Build thread - LMG 5.3 to L96 6.0 swap

[DaveO9]

Say hello to my new engine - L96 6.0 from a 2014 2500 Silverado. Bought it from B&R Auto Wrecking, Portland, OR yard. The truck had 197k on it, but engine has a 6 month warranty and compression values 190-200 psi in all cylinders. Plus I'm wondering if it's a crate replacement, see later in the post.

This will be my build thread - over the next 2-3 months I want to get it set up properly and then install. More in subsequent posts.

What does this sticker mean? Reman? I haven't done any legwork on engine ID yet.

 

[DaveO9]

Here's what I've ordered from RockAuto so far. I'm also going to do cam and crank sensor, just haven't ordered yet. Let me know if you see anything I'm missing. For warranty on engine, I'm required to replace water pump and thermostat, everything else is just for piece of mind.

 

[DaveO9]

I'm not a huge user of AI, but I have started to play around with it both for work and personal. At home, I've started using Claude, seems like one of the better ones as far as privacy goes. I asked it some questions about my swap, mostly just to see what it would do. After some back and forth on some of the issues, it produced this checklist and advice. I'd be interested to see what y'all think, especially if you disagree with anything. Note that I am planning on using these parts from L96: injectors, fuel rails, coilpacks, intake, throttle body. Also note that removing heads will void the warranty.

5.3 LMG to 6.0 L96 Engine Swap — Pre-Install Checklist(2013 Chevy Tahoe, donor: 2014 Silverado 1500)

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SEALS & GASKETS

• Front main seal — always replace when front cover is off
• Rear main seal — replace before install; very difficult to access once engine is in
• Valley cover / intake manifold gaskets — replace if intake is removed
• Valve cover gaskets (both sides) — common leakers on salvage engines
• Oil pan gasket — replace if pan is removed for inspection
• Water pump gaskets — replace if reusing water pump

TIMING & ROTATING ASSEMBLY

• Timing chain, guides & tensioner kit — replace the full set on any salvage engine
• Timing cover O-rings and seal — replace with timing kit
• Harmonic balancer — inspect for rubber separation; replace if any play or cracking

OIL SYSTEM

• Oil pump pickup screen / O-ring — replace at minimum; consider new pump if mileage unknown
• Oil pressure sensor — verify plug matches your harness
• Oil cooler provisions — verify block provisions match if truck has engine oil cooler

COOLING SYSTEM

• Thermostat & housing gasket — always replace with fresh 195°F stat
• Water pump — inspect for weep hole leakage; replace if high mileage
• Coolant temp sensor — verify connector matches your harness
• Freeze plugs — inspect all; replace any showing rust or weeping

FUEL & IGNITION

• Spark plugs — AC Delco iridium, gapped to 0.040"
• Fuel injector O-rings — replace regardless
• Fuel injectors — L96 uses ~42 lb/hr vs LMG ~28 lb/hr; tune required if swapping
• Ignition coils — test each; reuse if in good shape

SENSORS & ELECTRONICS

• Crankshaft position sensor — CRITICAL: verify 58-tooth reluctor wheel (2014 Silverado donor is correct)
• Camshaft position sensor — verify connector matches harness
• Knock sensors (2x) — verify flat-style sensors match your harness connectors
• MAP sensor — reuse LMG sensor if connector and thread match
• O2 sensor bungs — verify location matches Tahoe harness if swapping exhaust manifolds

VALVETRAIN

• Lifters (16x) — inspect for ticking; replace if mileage is high or unknown
• Push rods — roll on flat surface to check for bends; replace any that aren't straight
• Valve stem seals — replace if blue smoke observed or doing a valve job

INTAKE & ACCESSORIES

• Intake manifold — L96 unit from 2014 Silverado is compatible; keep it
• Throttle body — L96 unit is compatible with 2013 Tahoe harness
• Alternator & bracket — verify bolt pattern; 2014 Silverado donor should match directly
• Power steering pump & bracket — reuse or swap; verify fitment
• A/C compressor & bracket — reuse or swap; verify fitment
• Exhaust manifolds — reuse LMG manifolds to match existing Tahoe Y-pipe

TRANSMISSION INTERFACE

• Flexplate — reuse LMG flexplate; verify crank bolt pattern matches (it should)
• Bell housing dowel pins — confirm present in L96 block for transmission alignment

FLUIDS & FINAL PREP

• Fresh engine oil & filter — pre-fill and prime oil system before first start
• Flush L96 block with fresh coolant before install
• Engine assembly lube — coat cam lobes, lifter faces, and rod bearings during assembly

---

KEY NOTES FOR THIS SPECIFIC SWAP:

• 2014 Silverado L96 uses a 58-tooth reluctor wheel — matches 2013 Tahoe PCM perfectly
• L96 injectors (~42 lb/hr) require a tune — contact your tuner for a base file before first start
• Accessories from 2014 Silverado should be direct bolt-on to Tahoe (same GMT900 platform)
• Tuner should update injector flow rate and displacement parameters at minimum before first start

 

[strutaeng]

Looks great!

