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5.3 vortec question

gmw blazer

gmw blazer

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Pacific Grove,CA
I have a 79' K5 with a stock 350 and I just fell into a 2005 5.3 vortec engine.I plan on using the stock 350 trans.Can some one point me in the right direction for this swap? Is there any threads on this?I understand painless sells a emission related wire harness.I live in Cali so I need to make it pass smog with all of the emission equipment from a 2005 Chevy truck? Is this something that will pass with the smog referee.Any help would be appreciated.
 
gmw blazer said:
I have a 79' K5 with a stock 350 and I just fell into a 2005 5.3 vortec engine.I plan on using the stock 350 trans.Can some one point me in the right direction for this swap? Is there any threads on this?I understand painless sells a emission related wire harness.I live in Cali so I need to make it pass smog with all of the emission equipment from a 2005 Chevy truck? Is this something that will pass with the smog referee.Any help would be appreciated.
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oh smog...crap... uh :doah: we dont have that.


Youll need a set of 30 dollar brackets off ebay to mount the motor, and another flexplate (flywheel) that has the lsx bolt pattern for the crank and your th350 bolt holes for your torque converter.


Only thing me and my buddy couldnt figure out with his th350 is what to do for a kickdown, maybe you can find a way, but we couldnt, so he has a 4l60e in his 2wd 67 short step.
 
If you can't find the info you're looking for try talking to Kevin at Pacific Fabrication, they specialize in vortec swaps and he can probably help you out with the misc parts you'll need.

www.pacificfab.net
 
You can definitely get this to pass smog here in California. I did an "engine change" on a car and it was not as hard as you might think. I put an 85 toyota engine in a 77 toyota.


The key here is that you need to have all of the emissions devices in place for the 2005 in your truck including the evap system. This you will find the hardest to deal with as the 2005 has pressure sensors in the tank to ensure the evap system is working. You will most likely want to use the entire fuel sending unit as it has all of the sensors integrated.

Also, I would recommend using the original harness if you can and you will need to have the ECM reprogrammed to remove the anti theft and trans control at the least.

Go take a look at www.ls1truck.com and read up in the LSX conversions sub forum. LOTS of good info there.

I am not saying it will be a walk in the park but it is doable. You will need to do a lot of homework to make this happen.

Hope that helps, I will try to answer any questions I can for you about the referee process since I have been through it.

Cheers,

Rufus
 
You could have a problem IF the referee finds out the engine is a 5.3. California smog law says you are allowed to upgrade the engine but it MUST be the same size or larger than the original engine and the same year or newer with ALL smog devices in place for either the vehicle or engine whichever is newer.
 
4X4HIGH said:
You could have a problem IF the referee finds out the engine is a 5.3. California smog law says you are allowed to upgrade the engine but it MUST be the same size or larger than the original engine and the same year or newer with ALL smog devices in place for either the vehicle or engine whichever is newer.
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He will find that out.. they run codes and numbers off ecu.

You also need working Check engine light, no engine codes thrown, and EVERYTHING smog related on the motor.

Cant be hacked either. They are picky about wiring and running of vacuum lines.

+1 on getting the fuel tank. You need that.
 
4X4HIGH said:
it MUST be the same size or larger than the original engine
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I am not sure I entirely buy your comment Scott (although you are generally correct). I have been unable to find any restrictions on engine displacement limitations in a particular chassis. The major limitation is that you can not put a heavy duty class engine in a light duty class vehicle. This is because the Heavy duty class vehicles have less restrictive emissions regulations. In the OP's case this should not be an issue. In fact I am fairly sure it is totally legal to put a smaller engine in a vehicle as I know of several referee inspected vehicles where the owners went from a 1.3l motor down to a 1.0l motor for fuel economy (geo metros).

Back to the OP's questions, this will be a page that you will want to memorize from top to bottom if you decide to do this swap. This page also covers my comment above regarding heavy duty/light duty restrictions.

http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResources/07_AutoRepair/Engine_Change_Guidelines.html

This covers most everything you need to know to make the smog referee happy. A lot of this has been covered above but it is still good to know and review.

Cheers,
Rufus
 
Cool thanks for the tips guys.I guess I was hoping to find a build on a Vortec swap in a K5 that was smog legal.Im checking into that LS1 forum,maybe I can dig up a build there.Wondering whats involved with the fuel tank pressure sensor and could I get away with runnig a external electric fuel pump and just use the original 79' 31 gallon fuel tank.
 
Not sure if anyone here has done a smog legal swap but for the most part it is a normal swap with the exception of you not removing the smog items that most people remove.

Most remove the EGR but that engine may not even have it. You will need to use the stock cast iron manifolds or get California approved headers that will fit. Headers would be hard. Make sure that you use the same cats and exhaust configuration that was on the newer vehicle.

You will need a check engine light and a working OBDII plug but most swaps hook those up since you will want to be able to scan for trouble codes.

The one spot where everyone changes things up is the EVAP system. most leave it off and kill the codes in the ECU.

So in short, if you look at any swap you will get the majority of what you need. The stuff that you will need to do over and above that would be the following. Remember, an ls1, ls2, lq4, lq9, etc are all about the same so most will be similar swaps and will give you good info.

