is it worth it??

[gmjj13]

i'm new to ls motors, so forgive my ignorance on them...

i'm looking at picking up a 5.3l ls motor. its the iron truck block. would it be easy to build up? also, what Ls is it? its a gen III SBC, so is it an ls1? its just a short block, and needs a piston. approx 40k miles on it. guy is asking 100 euro($135) for it and will throw in the engine stand. if i got it, i'd just build a mild motor to replace the tired 350 in my belair, or to use for a future project. its hard to get parts over here in germany, but sounds like a decent deal. plus it would get me into the ls world on the cheap...hopefully. i've built motors before, just never messed with fuel injection or a newer ls motor. just wondering if it would be better to get it and build, or save up my money and buy one completed later. what do you think???

here's the numbers off of it...

12577396
F 10
GMPT
The other one is:
12572014 P
12

[John Wright]

Can you get the wiring harness and computer to go with it?.....it's all of the little parts that add up...so if the engine isn't complete with all of the accessories, it may not be as good of a deal as you think. Just saying that...Piecing one together can get expensive.

[gmjj13]

Thanks for the reply John. thats kinda what i was thinking. unfortunately its only the short block, and even that needs a piston...

i know all about piecing them together. it took me a couple of years to build my BBC. i am really happy with it, but sometimes wonder if i could have done it cheaper buy buying a crate motor. i tend to think it would have been close to the same.

without getting too fancy, how much do you think a "budget" Ls motor could be built for if you pieced it together?

[John Wright]

I'm not sure how available the parts are over where you are so I'd be afraid to take a stab at the costs....but over here you can find a complete take out and rebuild the engine cheaper than trying to piece it all together, IMHO.

[ErikLS2]

It wont get you into the "LS world on the cheap", it will get you into the LS short block that needs a piston and A LOT of additional stuff to have an engine that runs world.

I'm with John, find something as complete as possible, harness, computer, etc, and drop it in. Much easier and I bet cheaper in the long run. Good luck!

[LS1NOVA]

The problem is that the 5.3 is the cheap option BUT it comes with truck accessories that most people cant use anyway. Oil pan, intake, accessories, etc etc. You have to buy the more expensive LS1/LS2 to get most of the parts to use. If you are going to do it on the cheap, pick up a used complete 5.3 ($250 here in the states) and then buy all the other stuff from Ebay or the aftermarket.

[Olav]

Here in Norway we have to pay min.$3000 for a 5.3 of a tahoe wreck.... it's easier to find a snowball in hell than a LS1/t-56 here.