Advice on LS Swap

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brningdawn

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Well I went to pullapart today and found a 2004 Yukon with a 5.3. Looking up the vin says it's a L59. I'm considering trying to pull it tomorrow. Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Can I reuse my power steering pump or do I need to pull it too? I'm going to take the rest of the accessories, harness, computer. I think it's drive by wire but I didn't double check so I'll probably need the pedal too.

What else?

I figured I would drop the oil pan and look for metal. Pull the valve covers and intake before I go to far in yanking it out.

Any other thoughts, suggestions, things to look out for?
 

Kchevys

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I could be wrong by I believe anything 2004 and later will be drive by wire. If that is the case be sure to grab the pedal and the tac module. That is unless you are planning to convert it to drive by cable.

When I LS swapped my 2 door I used the PS pump that came with the LS. All accessories lined up that way. The threads were different on the pressure side so I made my own line out of Russells tubing and fittings.

You are on the right track to pull the pan and valve covers. The first LS I looked at had water in the oil. I saw it running but I could not get past it so I moved on to another LS.

FWIW I left my LS bone stock. My idea was to get it in the 2 door and get it running (I forced myself to stick to it....it was hard). Then I could work on upgrades later if I was unhappy with it. I knew if I started upgrading cams/head/etc. I would not be able to stop. I did break it down to the short block and replaced every gasket and sensor while it was on the stand. I checked a few bearings but they looked fine. I did replace the oil pump and timing set but those were the only internal parts. It had 154K when it was pulled and now fires right up and runs smooth. I did have the computer tuned a bit but otherwise it is stock. I agree the LS is dog down low but when you stand on the skinny pedal it will bury the needle and keeps on going faster......... . For me, a stock 5.3 with a hot tune is all that tahoe needed and now I am glad I did not spend thousand(s) on performance parts. My 2 cents. Good luck with your swap
 

Erik the Awful

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Anyone have any thoughts or advice?
Attaching hardware is free. Make sure you get it all.

Inspect the parts you're getting to ensure someone hasn't already broken them. If you have to, mix and match from another vehicle to get a good assembly.

Pull-A-Part is cheaper than anywhere else; we're really spoiled to have it. Still, all the odds and ends add up. Get what you need, but resist the urge to add more that you don't.

Here's this weekend's specials:

ItemSale PriceBegin DateEnd Date
BUMPER BARE$25.0003/04/202303/05/2023
CARBURETOR$15.5003/04/202303/05/2023
ENGINE (LONGBLOCK)$130.0003/04/202303/05/2023
TAILLAMPS LENS CAR$19.0003/04/202303/29/2023
WINDOW SWITCH MASTER$10.5003/04/202303/05/2023

Be sure and smile and be friendly with the guys at the desk. They have to deal with a lot of rough, argumentative people. I always smile and chat with them a bit, and they brighten up when you do.
 

Luisp0101

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It’s 100% up to you the route you take. I have an 81 C10 with an Ls 6.0 and 4l85 and a 90 c1500 5 speed NV3500 w/5.3 and currently doing a 95 c1500 swap to a 5.3 w/4l60. I did all of them myself through trial and error and tons of YouTube videos. I will tell you only you can decide what you want to do I have bought the motors with transmission already attached and harness along with all accessories you can find them anywhere and fairly cheap with decent miles. I have also had the heads reworked and inspected on all of them and I inspected the lower end myself prior to installs to try to mitigate and issues. This has worked for me so far and the 5.3 will definitely have more pep than a work out 5.7. Sell the 09 and buy a motor trans with all accessories computer and harness and go from there. Let me know if I can help in any way good luck.
 
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