First 5.3 build just need some advice
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Joined: Mar 2023
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First 5.3 build just need some advice Hey fellas this is my first engine build so correct me if im wrong, i bought a 160k junkyard 5.3 to put in my 240 end hp goal is 1000capable but im gonna drift the car so its gonna be turned down to get 700. gonna be boosted by twin 6266s holley term x . i took the block apart to see what the health of the engine was. everything looked pretty good considering the mileage.i took it to a machine shop to get cleaned up and honed. machine shop told me its still standard bore but if they plate honed the cylinders wouldnt that make it a bigger bore diameter? im looking at a stroker kit from summit turning it from a 5.3 to a 5.9 because im doing a forged crank pistons and rods. i wanted to refresh this whole engine with new stuff. current things i have bought for the engine. front sump oil pan with gto pick up, 102 holley sniper tb,ordered cathedral port holley sniper low intake. stock 243 heads just valves and strings so its not much. i want to keep the 5.3 and stock stroke if i can. but im just not sure what pistons im gonna need to buy along with crank. this is my first build so go easy on me i know i shouldve kept everything together and got my list together before disassembly but i got excited. just need to know what i should look for and how i should build this engine. thanks guys
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 48
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Hey fellas this is my first engine build so correct me if im wrong, i bought a 160k junkyard 5.3 to put in my 240 end hp goal is 1000capable but im gonna drift the car so its gonna be turned down to get 700. gonna be boosted by twin 6266s holley term x . i took the block apart to see what the health of the engine was. everything looked pretty good considering the mileage.i took it to a machine shop to get cleaned up and honed. machine shop told me its still standard bore but if they plate honed the cylinders wouldnt that make it a bigger bore diameter? im looking at a stroker kit from summit turning it from a 5.3 to a 5.9 because im doing a forged crank pistons and rods. i wanted to refresh this whole engine with new stuff. current things i have bought for the engine. front sump oil pan with gto pick up, 102 holley sniper tb,ordered cathedral port holley sniper low intake. stock 243 heads just valves and strings so its not much. i want to keep the 5.3 and stock stroke if i can. but im just not sure what pistons im gonna need to buy along with crank. this is my first build so go easy on me i know i shouldve kept everything together and got my list together before disassembly but i got excited. just need to know what i should look for and how i should build this engine. thanks guys
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Joined: Mar 2023
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Other guys will probably chime in with their experiences and opinions but for me I'd probably skip the stroker and keep it standard stroke, just my opinion but even stock 4.8s will make 1000rwhp with enough boost so I don't think extra cubes will make or break this combo. Molnar makes really nice stuff for a good price when it comes to cranks and rods. Pistons - RaceTec is a good place to start, I'm sure any quality 2618 piston would do what you want but again RaceTec seem to offer really good bang for buck at that price point. I'd say for a boosted setup you probably want a dished piston to drop the compression ratio but I'm not sure what fuel you intend to use etc.
