5.3 Alum engine - Deal?

[67CamNKC]

Guys, there is a company close to me here in KC that has a 48k mile all aluminum 5.3 engine. They want to sell it to me with the harness modified and computer programmed. They will run it on the engine stand for me when I pick it up. They want $1600 for this.

How good of a deal is this?

I did get prices from speartech on harness modification at $450 and computer reprogram at $300.

[Rhino]

Do you happen to know if that included the trans?

[67CamNKC]

It did not. I would like to use a TKO600 or a T56, but we will see.

[Steve1968LS2]

$1600 isn't bad. I will be building an alum 5.3 for my project. Think of it as an all aluminum 327.

Also, if you ever want to it's easy to bore it out to a 5.7L displacement.

We've made well over 400-450hp from an iron block 5.3 so it has potential.

If it has the truck intake and the pulley system just remember that the pulley system (truck) won't work with a normal LS1/2/6 intake.

[scogin918]

We've made well over 400-450hp from an iron block 5.3 so it has potential.

.

Is that build up archived on a website somewhere? I've been wanting to do a buildup for a S-10 transplant.

[scogin918]

Here's what you can do with a 5.3 truck motor:

http://www.diyautotune.com/cars/cust...h_fairmont.htm

[Shawn MacAnanny]

It's not worth it IMO. You could get a complete and nice running Iron 6.0L for that or a cheap aluminim 5.7L for that. If you do get it make sure its not from an Impala ss or Monte SS as those are LS4s and have a 60* bolt pattern. They do come stock with 243 heads though. I got my LS1 3 years ago with computer and harness and oil pan damage for $710, and my LS4 a couple months ago with 12k, including trans for $499 with an interior fire. There are alot of good deal you just gotta know what to check for.

[indebt69]

Yeah, I agree with Shawn. Yeah, you save on the weight, but I've seen complete iron 5.3 longblocks from LKQ on Ebay go for $179. Even have 6.0's for about $700-900. Yeah, they have 100K miles on them and sometimes a little less, but that's a lot of savings. Clean it up and go with it and spend money elsewhere. If it does blow, big deal, you are out $179 or so. My 5.3 in my truck has 177K miles and running strong.

[1badchevelle]

Hell I have a 99 5.3 with about 56k miles that I am going to sell for $900. complete with harness and ecm. all acc pan to intake. I will post pics and add later on the for sale section.

[Damn True]

Geez where do you guys find this stuff.

I haven't seen an LS listed in Nor-Cal for less than $3k

[scogin918]

Geez where do you guys find this stuff.

I haven't seen an LS listed in Nor-Cal for less than $3k

Here

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/lsx-pa...0es-cheap.html

and here

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/lsx-pa...ine-cheap.html

[Shawn MacAnanny]

California is a tricky state to buy parts in lol. The idea is to find "PICK UP ONLY" auctions and take a little journey. I went 450 miles one way to get my LS1, 100 miles to get my LS4. No one will bid on a PICK UP ONLY item. Just watch the auctions. Get items in remote locations.

[Damn True]

Auctions?

Example please.

[Shawn MacAnanny]

Also the keywords are a big thing too. Dont look for 5.3L ls1. Look for vortec, or silverado, or tahoe, or seirra, or the vans or any vehicle it might be any. You get guys who dont know what they have. For instance whats in my dining room right now.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...6981&viewitem=

2007 LS4 with 12,000 miles and 4t65e transmission (upgrade for all of the 3.8L supercharged cars). The engine makes 300/330 stock, and comes with 243 heads (LS6 z06 heads) which i sold in 4 hours for $400 alone. I also sold the water pump and various accessories for $another $400 or so. So right now i have a 12k Ls4 shorblock in my dining room and a 12k 4T65e trans and converter and made almost 100% profit.

The LS4 uses a 60* bolt pattern which is on joust about ever gm 6 cylinder or 4 cylinder engine so we are taking the LS4 which is a 5.3L LS2 (all aluminum) and using an MSd 6012 box (uses 58x crank reluctore and 4x cam wheel same as ls2) to run it carbureted with an LS1 water pump (which fits) and an LS1 crank pulley (to drive an LS1 alternator and water pump) and we'll have to shim the converter 3mm (the made the crank shorter so it would fit FWD in the impala) and running an 80s 700r4 (with the 60* pattern built of couse) and the only problem is the LS4 doesnt have a start provision. Well one of our very good friends owns a machine shop and there are bolt 'provisions' cast into the block we are going to tap and make a bracket to use an LS1 starter (which meshes just fine with the LS4 flywheel).

Also the LS4s do run displacement on demand which deactivates 4 cylinders intake and exhaust lifters but these are defaulted as "active" lifters as two oil solenoids open up and introduce oil pressure to them to have them colapse and not open the valves. So they dont need to even be changed but we are since they swap with the LS1 lifters and use the same exact length pushrods plus we already have the heads off.

So there are deals, you just gonna look for them. I know it might seem like alot of work to have a bracket made for the LS4 to use a starter (no one makes them becasue they say jsut get truck 5.3L) but for us the engine cost me -$400 and i had two extra sets of LS1 heads to stick on the damn thing a loss of 20hp is nothing to me when im going to just stick a cam in it anyway.

[E.rodz]

it all depends on what you want to do with the car.race it or drive it.with the 5.3 i am running in my belair with ported 241 heads,z06 cam and a powerdyne supercharger the car rips.but you have to look at the whole pict. your oil pan will be to deep so you willprob need a f body pan.and the whole front drive system off an f body or a vette.the intake .price does not seem to bad but if you need to swap everything over to make power you might be better picking a ls motor with bigger valves you still cant go wrong with any of the ls platforms:bsjerk: