[MGDWJ]

I have wheeled this thing for almost a decade how it sits. It’s now time for an engine upgrade. The stock 4.0 has been ok for the most part.

 

[MGDWJ]

Last year I started racing it, and even though it would still do 90-95mph it took awhile to get there.

 

[MGDWJ]

IT’S LS TIME!!! 5.3 out of a GMC Yukon

 

['92 vegas YJ]

I like where this is going.

 

[MGDWJ]

The plan is to install the 5.3 LS and keep my NV4500 transmission without having to spend the $17-1900 that advanced adapters wants for the conversion kit.
Here is where it gets tricky. The 5.3 was never offered with a manual transmission. However the 4.8, 5.3, and 6.0 are for the most part all the same externally. The NV4500 was offered as a

factory option for several years behind the 6.0 LS So hopefully it will be as simple as finding the right factory parts. To make things even more interesting my NV4500 is a dodge gasoline model. The internet assures me that both the dodge gas and chevy NV4500 share the same parent case. So a Chevy bellhousing will fit onto a dodge transmission properly. I will know here in a few hours.

It is already proving difficult to not install a nice healthy cam in the LS before I put it in. I had been hesitant putting in a LS for a few years simply because of damages as a result of the extra power of the LS. I had finally got to were I could take it out and wheel the piss out of it all weekend and not break anything. I have broken a LOT of parts beating on this thing.

 

[MGDWJ]

Getting things disassembled to pull the motor. Had to remove all of my interior to get to the transmission bolts. Next up is to try and fish this bastard out the top There has been some debate if I’ll have to remove the front axle and drop it down the bottom

 

[MGDWJ]

It came down to like an 1/8 of an inch being able to pull the motor out the top but it came out

 

[MGDWJ]

Got the engine torn down to inspect everything.

One cylinder had some surface rust on it. Going to hone all the cylinders and install new rings and run it.

 

[BrutusBlue]

Your 5.3L looks like a 04-06 year model…blue/green PCM connectors…DBW (drive by wire) throttle body. Some blue/green DBW PCMs can be converted to DBC (drive by cable). Do you have a PCM? Only way to know if a blue/green PCM will run both versions is to open up the PCM to check for the specific part inside. I prefer to convert to DBC. You can run the older style red/blue PCM pin out and re-wire it for DBC if you want. Saves from having to deal with the gas pedal figment issues.

I have been running the same motor from an 04 that I converted to a red/blue PCM for 10+ years with zero problems.

I’m building a CJ8 with a 6.0/NV4500 (early GM) and I will use some of the exact same parts I used on my CJ7 which has a SM465.

List of parts for both for my clutch set up:
RAM 1550 flywheel
Luk 04-049 clutch.
McLeod 16505 extended throw out bearing.
GM 12557583 LS2 input bearing.

Don’t get too caught up in the 5.3L auto vs stick talk you read about or the goofy crank offset on autos. People will be really hard pressed to even find an 99-00 LS 6.0 with the weird offset crank. If you have one of those for an auto the fix is easy, buy a cheap adapter. Even if you could find one, do you really want the crappy iron block heads that came on em…no. Rant over.

 

[BrutusBlue]

Well…I just picked up another LS. Something I didn’t know exited…5.L LH6 aluminum block Gen 4 motor with the larger offset flange. Interesting. Seems 5.3L can in fact come with a different offset. So far, I can not find info that says otherwise. Will know more when I do more checking. Seems like they are different between Gen 3 and Gen 4.

 

[MGDWJ]

The harness and computer I got with the engine was for DBW I have ordered parts to convert it to DBC. I didn’t want to deal with trimming down my own harness, so I ordered a standalone harness for DBC. I will probably end up purchasing the correct PCM to match.

the heads are at the machine shop having a valve job and resurface. I’m the meantime I have been cleaning and painting the block. Also been ordering a pile of parts. I decided to switch to flat top pistons, all new bearings, new lifter, new rings, valve rocker trunnion upgrade, new camshaft, new valve springs, and some other crap I have forgot to mention. Once I get the engine in the chassis I’ll be able to tell if I will need/want to order a different oil pan


I ordered clutch, flywheel, and slave cylinder for a 6.0 ls with nv4500. I compared my ls flywheel to a sbc350 flywheel and there was a noticeable difference between the two. I have a piece of oil impregnated bronze for a pilot bearing if need be.

Right before I started the swap I had ordered a set of triple bypass shocks for the front and they finally came in.

 

[MGDWJ]

While I am waiting on parts and the machine shop I figured I should fix a few things while it’s down. One of my trailing arm shock mounts was a little tweaked from my last race.

I drew up some new side plate in CAD. For us broke people that cardboard assisted design. I’ll weld these on the side of the mounts that are already there after a rose bud torch helps massage it back into place.

here a little trick I use to keep the tabs from drawing in while welding. A piece of all thread works better but this will work. Pretty much put it all together and the turn the nuts to the left to spread the tabs where you want them.

Tacked in place and some vise grips to keep everything compressed together while I’m welding.
welded inside and out. The original tabs were 3/16” and the new side plates are also 3/16”. I think a total of 3/8” will do just fine. If it doesn’t then I’ll redesign the entire trailing arm