new motor time
 

Well I am looking in to getting a new motor for my 05 1500 it has the 4.8in it right now . I would like to this as cheap as possible with bolt ons. this truck will also Be a daily so gas is something to think about


Should I buy a 5.3 and try to build it or do you think it would be better to spend the extra money and get a 6.0 there is only 45 HP difference between the two. There is only a 600 dollar difference between the motors

Re: new motor time
 

No matter what direction you go, if you change the displacement, you are going to need to have a Tune done on your Engine Computer so dont forget to factor that in.

I would Go for the 5.3L, it gets significantly better mileage and has allot of potential for a DD. I would specifically look for a L33, aluminum block (saves 100 lbs), flat top pistons (from the 4.8L), LS6 Heads, and a hotter cam, but they are hard to find because they were only installed in 25% of the 05-07 1500 Z71 trucks built. If I couldn't find an L33 I would buy a LM7, install flat top pistons, an LS6 cam and a good custom tune.

Also you dont want to mate a 6.0 to a 4L60E, it will significantly shorten the life of that trans.

Re: new motor time
 

You said cheaply and gas is a concern so rule out the 6lt. If I'm not mistaken it requires premium grade gas in all applications. The 5.3 makes good power and mileage on regular grade gas.

Re: new motor time
 

What's the best way to deal with the computer. Do I have to get diffrent one or is there a company that sells a programmer

Re: new motor time
 

I am in no way educated in the category enough to tell you the best option, but I do know you need to do something. That being said you have a couple of options, first you could have your existing computer flashed by a tuner to run the different set of tables to make the larger engine run proper and do a crank sensor relearn on the engine so your ECU and engine communicate. The other option is you can get the ECU from the other engine, but I don t know how that would work or what would be more economical.

I would email Black Bear Performance or 150tunes.com, tell them what you are doing and see what they recommend.

Re: new motor time
 

is your truck a 2wd or 4x4? there are lots of 2wd guys on pt.net that have 6.0's or 370's (6.0 bored .30 over) and run in high teens-low 20's on the highway. you have an 05 so i would look for an 05 lq4 out of an hd truck. these have the upgraded connecting rod pins. you can reuse the front accessories and intake off your 4.8 in the 6.0. with the 317 heads and dished pistons that the lq4 has, you dont need to run premium, although the performance advantage of tuning for it is worth the offset cost in gas IMO. you will of course need to retune the pcm to take advantage of the engine swap. i would recommend blackbear time and time again as he is who i have gone with. if you want to swap cams, now is the time. id recommend something in the 210-220 duration range to keep lowend torque. valve springs and pushrods will also need to be replaced to support the cam. if you have any other questions, just pm me, i can help. Mods, if i cant post the name of another forum on here, let me know and ill gladly remove it from my posts.