Vortec 5.3 swap

1stgenxxx

1stgenxxx

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2005
Location
Hudson
I'm wanting to swap out my 22re for a vortec 5.3.but I don't know which transmission to go with. TH350, Th400 or a 4l60/4l80. What are the advantages and draw back that you all have seen with the different transmissions. I will be running a single toyota case with 4.7s, a BL output shaft and 5.38 axle gears with this combo
 
1)- are you sure you want a 5.3?
2-10) alldepend on 1)
 
I'm pretty sure I do...they are cheaper than the lt1 and should be more than the power that I need. Dont' know what you mean by number 2
 
5.3

get a 700R4, 4l60 and 4l80's have just to many variables. i guy i know here in my town has a 92 pickup with a vortec 4.3 and a 4l60. the trans has been rebuild twice and reflashed and tuned and it still wont go out of 2 gear or above 30mph with 5.29's and 37IROKs. keep it simple, 700R4 also has a very low first gear. and 5.3 is a good choice i love them, but be ready to carry extra axle and drive shafts if your still runnin yota axles. with a good tune and some cheap upgrades like cold air intake and headers and larger throttle body a good running 5.3 would be close to 400 hp.
 
siksaschevy said:
get a 700R4, 4l60 and 4l80's have just to many variables. i guy i know here in my town has a 92 pickup with a vortec 4.3 and a 4l60. the trans has been rebuild twice and reflashed and tuned and it still wont go out of 2 gear or above 30mph with 5.29's and 37IROKs. keep it simple, 700R4 also has a very low first gear. and 5.3 is a good choice i love them, but be ready to carry extra axle and drive shafts if your still runnin yota axles. with a good tune and some cheap upgrades like cold air intake and headers and larger throttle body a good running 5.3 would be close to 400 hp.
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axles are tons with 35spline cromos
 
Th350 and Th400 vs 700R4.......I know that the 700r4 has overdrive but my truck doesn't like speed over 45 anyway
 
I'm just doing this so I can put a Z71 sticker on my truck....lol
 
I wonder how that Toy case will hold up, esp the output shaft. I have little faith in a 700R4, I've seen too many bad when they should have held. I would personally go TH350 or TH400 depending on power output.
 
Honestly, you should run a turbo 350. You wont use the overdrive of the 700r4 and a 400 is overkill for what your trying to do. You can get a stock rebuilt 350 for around 500 with a core. You will then need the spacer to allow the older trans to bolt up to the 5.3 flexplate. (around $75). You need to really sit down and consider the cost though because you may have a $600 motor, but you still need alot to make it work in your application. Plan on these things

F body oil pan ($150+) and pick-up and dipstick (+$$)
Harness cut down and computer flash ($500)
Headers to work for the body style ($250)
Spacer for flexplate and bolts ($100)
Plan on replacing atleast one of the accessories ($75-100)

Then you are going to need a chromo output shaft for the tcase (i know this for a fact. Broke one with a tired TBI350 in my cruiser) ($220)

That doesnt include the price of the motor and transmission. I am NOT saying its a bad upgrade because hell, i just put mine in a few months ago. Just be aware its not just the cost of the motor. It snowballs really quick.
 
dont' forget a decent fuel pump that can supply good flow at 60psi...
adapters for the fuel lines
etc..

I'm using a 700R4 and it's taking a beating but still working. I like the deeper first gear (not an issue really unless you don't have enough t-case gear), and have used O/D just a handful of times. It's what I had though...so the price was right.

TH350 is your cheapest bet.
 
There is no diff between a 35 and a 700 if installed properly.
If you are seeing 700s burn up when they shouldnt have first id question the TV cable.
if I was rebuilding one Id use transgo's tv delete set up...ESPECIALLY with a 5.3 and the throttle issues you will need to overcome.

700=th350 + od...there is no, none, zero strength difference here just the benefit of a lower 1st gear.

There is so little diff between a 4l60 and a 700 its hard to differentiate. Add ECm and uget a 4l60E...

My first question was not being a smart ass...the 5.3 have some significant issues, especially the early ones which you are most likely swapping in...they pack a nice punch for what they are size and weight wise but you could do the same or better with a 5.7 and have a lot more part interchangeability and cheaper cost IMHO.....
 
If you do get a newer 5.3 you will also need to get a cable actuated throttle body instead of the drive by wire. Honestly, without the LS1 intake you might not be able to get it under the hood either.
 
for a little more $$$ you can go with a 6.0

I was going to do this on my buggy, but my trans and TC were already setup for SBF stuff
 
5.3's are nice but I can get you a 6.0 for the same type coin...I've got an F-body pan and pickup $125. I run a TH350, so does most everyone else I ride with. They are cheap, easy to build, plentyful, and you don't even need to hook up the kickdown cable to run it (not so with the 700r4).
 
