rkn463 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Hi All, I am new to the site and I hope I am posting this in the correct forum. In '04 when I bought my truck I didn't think I could afford the price or increased fuel consumption of the SS (my daily commute is 85 miles). Anyway six years and 175000 miles later I am ready to upgrade the performance of my truck. I was wondering what would be involved in swapping in an SS/Vortec Max motor? I know that the external dimensions are a direct bolt in, but what would I need to change computer and wiring wise? There is a guy on craigslist here locally that lists the motors used in the 1200 to 1500 dollar range and I am cool with that. If there is a lot more than just bolting it in and replacing or reprogramming the ECU then what are your opinions on the power potential of the 5.3? Thanks in advance! PS. Really cool site. I've already got a lot of good info here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bag Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Theres some here who have done it, I'm sure your answer is on the way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverad0 SS Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 (edited) welcome to the site, there are lots of people on this that give great info. basically what you said my buddy swapped his 5.3 for an lq4/6.0 and he paid a guy 1500 to do it, he did all the electrical stuff for him and programmed it all up. so just bring it to a good shop and tell them what you want, i dont mess with a electricity lol Edited February 3, 2011 by Silverad0 SS (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m.bohn007 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I need to continue to check this thread, this is something Im interested in knowing about myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Chivo 1986 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 My self this morning i woke up to a good text, im gettin a 6.0 lq9, but also with the same question whats needed and the fit. Im gettin mine with 52xxx on it, for 800 thats a beal u cant pass, with wiring the only thing the PCM if i need one from a 6.0 or just tunning the one i have for the proper function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruiser04 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 i just did the swap and i can tell u that all the parts r pretty much the same i dont really know about the wiring but i do know that u do not need a new pcm, just a retune for the 6.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Chivo 1986 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 That sounds like a nice fun weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sik-rod-yo Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Just a tune would only b needed everything is bolt on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddy03pimpin Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 That sounds like a nice fun weekend. yup two days but i think i could get it done in one, everything on your truck should bolt up and the tune is a must dont want to run the 6.0 lean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverado_ss_04 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 i did the same swap, everything is the same. just need to tune ur pcm for the 6.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Chivo 1986 Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 The good thing the guy that tunes is here in town or even like 20mins away thires another guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueAKSSS Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 i did the same swap, everything is the same. just need to tune ur pcm for the 6.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I know this is saying-after-the-fact, but you are going to kick yourself when you find the 6.0L gets BETTER mileage than the 5.3L; when I bought my SSS six years ago (wow!) my coworker at the time also bought an EC GMC w/ 5.3L, and my truck got consistent 1+ better city and highway MPG even before I got the aftermarket PCM tune. MidnightRidr has a truck just like yours, swapped his 5.3L for a LQ4 w/ Radix and that truck gets 22-mpg! So my point is, don't think that swapping to a 6.0L is a economic mistake. AFA the swap itself, just as everyone else has already said - it is a complete slam-dunk, litterally the same physical effort as swapping in another 5.3L, the wiring, sensors, and accessories are the same, if there are any differences they are *very* minor. The 5.3L PCM in your truck will start and idle the 6.0L so you can make sure your new motor is mechanically sound, but you will need a re-tune specifically for the 6.0L motor before you try to make power with it. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahoBLKss Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I know this is saying-after-the-fact, but you are going to kick yourself when you find the 6.0L gets BETTER mileage than the 5.3L; when I bought my SSS six years ago (wow!) my coworker at the time also bought an EC GMC w/ 5.3L, and my truck got consistent 1+ better city and highway MPG even before I got the aftermarket PCM tune. MidnightRidr has a truck just like yours, swapped his 5.3L for a LQ4 w/ Radix and that truck gets 22-mpg! So my point is, don't think that swapping to a 6.0L is a economic mistake. AFA the swap itself, just as everyone else has already said - it is a complete slam-dunk, litterally the same physical effort as swapping in another 5.3L, the wiring, sensors, and accessories are the same, if there are any differences they are *very* minor. The 5.3L PCM in your truck will start and idle the 6.0L so you can make sure your new motor is mechanically sound, but you will need a re-tune specifically for the 6.0L motor before you try to make power with it. Mr. P. what else is needed for a v6 to a 6.0 swap? any body know ? i have been looking at single cabs and all im finding is v6's . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 (edited) what else is needed for a v6 to a 6.0 swap? any body know ? i have been looking at single cabs and all im finding is v6's . Well, it's a bit more involved than an LS-to-LS swap but not at all out of the question; I helped Dan when he swapped the V6 out of his S-10 for a 5.3L. Things to consider - I would swap the entire powertrain (engine + trans) and that might also mean you have to swap the driveline too, OTOH if you measure drivelines you might discover the V8 and V6 drivelines are the same length, I dunno but you have to check. There's a whole lotta reasons why trying to use a LS motor with the V6 4L60 is a questionable idea - and if you keep the V6 and trans together you can sell the V6 powertrain together for $700-900 and recoup some project costs. I would imagine the V6 radiator will need upsizing. The donor V8 motor/trans will need to come with the OE V8 wiring harness, and I would bet that it's a lot more compatible with the V6 electrical center (fusebox) than you would expect. In the S10 project we were installing an '05 V8 harness into a 1999 V6 S-10 electrical center and I was expecting to cut, wire, and solder eavery single circuit to the fusebox but to our relief the wiring hookups were very, very close - the only difference being the A/C and dash instrumentation hookup, that required a 'custom touch'. The engine hookup was almost identical, only a couple differences although I cannot exactly recall, but we did easily figure them out. Spend $25 and get the GM service manual DVDs; print out the engine harness connector hookup diagrams from the electrical centers of both trucks and compare side-by-side on paper, I would bet they are probably very compatible. You may discover that the GM engineers planned for plug-n-play V6 to V8 swaps. Another option is to get the V8 electrical center and powertrain harness from a wrecked truck, and install it at the time of the engine swap; as long as the V8 electrical center is the same year as your V6 truck there should be no issue with this swap as the lighting, body, and climate control wiring circuits will be identical. Again reference the service manual, I would not attempt any V6 to V8 swap without it, it's essential for a project like this. Mr. P. Edited February 3, 2011 by Mr. P. (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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