'01 Silverado K1500 Engine Replacement

[Fursphere]

So.. my Silverado's 5.3L block cracked sometime back. Its a hairline crack, still runs great - but it eats cooling fluid. And its been doing it so long that while chasing the problem down, I had the oil sent out and tested, and the results came back and basically said the crank bearings are hosed.

So, I'm going to just buy a replacement long block, and swap the thing out. (I have no idea where the damage is - heads or block - and its not worth taking the risk).

My budget is right about $3000 for the project - I'll be doing the work myself because shops want about $3000 in labor. A new rebuilt long block is about $2000 from various parts houses.

My question - is there any kind of performance mods I should be doing prior to reinstalling it? Or anything else? (tips and tricks).

I've done plenty of older engines in the past, but this will be my first new one.