SkyHiK5 said:
My first question was not being a smart ass...the 5.3 have some significant issues, especially the early ones which you are most likely swapping in...they pack a nice punch for what they are size and weight wise but you could do the same or better with a 5.7 and have a lot more part interchangeability and cheaper cost IMHO.....
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I'm going to disagree...strongly. Maybe this was the case 5 years ago, but no more.

--Weight IS a big deal. iron block al head ls-engine is STILL significantly lighter than a GenII SBC.(on the order of 75lbs, fully dressed) Aluminum block is another 90lbs lighter than that.
--Intake manifold gasket leaks are NOT a big deal - change them with new ones and be done with it. What other "issues?"
--Do the same (or better) with a 5.7? Really.. Show me a GenII that makes 325hp with nothing but a basic computer tune, through manifolds. (LT1's have PLENTY of their own issues - opti, cooling, etc.) My 5.7 LS1 puts down over 400hp at the crank with just bolt-ons, and did so with shorty headers and cats. (was 351rwhp though a manual trans and 4.11's)
--maintenance - o-ring gaskets..reusable, and don't leak. 'nuff said.
--parts interchange - Can you flip the intake around on a GenII if you want the intake at the rear? How about parts from any vette, tahoe, silverado, f-body, etc.. all fitting more or less. All the LS heads are interchangable. Valvetrain components are shared. Want more compression? put a 5.3 head on a 5.7 or 6.0. done. There are a few "gotchas" when swapping some parts onto others, but the basic architecture is very much shared.

But hell, what do I know.. I only have 3 Gen III's in the garage, and a big block Gen VII (which shares some parts with the small block Gen III's)
 
Rich said:
I'm going to disagree...strongly. Maybe this was the case 5 years ago, but no more.

--Weight IS a big deal. iron block al head ls-engine is STILL significantly lighter than a GenII SBC.(on the order of 75lbs, fully dressed) Aluminum block is another 90lbs lighter than that.
--Intake manifold gasket leaks are NOT a big deal - change them with new ones and be done with it. What other "issues?"
--Do the same (or better) with a 5.7? Really.. Show me a GenII that makes 325hp with nothing but a basic computer tune, through manifolds. (LT1's have PLENTY of their own issues - opti, cooling, etc.) My 5.7 LS1 puts down over 400hp at the crank with just bolt-ons, and did so with shorty headers and cats. (was 351rwhp though a manual trans and 4.11's)
--maintenance - o-ring gaskets..reusable, and don't leak. 'nuff said.
--parts interchange - Can you flip the intake around on a GenII if you want the intake at the rear? How about parts from any vette, tahoe, silverado, f-body, etc.. all fitting more or less. All the LS heads are interchangable. Valvetrain components are shared. Want more compression? put a 5.3 head on a 5.7 or 6.0. done. There are a few "gotchas" when swapping some parts onto others, but the basic architecture is very much shared.

)
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X2....plus the Gen. 3 motors are some of the easiest to rebuild.

Gen2 or gen 3 arguement is like the fuel injection or carb arguement....there realy isnt one. Especially when 5.3/6.0 can be had for less then $800 with decent miles.
 
Im going to have to agree with greg and rich. The 5.7 was never really considered a huge powerhouse. Price difference between the 5.7 and 5.3 is almost nothing and you would be hard pressed to find a low milage 5.7.
 
I'll help Jeff out on this...He does have a bobby long output, a 700R just really isn't worth it for what he is going to do anyway...Hell, I don't want to be anywhere around that truck if it does hit the OD! A th350 would probably be his best bet.

The LSx series engines are super easy to work on and relatively cheap. The 4.3 just doesn't have the balls that a 6.0/5.3 would and if he's going to go through all the trouble for the swap then why put a 4.3 in?

Not to mention this story has another chapter that has yet to be written...after he gets finished with school his plans are for a chassis, so basically most of the parts and things he's doing now are for a future buggy(ton's, engine, etc)
 
This engine swap won't be in the cards till the end of the summer or maybe winter. I just want to gain as much knowledge as I can before I jump into it. When this semester is over I will have one more year of school left and I'm hoping to have a lot of the parts I need to build a buggy.....motor, tranny, 2 out of 4 coilovers, built tons, tires, and a few other parts. After school I will have to get the chasis.. atlas...two more coilover...steering..and a shitload of more expensive to finish it out. Thanks for the information.



What is the fully dress weight of a 5.3?
 
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