Newbie looking for mod advice...

[Blue03Z71]

Hello guys! I own a 2003 Silverado Extended cab short bed with the 5.3 . I bought it new, and recently decided to give it more power. Currently, it has a K&N FIPK, Hypertech Programmer, Borla Cat-back, and Taylor wires. I'm putting some NGK iridium's in this weekend. My next thoughts were to tune with HP Tuners (since I don't think the Hypertech did much), put a 180 degree thermostat, and an ASP underdrive pulley, along with taking the cats off and putting straight pipes. Those should increase the power, and it will be louder with no cats. Anyway, where do I go from there? I have another car that I've been putting my money into, so I don't want this to turn into another project. I just wanted to make it a little faster than where it's at now. So, what are good "bang for the buck" mods from this point? Thanks in advance for any help.

[DamnYankee]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blue03Z71 &#064; Jul 6 2006, 03&#58;45 PM) [snapback]57281[/snapback]</div>

Hello guys&#33; I own a 2003 Silverado Extended cab short bed with the 5.3 . I bought it new, and recently decided to give it more power. Currently, it has a K&N FIPK, Hypertech Programmer, Borla Cat-back, and Taylor wires. I&#39;m putting some NGK iridium&#39;s in this weekend. My next thoughts were to tune with HP Tuners (since I don&#39;t think the Hypertech did much), put a 180 degree thermostat, and an ASP underdrive pulley, along with taking the cats off and putting straight pipes. Those should increase the power, and it will be louder with no cats. Anyway, where do I go from there? I have another car that I&#39;ve been putting my money into, so I don&#39;t want this to turn into another project. I just wanted to make it a little faster than where it&#39;s at now. So, what are good "bang for the buck" mods from this point? Thanks in advance for any help.
[/b]

Depends where you want to see the difference. These are slow off the line, so a torque converter is a good choice to get the heavy thing moving quicker. If I had to do it again, that would be my first mod.

If you want to see the difference elsewhere, get a tune from Nelson Performance, and/or get a cam and ditch the Hypertech.

And trust me, they ALWYAS turn into projects...








Oh, and buy one of my stickers, they&#39;re formulated to funnel the air up and over the tailgate, giving about 12 more hp.

OK, b.s. on that, but you&#39;re guaranteed to get some races.

[Blue03Z71]

Thanks for your response. Yea, the hypertech is going bye-bye. I got it for free anyway,lol. Sounds like the torque converter and then a cam is the way to go. Where can I read about cam choices? Also, how are electric fans? Are they similar to the pulley where it&#39;s like a 10whp gain, and helps the engine rev a little faster? Take care.

[DamnYankee]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blue03Z71 &#064; Jul 6 2006, 04&#58;26 PM) [snapback]57285[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for your response. Yea, the hypertech is going bye-bye. I got it for free anyway,lol. Sounds like the torque converter and then a cam is the way to go. Where can I read about cam choices? Also, how are electric fans? Are they similar to the pulley where it&#39;s like a 10whp gain, and helps the engine rev a little faster? Take care.
[/b]

I&#39;ll first of all say I&#39;m not an expert. I&#39;m learning as I go. Different people have different opinions on whether you should do a cam or converter first. So that&#39;s all I&#39;ll say about that. I&#39;m sure other people iwll give you advice on which should be done first and why.

As far as cams, the agreement seems to be that a 220 is about as large as you&#39;d want to go for a daily driver. A lot of people use a Comp or Thunder Racing&#39;s 220. I&#39;ve got a 218/228 and love it, but at the same time wonder what a 220 would feel like. Or a 224. (See, it never stops...).

The electric fans give you your gains when the clutch fan would normally turn on. There&#39;s no clutch to engage so it frees up the drag on the engine giving you some extra gain. I won&#39;t claim to know how much hp it will give you because I have yet to see a Dyno run before and after the fan install. BUT, they work good and even if it gives you 5 hp, it&#39;s a fairly inexpensive gain. If you decide to do it, get the wiring harness from Nelson Performance. You can get a set of LS1 fans from a salvage yard, Ebay, or on one of these truck sites. If you do the fans, you&#39;ll need to have someone that can turn on Pin 42 in your PCM. Allen Nelson (owner of this site) can do it, so I would just get a tune and that pin turned on at the same time. Plus get the cam and stall. Then tune it. Neeeeeeeeevvvvvver ends....

[SCIV]

How much are you willing to spend? Daily driver? Do you want to get up to speed faster (out of the hole) or faster overall (faster to topend)?

[RedHeartbeat]

Don&#39;t start modding it because it will never end. You&#39;ll spend all your time and money making it better to only one day have to sell it or get rid of it so that you can buy another one to mod. Oh the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round...

[TXsilverado]

how much do you plan on spending and what do you want from it...do you pull heavy trailers? do you want 1/4 results or just overall everyday performance. alot of people here just go for daily driven 1/4 performance.

[Jamest]

I WOULD DO A NELSON TUNE AND A STALL 1ST, THEN CAM AND HEADS. THE TUNE AND STALL WILL PULL THE RPMS UP WHEN YOU TAKE OFF SO YOU WILL BE STARTING OUT IN THE SWEET SPOT OF THE MOTOR.
THIS IS JUST MY ADVICE. I HAVE SEEN TRUCKS RUN WITH JUST A STALL AND A CUSTOM PROGRAM AND THEY RAN PRETTY GOOD.


JAMEST

[Blue03Z71]

Thanks for everyone&#39;s responses&#33; I&#39;m just looking for everyday performance. After the pulley and other minor stuff, I&#39;ll probably look into a cam and torque converter. Looks like I&#39;ve got some thinking to do, thanks again for the help&#33;