Anybody ever LS swapped a K2XX Silverado?

[Mathew Kirsch]

Finally got my 2015 Silverado 5.3L into the mechanic's shop. Sure enough, seized lifter and bent pushrod.

 

He's going to do it right this time, all new lifters and whatever it needs.

 

One thing that came up when I was chatting with him, I have a 2000 Silverado 2500 (one of the first GMT800's) with 77K miles and a good 6.0 in it. The rest of the truck is mostly paint.

 

I was thinking if the 5.3L was pooched, about looking into LS-swapping the 6.0L into my 2015. 

 

Legally I doubt NY would allow it, but it does seem intriguing. There are plenty of aftermarket products to make the engine run, so the hard part will be fooling the rest of the truck into believing that the engine is there...

 

Any ideas what it would take?

[shakenfake]

Not happening unless the entire truck went Holley Terminator or something.

The swap is nowhere near worth it, your 5.3 makes more power than that old 6.0 lol

[newdude]

56 minutes ago, Mathew Kirsch said:

Finally got my 2015 Silverado 5.3L into the mechanic's shop. Sure enough, seized lifter and bent pushrod.

 

He's going to do it right this time, all new lifters and whatever it needs.

 

One thing that came up when I was chatting with him, I have a 2000 Silverado 2500 (one of the first GMT800's) with 77K miles and a good 6.0 in it. The rest of the truck is mostly paint.

 

I was thinking if the 5.3L was pooched, about looking into LS-swapping the 6.0L into my 2015. 

 

Legally I doubt NY would allow it, but it does seem intriguing. There are plenty of aftermarket products to make the engine run, so the hard part will be fooling the rest of the truck into believing that the engine is there...

 

Any ideas what it would take?

 

 

It would be much more cost effective to take it to say New Era Performance in Rochester and have them do a full DOD delete and tune than swap an LS.  

[Mathew Kirsch]

1 hour ago, shakenfake said:

Not happening unless the entire truck went Holley Terminator or something.

The swap is nowhere near worth it, your 5.3 makes more power than that old 6.0 lol

 

Well yeah that's what I had figured. The K2xx engine computer wouldn't know what to do with the old 6.0.

 

I'd just put the Holley Terminator on it to run the engine, but the challenge is in fooling the rest of the truck into believing that there's a stock 5.3L there.

 

Sure the 5.3L makes more power, WHEN ITS NOT EATING LIFTERS... That old 6.0L will just run and run and run.

[Mathew Kirsch]

10 minutes ago, newdude said:

 

 

It would be much more cost effective to take it to say New Era Performance in Rochester and have them do a full DOD delete and tune than swap an LS.  

 

It is now, but if the cam was trashed... which was a very big concern for the mechanic especially when I told him I had to limp it home 12 miles. 

[shakenfake]

If the cam was trashed you put in a new cam and lifters and delete the AFM and it will run and run and run.

You are looking to fry an egg with a rube goldberg machine instead of cracking it in the pan yourself.

[Mathew Kirsch]

1 hour ago, shakenfake said:

If the cam was trashed you put in a new cam and lifters and delete the AFM and it will run and run and run.

You are looking to fry an egg with a rube goldberg machine instead of cracking it in the pan yourself.

 

I'd junk the truck if it needed a cam. Not worth fixing if much more is wrong with it. As I stated in my other thread, the body is just about ready to rust through, after only 7 years, and being washed 1-2 times a week year around.

 

This was mostly a thought exercise.

[shakenfake]

You'd junk the truck if it needed a cam....

[Mathew Kirsch]

On 6/16/2022 at 4:28 PM, shakenfake said:

You'd junk the truck if it needed a cam....

 

Yes, I would. I've priced the cam and what it's going to cost to have it installed. It's half what the truck is worth, running. 

 

Fortunately it did not need a cam.

 

Unfortunately the repair lasted all of 500 miles before it did it again!

