Perfect year LS motor opinions needed

I have a 98 rcsb with a 4.3 and have been planning an ls6 t56 combo. I would like to tackle the swap first with a cheap used 4.8 or 5.3 just to get a LS based motor in the truck with the bugs worked out while keeping the factory auto. In the mean time I can start collecting ls6 parts with the assumption that a future upgrade to an ls6 would be easier.
My question is what the perfect year, make and model engine to start with is, knowing that an upgrade is on the horizon. I want my ls6 motor to have corvette coil covers for no other reason than I like the way it looks, does and truck, van or any other alternator bracket arrangement fit the vette coil covers. Also just to double check (assumptions you know) can I take out a 4.8 liter and slide an ls6 in and get a computer retune and I’m off?

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Originally Posted by deathbypontiac

I have a 98 rcsb with a 4.3 and have been planning an ls6 t56 combo. I would like to tackle the swap first with a cheap used 4.8 or 5.3 just to get a LS based motor in the truck with the bugs worked out while keeping the factory auto. In the mean time I can start collecting ls6 parts with the assumption that a future upgrade to an ls6 would be easier.
My question is what the perfect year, make and model engine to start with is, knowing that an upgrade is on the horizon. I want my ls6 motor to have corvette coil covers for no other reason than I like the way it looks, does and truck, van or any other alternator bracket arrangement fit the vette coil covers. Also just to double check (assumptions you know) can I take out a 4.8 liter and slide an ls6 in and get a computer retune and I’m off?

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Save your money, and time, and just go 6.0. More cost & time effective.

just save your money an buy the LS6/T-56 imo
why buy a smaller motor an then have to turn around an have you truck torn down twice to swap an engine an tranny.

take your time an do allthe research you can. in LSx swap section i have a thread "94 Chevy progress" its got a long list of parts you need

good luck

yea, i know that it would be easier and less expensive in the long run to install a 6.0 or wait for the final package to install. but i look and see 4.8 or 5.3 liter pull outs with everything for under 600 dollars. they have high miles but that doesnt bother me. so for the 3 or 4 thousand miles i put on that truck i think i could live with that for now.
ls6 and t56 combos and over 3,000 dollars for decent miles. ive wanted a corvette engine in that truck since i bought it in 2000 and wanted a ls corvette engine (not the whole car) since i seen them in 97. i would want to build my own motor from the block up. even if i found a 25000 mile motor it would still bother me and i would want to rebuild it.
all my automobiles (gto , 2 obs, 79 f150) are purpose built for the long haul.
i dont mind working on my cars, as pissed as i get, it is relaxing.
back when i last was serious about this swap was in 00-02 and there was not much info back then. now a days there is almost to much. i have a tendency to over analyze things, so i was wondering to all the people out there in internet land who have swapped an ls based engine in to a 96-98 ck if you could start all over what would be the perfect year and model engine to start with.

Anything 05 and newer will have the better rods in them. Other then that, they are all pretty much the same in the strength department.