Use stock exhaust manifolds.
use the proper catalytic converters.
EVAP system.


Exhaust and cats shoudt not be an issue.

Like I said the EVAP will be the hardest. Not impossible but a bit uncharted. Opinions are like you know what so take what I am about to say with the proper "grain of salt" :D

<opinion> In your situation I would get EVERYTHING from the donner vehicle that relates to the fuel system including the tank, lines, filler neck, charcoal canister, sending unit, EVAP lines, etc.

I would then buy a brand spanking new fuel tank for the blazer and figure out how to make the new sending unit/fuel pump work in the blazer tank even if that means using the mounting ring from the 2005 tank grafted into the new blazer tank. (all safety disclaimers apply here and pay a pro to weld things together lest you win a Darwin award.) Then just mount the whole EVAP/fuel system into the blazer like it was in the newer truck. Use as much from the 2005 as you can. </opinion>

Buy the service manual for the 2005 truck and study it.


Cheers,

Rufus
 
Yeah I happen to own a 05' Tahoe with a 5.3 ,thats my daily driver.So that should make this easier for my swap.I will be able to see whats needed much easier then looking at the manual.

All I have is the engine right now so im going to have to piece it all out on ebay or something.It would be nice if the newer style fuel tank for the Vortec would fit the K5? Maybe there is some sort of aftermarket fuel cell with an intank pump and can work with EVAP?

I'm also wondering if I can get it running with a external pump since I don't have to get it smogged for another 2 years.I could just deal with the evap and the tank later.

Bye the way, What is the engine code for my 2005 5.3 Vortec? Is it LSX?
I'm confused.Sorry newbie. I'm not sure what to call this swap when I'm searching on google for ideas.

Thanks again....
 
From what I can see it looks like one of the following. It depends on exactly what the engine came out of. (pulled from wikipedia)
Generation IV

First introduced in 2005, the Generation IV Vortec 5300 engines share all the improvements and refinements found in other Generation IV engines. At present, four versions of the 5300 are in production: 2 iron block versions (LY5 and LMG) and 2 aluminum block versions (LH6 and LC9). All versions feature the Active Fuel Management system.


Check for the RPO engine code (if you still have access to the donor truck) and that will tell you what engine you have. The term LSX is a general term given to the Gen4 and gen5 GM engines. for example ls1, ls2, etc. Replacing the number with an x. This worked great until engines like the LQ4, LQ9, etc came along. but, the engines are still so similar that the term LSX still loosely applies and is one of my favorite search terms when looking for generic engine information.



It is certainly possible to do the conversion with an external pump and the route you take will depend on what kind of fuel system the engine has on it. if it is a return style or non return style.


If it is a return style it is fairly simple and will use any MPFI external pump that is handy and will supply requirements of the engine. If it is a non return style system a lot of people will use a Corvette fuel filter with the fuel pressure regulator built in and a return line to the tank.


Cheers,


Rufus
 
Thinking about the fuel tank issue further the key is the sending unit. It has everything you need in it. no matter what tank you use will be fine as long as you can use that sending unit.

I am not sure what the stock tank looks like for the 2005 truck but if it will fit the blazer that would be easiest. Check the spectra premium web site as they have tank dimensions listed. not sure if they have tanks that new yet but worth a try. www.spectrapremium.com.

If there is no way to use the sending unit then you will need to figure out a way to add the fuel inlet, outlet, any needed EVAP lines, and the pressure sensor. Once you get all that in the tank then the system needs to be air tight. the ECU actually pressurizes the system every so many miles and verifies that the system holds pressure. That is why it needs the pressure sensor in the tank. you can even still use an external fuel pump with this system and pass smog...it just needs to be an air tight system with the proper fuel filler cap that will allow air in and out at the proper pressures.

Cheers,

Rufus
 
Thanks Rufus 4 some info on this. I want to build this thing right and post it so everybody can see how.Right now I'm just doing my homework.I'm checking into that spectrum site.
 
good!, that is the standard run of the mill 5.3 GenIII engine. It is what most people doing conversions are dealing with. Since you are running a single line system you will most likely want to go with the corvette filter arrangement.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACF-GF822/

it is a stock part on the 2003 Corvette. It has one line in from tank/pump, one line out to return to the tank, and one line that hooks to the fuel rail on the motor. All done.

A user on this board did the swap in his blazer but it was not a smog legal swap. But, it will get you round the major mechanical issues. Take a peak here. http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215026



Rufus
 
photo3.jpg
 
Hey! are you a member of UC4x4? That looks like Dan90FSB's rig behind you in that pic of Hollister. UC is heading out to Uncle Toms Cabin On the 30th to do some snow wheeling.

Looks like you have a nice engine there. Good harness to work from, I hope you have the ECU for it as well. That should make life easy for you if you have it. Also, if the donor truck is still available try to get a picture of the under-hood emissions sticker. That will tell you EXACTLY what emissions you need on the truck and how the EVAP system routes.

Rufus
 
No, I just happend to be at Hollister that day last winter.

Yeah nice engine, nice price.I was told it has 30K on it.Unfortunately I dont have a computer for it,still trying to figure that out.I think I'm gonna use a painless harness for emissions and make it easier to wire up.
 
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