2000 silverado 5.3

I have read that a ls6 corvette cam will really wake up the 5.3 Has anyone done this swap and if so what other mods have to be done. I have a cold air intake on it already.

Yep, the 2002+ LS6 camshaft will wake it up, but honestly throwing a bunch of money in a 5.3L is a waste.

LS6 cam
LS6 springs
Possibly some hardened pushrods

That should really be about it, since it's a factory cam, although I admit that I've never done the swap before.

Mike

Well i've heard mixed reviews on this swap. Granted you'll make more power but you loose a lot of low end and it's really gotta twist up to get goin. fullsizechevy dot com has a few high horse 5.3 motors. Check it out.

I don't want to do a engine swap. or complete rebuild but would like to wake up my 5.3 How can I get more low end torque and horse power. I have a cold air intake. I have a set of LS1 heads off of a 98 corvette but was told that they have larger combustion chambers so they will lower the compression ratio.

Strap a magnacharger to it. Once you start modding those trucks internally you run into the same problems as everything else. You'll start changing the power band and lose the low end grunt but it'll pull harder up top. Even still top end doesn't mean much when you are moving a 5000+ lb truck.

You could also throw on a set of headers and catback exhaust. check out performancetrucks.net It's a sister site to LS1 tech and those guys are friendly and a lot more help then we could be in the LS1 fbody forum.

I don't want to do a engine swap. or complete rebuild but would like to wake up my 5.3 How can I get more low end torque and horse power. I have a cold air intake. I have a set of LS1 heads off of a 98 corvette but was told that they have larger combustion chambers so they will lower the compression ratio.

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm trying to pick up some ls2(ls6) heads and Thunder racing has a decently beefy cam made for the 5.3 in a truck. I've seen specs for a spinoff of that to get custom ground that is a little better but that's a lil more pricey too. Headers really woke up my 5.3, along with a tune I bet I picked up 30+hp.

I have heard people talk about a tune. How and where do I get this done. Is it expensive. I plan on headers exhaust maybe a cam if I can find a torque curve that I like.

A tune won't get you much on a stock truck. 5-15hp tops.

I would only do the tune after I install headers throttle body exhaust ect. so is a tune done at the dealership, or is it just a performance chip?

A tune won't get you much on a stock truck. 5-15hp tops.

That's a hell of a chunk of hp to write off.

I would wait til after headers tho. Def after a cam swap!

I still dont know what a tune is. Is this done on a laptop or chip. I know that they change things like injector dwell... But where can I get this done.

I still dont know what a tune is. Is this done on a laptop or chip. I know that they change things like injector dwell... But where can I get this done.

A tune changes fuel tables and spark advance to be at maximum efficiency. They can also take care of those emissions if you are "off road only". ;) On newer vehicles it is done by reprogramming the stock computer so no chip change is necessary. BUT, a down side is if you don't have 2 stock computers, you'll probably have some down time because you have to ship it to the tuner to be reprogrammed. A dyno tune, which is the best kind of tune, is quite pricey so I'd advise against it since you're setup isn't too extreme. Don't get a tune from Joe Blow down the road tho. You want to find someone who has a high reputation and can point you to their satisfied customers as testimonials. Look into PCMforless or westin(they have the most liked tune according to fullsizechevy.com).

I wouldn't exactly say moddomg a 5.3 is a waste. Here are some results from one I played with.
Installed a TR220 114 in a 05 5.3 ECSB. The truck had 7K miles on it and was 100% bone stock. Installed the cam and a set of 918 springs only and put it on the dyno and tuned it. 26 degrees timing and a conservative 12.6~12.8 a/f, 91 octane gas. We did not dyno the truck before the cam, but I compared it to a 03 5.3 Z71 ECSB that we had dynoed earlier. The 03 was bone stock untuned and running on 87 octane gas. I was pretty impressed with what the cam only on a bone stock truck did. We later cut the cats off and installed a cold air kit and the peak #s jumped up to 324 rwhp. And don't just get hung up on peak power gains. Look at what the gains are where I put the cursor in the chart.
http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/gl1955/images/05Truck.jpg (http://www.MyOnlineImages.com)

Good info. 60+ hp and almost 30 ftlbs. That would make a difference that you could feel.

That's a hell of a chunk of hp to write off.

I would wait til after headers tho. Def after a cam swap!

Is 10hp really worth spending 10% more every fill-up? I'd just save the money towards real parts such as headers and a cam.

Is 10hp really worth spending 10% more every fill-up? I'd just save the money towards real parts such as headers and a cam.

Why would I pay more for gas? I gained approx 1-2 mpg after my tune.

Why would I pay more for gas? I gained approx 1-2 mpg after my tune.

To get the most out of a tune on a truck you need to run it on 91 octane.

To get the most out of a tune on a truck you need to run it on 91 octane.

Well if 91(mid) is 5c more, thats 25gal of fuel. So that is $1.25 more per fill up. Lets say I get 1.25 mpg better. That means I will get 31.25 more miles during my tank. Netting about 1.75-2gal of extra gas. With pump prices at $3/gal, that means that I actually saved about $5 every fill up. After 25,500 miles, I've paid for my tune. After 60K, its been a damn good investment. :D

Maybe it's only .05 more where you are, but it's more like .20~.25 more than 87 around here. 91 is our highest. We have 87, 89, and 91. Trucks come with factory tunes to run on 87.

I don't mind running 91 in my truck. It seems to run better and get better mileage on 91 anyway.

I don't mind running 91 in my truck. It seems to run better and get better mileage on 91 anyway.

Put a timing table in it for 91 octane and it will really wake it up.

not that it's very cost effective compared to a cam, but you could throw on a set of 1.85 ratio rockers.

should yield a solid 15rwhp, and increase power all through the power band.

but the cam option is better i think. but there are MUCH better options than the ls6....since it tends to be really peaky on the 5.7L engines...can't imagine wht it would do to a 5.3L

has anyone used a Granatelli MAF or a Big G flash tuner. If so did you like them?:death:

I found some new JBA headers for a 99 02 chevy 6.0 . They don't have the EGR outlet on them, will they work on my oo 5.3 It has the same ball socket on the right side and the flat flange on the left drivers side. I can get the headers for under 100 dollars. can the EGR just be blocked off without sending a code.

you'll need to tune out the code.

you'll need to tune out the code.
So I can use the headers with a tune even though they are for a 6 liter

errr... I missed the 6.0 part. Couldn't tell ya. I don't know what the difference is in the 6.0 and 5.3 trucks. Check the truck boards.

errr... I missed the 6.0 part. Couldn't tell ya. I don't know what the difference is in the 6.0 and 5.3 trucks. Check the truck boards.

The engines are exactly the same external dimensions so physically they will fit and I really can see no other reason why they wouldn't work just fine except for maybe a difference in how the y-pipes might be different.

Would the exhaust ports be different from head to head?

Would the exhaust ports be different from head to head?

Not as far as headers are concerned.