few questions about a higher milage 4.8

Hey I'm Cody just want to get some opinions about my truck here is my current setup 4.8L, cat back, Cai, taylor wires, colder plugs, black bear 89 oct. tune, and a ported and polished tb. It has almost 130k on the truck and engine and 60k on the tranny it runs great and is well maintained but I'm concerned about being hard on it and what mods to do from here this is what I'm thinking about 9also we have owned the truck since 16k so i know most of its life.

4.10s
e-fans
93 oct. tune
lts and ory
cam and stall???? but don't know whats needed being the engine has 130k on it

I'm 16 and my truck is a major part of my life everyone seems to love it and i don't have money for a engine swap turbos etc and this is my dd so it needs to stay running for many miles lol. Any opinions are greatly appreciated. thanks Cody

I have a 5.3, but same block. I'm at 169k miles, I've beat on mine daily since about 99k. It doesn't burn/leak ANY oil, and I'm about to do cam/head swap on it. Biggest thing is IF something breaks, fix it RIGHT and put best parts you can afford into it. That way you're constantly upgrading the "weak" point.


Mileage isn't as important on these new motors as it was in the old days. Sure stuff wears, but long as you maintain it and replace parts at early warning signs, I don't think it's a big deal. I wouldn't hesitate to jump in my truck right now and drive cross country.

I have 217k on mine and drive it like I stole it sometimes. No problems burning oil or any leaks. Keep the fluids clean and change out all your filters. When adding bolt ons, make sure it is done right. The only thing to worry is the tranny. Keep the fluid temp low and clean. These motors were built right and made to run hard. Good luck and God Bless!!

My next question is about a cam swap what all would be needed? I was told you have to replace more things once your past 100k like lifters and such also is there a grind out there that could give me a loapy idle with out needing a high stall to perform correctly. and am i just wasting my time if a do a cam before headers? and if i do headers im worryed about snapping off bolts any trick to this?

Your stock lifters will be ok with the new cam. There are some cams that come with a powerband that starts with around 1600 and ends at 6000, this is what you need to look for if you dont want a higher stall. You also need stronger springs for the added lift. Try calling Comp Cams and talking to a rep cuz choosing a cam is really personal choice and preference. Some guys want more power up top, some like more power down lower and midrange, some just want a choppy idle, etc. As far as the exhaust bolts, a good soak from some penetrating oil helps alot. I have used heat to do this but most the time they come right out with no problems.

ok thanks

http://www.ls1truck.com/forums/perfo...216-224-a.html

I just posted this thread earlier today if you scroll down I added a parts list with what you would need for a cam swap. even if you go with a different cam it should help you. I would go ahead and replace the timing chain and oil pump while your in there and if you do might as well completely drop the oil pan and replace the gasket since you'll have to lower it a bit anyways. Comp cams has an adjustable cam sprocket on there set Summit part # cca-3153kt $189. Yea you can go double roller and at that probably cheaper but there is no need for a double roller unless your making some serious power. Plus you'd have to shim the oil pump and so on making it a headache. Lifters will be fine, i replaced mine with the gm performance lifters because i had to pull the head to get a rocker arm stud pulled out. They are and always will be small block chevy's, you can't kill them. Put a little money to the side and build away.

well i think this is the route im going first e-fans,then gears,headers and ory most likely all at the same time so i can do a retune then wait while i save money for a cam. As far as gears go will i notice a big improvement going from 3.42s to like 3.73 or 4.10s? also if i do 4.10s will i loose alot of mpgs?

Get the 4.10's you wont lose MPG's. You will actually gain it in city driving. Speed is what kills MPG's not higher RPM's. The gears will help alot in bottom end.

cool i think ima be getting the truck on the lift soon for some 4.10s any brands to stay away from?

Gears would be nice, I like my 3.73 but it was factory like that. No need for a tune until you do a cam swap or something. Not worth the money with simple bolt on's. You can get a mail order tune or a handheld which really isn't going to benefit much really. I'd hold off on a tune until I changed something internally. A good dynotune will cost you 4 to 600 depending on who you know and where you can get it done. To me though a tune at this point is throwing money away you could have spent on a cam. You don't want to pay for a tune twice.. It's not like a deisel where you can pickup 60 to 100 hp. When I was at the dynomax dyno challenge this guy had a s10 extreme dyno'd went into summit bought a hypertech and re-dyno'd only a 9 hp gain for almost $400. If you really plan on a cam wait for the tune. Instead do the cam and gears at the same time, then tune.

i got a set of yukons from rons shop (one of the sites sponsors) GREAT price, and haven't had any problems with them.


