Ls swap into 1998 4.3 5spd 1500

[BillyDanger]

Hey mickeymotormount , thanks for the input, you spent an additional 1000 after purchase of the motor ? Or that was your grand total? What radiator did you go with?

[kewljay223]

yeah I agree. you could get away with a swap for around 2k give or take. but this is assuming you have the time to shop for the deals AND you go with the bare minimum of parts and accessories. also assuming you do at least 90% of the work yourself I.e. harness integration and any fabrication needed.

I wish I could give u a price for mine but I spent way more than 2k because i was in a time crunch so I couldn't wait for deals. plus I was doing a cali legal swap so I needed all the smog stuff(new too), Dbw, cai, opted for braided lines, upgraded to bigger injectors, bigger trans cooler, oil cooler, rebuilt trans, dual fuel pumps.... etc etc... I hadn't planned on all that but once your in there doing it, you will tell yourself "well might as well upgrade now while I'm doing it".... THAT IS WHAT THROWS THE WORD "BUDGET" RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW!!! lol.

this stuff is addicting. it will take some will power to hold back the urge to upgrade if your trying to stick to a budget. you have been warned!!

oh and don't forget screw ups.... that cost money too. and it will happen!!

[Mickeymotormount]

My grand total was just under $1000. The radiator I used was for the donor truck, a '99 Silverado 2500. It fit, but I needed the top brackets to hold the radiator as it was wider than my original radiator. I found them at the local junkyard in a diesel Suburban. The radiator I purchased also did not have the filler cap. So I also grabbed the pressurized coolant tank from the Suburban which allowed filling of the radiator and maintaining pressure.

[BillyDanger]

What kind of fuel economy can I expect out of a 6.0 or 5.3 with my 5spd in my truck ?

[zebra]

depends on truck configuration, bolt-ons, tune, where you live, the gas you use, how you drive, and one or two other things...
mine's a stock 150kmi '01 LM7 with catless LTs, no EGR, Blackbear tune running 87, and CAI. it's a 4x4 RCSB with 33"s that weigh 80lb with the wheel. truck's about 4700lb without me. where i live, the DA's about 3500'-4000' & we regularly have 30-50mph wind. i rarely get on it hard and keep it to 60-65 on the highway. my mixed driving average is usually 13-14mpg. back in FL @ sea level tuned for 93 and running 31" 4-ply tires that were each 20lb lighter, i could see 17-18mpg mixed driving up to 70mph.

long story short - expect mid teens

[BillyDanger]

@zebra. So at minimum it would be safe to say I will at least be getting the same as I am with my tired old 4.3? I live in South Texas, the truck is a single cab short bed with 31 inch tires

[blacstar]

don't expect 30mpg... its still a pickup

[zebra]

i went from 14 town / 19 hwy to 16 / 18 directly after my swap when i lived in TN

[Mickeymotormount]

You may be able to pick up a mile per gallon or maybe two. As stated above, there are many factors. My experience with my truck gained about 4 mpg. I went from a tired 5.7 TBI setup to the 6.0 liter. I was getting around 12 mpg on the highway before the swap and now am getting around 16. That's as long as I keep my foot out of the throttle.

[Blackpearl]

don't expect 30mpg... its still a pickup

I got 29 with a stock lq4, NV3500, and 4.10. Freeway of course. And then i got stupid and now i see way less, but my smile is much bigger.