5.3 swap into an '89

['89/'92Chevy/GMC]

I had this brought to my attention just now and it is something that I have thought about doing to this truck.

How much work is it to drop a 5.3 in to my '89?

How much more power does the 5.3 have over the stock 350? how about over a built 350?

Cost wise, what am I looking at to put the 5.3 in over building up my stock 350?

 

[dcZ71]

Personally I would go with a built 350. It would walk all over a stock 5.3.

Cost depends...if you went with a used 5.3 you could pick up a decent one for $500-600 off craigslist probably.


edit: saskatchawan canada? probably slim pickens on craigslist

 

[Mike]

A 5.3 with a couple things will make 400 horsepower all day (350 will output half that) and have excellent all weather driveability and economy (20 mpg).

I'd say if you did it on the super cheap you could budget like this:

Engine w harness, accys + computer 600-900 for low miles and clean (Then add headers and maybe a cam and converter)

Adapter stuff to get everything in 500

Wiring, fluids, random 500

And on a pre 95 you'll need a 96 or above fuel pump.

Bam

A "built" 350 will cost way more than that, not make as much power, wont drive as well and god knows the quality of the build or re-build. Anyone who is going to hand build a v8 with any quality isn't going to do it for cheap or use cheap components.

 

[noremac]

i am with mike.... if you rebuild your tree fiddy, you wont have near the power of a semi-used 5.3L with a cam, headers, and a tune... at least with any average workin man's salary.... i am gonna do a 6.0 or 5.3L swap as that seems to be the most economically sound swap in my case..

 

[tattooed4life]

A 5.3 with a couple things will make 400 horsepower all day (350 will output half that) and have excellent all weather driveability and economy (20 mpg).

I'd say if you did it on the super cheap you could budget like this:

Engine w harness, accys + computer 600-900 for low miles and clean (Then add headers and maybe a cam and converter)

Adapter stuff to get everything in 500

Wiring, fluids, random 500

And on a pre 95 you'll need a 96 or above fuel pump.

Bam

A "built" 350 will cost way more than that, not make as much power, wont drive as well and god knows the quality of the build or re-build. Anyone who is going to hand build a v8 with any quality isn't going to do it for cheap or use cheap components.

I am not familiar with the swap details but Mike has hit the nail on the head with the last statement. You could easily spend $5000 on a hand built 350 done correctly. Parts prices are going up and good machine shops are getting harder to find.

 

['89/'92Chevy/GMC]

Personally I would go with a built 350. It would walk all over a stock 5.3.

Cost depends...if you went with a used 5.3 you could pick up a decent one for $500-600 off craigslist probably.


edit: saskatchawan canada? probably slim pickens on craigslist

I can probably pick one up easily from SGI salvage or another salvage yard will have something around.

A 5.3 with a couple things will make 400 horsepower all day (350 will output half that) and have excellent all weather driveability and economy (20 mpg).

I'd say if you did it on the super cheap you could budget like this:

Engine w harness, accys + computer 600-900 for low miles and clean (Then add headers and maybe a cam and converter)

Adapter stuff to get everything in 500

Wiring, fluids, random 500

And on a pre 95 you'll need a 96 or above fuel pump.

Bam

A "built" 350 will cost way more than that, not make as much power, wont drive as well and god knows the quality of the build or re-build. Anyone who is going to hand build a v8 with any quality isn't going to do it for cheap or use cheap components.

I don't think I can pick up a 5.3 for less then $900 here, probably talking closer to $1500 for low miles and all the parts I would need to put it in before any engine modifications. With the prices you have mentioned it's about $1900 to do it, so I am thinking it's probably about $2900-$3000 to do. I had a price quoted to me on a rebuild for the 350 last fall form the local engine shop and he thought to put it back to stock with all original Gm parts would be just over $2000 including labour, and I could build a 383 stroker out of it for about $4000-$4500 before labour depending on what all I wanted in it. Still the 5.3 is the cheaper route here.

I guess I will have to sit down and figure out the direction I want to go with this truck before stripping it down next month and go have a look and see what I can find for a 5.3.

 

[dcZ71]

Are you doing the install on everything or paying a shop?

 

['89/'92Chevy/GMC]

Doing it myself either in dad's shop at home or at the dealership that he works at.

 

[mjleg]

Keep us posted on how it goes. I have a 1995 that I might be interested in doing this to. Let me know how the difficulty rates and also, if you don't mind a ballpark on the cost.

 

['89/'92Chevy/GMC]

I will get a rough estimate done first for both engines and post it here. If I decide to drop the 5.3 in then I will have the swap in my build thread in the Off road and lifted section of the site.