What's with the 5.3L?
 

I've recently noticed a lot of people are recommending the 5.3L over LT1s LS1s, etc. Which 5.3 are they referring to and why are those recommended?

I want to know also. I can say that I can buy a 5.3l for pennies compared to a 5.7 or anything larger. There is one near my house for $700 with 60k miles. Throw on a good set of heads and you are probably pumping close to 400hp.

Cheap strong and readily available. Around 300 hp stock.

Anyone who recommends an LT1 over a 5.3 needs to be put down.:guns:

They are stupid cost effective. My aluminum 5.3 from my trailblazer is not the good flat top piston version, yet in my 86 fill weight Trans am with no tuning, a carb and a off shelf edelbrock 2216 cam, the car went 7.7 at 92 mph in the 1/8. I could remove weight and tune it to run harder, port heads, ect.

Fantastic engines. I get them for 4-500 complete out the junk yard.

The 5.3 had 147k miles and I threw some spring in and used the stock pushrods, turns 7200 rpm.

As others have stated, cost effective. I swapped out my dead 4.2 V6/5sp from my '98 F150 and dropped in a 5.3/T56 combo. Now I have an easy extra 100 hp and extra 100 ft/lbs with a mild truck cam. Gets the same mpg city (17) and with the six speed, I picked up 4 mpg on the highway (25). I already had the T56 but the motor cost me only $200 more than the rebuild on the Ford six. The harness was $550 so a total of $750. $750 for tons more power and a nice boost in gas mileage is a slam dunk for me. I love my Ford Silverado!!

It's all about the price. There are so many trucks with 5.3L engines, and you can grab them for cheap.

As an example why, you gotta do some serious mods to a SBC to live at 600 hp. Take a stock 5.3 and throw some cheap ass turbo on it and make 550-600 hp easily and drive anywhere. As said before, cheap and reliable. Makes no sense what so ever to go after a SBC to just go fast. Economically not feasible.

That's kind of a blanket statement, really. There are plusses and minuses to both builds. Just depends on your goals and what you're wanting out of it. I think the LQ4/LQ9 is a much better buy than the 5.3 counterpart. Most people buy the 5.3's simply because originally nobody else wanted them outside of direct replacement. Given a few years in the hotrodding/racing crowd and it has slowly made a name for itself as a good budget performer.

I just bought an aluminum 5.3 out of a 2010 Silverado. long block with 44k for $950. going this lasts longer than my ls1

Blanket statement, yes. Just one of many reasons. NA, LQ4 all day long but, usually double the money. Boosted 5.3(and can be done very cheaply and be very fast) was my point. There is no comparison in durability between the two when stock. That would be any LS motor.

The sbc is tried and true. Cut and dry, but it is not often they hold together as long as a 4.8,5.3 or whatever. The lower end in the LS is superior. Some sbc had powdered rods and they were an improvement. But that is where the gen iii/IV got the idea from.

The 5.7, stock, from a 96-98 truck, will hold pretty well.

Upside to the old SBC when we are talking boost? 5 bolts per cylinder on the heads. The clamping force does not stress boost numbers like the gen III and IV with 4 bolts per cylinder. But never cam with heads off the showroom floor that flow 250ish either.

So yes, both have ups but the LS has more to bring to the table in 5.3 liter form. Hell, the 4.8 in stock form from 2000 up made more power than any 350 truck engine. The 4.8 and 5.3 hold excess of 800 hp boosted though. So they are tried and try by now.

The 5.3 i have in my car i gave $250 for it...put new spring, push rods and milled heads .30thou. And GM hot cam for $150 , carb & intake Waaayy mooore !!! Power than the old sbc 350...best bang for the buck..

are all 5.3's equal when boosting? or is there a specific year to get?

2009+ have stronger rods

Actually 05 up as far as my experience, 04 is mixed but my 06 up have better rods then the 99-03s I have used.

It's awesome sauce with a turbo or two

How much nitrious can a stock bottom 5.3 handle? I plan on hitting it with a 125 to 150 shot, think it can handle it?