Gen V 4.3 (LV3) in a 1993 Cheyenne

[shawnmichael]

My truck has sentimental value as well. It's a 1994 c1500 W/T plain jane single cab short bed with manual windows, no cruise, rubber floor and a bench. It went from a bad 4.3 V6 to a 5.3 LS motor. 4 years later, I still have it and drive it. 12k miles since the swap. Sorry but just trying to wrap my head around the thought of a newer V6 swap and the cost of it. LS series swap like a 5.3 can be had for well under $1k with a trans and full wire harness and ECU. The 4.8cam be had for way less

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For arguments' sake, I'd disagree that one can acquire a full 5.3 with trans, harness and ECU for 'well under $1k'. (Feel free to prove me wrong though) From what I've seen, 150k mile 5.3's without anything else will run me $1k.

 

[shawnmichael]

Take a look at your local junkyards or check www.car-parts.com. 99-02 4.8 & 5.3 were drive by cable, easier to swap with. 6.0 is the way to go but too $$ for them. You can also look for a crashed donor, which would be ideal. Miles really do not mean anything to these LS motors, so anything under 200k miles your are good with.

Check out www.ls1truck.com as there is a plethora of info for the swap, as well as www.ls1tech.com and www.lt1swap.com . The last website tells you, in detail, how to rewire the LS wire harness which may look intimidating, but I am no professional and was able to do it with no issues. My truck runs fine, no check engine light on.

Check out this video to see why the LS motor is so popular in swaps:

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Good info, thank you sir.

 

[shawnmichael]

5.3 with a tranny for less than $1,000? Where at and how many miles on it?

My sentiments exactly. There's this wive's tail out there and I keep being told these things but when I look I take a step into the twilight zone apparently. Nothing close.

 

[shawnmichael]

Another thought on the sentimental side of things...

I also acquired my V6 truck from my dad, and have a lot of good memories tied up with it. First street legal vehicle I ever drove in my life. He special ordered it from GM new and it has a very strange combination of options. I love that truck and would never want to do anything to it that my dad wouldn't approve of.

Unfortunately I've blown up its 4L60E twice. The rebuild was beefed up pretty significantly and I still killed it. I'm sick of dealing with that, so I've decided to 4L80E swap it. Before I came to that conclusion though, I asked my dad how he felt about me changing things up that drastically. His response was something along the lines of "Why would you want to keep spending money on something that doesn't work for you? It's your truck." He's all for it, and I think he's happy that I was even concerned about it enough to ask him. It's still the same machine and it's still weird, I'm just improving it.

I understand the allure of keeping things as close to factory as possible, and sentimental attachment, but practicality is worth considering too. Curious to see how your project turns out, and good luck whichever way you decide to go with it!

Good insights, thanks. Cherish those moments and be glad you're able to ask. I lost him in less than a month and never got to go home to see him simply because I wasn't aware of how quickly it would happen. From diagnosis to passing away was less than a month.

 

[shawnmichael]

LV3? so the 2014+ motor? You do realize that is a direct injected motor based on the Gen 5 LT1 right? shares ZERO parts with a 1993 4.3l. Will look as foreign in that engine bay as a ls1 or gen 3/4 v8.

Yep, I realize I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth. Just curious. If I cannot keep the original 4.3, I was thinking a 4.3 'restomod' would be a pretty cool one-off. I hear you though.

 

[Dgonz]

My sentiments exactly. There's this wive's tail out there and I keep being told these things but when I look I take a step into the twilight zone apparently. Nothing close.

Excuse me, what?

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[Dgonz]

Yep, I realize I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth. Just curious. If I cannot keep the original 4.3, I was thinking a 4.3 'restomod' would be a pretty cool one-off. I hear you though.

Yeah that's a cool one off but does it make "financial sense"?

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[shawnmichael]

Yeah that's a cool one off but does it make "financial sense"?

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Not sure, that's why I'm asking if it's been done. To my point above also (where you "excuse me, what?") I keep being told I can buy a 'crate motor' for less than rebuilding my 4.3. It's a wives tail. Maybe at one time LS engines were cheap. Now there's a huge market for them and people are still talking about how cheap they are. Anytime you have demand, prices go up. I challenge anyone to find me a crate motor, LS or otherwise, for cheaper than I can rebuild my 4.3.

That being said, it's not exactly the point of my post.

 

[Dgonz]

Not sure, that's why I'm asking if it's been done. To my point above also (where you "excuse me, what?") I keep being told I can buy a 'crate motor' for less than rebuilding my 4.3. It's a wives tail. Maybe at one time LS engines were cheap. Now there's a huge market for them and people are still talking about how cheap they are. Anytime you have demand, prices go up. I challenge anyone to find me a crate motor, LS or otherwise, for cheaper than I can rebuild my 4.3.

That being said, it's not exactly the point of my post.

Dude, if you are talking crate motor, yes you will paying up the a** for them. If you are talking about LS1 aluminum block, yes you will pay up for them. If you talking about 6.0 same thing. But less desirable used 5.3 and 4.8 are everywhere. Local LKQ U pull It's have them. Or you can simply check car-parts.com . Actually LKQ u pull it has 40% Thanksgiving weekend so u can get a complete 5.3 or 4.8 swap for under $700 including motor, trans, all accessories, wire harness and ECU, if you remove it yourself

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[shawnmichael]

Dude, if you are talking crate motor, yes you will paying up the a** for them. If you are talking about LS1 aluminum block, yes you will pay up for them. If you talking about 6.0 same thing. But less desirable used 5.3 and 4.8 are everywhere. Local LKQ U pull It's have them. Or you can simply check car-parts.com . Actually LKQ u pull it has 40% Thanksgiving weekend so u can get a complete 5.3 or 4.8 swap for under $700 including motor, trans, all accessories, wire harness and ECU, if you remove it yourself

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But $700 for a motor that's got 150k miles? 200k miles? And a hell of a lot of work to pull it all. Not trying to be a smartass or argumentative. But I don't see that as a positive scenario. Arguably a better end product, sure, but in an ideal world, if I can't do the one-off resomod LV3 4.3, I want to keep it stock.