Advice on a ls swap.

[Coronadj]

Hey guys so I have a 1969 c10 shortbed i started to work on.Its a slow build but its moving along. I just got a 5.3 ls motor with a 4l60 it came out of a crashed 2007 silverado. I got it as a package deal for $1500 with 60,000 miles on the motor and trans but Im only 16, still in high school its my first project truck. I want to swap in the 5.3 but I don't know how to wire it up but some guy in my area that been doing ls swap says he will charge me $2800 to swap it in but he say i still need to buy the motor mounts, tranny mounts, and headers. But i feel that its a lot of money he is asking for! but i don't know anyone else around me to help me with the swap.

My truck came originally with a 250 inline 6 and sm465. I kind of want to keep the sm465 in the truck and mounting the 5.3 to it. I know its nice to have a auto but I kind of like the 4 speed. An maybe later just swapping it to a 4l80 because i hear the 4l60 isn't to good once you start adding power.

But my real question is that I don't really want to spend $2800 on the swap, I was thinking of putting a carb on the 5.3 and selling the FI and trans and using that money on something else for the truck like disc brakes lol. The truck is completely stock with drum brakes all the way around. Before i bought the motor I was gonna put disc brakes and put a custom under the bed fuel tank but I thought the motor was to good of deal.

[Coronadj]

Im also gonna do a small lift to the truck because i race drag quads and i want to fit some 32s so i don't get stuck off road.

I'm really trying to get this stance.







I already got a 1 inch front coil spacer for the front people say that a 1 inch in the front with it it about 2 inches and 1 inch ball joint spacer. for the rear i got a 1 inch coil spacer.

Im trying to keep this a budget build I'm not building a race truck just something to get me around.

[HeavyD]

If you are going to carb it I would just buy a decent 350, especially since you are on a budget. You probably hear about $900 dollar ls swaps or whatever but those guys do all the work themselves..farming it all out will kill your wallet.

[Desmo-customs]

Google ls1tech.com and look for "my budget LS swap", he will modify your wiring harness and re flash your ecu so you can use it in your old truck. It is affordable. Do it your self, that's how I learned and every one else on here. You can't make it worse, right? It already doesn't run.

[wbc409]

Installing an LS isn't really a beginner project. If you have someone to help you its not out of the skill level of a diy project. You do need to install a high pressure fuel pump as well. You will also need a fuel tank with a baffle so the fuel pick-up doesn't get uncovered.
Being on a budget I would swap in a Gen 1 small block with a carb. It would be the easiest and most cost effective swap given your skill level.

[wbc409]

And budget

[Desmo-customs]

I agree it isn't as easy as just throwing an old sbc in, but you already have the LS, if you want to use it, go for it. You can't beat fuel injection, no time like the present to learn.

[68shortfleet]

Originally Posted by Coronadj

Hey guys so I have a 1969 c10 shortbed i started to work on.Its a slow build but its moving along. I just got a 5.3 ls motor with a 4l60 it came out of a crashed 2007 silverado. I got it as a package deal for $1500 with 60,000 miles on the motor and trans but Im only 16, still in high school its my first project truck. I want to swap in the 5.3 but I don't know how to wire it up but some guy in my area that been doing ls swap says he will charge me $2800 to swap it in but he say i still need to buy the motor mounts, tranny mounts, and headers. But i feel that its a lot of money he is asking for! but i don't know anyone else around me to help me with the swap.

You did get a very fair deal on that combo.
$2800 is a lot of money, but a very fair price for the work involved. Figure that at most shop rates that is 35-40 hours labor. Mine isn't quite done yet, doing the labor myself though. As far the other stuff is concerned.
Motor mounts are cheap, less than $40 shipped. I used a urethane trans mount(energy suspension), but a inexpensive stock one fits the same, all on a stock crossmember. And I am using TBSS exhaust manifolds that I got of this forum for under $100, I'm not interested in having headers. You will also have the expense of getting a driveline made. I was able to have mine shortened for only $90, but I was brand new 10k miles ago.

The wiring takes a fair bit of time to get sorted out., I might even pay somebody to do my next one.

And I would not even consider using a carburetor or the SM465.

Good luck

[jessemthompson]

In your situation I would just stick with a gen 1 small block. It's actually more expensive to switch it over to a carb then it is to do an engine harness rewire to keep the fuel injection. Then the complication of fitting your 4 speed to it. I am doing my own LS swap currently and the cost add up. You could sell your 5.3 and buy a used 350 and have a bolt in affair and it won't keep your truck off the road long. If you want a good horsepower bump, find a 96 up vortec 350. The heads are a lot better then other factory heads. Put a vortec intake on, a mild cam and a 4 barrel with a set of headers and exhaust and you'll have yourself a little runner. Everyone has their own opinion, but being in high school, this would be the simplest route.

[Bowtiguy]

I went round and round on how to run my gen IV LS motor. Reworked harness's ($800) , reflashed ECM's ( $200) , drive by wire (TAA boxes/pedals/cables) for GEN III ( 3 bolt throttle body) motors etc...

I finally bought a low mileage (12.5K) LC9 out of a 13' Silverado and this.

http://www.msdperformance.com/Atomic...and_Parts.aspx

Its a huge "by in" but is a true plug and play.They have come down in price about $800 from when they were introduced.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MSD-Ignition...d9b32d&vxp=mtr


I'm looking forward to being able to drive from 5,000' elevation to 11,000' with no adjustments needed. Not to mention easy start-ups and better MPG. They also self tune via a wide band O2 sensor to whatever mods you do down the line including boost.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/...turbo-ls-test/


Resell your factory harness/ECM, put on OEM manifolds & a factory drive by cable TB, install an EFI pump in your factory tank and use factory motor mounts w/ some aftermarket sliders. All the info has been figured out by the great members on this forum..... the search button/ patience is the key!

