BoominSVX
Newbie
Okay guys, I have a few questions from those that have been there and what they've found during personal experience. I have two options right now. It stems from the blown up 5.7 in my escalade. No, not toasted, but it was a parts truck pull just to get it moving with 250k on her already, and at about 300k, she dumped her coolant and oiled the overflow bottle. So here's the deal:
I have my old 5.7 in my other escalade. It only has about 130k on it. I had a lower intake leak, and just went all the way down to the pistons at about 110k. Cleaned, cut and lapped, checked and decked, even pulled every lifter apart and cleaned them. This engine is half out of the truck right now, but I'm at a stand still due to a recent development.
A week ago, I picked up a parts truck for my 02 sierra. It's a 2000 sierra with a nicer body than mine, but a rotted frame. I'll be ripping this truck apart for pieces. It came with a 5.3L LM7 and runs like a champ with 140k on the clock.
Here's the question. I have a 14bolt in the caddy already. Trans may be an issue, but I have a 4l80e as well as a 4l85e here already in case it goes south. The caddy may do some light pulling. Horse trailers and occasionally car trailer loaded with whatever I find. The sierra with the 4.8 sucks for towing. I thought I killed it last time. downshifting to 3rd and standing on the pedal to get up a hill is not my favorite way to move something down the highway above 40mph. The 5.7 has the torque. I can do a RamJet cam, 1.6 roller rockers, and pull a 3" y-pipe from the express van to open up some power while keeping it a daily that she can drive This brings the torque up substantially (around 400ft lbs at the flywheel) on the already larger displacement engine, or I can do some work to the 5.3 and swap it in. I'm still researching the best way to build 400ft lbs of torque out of a 5.3. The 0411 PCM is already here anyway, but that doesn't mean it'll be a better scenario. Either one can be tuned.
Vortec 350 5.7: Freshly rebuild top end, no leaks or coolant loss. RamJet cam ($168), 1.6 roller rockers (Found em for 75 bucks local), New front and rear mains, T-stat, Plugs, wires cap and rotor, Maybe an e-fan setup (two fans from the boneyard and a relay for like 40 bucks last time I did it), and a chevy express manifold with 3" Y-pipe into dual 50 series with turn downs. All of that can be done for about 400 bucks.
Vortec 5.3L LM7: My bro did this in his tahoe with a 6.0, but the wiring harness alone cost him 700. I plan to make mine. Still need plates and other parts for the swap. I should have most of it. All the same tune-up stuff. Find a cam/rocker setup that'll bring the torque up (though it doesn't look easy on the 5.3), and get the better fuel mileage of a smaller engine. Lots of aftermarket stuff out there for the 5.3, but it all seems to cost more than the 5.7 stuff these days. I think 400ft lbs of torque is going to eat about the same amount of fuel with either engine, but the coil on plug stuff has an advantage over the spider in the 5.7.
What would you do? 500 bucks. You already have both engines. No turbos or S/C's. The one going in needs to be a little more capable of moving this heavy slug of a soccer mom whip. I just need this one running so I can take the sierra off the road and get some things out of the way on the "Winter truck".
I have my old 5.7 in my other escalade. It only has about 130k on it. I had a lower intake leak, and just went all the way down to the pistons at about 110k. Cleaned, cut and lapped, checked and decked, even pulled every lifter apart and cleaned them. This engine is half out of the truck right now, but I'm at a stand still due to a recent development.
A week ago, I picked up a parts truck for my 02 sierra. It's a 2000 sierra with a nicer body than mine, but a rotted frame. I'll be ripping this truck apart for pieces. It came with a 5.3L LM7 and runs like a champ with 140k on the clock.
Here's the question. I have a 14bolt in the caddy already. Trans may be an issue, but I have a 4l80e as well as a 4l85e here already in case it goes south. The caddy may do some light pulling. Horse trailers and occasionally car trailer loaded with whatever I find. The sierra with the 4.8 sucks for towing. I thought I killed it last time. downshifting to 3rd and standing on the pedal to get up a hill is not my favorite way to move something down the highway above 40mph. The 5.7 has the torque. I can do a RamJet cam, 1.6 roller rockers, and pull a 3" y-pipe from the express van to open up some power while keeping it a daily that she can drive This brings the torque up substantially (around 400ft lbs at the flywheel) on the already larger displacement engine, or I can do some work to the 5.3 and swap it in. I'm still researching the best way to build 400ft lbs of torque out of a 5.3. The 0411 PCM is already here anyway, but that doesn't mean it'll be a better scenario. Either one can be tuned.
Vortec 350 5.7: Freshly rebuild top end, no leaks or coolant loss. RamJet cam ($168), 1.6 roller rockers (Found em for 75 bucks local), New front and rear mains, T-stat, Plugs, wires cap and rotor, Maybe an e-fan setup (two fans from the boneyard and a relay for like 40 bucks last time I did it), and a chevy express manifold with 3" Y-pipe into dual 50 series with turn downs. All of that can be done for about 400 bucks.
Vortec 5.3L LM7: My bro did this in his tahoe with a 6.0, but the wiring harness alone cost him 700. I plan to make mine. Still need plates and other parts for the swap. I should have most of it. All the same tune-up stuff. Find a cam/rocker setup that'll bring the torque up (though it doesn't look easy on the 5.3), and get the better fuel mileage of a smaller engine. Lots of aftermarket stuff out there for the 5.3, but it all seems to cost more than the 5.7 stuff these days. I think 400ft lbs of torque is going to eat about the same amount of fuel with either engine, but the coil on plug stuff has an advantage over the spider in the 5.7.
What would you do? 500 bucks. You already have both engines. No turbos or S/C's. The one going in needs to be a little more capable of moving this heavy slug of a soccer mom whip. I just need this one running so I can take the sierra off the road and get some things out of the way on the "Winter truck".
