5.3 v8 or ...
#1
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5.3 v8 or ...
i know iv read here somewhere that the 5.3l v8 would fit in my 84 .. but i cant find that thread can anyone else confirm that ? on a side note if i had 2k to go into my stock motor what would i do with it ? i have an old 350 block with some 202/194 heads and a pete jackson gear drive all siting in the shop should i use those blocks and heads ? or go some other way i also got 2 tunnel rams with carbs.. but im thinking it would look funny sticking out the hood on my 84 ..
#2
i know iv read here somewhere that the 5.3l v8 would fit in my 84 .. but i cant find that thread can anyone else confirm that ? on a side note if i had 2k to go into my stock motor what would i do with it ? i have an old 350 block with some 202/194 heads and a pete jackson gear drive all siting in the shop should i use those blocks and heads ? or go some other way i also got 2 tunnel rams with carbs.. but im thinking it would look funny sticking out the hood on my 84 ..
#3
Burning Brakes
The 5.3 would physically fit. However, there have been many projects to put an LSx engine in a C4 and they always seem to stall. It's not a bolt it in and forget it prospect. The accesories and motor mounts are among the many hurdles to overcome. Good luck. I'm currently putting together a 383 Crossfire for my 84!
#4
Le Mans Master
5.3
the 5.3 LS motor is an LM series engine. It is physically the same as a 350, but the motor mounts are the least of the problems.
There are kits to make a distributor drive off the cam, and put a carburetor on it.. I would think that you could pay some one to make adapters for a dual quad manifold, and use your throttle bodies and make them a little lower than they would sit if they were mounted on top of the manifold.
Then you would be able to keep all of your factory electronics and your hood intakes if you modified the throttle body air horn adapters.
Then you would have to figure out the trans, and the rear trans mount would have to be fabricated, or use a truck trans, but that would be clunky.
Clunky has no place in a corvette.
There are kits to make a distributor drive off the cam, and put a carburetor on it.. I would think that you could pay some one to make adapters for a dual quad manifold, and use your throttle bodies and make them a little lower than they would sit if they were mounted on top of the manifold.
Then you would be able to keep all of your factory electronics and your hood intakes if you modified the throttle body air horn adapters.
Then you would have to figure out the trans, and the rear trans mount would have to be fabricated, or use a truck trans, but that would be clunky.
Clunky has no place in a corvette.
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oh i never planed on useing a tunnel ram .. i dont wanna have carbs again atleast not on this car i was thinking of the new 5.3l truck motor it has decent hp stock ... compaired to my stock engine anyways plus alot of the ls1 upgrades will work with it. i was wanting to do a ls1 but i dont want something that has to be totally custom installed id like it to be somewhat boltin so to speak
#6
Team Owner
Why go smaller? If anything i'd be trying to cram a big block in there like others have done. A hopped up 350 is great because the parts are cheaper than a big block and are more plentiful. Not to mention it can make a lot of power if done correctly.
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Originally Posted by 84xfires
oh i never planed on useing a tunnel ram .. i dont wanna have carbs again atleast not on this car
Originally Posted by 84xfires
i was thinking of the new 5.3l truck motor it has decent hp stock ... compaired to my stock engine anyways plus alot of the ls1 upgrades will work with it. i was wanting to do a ls1 but i dont want something that has to be totally custom installed id like it to be somewhat boltin so to speak
RACE ON!!!
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St. Jude Donor '05
5.3 is a good motor. Some head work, mild cam and longtubes youll have quick car, doesnt take much to get 450chp out of those and do it reliably.
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St. Jude Donor '05
#12
Team Owner
Corvette Fever magazine is going to be doing a series of articles about installing a 5.3 truck motor in an '87. They are calling it "Project C4orce"
Might want to get the July 07 issue and read the "First Turn" section.
They also have a blog going at www.corvettefever.com regarding the swap.
Might want to get the July 07 issue and read the "First Turn" section.
They also have a blog going at www.corvettefever.com regarding the swap.
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well that answers my question if its not gunna be any easier to put in then its not worth doing even tho you can get these truck engines a few dollars cheaper its still prolly not worth it even tho its a great motor i am thinking im going to sell my car and go to a 92 but i havent decided yet
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St. Jude Donor '05
#15
Le Mans Master
The 5.3 LS motor is an LM series engine. It is physically the same as a 350,
but the motor mounts are the least of the problems. There are kits to
make a distributor drive off the cam, and put a carburetor on it.. I
would think that you could pay some one to make adapters for a dual
quad manifold, and use your throttle bodies and make them a little
lower than they would sit if they were mounted on top of the manifold.
Then you would be able to keep all of your factory electronics and your
hood intakes if you modified the throttle body air horn adapters.
Then you would have to figure out the trans, and the rear trans mount
would have to be fabricated, or use a truck trans, but that would be
clunky.
Clunky has no place in a corvette.
but the motor mounts are the least of the problems. There are kits to
make a distributor drive off the cam, and put a carburetor on it.. I
would think that you could pay some one to make adapters for a dual
quad manifold, and use your throttle bodies and make them a little
lower than they would sit if they were mounted on top of the manifold.
Then you would be able to keep all of your factory electronics and your
hood intakes if you modified the throttle body air horn adapters.
Then you would have to figure out the trans, and the rear trans mount
would have to be fabricated, or use a truck trans, but that would be
clunky.
Clunky has no place in a corvette.
- The 5.3 is an LM series, not an LS series engine.
There are LM4, LM7 and L33 versions of the 5.3. The LM series have
Fe/Al blocks/heads (as do the larger LQ series - 6.0 & 6.2.) The L33
and the LS series are Al/Al. - The 5.3 is physically different to a GEN I 350: outwardly and in
terms of displacement.
As has already been stated above, considering the effort and expense
of this swap my vote is that the larger displacement version is the
preferred choice. There is little if any difference in price between the
LM and the LQ choices but there is a sizable difference in performance.
Still, in the spirit of supporting alternative thinking, I suggested that
if small (5.3L) is good, tiny (4.8L) might be better.
The 4.8L LR4 engine is a 293 ci version of the GEN III engine that has
almost as much OEM HP as the 5.3
- 285HP/295TQ @ 5600/4000 - vs - 290HP/325TQ @ 5200/4000
but with a shorter stroke (3.270" vs 3.622") the LM4 is capable of much
higher RPM (3,540 FPM vs 3,924 FPM Piston Speed @ 6,500 RPM).
Presumably, the same logic used to predict that the 5.3's would be
priced lower than 6.0's would see the 4.8 being priced even more
attractively. However, in the thread below the 4.8 was deemed too
small by those who thought the 6.0 was too big.
Here's a discussion of the article.
Corvette Fever- Project C4orce- Have you heard?
Melrose announced they were preparing to release headers for the
GEN III / C4 swap.
LSx Engine Swap into C4- Headers Avail Soon
As a final thought, Trace's '84 LS1 C4 is listed in the C4 Cars for Sale
section.
F/S 1984 LS1 Vette
.
#16
Le Mans Master
Sorry, cuisinart. I didn't notice your link to LS1C4's thread before posting.
.
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The 5.3 would physically fit. However, there have been many projects to put an LSx engine in a C4 and they always seem to stall. It's not a bolt it in and forget it prospect. The accesories and motor mounts are among the many hurdles to overcome. Good luck. I'm currently putting together a 383 Crossfire for my 84!
My major hurdle is the trans bracket I bought that was supposed to work didn't. It's a POS. So I'm spending time fabbing one up.