Well here it goes. This will be my thread on my attempt to swap my weak but loyal V6 to a wrecked and somewhat rebuilt 5.3L V8. First off I want to thank in advance those on this board who have answered my questions and helped me through some small issues especially DUCKY (David). I also want to thank my sponsors and fans..... ok sorry that last part isn't true and I was just getting a bit out of hand.
The conversion thread was great on letting me know what I need to get for the swap. The only part where I fell short "Big Time" was the cost. I know what I was going to pay for the engine but I didn't put into count all the small stuff that I was going to replace along with the cleaning and new pistons. Yes I could have keep the water and oil pump. Keep the same timing chain and plugs not to mention plug wires. Hell I could have just threw the V8 in the truck. The engine, while dirty was running before it got pulled. My other love in life is flying and I'm not flying much right now, so why not take my time, do it right and have it look sharp once it's in. At least that's my thoughts on it.
The 5.3L came out of a 2002 Tahoe that was wrecked with 62k miles. I got the engine, wiring harness and all the accessory's for $800. The only crappy part is that the wrecking yard cut the back part of the harness and that's costing me a little bit to fix.
The engine had leaky valve covers, rear main seal and intake gasket. The engine wasn't supper nasty but I wanted to put in a engine that was clean. If you ask my wife, I spend more time cleaning the engine on our CJ7 then I do 4X4ing it. The last part of this engine swap is that I'm doing it for 2 big reasons. One, I flat tow my jeep and living in San Diego, I have to tow it down into the desert and I beat up the V6 in the hills on the way home. The other reason, I have 150k plus miles and the V6 is getting tired. I would love to have a bigger truck and a bigger motor but I'm just like the most of us. Paying bills and just getting by with what I have. So the cost of this engine swap, even more then I wanted to spend, will be cheaper then buying a new or used Chevy truck.
The engine should be coming back from the machine shop tomorrow. I'll start the build up this week and take my time. I want to make sure I didn't forget anything or needed parts. Below are some pictures from the break down. I'll post more as I start the build up.
Carnell
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