new to the conversions

What are most people putting into their 73-87 C10 or something similar? I was thinking about an LS1 5.7 into my 83 C10 that has a 305 in it.

I've owned a 98 Z28 and an 05 GTO so Im familiar with the LS1 and LS2, but not too much with the truck LS series engines.

I ask bc I see more 5.3 and 6.0 swaps. Is it that these engines are coming from trucks so your putting them into trucks?

So I guess Im asking what is the best combo for some power with fuel economy and what kinda fuel mileage would I be looking at on average?

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Originally Posted by coreyleo223

What are most people putting into their 73-87 C10 or something similar? I was thinking about an LS1 5.7 into my 83 C10 that has a 305 in it.

I ask bc I see more 5.3 and 6.0 swaps. Is it that these engines are coming from trucks so your putting them into trucks?

So I guess I'm asking what is the best combo for some power with fuel economy and what kinda fuel mileage would I be looking at on average?

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The 5.3/6.0 because they can be bought at a lower price than the LS1. My conversion has an LS1 from a Camaro. So what it came out of and what it is going into doesn't matter. I think you would be happy with a 5.3.

Yes most people who are putting the Gen 3 motors in their trucks are using the 5.3 b/c of the price but any LS series engine will go in w/out much trouble. Just do all your homework before jumping into the build. I've heard of some people getting between 16-22 mpg w/the 5.3 but there are factors to consider i.e. gear ratio and whatnot. You even have the option of running the efi or going to a carb set-up so the possibilities w/these engines are endless really. Hope that helps

Ya its just cause 5.3s can be found super cheap. LS1s are great but are usually overpriced (IMHO). Stock for stock LS1s/5.3s/6.0s are relatively close in performance but they each have different performance potential. If you are leaning towards economy then go with a 5.3l. You wont be dissapointed.

ok thanks, I havent looked into the prices or performance of the 5.3 yet but Im going with EFI for the swap and maybe 3.42 or 3.73 gears. Is there much of a difference between the 4L60E and the 4L65E?

The one thing I am having the hardest time finding is info about the lsx engine/4L60E install is the tranny crossmember details. Like what kinda conflicts are there and what most people do. I see a lot of info for the 60's year trucks but thats it. What do I need to do for the crossmember?

The 60e and 65e are basically the same transmission. You can use you factory crossmember.

alright that makes me feel better about not being able to find anything about it on the net and thats also probably why I cant find it.

I was looking at trannys from the 4L60 to the 6L90 just to see the differences. Looks like some models of the same tranny differ in the splines count from what I can tell. And I would like to try to find a 4L80e or a 6L80e. The "e" at the end means it is an electronic shift not a hydraulic shift, correct? and Which one would I want. I dont know what my truck has right now to tell the truth.

My truck was been sitting in my driveway for the past 2 years and I have put less than 200 miles on in that time. It has probably over 200k miles on the 305. So I have not spent that much time with it or working on it besides scrubbing the green stuff off the body that accumulates from the trees. The paint was already in bad shape to begin with.

The 65e and the 60e w/the exception that the 65e has a 5th planetary gear and corvette servos from the factory. If you go a 60 route get the 65e but the 80e is definately worth it according the concensus. And yes the E at the end is electronic shift which would work great if you get the complete harness w/the engine.

Your truck being an '83 probably has a TH350 trans. Probably will have to do little or no crossmember modification to mount a 4l60e/65e. Getting a 6l80e/90e probably wouldn't be worth it because you either have to have the matching PCM/bcm or buy an extra trans controller which is pricey. BTW, if you are considering a 4l80e, I recommend it.

flattop...

what is the DBC or the DBW I see when people talk about the PCM/ECU?

Drive-by-cable or drive-by-wire. Dbc is traditional cable operated throttle body. Dbw is electronic and computer controlled.

And if you get an engine w/a DBW get the gas pedal and TAC module too or else you can swap the throttle body to a DBC one and retain your pedal.

Ya and if you swap to a dbc TB then you have to change cables

Oh ok it means the throttle body is drive by cable or drive by wire... gotcha thanks