CK5
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- Thread starter 79jenny
- Start date
Old school
Drink the Kool aid and all the head aches of a ls swap
Too many variables to answer that question.
Martin
Martin
He
Headaches as far as to do the job or after it's done is when the headaches will start?
There aren't really any headaches, It just nickle and dimes you if you want a good swap and not a cheap swap. I have a build on here discussing my issues.
JDJ2810
Registered Member
Tossed this around for awhile. Ended up doing a 383 SBC. In a world of LS swaps stay Old School.
Old school
You're money ahead with the least amount of conversion.
Old school small block with modern aftermarket fuel injection is what I run and I'm super happy with it.
Mines not a 4x4, but I did an LS in my 95 burb. 6.0 bored out with a mild cam.
Took some figuring and a few headaches to get it in and running. But I don't believe I'd have as much power as I have now and still get 22 mpg at 60mph with an old school small block.
Starts, runs, and hauls azz all smooth as butter. And gets great mpg on top of it.
I'll be doing another one.
Took some figuring and a few headaches to get it in and running. But I don't believe I'd have as much power as I have now and still get 22 mpg at 60mph with an old school small block.
Starts, runs, and hauls azz all smooth as butter. And gets great mpg on top of it.
I'll be doing another one.
What to you plan to do with the vehicle and what do you want it to be? When you say LS swap, do you also intend to bring the transmission with it? When you say rebuild, are you talking valvetrain and gaskets or tank, bore, all new rotating assembly the whole 9 yards? Also, some people consider a carb on top of a 5.3L to be an LS-swap, which misses much of the benefits.
You hear stories both ways, of rebuild ending up more expensive and also the LS conversion costing more, likewise with amount of time taken.
Best bang for the buck is find a nice 454.
I’m another vote for neither, go big block.
Get all the torques at low rpm.
But it really depends on what the intended use is. Then comes the budget. Go from there.
Swapping a LS or big block forces a change in the accessory drive to what came with that engine which should be factored into the overall budget. Same goes for the exhaust setup as neither interchange with a traditional small block. Then fuel system if you intend on ditching the carb and going EFI on any of the three options.
So many ways to go for sure. On the surface the traditional small block could be the least expensive to do. But that really depends on the current condition. Does it need a rebuild or just resealed and cleaned up?
SBC parts are still less expensive to get than LS or BBC, but getting machine work done for the rebuild is a dying art that there are fewer machine shops around. So shops that still are open have months worth of work in front of any new builds.
So you can look at a crate engine that could be stock or built up depending on where you go. There have been a few that have bought crate engines recently on CK5 that could chime in on that side of things.
Like others have said good LS swaps aren’t cheap. I’ve done one and when it was done it had Close to oem reliability and driveability. But it took work with an aftermarket harness and controller. Still nickle and dimed me on little stuff during the build because I got a bare long block to start with. Zero accessories, no intake, no coil brackets or coils and no sensors. All that stuff adds up.
One last thing to consider is who’s doing the work. Doing the work yourself will save thousands over paying a shop to do it.
Get all the torques at low rpm.
But it really depends on what the intended use is. Then comes the budget. Go from there.
Swapping a LS or big block forces a change in the accessory drive to what came with that engine which should be factored into the overall budget. Same goes for the exhaust setup as neither interchange with a traditional small block. Then fuel system if you intend on ditching the carb and going EFI on any of the three options.
So many ways to go for sure. On the surface the traditional small block could be the least expensive to do. But that really depends on the current condition. Does it need a rebuild or just resealed and cleaned up?
SBC parts are still less expensive to get than LS or BBC, but getting machine work done for the rebuild is a dying art that there are fewer machine shops around. So shops that still are open have months worth of work in front of any new builds.
So you can look at a crate engine that could be stock or built up depending on where you go. There have been a few that have bought crate engines recently on CK5 that could chime in on that side of things.
Like others have said good LS swaps aren’t cheap. I’ve done one and when it was done it had Close to oem reliability and driveability. But it took work with an aftermarket harness and controller. Still nickle and dimed me on little stuff during the build because I got a bare long block to start with. Zero accessories, no intake, no coil brackets or coils and no sensors. All that stuff adds up.
One last thing to consider is who’s doing the work. Doing the work yourself will save thousands over paying a shop to do it.
meh, on the ls. Keep the 350.
It’s tough to beat the drivability of modern FI. That said, it’s a spendy swap. Depends on what you’re looking for when you’re done with either option.
Charlie
Charlie
BBC for the torque. They look great under the hood and sound awesome.
MEMO43
1/2 ton status
I kept mine old school for my 85 k20 that's my daily (106 mile commute, all highway)
I took out what the PO said was a rebuild 350
leaked everywhere, best was 10.3 miles a gallon.
I swapped in a vortec 350 from a 97 1500.
added summit max efi, now I get 14.5 mpg.
I'll eventually swap in a 700r4 instead of the th400, and re gear for more favorable highway gears. Still have the 4:10 gears with 14 bolt semi float.
For me once I added all the nickles and dimes
it was near 4500 for an ls swap that would give me the same mileage I'm getting now.
My swap cost me around 1600, I had the engine already.
I guess it comes down to what are you using your rig, how much do you want to spend and how long will you have it down for.
I took out what the PO said was a rebuild 350
leaked everywhere, best was 10.3 miles a gallon.
I swapped in a vortec 350 from a 97 1500.
added summit max efi, now I get 14.5 mpg.
I'll eventually swap in a 700r4 instead of the th400, and re gear for more favorable highway gears. Still have the 4:10 gears with 14 bolt semi float.
For me once I added all the nickles and dimes
it was near 4500 for an ls swap that would give me the same mileage I'm getting now.
My swap cost me around 1600, I had the engine already.
I guess it comes down to what are you using your rig, how much do you want to spend and how long will you have it down for.
Bigb55
1/2 ton status
Can't beat a 350. They are still cheap and will outlast most owners
What that cost you?
Where'd you get it from?
