Built tbi vs ls swap

[Supercharged111]

Wiring and tuning can be black magic to the uninitiated, but the fuel plumbing is easy peasy.

 

[Nw2000]

I see no reason why a 5.3 wouldn't fit the bill for that use with some 3.73s or 4.10s. Are those engines available at your local wrecking yards? And are you going to be doing the swap yourself?

I think it's very doable to do an LS swap for $2,500, give or take DIY style. But the little things do add up quickly. But once you swap, the aftermarket support for you down the roads is nuts. Cams, turbo kits, NOS kits, etc. are pretty affordable if that's the road you want to take.

I've watched some videos on YT on guys taking apart a 150k "high mileage" LS. And the darn internals look brand spanking new, LOL.

I've got a build on the LSX swap subforum that may give you some idea on costs.

My father in law has a Yukon with a 5.3 with 300k miles on we have an Escalade with a lq9 6.0 in then and both of them have more than enough power can only imagine if they were in my rcsb LOL.

 

[Nw2000]

Wiring and tuning can be black magic to the uninitiated, but the fuel plumbing is easy peasy.

I saw where all somebody did for the fuel lines was swap out the lines past the filter and of course changed the pump which didn’t seem too hard

 

[Supercharged111]

I saw where all somebody did for the fuel lines was swap out the lines past the filter and of course changed the pump which didn’t seem too hard

That's it. The return has a union right by the filter too.

 

[red98]

Apologies for not getting back it’s been a real busy few days. I have a 1995 rcsb that I use for work like hauling and sometimes I hook up a 12 foot trailer up to it for work purposes as well. I was just looking for better performance in a daily driving/work scenario and maybe if I could get a little more performance at the strip on family night I wouldn’t mind that much either lol. Budget wise I wouldn’t mind spending a few grand like 2k-3k I wouldn’t mind spending a little bit more just to make sure everything is squared away but I’m not about spending a whole lot more because I’m in no spot to do that.

I'd just see what the engines are going for in your area as a baseline, if there are a lot of 5.3s its probably pretty cost effective for your budget to go for that, but if there are a lot of Vortec 5.7s in your area thats usually going to be a little cheaper for the engine, and you will have a bit left to "get everything squared away"

Only thing about the LS swap is its most likely going to be the higher end of your budget, and it might be tough to get everything buttoned up nice for only $3k. It would really suck to be like 90% of the way thru the job and run out of $.

 

[Nw2000]

I'd just see what the engines are going for in your area as a baseline, if there are a lot of 5.3s its probably pretty cost effective for your budget to go for that, but if there are a lot of Vortec 5.7s in your area thats usually going to be a little cheaper for the engine, and you will have a bit left to "get everything squared away"

Only thing about the LS swap is its most likely going to be the higher end of your budget, and it might be tough to get everything buttoned up nice for only $3k. It would really suck to be like 90% of the way thru the job and run out of $.

I’ll have to look around it seems like people have caught on and want to charge an arm and a leg for anything lol. That being said I whatever I go with I want it to have plenty of power and last because while I love messing with my truck, it’s still a pain for it to be down and sometimes it’s overall just a pain I’m sure y’all get that.

 

[Jerryred94silvy]

I’ve heard wise men say to get a whole donor vehicle and harvest everything you need so you don’t get nickeled and dimed to death. Then you can sell what good stuff is left and then sell the carcass to a pick-n-pull. That’s what my plan is anyway when I go to swap mine :shrugs: