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I have the opportunity to get a low mileage 5.3 from a 2008 Silverado for $800. Its an ly5 i believe. The engine is 100% complete with accessories and engine wiring. The destination would be my 70' Nova, if i get it. I have been googling, not really coming up with all the answers i need. I believe the engine has afm also. Im at a crossroad on which way to go with this engine. Heres the different scenerios im looking at: (cost is a factor right now since i have other things to get done on my Nova to finish it)
1. Keep the EFI, which is what id like to do. Possible cam swap. If i kept the efi, what do i do with the afm?
2. Drop the efi, go with Thumpr cam, Edelbrock intake/carb set up. Do the afm lifters have to be swapped out for this cam swap? If so, what lifters do i use?
3. Steer clear of the ly5 totally, or is it a perfectly fine candiate?
4. If i go the cam/intake/carb route now, and i eventually go back to efi, will that cam work with the efi?
I have the opportunity to get a low mileage 5.3 from a 2008 Silverado for $800. Its an ly5 i believe. The engine is 100% complete with accessories and engine wiring. The destination would be my 70' Nova, if i get it. I have been googling, not really coming up with all the answers i need. I believe the engine has afm also. Im at a crossroad on which way to go with this engine. Heres the different scenerios im looking at: (cost is a factor right now since i have other things to get done on my Nova to finish it)
1. Keep the EFI, which is what id like to do. Possible cam swap. If i kept the efi, what do i do with the afm?
2. Drop the efi, go with Thumpr cam, Edelbrock intake/carb set up. Do the afm lifters have to be swapped out for this cam swap? If so, what lifters do i use?
3. Steer clear of the ly5 totally, or is it a perfectly fine candiate?
4. If i go the cam/intake/carb route now, and i eventually go back to efi, will that cam work with the efi?
The LY5 is a good motor, and the replacement of the LM7, nothing wrong with it at all...The cam swap itself will take care of the AFM.
Keep the EFI. You are going to spend just as much to swap to a carb, and you have to lose the afm to run a carb anyway.
You can find a nice cam, say a LS6 cam lifters and all for under 500 bucks, and have a strong running little motor...
Thanks for the help. what gains in hp can one expect from the ls6 cam? Will the mpg be affected greatly? My main reason for wanting to keep the efi is for the driveability and mpg. I wanna be able to afford to drive my nova as much as i can. Like alot of guys im new to the LS motors, just trying to take in all the info i can right now.
Thanks for the help. what gains in hp can one expect from the ls6 cam? Will the mpg be affected greatly? My main reason for wanting to keep the efi is for the driveability and mpg. I wanna be able to afford to drive my nova as much as i can. Like alot of guys im new to the LS motors, just trying to take in all the info i can right now.
this is all new to me too, kinda makes it fun, the unknown...just hope i dont make any stupid mistakes that cost lots of cash... if he goes to an LS-6 cam should he too change valve springs or will the stock 5.3 springs be good enough?
this is all new to me too, kinda makes it fun, the unknown...just hope i dont make any stupid mistakes that cost lots of cash... if he goes to an LS-6 cam should he too change valve springs or will the stock 5.3 springs be good enough?
The stock 5.3 valve springs are inadequate for the lift of the LS6 cam. Also I believe the LS6 cam is ground on a smaller base circle which means you should use longer push rods as well
Most people get rid of the AFM because the lifters do not survive well at higher RPM
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63 wagon L33 4L60E 12 Bolt 3.73 VA gen IV Willwood Brakes CBR front w/power rack & Watts link rear
Stock is the way id like to leave it, but my concerns are the afm. Do i really need to remove it? I dont know the pros/cons of leaving it or removing it. If it will live fine as is i will leave it alone. I really dont want to spend the extra money on the delete parts right now. The $800 price of the engine now plus the added afm delete costs are making me second guess if i should just get an older non afm engine. Im on a budget, so the minimum parts to buy is the way i wanna go. Id like to use the stock truck intake and exhaust manifolds, but im not positive if they will fit. Ive seen write ups on other forums where some say it will and some say it wont.
Just to clarify, this isnt gonna see strip time, no super high rpm's, its just a cruiser and run her thru the gears now and again.
Last edited by Bowtie972; 12th-December-2012 at 04:35 AM.
Glenn I took your advice and made some phone calls today. I talked to jon at PSI and i also called Speartech to get a couple different opinions. For my application, which is basically just a street car/driver, not a racer, I can leave the afm intact, and inoperable and it will live just as if it were a normal everyday truck. To keep the install cost as minimal as possible right now, thats prob what i will do. These are my harness/computer options from PSI:
1: W or W/O Drive By Wire, harness, $549
2: Computer w/ tune for DBW, $250
3: Computer w/tune and Lingenfelter box for Drive by cable, $450
So first im going to get the engine physically mounted in and see if the truck intake will fit under my stock 70, hood. If so, ill get the DBW setup and run it.
If not, ill look at an LS1 intake and cable TB and go the Lingenfelter box way.
Which I might do anyway, not 100% sure yet.
If im missing something here please chime in, I would appreciate the input! Thanks!
Your goals for your Nova sound very similar to mine. I went through the carb vs. FI dilemma too, and I too elected that FI would be the best and over time the least expensive route. I think that if you started with no intake at all that maybe carb would be cheaper, but since my engine already came with most of the FI induction pieces it just makes better sense. PSI seems like a pretty good company to deal with. At the beginning of this process I too called and spoke with Jon and he was extremely helpful. Good luck with your build and post up some pics so we can see your progress.
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if he goes to an LS-6 cam should he too change valve springs or will the stock 5.3 springs be good enough?
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