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Hello forum, I am in the midst of building a budget 5.3 for street/strip use. The bottom end has had new main bearings,rod bearings and piston rings installed. The camshaft im using is the Elgin Sloppy Stage 2 with .585 .585 lift. I was given a set of GM Factory LS7 Valve lifters from DOD deleted vehicles that appear to be in good shape. There are no pimples on the rollers just normal wear from rotating. After doing some googling I did find a few post and videos online saying they could be reused since they are hydraulic roller lifters. But I am having mixed feelings about running them and I was wondering where should I go for the legit GM LS7 Rockers? I see lots of companies have there own for instance Speedway Motors have its own brand of LS7 lifters for 90 bucks for 8 and Michigan Motor Sports has it's own and they claim to be GM quality. Any suggestions???
Other than the lifters. Any suggestions for the springs,valve seal and push rods?? Reasonable pricing if anyone knows
Get the lifters from Brian Tooley Racing. I myself would have no issue running used ones in good shape, but lifters from DOD deleted vehicles are not LS7 lifters. Better to be safe than have valvetrain issues.
Get the lifters from Brian Tooley Racing. I myself would have no issue running used ones in good shape, but lifters from DOD deleted vehicles are not LS7 lifters. Better to be safe than have valvetrain issues.
The guy I got them from said he did the DOD delete on 2 of his trucks and he kept the 8 Non AFM lifters from each one. I think I could get away with using them but on the other hand but id be running mismatch lifters. I was trying to keep pricing at a minimum since this is my first ls build.
After thinking it over I may just have to post pone everything until I get the cash for Brian Tooley's ive found some for 180 which isnt that bad,
That's probably a sound idea. Skimping on valvetrain parts is a recipe for disaster. I will say, search the classifieds here, I bought a brand new set of genuine GM LS7 takeouts from a member here for $135. He may still have more available.
I reused a bunch of lifters over the years and it never bit me... until this time! lol
Now I have a chirping set that's rotating in the bore and needs to come out. Not a huge deal, but I can tell you at this point I sure wish I would have just went with the affordable new set! BTR has been great to me in the past fwiw.
Also make sure you use new NON-DOD lifter trays. You can't use the DOD trays.
Im thinking about using the ls7 lifters I have now just to get the engine at least running. The lifters are in pretty good shape rollers are smooth and rotate easily. And the valve lifter guides im going to reuse them they are GM. The lifters fit tightly in each one and dont twist. I could even hold the guide downward and the lifters all stayed in place. While searching ebay last night I did come across a few sellers that were selling used GM lifters mine were identical and even looked newer.
Unless you get the T gauges and mic out, its always a risk. Even then, the hyd portion of the lifters could fail. I got lucky on 5-6 engines though. Only takes once to get bit though!
Ok. Another question I have will I be able to use the stock oil pan and pick up tube? This engine came from a silverado and I know the pans are alot deeper on the trucks. This engine will be going into a 81 G-Body.
Ok. Another question I have will I be able to use the stock oil pan and pick up tube? This engine came from a silverado and I know the pans are alot deeper on the trucks. This engine will be going into a 81 G-Body.
No. The truck pan will hang to low in that chassis.
Ok. Another question I have will I be able to use the stock oil pan and pick up tube? This engine came from a silverado and I know the pans are alot deeper on the trucks. This engine will be going into a 81 G-Body.
You can make just about anything work. If you are doing your own engine mounts and set the engine a little higher U can use truck pans in Gbodies easy. Hood clearance may be an issue.
I'd bet most LS swap G-body kits wouldn't be compatible with a truck pan though. I prefer the $60 kits where you weld your own mounts. Then you aren't fighting to make someone else's kit fit your needs. Farting with headers and exhaust not fitting etc. Hang the motor on the stand fully dressed with headers on it. Then run the mounts to the motor where you need to.
He could raise it to get enough ground clearance...but I suspect you wouldn't be able to close the hood even with the lowest profile intake you could find.
You can make just about anything work. If you are doing your own engine mounts and set the engine a little higher U can use truck pans in Gbodies easy. Hood clearance may be an issue.
I'd bet most LS swap G-body kits wouldn't be compatible with a truck pan though. I prefer the $60 kits where you weld your own mounts. Then you aren't fighting to make someone else's kit fit your needs. Farting with headers and exhaust not fitting etc. Hang the motor on the stand fully dressed with headers on it. Then run the mounts to the motor where you need to.
If I need to cut the hood some that to use the truck pan that shouldnt be an issue. I plan on doing my own engine mounts. Is there a certain type or brand I will need?
Thanks Great info. Another question can the oil pan be changed once the engine is mounted?? if I wanted to go from truck to musle can pan in the future?
Started working on the cylinder heads last weekend. Got them all cleaned up and got all the valves and springs removed. The heads were pretty clean after using some brake cleaner on them but after letting them sit for a couple of weeks I see there is some type of oxation or something. Other than that I inspected the head and couldnt find any cracks in them so I think I may can get away with dropping them off at the machine shop. I am also on the hunt for some .600 lift valve springs that are not too pricey. Also can the valve spring retainers and keepers be re-used??
I used the amazon unpainted mounts. They worked really well. Kinda depends how tall you need to make the mounts. I'd get the motor into position and whip out the cardboard. Then grab a kit that looks like it would work. Some have pedestals that raise the mounts way up.
if I wanted to go from truck to musle can pan in the future?
Do NOT try and use the "Muscle car pan". It'll hang almost as low as the truck pan. Just bite the bullet and get an F-body pan and do it once. Don't eff around with the muscle car pan.
Fbody pan will fit but may require a couple notches in the frame of an a-body. I used one on my original 5.3 build.
I used the Holley pan 302-3 its a 4 inch stroke pan that fits the Abody perfectly, when I built my current engine.
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