4.8 Buy or Not????

[71Sleeper]

02 Silverado 4x4 with 4.8 and only has 58,000 miles was hit in passenger side and parked in barn since 09. I know the truck personally and was about to purchase it right before the guy got hit. I just talked with him today and can pick it up the whole truck for a grand. I know 5.3 or big is what everyone is looking for but with this being a low mileage truck is it worth it? Plus, what is the cost for converting the trans for a 2wd setup? Any and all opinions, please.

[Heavymetl]

Don't be "baited" by the low miles on the engine and transmission. The LS platform doesn't wear like the older engines, heck I put a 150k 5.3 in my truck then 15psi of boost on top of that. No oil burn, quiet, runs like a top.

As for the trans, you'll need a different output shaft and tailhousing. Unless you can get the entire 4.8/4L60E dirt cheap, probably not cost effective.

Not sure what your goals are for your truck, but if you just want a cruiser, I'd keep an eye out for a 4.8/5.3 that more closely fits your needs and budget.

[mongocanfly]

That's not a bad price..its worth more than that in parts alone..I was sceptical of a 4.8 until I started reading more on them..they can build crazy horsepower out of them...read the ls big bang theory story..unreal.....its got more to do with what you want than anything...

[special-K]

Well, since you'll have the entire donor vehicle, you should have what you need, except conversion parts like motor mounts and headers. I would be baited by 100k less miles than average. That's 100k more miles that engine will run. and price? What's wrong with $1k for all this, and a vehicle left over to sell fairly fresh parts off of, sell hulk, or scrap to gain some of that grand back? I wonder if poster#2 even read any of post#1.

Personally, being a hot rodder from back in the day, I like to build my performance not buy it. To me the 4.8 is the most practical swap, and I've never cared what "everybody else" is doing. You will gain the most benefits for destroying the simplicity of the original design by adding a computer...modern practical fuel consumption with added power.

[72MARIO]

The only reason not to go 4.8 is if your planning on towing 6000+ That is the only reason i bought a 6.0 for my suburban

[erikoj]

I have a 2001 with the 4.8 It gets 16-20 mpg, runs like a swiss watch and has plenty of power. It's a great engine. I have always thought it would be plenty quick in my '72. i think that price is a reasonable deal

[hugger6933]

There are a lot of 4.8's being passed off as 5.3's. Once they are separated from their truck the only way to tell the diff is pulling the pan or a head.
I have had tons of both the 4.8 gets better mileage than the 5.3 witch has a little more power but if the two were in two seemingly alike trucks I don't know if you could pick out the 5.3 truck. The drive ability is almost identical. The only other thing to consider is the cable throttle. Most want the electric one as it can have cruise added with just a couple wires but I think your getting enough oh a deal to get the 4.8 and continue on with the build.

[MARKDTN]

Nothing wrong with a 4.8 unless you tow a lot. Go for it!

[special-K]

What are the hp/tq specs on a 4.8 and what is a sensible reprogramming gain to be expected? How about with cam change? I am totally inexperienced with the modern engines. I look at it as 4.8 power versus original power, not versus other LS engines

[71Sleeper]

No I won't be towing anything with this truck. I'm not looking at the hp as much as reliability. This will be my son's truck to drive once it's completed. hopefully by his senior year which gives us about 2 more years to complete. By what I'm hearing the 4.8 is just as reliable as the 5.3 just with a few less HP. I guess it's worth taking a battery this weekend and go check it out and work out a deal with the old man. Who knows I might be able to work out a better deal.

[The Chainsaw]

I would take that deal in a heartbeat. Yes you may be able to find a separate 4.8 somewhere for $500 and maybe find a transmission somewhere for $200-300, but paying the $1,000 gets you a ton of extra stuff that can be used or sold.

That being said, it might actually be more cost effective to even sell the transmission or trade it in for a 2wd model instead of doing the conversion. Honestly I wouldn't run a 4L60e behind anything if I could find a 4L80e for any kind of decent price. Seen too many 4L60e's trashed by even bone stock 4.8's.



My dads 2004 rcsb truck with the 4.8 ran 15.82 at the track bone stock, and crossed the scales at 4950lbs.

A friend with the same setup plus a mild camshaft and little looser torque converter ran 13.90's.

As a cruiser the 4.8 will be awesome. Pretty sweet to think that a 294ci motor can make a comfortable 400hp while getting 25mpg.

[gottattooz]

I swapped a 4.8l into my 68 short/wide. It's got 263,000 miles on it, has great power and better mileage than I ever got out of a sbc 350. If you can buy the whole truck, it'll save you countless trips to the salvage yard for the odd parts and brackets you'll need for the swap.

- Josh

[EARNHARDT#3]

17 years ago my dad bought a brand new 1999 new body style Silverado with a 4.8. It was a "loaded" extended cab 2wd 1500. That truck really had some balls! I don't know what gears were in it but if you ran it hard it would bark the tires shifting from 1st to 2nd. Great truck.

[cherokeejohn]

If that deal had come in front of me, "well,let's just say the thread I would've posted would be "Check out my new doner truck!", LOL. For that price I agree x2 with Special K on every aspect. Even if you buy it and decide not to use it as a doner for your truck, You could part it out on here and at least 3x your investment. The 4.8 and 5.3 are very reliable motors. and the trans's are a very popular upgrade as well. take some3 pics for us, you know we wanna see! lol My Opinion is that either way at a grand if it runs n drives then its a worth while investment.

[67 chevelle]

Sounds like a great deal to me , Ive done a couple 6.0 s , and would not hesitate to put a 4.8 in anything , they are great motors , and under your circumstances , thats a great deal

[jdw]

Not to mention the entire serpentine setup and the electronics. I'd be posting pictures of my new ls as well.

[71Sleeper]

Thanks guys for the inputs. I will definitely be looking at the truck closely this weekend. The old man's son and I are friends and we are helping out with a youth squirrel hunt this weekend. I just want to go by and see if the motor still turns over.

[jamie72]

sounds like a great deal i`d be all over it.. i have been looking for something like this for my next build, bet you could recoup most of you money back,good luck.

[Kennuck]

That is a good deal sell the left over parts and you will recoup most of your grand. Free Motor and trans great deal.

And you can hook up the cruise control that came in the truck with the cable throttle with just a couple wires. I personally like the cable throttle better as it has less lag when you hit the throttle.

[special-K]

Ok, now make sure your friend doesn't see this thread with all we've said about the great deal it is

[indymachinist]

It's a great deal. Nothing wrong with a 4.8 engine either. They aren't big power makers in stock form but all the same things that work on the biggest engines work on them too. Heads, cam, intake, headers, etc etc.

I probably would sell the 4wd 4l60e and try to get one that is already 2wd.

[RickDeVon]

I do lawn service pulling a 6.5x14 loaded and my 01 GMC has a 4.8 w/175k...Not the first problem...I would do the swap in my 71 if I had it...

['68 Newtricks]

Make sure to change the oil asap, don't want that stuff acting like acid after you start it 6-7 years later.

Sounds like a good deal to me

[Nitis]

I'd be all over it

Remember a 5.3 is a stroked 4.8

It's not like your talking 305 vs 350

[mcbassin]

I have 4.8 in my truck. I love it. You might be shocked how much power the smaller engine has. You lose torque from the bigger 5.3 but I seriously doubt you would notice unless your towing a big boat or race car.
That's a good price too