Depending on tires you MAY lose 1-2 mpg on highway, but you could also gain it. I have 36's and actually picked up like 2mpg in city and 1mpg on highway going from 3.73 to 4.56. Buddys camaro lost like 2mpg highway going from 3.23 to 3.73. Hard to tell.

looks like im gettin gears for sure lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ThumpinZ

Gears would be nice, I like my 3.73 but it was factory like that. No need for a tune until you do a cam swap or something. Not worth the money with simple bolt on's. You can get a mail order tune or a handheld which really isn't going to benefit much really. I'd hold off on a tune until I changed something internally. A good dynotune will cost you 4 to 600 depending on who you know and where you can get it done. To me though a tune at this point is throwing money away you could have spent on a cam. You don't want to pay for a tune twice.. It's not like a deisel where you can pickup 60 to 100 hp. When I was at the dynomax dyno challenge this guy had a s10 extreme dyno'd went into summit bought a hypertech and re-dyno'd only a 9 hp gain for almost $400. If you really plan on a cam wait for the tune. Instead do the cam and gears at the same time, then tune.

---

That may be the dumbest thing I've ever heard.. To be honest a tune should be the FIRST thing done. Especially by a reputable tuner. With a mail order some tuners offer free retunes...like Nelson Performance. And not to mention when swapping gears you MUST tune for the different gears.

Besides if you go back and read his original post it says he has a black bear 89 tune already.

I have to say I agree^ my tune made the most differance in the truck. and with gears my shift points and speedo would be off and if i do headers and ory i would need a/f ajusted and rear o2s turn off.

Exactly. I say up to the 93 tune first, then do LT's/ORY.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bangbangskeetskeet

Exactly. I say up to the 93 tune first, then do LT's/ORY.

---

Wouldn't I want to do it the other way around? So I'm thinking e-fans, LT's/ORY and a 93 tune and will I notice a difference in the tune going from 89 to 93? I know everyone is going to tell me something different I'm just gathering ideas so I can be most efficient with my funds.

how much are retunes with bb? My trucks a 2000 silvy with 179k and only thing replaced has been the rear... i wish i'd know about this site before I spent $800 for a g80 3.73 rear end

May sure to do some tranny mods. I'm on my 3rd one Lol. I finally got smart and had one built.

Well, realize that if you do these mods individually, you're going to need a retune after each mod. If you can afford to have a little downtime, the best thing to do would be to have your tuner tune for all the mods and install them at the same time. The E-fans and gears require a retune. The LT's can go without a tune but really won't shine without one. I used to live in Wabash, IN. I can't recall you having access to 93 octane. 91 will do just fine. But yes, it will be a difference.

we've got 93 here in ky... thats just one state away

I'm still having trouble believing a tune is worth while without some type of mod other then a bolt on. difference yes show me soemthing to back it up.. how bout this kid be a ginny for us. Go get a dyno and then just tune the truck show me something better than 9 peak hp and tq gain or a reasonable steady pull as in better tq curve so on... With gears yea you need soemthing to tell your speedo what speed your really goin but tune a stocker really..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kyhunter89

we've got 93 here in ky... thats just one state away

---

Oklahoma can only get 91. Texas has 93. Same difference.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ThumpinZ

I'm still having trouble believing a tune is worth while without some type of mod other then a bolt on. difference yes show me soemthing to back it up.. how bout this kid be a ginny for us. Go get a dyno and then just tune the truck show me something better than 9 peak hp and tq gain or a reasonable steady pull as in better tq curve so on... With gears yea you need soemthing to tell your speedo what speed your really goin but tune a stocker really..

---

You should probably shut your mouth until you've learned a thing or two. Tunes don't just affect the HP and TQ. They change the entire drivability of the vehicle. Go drive a stock truck. Tune it. Drive it again. It's night and day. Numbers don't mean a god damned thing. It's people like you who act like they know what they're talking about, give advice, and then are proven wrong over and over that really make my life worthwhile.

As a matter of fact. I'd never own another vehicle without a tune being the first mod done. I'll also never do another mod without a retune. Hows that for you?

My plan is to wait till I purchase everything then order a tune and install it all when I get my pcm. Retunes with Blackbear are free but I don't want to abuse it. I can get 93 everywhere in town so im good on that. And Thumpin the tuning on my truck is amazing quite worth the $200.

headers ory
e-fans
possibly tru trac and 3.73s 4.10s 4.30s ?
93 bb tune

is what im saving for now then im saving for cam and top end stuff and moving to the interior

also what is it that causes 4l60s to fail the only reason there is a rebuilt one in it is because a intern mechanic started it up and moved it with barely any fluid in it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mf2racer

My plan is to wait till I purchase everything then order a tune and install it all when I get my pcm. Retunes with Blackbear are free but I don't want to abuse it. I can get 93 everywhere in town so im good on that. And Thumpin the tuning on my truck is amazing quite worth the $200.

headers ory
e-fans
possibly tru trac and 3.73s 4.10s 4.30s ?
93 bb tune

is what im saving for now then im saving for cam and top end stuff and moving to the interior

also what is it that causes 4l60s to fail the only reason there is a rebuilt one in it is because a intern mechanic started it up and moved it with barely any fluid in it.

---

If you can afford the down time, your plan sounds perfect. 4L60s fail because they are anemic trannies built for 3200 pound cars instead of 5000 pound trucks.

can anyone tell me how to hook up one of the tru cool tranny coolers? I think i'm going to put one on along with my other plans. I have seen where you take the line from the top of the radiator to the cooler but then what?