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RJFguitar's resto-mod - went offroad

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rjfguitar said:
Making the motor swap happen in one weekend may be possible, but preparing for the swap with all the small stuff still counts as time and labor to get the project actually done.:wink1:

Do you have any links or company names that have some "install kits" or what not to make the swap as simple as possible?
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For you being in Cali I would hook up with Kevin from Pacific fab. I bet he can hook you up, Actually I know he can if you let him!
 
To the OP, just call Kevin at Pacific Fab in Morgan Hill when you slow down with work. He can answer all of your questions and give you an idea of exactly what it would take parts and cost wise to swap a 5.3 or 6.0 into your blazer.


EDIT: miniwally beat me, that's what I get for typing slow on my phone. :)
 
It is hard to beat the factory setup. Its actually very simple and very reliable. The only thing i dont see as highly reliable is the electric fuel pump. Which even those are usually good for at least 100k miles...
 
Deuling said:
But they are easy and not time consuming so it would fit his needs. Unless he is looking for good mileage..... :haha: fyi every person i know with a 6.0 in a stock rig is lucky to get 12. If 8 or more could be had with a carb without the electronic stuff, it would be worth it to me in a play toy. In a dd, no.
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the major benefits of EFI aren't fuel mileage..
 
5.3 get better mileage and only around 30 hp less than 6.0

also cam / spring and exaust mods on a 5.3 brings then in to the 450-470- hp range stupid easy .

and modify the stock harnness is stupid easy 3-4 hr's range with link in my 2wd build thread. heck even how to modify drive by wire pedel to fit firewall easy and 4 extra wires gets you cruise control on the drive by wire.

hate to say it buy dirty dingo has the best motor mounts for our stuff ( BUT HIS WELDS SUCK ) . and if no headers you can reuse truck manifolds with 1 CHEEEEP mod to exaust like i did in my build thread for 2wd.

read up and check in to it.
 
Wow, a LOT of info to suck in at once. So Pacific fab is in Morgan Hill. I'm only about 1.5hrs from there. Heck I could just haul the K5 over there and let them do the swap. I could spend my weekend drinking beer and eating chips instead of a motor swap.:haha:

I still find a 355 or 383 with a Weind 142 on top of it VERY appealing. It would help keep the old school feel of my K5. There is even a 144 Weind on my local Craigslist, but way too soon to make an actual decision, and too busy to chase it down anyway.
 
I'm sure Pac Fab could set you up with some type of forced induction during the swap and set up the computer for it to boot. :)
 
Avery4jc said:
I'm sure Pac Fab could set you up with some type of forced induction during the swap and set up the computer for it to boot. :)
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Don't think I would want to go that route, a blown LS motor done all in a hired shop, that's probably a 10 grand project. I like my K5, but not that much.

I think I could do a blower motor 355/383 for around $5K, which shouldn't be a problem.
 
Older SB stuff vs. newer "LS" bsed SB stuff is a good debate.

Honestly if I was in our shoes I would have a hard time deciding what to do, I can see a 6.0 swap being upwards of $5,000 with no engine work. I could also see it being less than $3,000 if you wanted to do some leg work and have a higher mile engine.

You get multiport injection, smooth power easy diagnostics, and honestly just a nice package.

On the other hand with the old school stuff you get easy to install and different power for sure. Probably not injected which is a big deal to me, but I'm used to seeing at least a 3,000 elevation swing in a day while driving. Sometimes more.

Spend some time talking real numbers with Kevin at Pacific Fab. tell him you heard about him from the Watsons. Once you do that make a decision.
 
miniwally said:
Older SB stuff vs. newer "LS" bsed SB stuff is a good debate.

Honestly if I was in our shoes I would have a hard time deciding what to do, I can see a 6.0 swap being upwards of $5,000 with no engine work. I could also see it being less than $3,000 if you wanted to do some leg work and have a higher mile engine.

You get multiport injection, smooth power easy diagnostics, and honestly just a nice package.

On the other hand with the old school stuff you get easy to install and different power for sure. Probably not injected which is a big deal to me, but I'm used to seeing at least a 3,000 elevation swing in a day while driving. Sometimes more.

Spend some time talking real numbers with Kevin at Pacific Fab. tell him you heard about him from the Watsons. Once you do that make a decision.
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Yep, I keep going back and forth. The smooth idle of a 6.0L is nice, but the lobey rough idle of a gen 1 with around 500+ cam lift sounds pretty freakin' cool too.

Keep in mind I drive my K5 about 50 miles a month. I could really see the "driveability" of an LS motor being appealing to someone that DD's theirs. For me I just want to burn rubber and haul ass in it for 15 minutes and then put it back in the garage for 3 more weeks.:doah:

I'll give Pacific Fab a call when I have a chance.
 
rjfguitar said:
Yep, I keep going back and forth. The smooth idle of a 6.0L is nice, but the lobey rough idle of a gen 1 with around 500+ cam lift sounds pretty freakin' cool too.

Keep in mind I drive my K5 about 50 miles a month. I could really see the "driveability" of an LS motor being appealing to someone that DD's theirs. For me I just want to burn rubber and haul ass in it for 15 minutes and then put it back in the garage for 3 more weeks.:doah:

I'll give Pacific Fab a call when I have a chance.
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H*ll I can do that with the 5.3 I put in mine
 
The LS engines sound really mean with a cam. Do a YouTube search for them.

Here's a random example:

[youtube]H-ngKVndfYQ[/youtube]
 
Looks like $4K for a turn key 6.0 from Pacific Fab, includes motor/ecm/harness/crossmember kit/fuel system kit. Not installed of course. He says 375HP is not a problem if smog is not an issue, from the stock motor no mods. What RPM does the 6L top out at? This is starting to peak my interest.
 
rjfguitar said:
Looks like $4K for a turn key 6.0 from Pacific Fab, includes motor/ecm/harness/crossmember kit/fuel system kit. Not installed of course. He says 375HP is not a problem if smog is not an issue, from the stock motor no mods. What RPM does the 6L top out at? This is starting to peak my interest.
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We run our cammed LQ4 at 6,000 litterally all day long. In V2R there was a stretch of course that was heavy silt road that was straight for 20+ miles, we hav the rev limeter set at a little over 6,000 I think? and we ran a few hundred RPM under that for the entire 20+ miles.

LS motors are like Labrador retrievers, The more you beat them the more they like it.:thumb:

You can have some fun with that for 4K and honestly your a cam and valve springs away from a bit over 400HP. Kevin has some nice proprietary cam setups.
 
I just like the idea of being able to let it sit for 3 weeks, go out and hit the key and your off to the races. Literally. Its just as happy sitting in traffic and the drive through, as it is towing and holding passing gear up mountain roads. And the LS motors were designed to hold high rpm for extended periods of time. I believe the factory rev limiter is 6200 RPM but that doesn't mean they run out of breath at that point either.
 
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