Swap or Build?

[RDF1]

Ha its a no brainer for me. LSx swap it.
4L60E if you want to have a daily driver / cruise mobile. 4L80E if you want to beat the ever living crap out of it.

I keep a look out for good deals and score sometimes.

Im knee deep in a 91 c1500 5.3/80E swap right now. Bought the 5.3 from my buddy that we had it in a 98 2wd and it went a 11.3@117 in the 1/4 with a cheap magnum 76mm turbo. Im going for 10s and 25mpg.

Power and fuel mileage can be had easy with these things if you have the right setup.

Small torque cam and a good torque converter with the right gear you can still get 20 mpg and be a fun daily.

 

[89Sport16]

Fuel System done, Motor & Trans in, Trans Cooler Lines done, & Accessories installed. Sent the PCM for programming and I'm just cleaning up the harness now. The harness is time consuming, but it's really not that bad.

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[NightRunner]

Guess I'll play the devil's advocate and say SBC build.

"But NightRunner, price/performance costs! LSx makes more power! Even Vortec LS truck engines make you cool!"

Yeah, I'll agree on all those things. But for my budget, experience and power goals I'm not convinced LSx will do any better than the SBC in my truck will. My power goals are sitting somewhere between the 300-400 horsepower mark, without nitrous (but it's not out of the question). I'm not looking for crazy amounts of power so I'm building SBC, but I'm also very familiar with the small block Chevy engine. Cost wise, to convert the truck to accept LSx you're looking at a pretty penny for all new stuff. You can get away with some used parts but the main issue for me would be wiring. Whether you stay with the stock computer or run a carb'd LSx (which I absolutely adore), you're gonna have hell wiring it up. For me, I plan to just strip the TBI system and heads off this motor and throw a set of Vortec heads on with a regulated fuel fed carb on top with an HEI distributor, which wiring it will be minimal since the TBI used a distributor ignition system anyways. With a 4L60 (glorified 700R4) behind the engine and a few other supporting mods, I think I'll have a decent setup to get me to my power goal at around $1500 buying everything I need brand new, if not cheaper.

Don't limit yourself to LSx or SBC either. Ever thought about playing with a big block? I have a 1985 GMC 1/2 ton square body back in the day. It had a built 454 in it and that thing was a torque monster. I had so much fun in that truck and I kick myself every day for selling it. Plus it would basically be a 454SS clone.

EDIT: I mostly went on this rant for future users curious about the same thing. Your LS swap looks great and best of luck to you to get it set up the way you like!