opinions needed and a deal...

[menace121978]

hey guys, today i went down to rancho recyclers and found a lQ9 6.0 out of a 2002 esclade with 100K miles. and they will put a '07 4l65E with low miles behind it for $2500. everything comes with it from drive by wire throttle pedal, radiator, all accesories, harness, etc...

whatcha think?? i went down there planning to buy one but started pumping the brakes when he told me the miles. as of right now he's hunting for a 75K or less for me. he did have another one there but parts were missing and i want everything complete and from the same vehicle.

so what would ya'll do here??

[Damien]

I don't think 100k is bad. These are 300k mi. engines and I don't think most of the trucks on here will every see that many miles.

[Pyrotechnic]

One of these motors with normal driving habits and 3,000 mile oil and filter changes should give you a good 250,000 miles. Fuel injection and overdrive does wonders. Of course, it just depends how the previous owner treated it.

Back in the old days of carburetors and no overdrive, an engine was lucky to last most then 100,000.

[68 TT]

The LS motors are barely broken in at 100k.

That is a great deal but see if they will get you a 4L80E to go with it instead.

[menace121978]

thanks guys, they will give me a 4l80e for the same price but if i go that route then i'd need to change the harness and sensors and change the flex plate and get a spacer i think. too much hassle...

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by menace121978

thanks guys, they will give me a 4l80e for the same price but if i go that route then i'd need to change the harness and sensors and change the flex plate and get a spacer i think. too much hassle...

Most of the 6.0 liter engines came with 4L80E's so you might already be getting a setup designed for it. Not a lot to change to make the switch and it is well worth it strength wise.

Maybe they have a 6.0 liter out of a 2500 truck that still has the 4L80E attached that you can get as a package deal. Just get one from 2001-up and it will have aluminum heads. The 99 & 2000 6.0's had iron heads.

Whatever you end up with make sure you bolt it all together and make all the wiring connections at the trans to make sure there are no physical or wiring compatibility issues between the different vintages of parts.

[cableguy0]

it would be better to get the 4l80e even with the hassles. its a much stronger trans that will last a ton longer than even a 4l65e . go to a dealer and ask them how often they have to replace or rebuild the 4l65's in trucks and suvs and then ask about the 4l80e. its probably 10-1 or more in comparison

[menace121978]

what all exactly would i need to do to convert it over?

i want the esclade LQ9 because they are the HO 6.0's with 345hp and 380tq with a 10;1 compression ratio backed by the 60e until 07 when they changed to the 65e with an extra clutch pack. the LQ4's in the trucks with the 4l80e are only rated at 325hp.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by menace121978

what all exactly would i need to do to convert it over?

i want the esclade LQ9 because they are the HO 6.0's with 345hp and 380tq with a 10;1 compression ratio backed by the 60e until 07 when they changed to the 65e with an extra clutch pack. the LQ4's in the trucks with the 4l80e are only rated at 325hp.

You want the lower compression truck version so you can drop in the 2004 Z06 Corvette cam and add a single 76 mm turbo to it. 600+ rear wheel HP on pump gas.

[menace121978]

ok, just called him again. he's got a 4l80e there out of an '03 truck with 61k miles. he said he'd take off what ever i need from another truck to bolt the 80e up to the esky 6.0. he also said that whoever does the wiring harness can put the right plugs for all the sensors. does all this sound right?

[cableguy0]

if hes willing to give you a 4l80e in place it shouldnt be an issue to get the rest of the stuff needed off of whatever engine the 4l80e comes from. i dont 100% know what needs to be swapped over. dont forget you can get quite a few ponies by just eliminating the emissions junk and having the computer tuned for that. im sure someone else can chime in here with the specifics on the trans

[team39763]

DO NOT DO THE 6.0 SWAP! Your truck will be slow as molasses.

No I'm just kiddin'....I did the swap in my truck and I'm happy with it so far. I was going for all-out performance with mine and it's done pretty good so far. I helped do an 80E swap on a 60E truck and all we did was change the flexplate on the 5.3(to a 6.0 plate) and buy the adapter harness from Nelson Performance. We ended up having issues with the swap, but it may have been the high-mileage junkyard transmisison since it worked for a bit then went crazy on us. Good luck with the swap. Maybe call up nelson performance or check out their site/forum for more info, they have a complete write-up on it.

Can I post the link? Just zap me if I can't.
http://www.ls1truck.com/forums/front...rans-swap.html

[menace121978]

believe it or not i was just reading that article! good info... and thanks man. did you ever figure out what was wrong with the trans?

[N2TRUX]

I agree that the LSx motors are good for a lot of miles, but I think you can do better.

Personally I would want a package already together rather one that piced together. I do not think 2500 is a good deal for a 100k motor.

[menace121978]

thanks for the advice Ken. no matter the miles its going to be $2500 so i'm thinking i have to use the P word for a bit longer. i'm going to keep bugging him every week for any new arrivals.

it would be nice to find just a complete pull out but the esky and denalli were only backed with the 4l65e or the 60e so that may not be an option.

i shot off a couple emails 1 to nelson and 1 to Jesse at wait for me performance to see what they suggest. the guy at the rancho said he could def. get me a LOW mile 65e that would plug right in. and their big 6.0 trucks all have 200K+ miles.

soooo, we'll see what nelson and Jesse say and wait PATIENTLY for rancho to find a lower mile unit.

btw, does anyone know if the 2002 esclade has a returnless fuelrail??

[team39763]

No, we didn't figure out what was up with the trans. It kept trying to engage a forward gear while in reverse, so it would roll back then jerk forward. After a few minutes of that, it lost 3rd and 4th gear. The owner got tired of messing with it and we all just gave up(had motor problems too). We're planning to try a new trans when he gets back from Iraq.
I really think it was an electrical problem...like something shorted out or we unplugged something we weren't supposed to.

[SBTork]

I think an '02 esky is prolly set up with a fuel pressure regulator on the rail and most likely has a return line. You could always hunt for a returnless crossover rail from an '06 or so. They bolt right up. Also, I think $2500 is a good deal on a 100K engine w/a 4L80 mated to it. It could not hurt to try and wait for a lower mileage one though.

[STOCKISH]

Do it. You wont regret it. My brother has a 02 Escalade and it is NASTY. Even with the extra weight, it really flies. I'm jealous. I wasn a LSX engine bad.

[menace121978]

Originally Posted by SBTork

I think an '02 esky is prolly set up with a fuel pressure regulator on the rail and most likely has a return line. You could always hunt for a returnless crossover rail from an '06 or so. They bolt right up. Also, I think $2500 is a good deal on a 100K engine w/a 4L80 mated to it. It could not hurt to try and wait for a lower mileage one though.

i think your right tork. he's going to go out and check it today.

Originally Posted by 1972SuperCheyenne

Do it. You wont regret it. My brother has a 02 Escalade and it is NASTY. Even with the extra weight, it really flies. I'm jealous. I wasn a LSX engine bad.

hows his tranny holding up? and pm sent

[ghettoluxury]

100 k is nothin my 02 2500 HD has 350,000 and will still dust every other 6.0 it has ran agianst. Helps that it wasn't re-programed when the new rims got put on.

[grinch4om]

I've been reading articles on the LS engines and Car Craft made over a clained 500 hp with the iron heads...check back issues...I have comtemplated the same swap but am satisfied with the rat and the 700r4 for the time being but always on the lookout for a deal...