This project is based on an 01 5.3 LM7 piece from a Silverado I picked up complete from intake to oil pan for ($200). The truck this is meant for is an 03 reg cab short bed Silverado that currently has a 4.8. Please bear with the long post, just giving info.

The block has 300,000K according to the previous owner (confirmed from the donor truck odometer). Despite this, it shows very little ridge in the cylinders, and no scratches anywhere. So I opted for a bore & re-ring and new bearings/gaskets/seals. In my search I came across a rebuild kit from a company known as Automotive Precision Machinery for ($575.84). The kit includes: Pistons, Rings, Rod Bearings, Main Bearings, Cam Bearings, Gasket Set, Timing Set, Oil Pump, and Freeze Plugs. They allow you to choose bearing over size and piston oversize. I choose .75mm pistons, STD bearings. My local machine shop charges ($150.00) cash for a bore and hone. I'm not going to bother polishing the crank, it's in excellent shape.

My choices for the top end were simplistic. My cam is a Comp Cam grind 54-246-11 ($349.88) 222/224 @.05, .566/.568, 112 LSA. Its about all the further I would go with the weight of the truck. This cam is recommended to have springs with a rate of around 313lbs, so I found some beehive spring from GM that rate 332lbs. NAL-12499224 ($59.09) These springs are only rated for max lift of .570, but I've tested their coil bind before, they should be fine for this cam. For lift transfer I opted for keeping the original rockers, but adding a Summit Trunnion kit. SME-143002 ($99.97) For pushrod assurance, some Brian Tooley Racing 7.4" rods. PR7400312-16 ($99.00). I'm not sure if it is a requirement yet, but I got some new retainers for the springs as well. Comp 787-16 ($55.99). I plan to leave the head castings as they are. I don't have the long burrs to perform a true porting job, however I can port match. I will be porting the intake manifold, and smoothing the exterior of it. I got stainless longtube headers and y-pipe to let it breathe on the exhaust side too. A cheap find from Auto Dynasty ($312.00). Some reviews show that they require bending to fit properly, but I have access to more than enough tools to accomplish this. $300 compared to $900+ for name brand. Budget is my goal after all. Once all is said and done, I will send the ECU to Texas Speed for a mail order tune so I can drive it to a dyno in VA. ($250.00)

My truck has a manual NV3500 transmission. We all know these to be junk when it comes to holding ft.lbs. Never the less, I don't want to trans swap right now, so I got a rebuild kit from USA Industires BK235DWS for ($219.00). Comes with bearings, seals, syncros and misc small parts. I have previously installed a new clutch in this truck from Center Force, one of their dual friction models. DF084025 (577.24).

I have yet to assemble the engine or do any work with this project. But all the parts are ordered and things will be under way once I am granted leave and get home. I wanted to post this thread for a follow up on the build performance capabilities, in case anyone else was thinking of a cheap 5.3 power rebuild. My total performance investment for far is $2948.01 with the clutch. Without that its $2370.77. I will keep this updated with build photos and dyno results as they occur. Thank you for reading.

 

This will be an interesting thread. Good luck with it.

 

Cool, sounds like a fun build! Thanks for posting, and please keep us updated. I'd be really interested to see how everything turns out, and what kind of power this beast makes

 

Small update. I'll be home on the 10th from MCAS New River, so that's when my real updates will start. But my brother sent me some pics of the parts I bought.







Still waiting on a few things. headers and trans parts I think

 

Pictures don't seem to be working

 

My bad. Hopefully this works. Some parts viewed might be for my brothers gen1 350 I'm building at the same time. He's not good at sending me pics. I also just ordered some 8.1L injectors to help with the cam on the high end.

 

My goodness, look at all the goodies

 

 

I wasn't able to put the engine in over my 30 days at home. The machine shop took 23 days to get it back to me just to bore, hone, and put the new cam bearings in. Super pissed. But I'm going back for another 12 days on leave for Christmas. I will continue starting the 18th! Until then I crated it and everything else. I've done everything besides the boring and cam bearings myself. Even surfacing the heads and lapping the valves. I used a slab of glass and sand paper to surface the heads, and just some lapping compound on the valves.

 

Looks like a great start. Those newer GM LS series engine are bullet proof. You cant go wrong. Just don't be like me as I always over build my motors. It get to be a disease...
Good luck on you.