my vote would be to leave the heads alone on your first round and get a better custom cam. But with how cheap that LS9 cam is and the fact that you can run $60 valve springs with it, you could in theory combine those savings with selling your heads and then get something ported or aftermarket.

I still think you should leave the heads alone if this is all new to you.

 

No I would just be ordering the parts and have it professionally installed and tuned.

 

Did you include installation in the $12K? You are looking at quite a bill there.

 

Well from all that I am seeing and your guidance. This is what I have come up with.

- The supercharger
-Gt7 cams ( or I'm going to call cam motion see what they have)
- stall converter
- kooks headers
- ls6 springs
- upgraded Pistons ( not sure what I need here)

Install and tune I'm not including in the cost

I think this would get the job done for my daily drive and 500+ horse power and still not be hard on the truck and ruin it.

 

Ok so you went to pistons. At this point, if you are really willing to swallow that much work/cost, I think you would be better off finding an LSA dropout(6.2 with factory blower). Simple pulley change and you are north of 500 wheel horsepower. Or a 6.2 truck setup and then source the LSA blower setup from GM performance.

 

Wow that is actually a great suggestion! Like seriously you just finished my project. 6.2 lsa supercharged from Chevy performance runs about 13k and it seems from what I'm reading only thing that would need swapped is a oil pan and it's ready to install?

 

You can find it for about $11K via resellers and possibly through some sponsors here on Tech. You could also likely find a complete drop-out from a lower-mileage wrecked CTS-V and get engine and transmission for less $$ but if you have the funds, you can't beat brand spanking new form the factory. If you change the oil pan, you need the matching pickup and windage tray but that's not expensive. You will still want an appropriate converter, and you may still want to invest in some headers.

The biggest thing you won't have that would come with a Whipple kit is the intercooler lines, pump, and heat exchanger. I figure you(your installer, really) can put this stuff together for a grand or so.

The nice thing about this option is you can sell your 5.3 for $500-$1000 depending on mileage and 500RWHP for an LSA setup is just getting started. With the 5.3 you were going to be close to maxed out. So you can reach your goals and if later you want to go with big cam, pulleys, head work, etc., you can make a lot more power. This is a setup that with a pulley and proper exhaust and tune should break your 500 requirement and give you true OEM reliability. And the V2s are so heavy your truck doesn't really weigh /that/ much more.

Edit: looks like the description at Summit indicates that the intercooler pump is included. Nice. That will $$-offset the need for a bigger fuel pump I forgot to mention.

Might post in the transmission forum and get some opinions on how long the stock transmission will live with this power level. That's a bit out of my wheelhouse.

Disclaimer - I have not personally performed this exact swap so short of telling you everything should bolt up without a ton of fuss, there will likely be other things your installer finds out are needed through the process.

 

Where are you located?

I'll get you 550 HP for $6k, drop-off to pick-up price with a dyno sheet.