[Hartje]

you already have the motor and trans? the battle is already won. get your swap plates (motor mounts) and trans crossmember. figure out your exhaust and once that's all bolted in figure out where you are financially. figure $200-1000.00 for those parts... You and a buddy can probably knock that out. I'm going to assume that you have all the sensors and wiring for the stock 5.3? If yes, you have 2 options have somebody flash and fix the harness or buy and aftermarket efi.

I opted for the later in my Nova. The Holley Dominator EFI runs about 2200 bucks, but its limitless as to the power possibilities. It's straight forward, no head aches, easy to tune, self learning. FAST also make an affordable EFI for these swaps then you don't have to mess with the factory wiring. Just my 02 but if you already have the motor don't go backward...

[motorcritter]

Getting geared up for an LS swap into the '71 Cheyenne. The only advantage I have compared to you is a whole lotta mechanical experience and a better budget. I concur- drop the carb and 465- old tech on a new tech engine is a step backwards. The swap has gotten cheaper as the popularity has gone up- and engines, conversion bits and know-how have gotten more plentiful, also. There is an LSx section, here on the board- find it, know it, love it. Once you're done, you'll be an expert, and earn bragging rights X 10- being a teenager just adds to the bad-assery of it all. The board is your friend, actually, all the guys on here are- just raise your hand and you'll get some info. It might not be what you want to hear, but it'll help sort out the confusion.
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[bs46488]

I took a big block out of a 1970 Nova and put it in my 1972 C10.

Then I took the plunge and bought a LS motor package for the Nova. I paid the same amount, for pretty much the same package you got. I'm doing the swap myself.

I think $2800 seems a little steep considering you are feeding him parts too. Since you are near LA, you can find some good deals locally.

For me the entire swap seems like a big project, but if you break it down to each system and work on it...you'll be in good shape.

I'm going for more of a "budget" swap, rather than a high end build.

Let us know when you have specific questions....

[mcbassin]

Please don't take away the fuel injection and put a carb on it.
Yes it can be done on a tight budget. We did one in my son's 86 for a few hundred bucks (literally).
Check it out HERE starting on page 12.
Keep in mind it wasn't our first swap and I found a smoking deal on craigslist for the donor. But, with that said there are deals out there if you're patient and have cash in hand when you find a deal.

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Please don't take away the fuel injection and put a carb on it. ...

I agree. You will spend just as much to carb it as you will to finish the wiring.

[imjeff]

I would do the whoa before the go. Get your suspension and brakes how you want them. Then once you have the tire size on it you want, play around with your existing six to see where your rpms are for what you do. Places where you will need max power wind it up to around four grand (where Los power lives) and see if you need a different gear for what YOU do. I would look for someone wanting to do an LTs swap, get their good running BBC or SBC and bolt it in. You'd probably end up with some scratch in your pocket and a motor that has some grunt down low.

Jeff

[motorcritter]

What imjeff said- if it goes fast, it had better stop faster. Brake upgrades are pretty simple and not too expensive. These trucks lend themselves to a whole lotta upgrade/improvement/sensible stuff.
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[Coronadj]

thanks guys for all the advice really appreciate it!!!!! yeah I think for now I'm going to save up for some disc brakes but has anyone use the disc bake kit from scarebird?? it says it goes on the stock spindle and all you need to get is the master cylinder for 73-87 truck.

https://scarebird.com/index.php?rout...product_id=156

[H20cooled]

You can get a lot of good info from the LS swap part of the forums. I just did my first swap of a 4.8l into our 68 C10, it was not hard to do but there are a lot of pieces and things that need connected. The wiring is not that bad especially if you get a good harness for the LS. Check out others builds and research and you can do it.

Rich

[Longhornss]

Have not used his stuff on one of these trucks. But he does build lots of stuff for odd cars. Have used 3 or 4 scare bird kits on things in the past. Most notable.... 67 Pontiac bonaville ambulance. Stops the car great.
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[motorcritter]

I'm not familiar with Scarebird's products, but it looks pretty nice. The one advantage to using salvaged spindles/etc., is that it's a good opportunity to replace wear items in the steering and suspension systems. Ancient ball joints and tie rod ends and brake hoses may be more trouble than they're worth.
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[imjeff]

Originally Posted by Coronadj

thanks guys for all the advice really appreciate it!!!!! yeah I think for now I'm going to save up for some disc brakes but has anyone use the disc bake kit from scarebird?? it says it goes on the stock spindle and all you need to get is the master cylinder for 73-87 truck.

https://scarebird.com/index.php?rout...product_id=156

The downside on these comes when you need to replace something down the road. Get the bearing and seal numbers, measurements on the spacers, etc so you can get parts locally. I considered one on another project but opted for new spindles. I figure it's not a bad idea to replace them every fifty years or so.

[motorcritter]

At least using 71-72, or 73-87 stuff, you know exactly what you need for maintainence. There's no 'special stuff' to locate when needed. Any parts store will have what you need, anywhere you are. The idea of converting drum brake spindles to disc brake usage is pretty trick, but there may be parts acquisition problems somewhere down the line. I'm a big fan of OEM stuff, the manufacturer already did the R&D, so I don't have to!
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