Official NBS 4.3v6 to GEN 3 V8 swap Guide

[Selbyvince]

ah, well probably not then. Ok, well how am i suppose to get it tuned without having my truck down again. Id have to send my ecu back to get some more tuning done on it wouldnt i? i was told you cant get a programmer to upload email tunes threw because they programmed the truck with my vin number but with the v8 codes in it. So supposibly the programmer wouldnt recognize my vin or something. Is this true?

[zebra]

if you're talking like a Hypertech PoS, i don't know. i've had mine tuned by shipping the PCM out, i've had one sent to me with a core charge so i could keep driving & send my old one back, and i've also datalogged with a laptop & emailed the files to/from the tuner then downloaded to truck from laptop.

i've also heard of the AutoCal that's a handheld programmer your tuner can load your file onto & then you can swap between stock & a few stored tunes whenever you need.

there's a few ways to skin the cat depending on who tuned your truck & the methods they offer.

[Selbyvince]

yeah ill have to look into it, nelson did my tuning.

what kind of MPG's are youll getting? Im getting right around 13 in town and on the highway. I did the daily driving tune with nelson, i have 3.73s, and only mods are the long tubes, o/r y pipe, and a gibson catback with and a k&n intake. I do have 33" mud tires on 18s, but i put this same setup on all my trucks and none of them got this bad of gas millage. And my last 3 trucks were crew cabs with the 5.3. Thinking if its going to be this bad im just going to have them put the performance tune in it and do the cam swap like i wanted to initially. The truck runs good, but doesnt feel like it has the power it should. Even a 2nd gear pull isnt all that impressive. Only code i have is a lean code. Im still using my v6 MAF sensor, and was told thats whats doing it.

Also, was your RPM gauge correct after the swap? Mine definantly is not. It reads 500-1000 higher then what i really have. What about cruise control? What kind of wiring do i have to do to get that to work again?

[zebra]

i typically get about 14 all in-town & about 16-17 if it's 75% highway @ 60-65mph. that's with 33s on 16s, 3.73s, LTs, ORY, airaid intake. that's on a mid-grade tune (maybe .5mpg less than the 91 tune i had before). also consider i'm at 3500-4000' & we regularly have crazy wind (30kt+). in TX running 93, i'd see around 18mpg hwy @ 75. in FL with my 31s, i'd seen as high as 20.

if anything, i'd get the A:F doped out first before making any other decisions... not that a cam wouldn't help anyway
my tach reads right - it didn't the very first time, but that was because i did the math & figured out Jesse programmed 4.10s instead.
no cruise in my truck.

maybe some other guys could chime in with their results

[Selbyvince]

hmmm, wonder why mine is so low then. Ill have to get my tuning checked for sure. Im in texas so 93 is everywhere, but with the prices of gas these days i went the cheap route to save a few bucks at the pump and did the 87 oct. tune. Not sure what the deal is with the rpm gauge then if yours reads right, maybe they messed up with my gears as well. Ill shoot erica an email about it tomorrow. Thanks for the replies, and yeah if anyone knows the fix for the cruise id like to hear it, i pulled some wiring diagrams up and printed them out, im sure i can do some work with the wiring and get it to work, just didnt know if there was an eaiser fix. Didnt realize how nice it was until it didnt work anymore lol.

If i move some wiring around and get it to work ill post it up here for others that may be seeing the same problem.

[BrockGrimes]

Ok maybe I missed it, but maybe someone can help.

I have an 03 silverado 1500 2wd 4.3 v6 with a cable throttle.
What motor options do I have?

Use any 6.0 and swap in an 02 and earlier harness and computer? and use a cable throttlebody?

Can the stock v6 automatic tranny be built up to handle the 6.0 or would it be better to swap the 6.0 and auto together?

[Selbyvince]

Ok maybe I missed it, but maybe someone can help.

I have an 03 silverado 1500 2wd 4.3 v6 with a cable throttle.
What motor options do I have?

Use any 6.0 and swap in an 02 and earlier harness and computer? and use a cable throttlebody?

Can the stock v6 automatic tranny be built up to handle the 6.0 or would it be better to swap the 6.0 and auto together?

You can use any 03-07 motor (4.8,5.3,6.0). You will have to convert over to dbw. (Very simple) You will use the wiring harness for the motor you buy, and you can get with a tuner and have them flash your computer to work with the motor.
IMO, the trans should be fine to start off with unless your doing something crazy with the motor.