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5.3 swap questions??

You're good then. It should bolt right up, I am unsure if they changed the clocking of the newer aluminum adapters (I don't think they did) so you'll have to try it and see for sure.
 
is there any other little quirks i should know? id like to get all the crap in a line, so i can try to keep the surprises to mininum
 
There will always be quirks and things that are hard to anticipate. As long as you have a complete motor, the wiring harness under control, someone to eliminate the antitheft from the pcm, motor mounts, a 40 pulse speed sensor setup, an air box/air filter setup, and some extra money and a whole lot of time it should go ok.

DON'T be in a hurry and remember this is fun. If you make it miserable it will be miserable and you'll hate the final product. If you make it fun it will be fun and you'll like the final product.

And finally don't expect to do it in a weekend and have something else to drive. Expect to spend a little time getting the bugs worked out before you rely on it.
 
pm ryan who posted on here and have him rework your harness and remove the vatts, if you do that, have the adapter plates, crank spacer, and use your current tranny I dont see why you couldnt pull this off in a week
 
of you guys that have done this swap is the a/c comp going to fit, am i going to have to hack my front crossmember?
 
that makes me a little less interested but o well, good thing the engine will be in the air on a crane and not a engine hoist. sounds like i should pull my front clip though.
 
Thanks for the kudos supersize75. :D :bow:
Yes i can rework harnesses and computers for you guys and take a lot of the headache out of that.
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;)
Stock engine crossmember ain't happening with a gen3 engine in a truck. you can try it but i'm almost sure you're going to have to modify the crossmember, or buy or build a new one.

If you're looking for a cheap fuel pump, TPI pumps might be sufficient for a 4.8/5.3 and possibly a 5.7 but for 6.0's and bigger you're gonna want a high performance fuel pump.
Don't go with a summit 80 dollar cheapy inline efi fuel pump. they are noisey as hell.
You can go with an Airtex E8248 is the high performance fuel pump part number, I've got them for around $140 and i've averaged 2 years or more on these pumps.

As for exhaust manifolds, the camaro/ f-body manifolds will fit pretty awesome with a 73 up chevy frame. The 4.8/5.3/6.0 manifolds can be made to fit but i had to hack up the frame on the passanger side to make it clear.
I have modified some 98-02 f body headers to work with 73 up chevy trucks as well... but if you don't have Heavy duty front shackles, the bolts on stock shackles will rub the headers a bit.
I run the same hedman torque step headers on all 3 of my LSX vehicles... 6.0L '72 K/5, 6.0L '84 K30, and my 5.7L '01 Z28. :crazy:
Just have to be modified A LOT to make them work in the trucks.

The A/C compressor, good luck mounting it in the stock location! The frame is totally in the way.
Your best bet would be to fab a new bracket, mounting an A/C compressor with a 5 rib serpentine pulley, somewhere where it will fit decent. Then just get a longer belt for all the accessories.

Do i need to post some pics? :p:
 
Motor mount adapter plates..
You can buy aftermarket ones, but i made my own...

Unbolt the stock truck gen3 motor mount and use it as a template, making the plate a little bit longer towards the front of the engine.
Drill the 4 holes. You can remove the stock engine crossmember but leave the side mounts with the clamshells bolted in place.
Drop in the engine with adapter plates attached, lower the engine onto the clamshells. (you will have to remove one of the 4 bolts to get it to sit flush on the clamshells)
Bolt the engine to the tranny bellhousing for mockup making sure that is where the engine needs to be located.
Make sure the adapter mounts are even on the clamshells, (engine is level). Tack weld the adapter plates and clamshells together, pull em off and weld em up.
Now drill that 4th hole (bolt you had to remove) through the clamshell if the adapter plate hole didn't line up with the hole on the clamshell, it will be pretty close.
Drink a beer. Congratulations, you just made your own motor mount adapter plates.
 
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Posting pics would be totally cool! I'm very interested in this swap and have it in the plans.

I know you are going to be on a tight week when doing the swap, but would you consider documenting and taking pictures of your progress?
 
Thanks for the tips Ryan. I'm in the process of doing my first swap and have learned a lot the hard way, but I'll use some of your tips on the upcoming conversions. I was looking for a good fuel pump to replace my E2000 that probably won't cut it and I think that E8248 will work just perfectly. Thanks again.:waytogo:
 
Here's some pics of my friend Doug's '73 K20 i just built up...
Has a 2005 LQ4, hydro clutch'd SM465, NP205. It will get sideways on dry pavement in 2nd gear. :D

Goodbye old 350...
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Welcome to your new home Mr. '05 6.0 Liter...

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Heres a couple bonus pics of the Exhaust system i built for him. :D
Has modified f-body Long tube headers & 3" full mandrel exhaust system with an X-pipe & 40 series flowmasters. Looks and sounds pretty awesome. :wink1:
IMG_1129.jpg

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Im really happy with this thread, this will help others as these swaps get more and more popular. Keep it coming!:D
 
Man, I just saw a 6.0L on CL, wish I had the $$$....

Thanks for the pics. :waytogo:

I think I speak for everybody when I say you can't post too much info on a GEN 3 swap. :D
 
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