How many LS swappers are rebuilding their engines before Installing them?

[supertrucker1978]

I am wondering how many of you have or are rebuilding your LS engines before swapping them in? And if not, why?

 

[Shaun]

my 5.3 only had 67k on it when i bought it. i had the heads pressure tested and decked and valve job. replaced all gaskets and sensors from the heads up. i did notice that i have a little oil leak near the starter. i'm thinking now i should have done the oil pan gasket before i stuck it in the truck. Oh well.

 

[aarolar]

Of all the swaps I have seen done on the interwebs very few of them included rebuilding the LS motor. When I did mine the heads got P&P and rebuilt but the bottom end stayed untouched.

 

[superdave]

With the close tolerances and sterile assembly areas at the factory, do you really think you are going to rebuild a fairly low mileage motor and improve anything?

 

[espacef1fan]

I'm going to check the bearings on mine. Only because I am dropping the pan to check the tooth count on my reluctor wheel

 

[craig98]

Mine only has 70k miles on. All I did was swap oil pans to a f body pan. And threw it in. I wasn't really to worries about this motor as I have another 5.3 I'm building for it.

 

[supertrucker1978]

I guess it depends on what you consider "fairly low mileage"? Anything under 100k, 200k? I know these engines can go 200k+ but most of the engines around here around the 150k range. If I do the swap, I only want to do it once.

 

[BHBurban]

My LQ9 had 85k on it. But I basically re gasketed the whole thing because I swapped the cam, put my 243 heads on it, and had to change oil pans.

And I changed the oil pump.

 

[superdave]

I guess it depends on what you consider "fairly low mileage"? Anything under 100k, 200k? I know these engines can go 200k+ but most of the engines around here around the 150k range. If I do the swap, I only want to do it once.

Of the others that have answered so far, the most they had was 85k miles, and I consider that fairly low mileage. I'd look for a motor under 100k.

 

[supertrucker1978]

If I could find one with under 100k miles I wouldn't think twice about rebuilding it. I've found a L33 with 111,000 miles and thats the lowest I have found so far unless I jump to a LMG out of a 2010 but not sure what makes them different.