[16LT4]

40 minutes ago, Mathew Kirsch said:

 

Yes, I would. I've priced the cam and what it's going to cost to have it installed. It's half what the truck is worth, running. 

 

Fortunately it did not need a cam.

 

Unfortunately the repair lasted all of 500 miles before it did it again!

 

With the heads off the replace the lifters, that would be the perfect time to replace the cam and not add much cost.

 

If you are having such repeated issues, that is no longer a Chevy issue, but either an improper repair or improper operation issue.  There's plenty of reasons for misfires, and I'd have to assume those were exhausted before firing the parts cannon at hard parts?  Oil type/viscosity/OCI?  Is the mechanic following the GM repair manual or just doing what he feels he needs to do?  Using actual GM parts, or junk Dorman or Cardone sourced cheaply from RockAuto?  HPFP or injector bleed-down dumping fuel into the oil, diluting it?  If the latter, you'll be wiping hard parts forever.  

 

Running, in today's market, the truck should be worth at least $20k.  Over the winter, the dealer offered me $34k on trade for mine with 100k upstate-NY miles.  A cam replacement wouldn't even dent the profit margin on selling it.

 

Edit: I was mixing up your repeated failures with this member's repeated failures.  

 

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by 16LT4

[Mathew Kirsch]

48 minutes ago, 16LT4 said:

If you are having such repeated issues, that is no longer a Chevy issue, but either an improper repair or improper operation issue.  There's plenty of reasons for misfires, and I'd have to assume those were exhausted before firing the parts cannon at hard parts?  Oil type/viscosity/OCI?  Is the mechanic following the GM repair manual or just doing what he feels he needs to do?  Using actual GM parts, or junk Dorman or Cardone sourced cheaply from RockAuto?  HPFP or injector bleed-down dumping fuel into the oil, diluting it?  If the latter, you'll be wiping hard parts forever.

 

"Improper operation?" Push on the long skinny pedal on the right to go. Push on the short fat pedal on the left to stop. Not sure how I could be operating the truck "improperly."  I should be able to mash the gas pedal to the floor and hold it there, not have to tip-toe around it lest it seize a lifter. My normal driving habits are more on the gentle side, and this was no exception.

 

First time around the repair was done at the dealer. Second time was done by a mechanic that used to work at that same dealer, is GM certified on the 2014-2018 Silverados, and someone I've known for years and came highly recommended. 

 

Of course typical troubleshooting was done. It was pretty obvious what happened when they pulled the valve cover and found the loose/bent/broken pushrod in each case.

 

First time around the dealer took shortcuts, only replaced the lifters in the one cylinder. It lasted 40K miles.

 

This time the mechanic did what GM recommended, used GM parts (because he could not get aftermarket parts).

 

The jury is still out on event #3, but I know what it feels and sounds like all too well. Computer says #1 is misfiring. We'll find out soon enough.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Mathew Kirsch

[shakenfake]

I'll buy your truck today then. Don't repair it I will buy it right now. PM me and let's talk.

[Mathew Kirsch]

1 hour ago, 16LT4 said:

Running, in today's market, the truck should be worth at least $20k.  Over the winter, the dealer offered me $34k on trade for mine with 100k upstate-NY miles.

 

What fool dealer is that? I couldn't get an offer over $14K with it running good. Someone wants to give me 20K trade in on this rusty lemon, I'll trade today.

[16LT4]

1 minute ago, Mathew Kirsch said:

 

What fool dealer is that? I couldn't get an offer over $14K with it running good. Someone wants to give me 20K trade in on this rusty lemon, I'll trade today.

 

The same dealer I'd purchased it from 3 years and 30k miles earlier for $10k less.  They would have sold it for $40k by the end of the day.

 

Please post some pictures of your "rusty lemon."

[Grumpy Bear]

 

When I have something to sell it's junk. When they have it, it's the last example on earth.

Rare, numbers matching, Jay Leno owned and this years concours d'elegance winner.

 

 

It's value is what it sells for.

It's worth is what it means to you.