5.3 thinking

[lozanoa11]

Well now im interested. Ive been debating on a ls1 car or a 3rd gen for some time now as i currently do not own a f-body. I would love a ls1 3rd gen the cost is kind of prohibitive. But this 5.3 fever has caught on to me.
I have a few questions for you guys:

How hard is a t-56 swap in the 3rd gens. Ive swap trans before and i hate it but is the fit im worried about. Or 700r4's fit on the 5.3 right? Or will i have computer problems and should get a 4l60e.

Will a truck manifold fit under a 3rd gen hood? How bought with a cowl hood?

I know ls1's cant be bored unless you sleave them. Is this the same with 5.3's? Is it diffent for iron and aluminum block's?

Is there after market support? could i get high compression pistons if i don't bore it? Is there heads available or will i be stuck porting them?

I think thats it for now unless i think of more. Thanks all.

[Phantom409]

The LS Alum blocks only draw back is that it's sleved and too much taken out of the cylinder would cause warpage with the sleve.

You can do a 383 with an LS with a .005 over bore but thats the max on that.

[TheyCallMe Tim]

The 5.3 can easily be bored out to accept LS1 pistons, and with that bore and the 5.3L head it will be somewhere over 11:1 compression. Might need a little bit of a cowl hood to fit the truck manifold under but I really can't speak from experience. Basically EVERY LSx part will bolt straight up to the 5.3 with little to no alteration. The heads are actually surprisingly high flowing too, and the small chamber has made them real popular upgrade heads, especially ported.

[lozanoa11]

Ok nother question:

What kind of stroke can i fit in the block i know lsx block will take like 4.25 but i don't need that lol.

[c0ncEpT]

Will a truck manifold fit under a 3rd gen hood? How bought with a cowl hood?

Well I know for a fact that they will work great flipped upside down with a hairdryer hanging off of them

[1BADAIR]

not that manifold


I don't think the truck intake will fit.
99+ ls1 blocks can goto a 3.908 bore- .010 over
most people use a 4 inch crank. even then you some times have to clearance the block.
I wouldn't go over a 3.898 bore with a 5.3. They need to be sonic checked

[BLKHAWK]

most people use a 4 inch crank. even then you some times have to clearance the block.

sometimes?

[lozanoa11]

so what size crank can i put in with out clearancing

[TheyCallMe Tim]

Stock crank is 3.62, I don't know much about aftermarket crankshafts, but you could always have the factory piece offset ground to get some more stroke out of it, but then you'd be looking at special bearings and more than likely a custom set of rods.

[lozanoa11]

not what i want lol. I would just like to get as many cube's as i can with out extensive block work.

[TheyCallMe Tim]

I'd suggest a 6.0L truck block if you're looking for cheap cubes. LQ4/9 blocks can be found fairly cheap if you look hard, throw on a set of 5.3L heads and you have a pretty sick high compression motor at a very reasonable price.

[WMCCjames]

T56 swap in a 3rd gen is not difficult...it's done all the time

[lozanoa11]

i figure 5.3 would be cheaper. I don't need alot of cubes but more than 5.3 would be nice