That all looks legit to me. Are you also replacing the rear barbell? I don't really think it's necessary but it's not that expensive to byy a new one.

"Remade in US"?

 

[DaveO9]

Looks great!

That all looks legit to me. Are you also replacing the rear barbell? I don't really think it's necessary but it's not that expensive to byy a new one.

"Remade in US"?

Thanks for the tip/reminder - yes, definitely need to replace that. Cheap insurance. Ordering a billet aluminum one.

Yeah, that's what the sticker is, I'm not sure what it's all about. I googled it, didn't really find much.

 

[DaveO9]

Found another sticker today - looks like I ended up with a Jasper. Tomorrow I will try and call them to see if I they will look up that serial number - at least to get date of purchase and hopefully mileage on the truck at that time.

 

[DaveO9]

I called Jasper yesterday and gave them that number - they told me the purchase date was July 2022! Didn’t have the truck mileage at time of purchase but based on average miles per year, engine should have less than 70k. Might change my calculus in parts to replace now. Thoughts on oil pump and timing chain? I haven’t taking pan or timing cover off yet - will do some assessment when I do.

 

[strutaeng]

Nice! Looks like you scored!

In that case, I'd say just skip everything you had in mind and do a straight drop-in and you are good to go doing burnouts on the way to Starbucks!!!

Piss off those Prius drivers and $hit! Lol

 

[DaveO9]

Nice! Looks luke you scored!

In that case, I'd say just skip everything you had in mind and do a straight drop-in and you are good to go doing burnouts on the way to Starbucks!!!

Piss off those Prius drivers and $hit! Lol

Thanks! Yeah, pretty much - I'm required to replace the water pump and thermostat for warranty coverage, but I think I can handle those. Oh and you're required to take the pan off and re-seal, so I guess I should do that. It will give me a chance to inspect bottom end.

 

[DaveO9]

Posting links to my related threads to have them all in one place:

L96 Swap Initial Questions

GMT900 Engine removal options​

Any Experiences with The LuK TorCon TC0017 Torque Converter? (not mine, but I'm using a Luk and I asked some questions here)​

 

[DaveO9]

I'm thinking about exhaust options. I'm good to go behind the 3rd cat: 3" magnaflow muffler and resonator delete. But I'm worried the 3-cat y-pipe will be too restrictive for the 6.0. I thought about a new y-pipe designed for a yukon denali/escalade with 6.2, but around $1k price from what I've seen.

Option 1: w/2 Catalytic Converter For Chevrolet Silverado 2500 /3500 2011-2016 6.0L Would this bolt up in my Tahoe? Would the outlet flange be in the correct location? I have a local exhaust guy that I think could massage it to match the stock y-pipe if necessary. At $237, this is my preferred option.

Option 2: have exhaust guy mentioned in #1 build a custom y-pipe with a single cat incorporated after the join. I'd probably use a 3" magnaflow. I'm sure this would be more expensive than #1.

I don't have emissions testing concerns here, but I do want it to have at least one cat. I'm not interested in headers, I'll be using either my original manifolds or those that came with the L96. (pretty sure they're identical) I'm just not a header guy. I even have original rams horn manifolds on my '76 Corvette.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

If it were me, I'd take it to the local exhaust shop and let them build it to your desires.

 

[DaveO9]

Here's everything I'm doing to the L96 before I remove LMG and install:

- Remove oil pan and windage tray. Inspect bottom end and lower cylinder walls. Replace oil pump pickup o-ring. New fel-pro pan gasket.
- Replace RMS (Genuine GM) and new rear seal cover gasket (fel-pro)
- Replace barbell with billet aluminum version
- New genuine GM exhaust manifold gaskets.
- ARP header bolts
- New AC Delco Iridium plugs
- New AC Delco water pump (came with installed thermostat and water neck)
- New fel-pro valve cover gaskets. (inspect rocker arms, etc.)

At this point, I'm not planning on taking the balancer off, removing timing chain cover, or replacing front crank seal. I saw no signs of seepage up there, so see no reason to disturb any of that. I'm a little torn on cam and crank sensors, though. Right now, I'm planning on keeping as is.

Let me know if there's anything I'm missing or if any of my logic is off.

 

[DaveO9]

Looks like good cross-hatching still on cylinder wall. Cam wear look normal for an assumed 70k miles?

 

[DaveO9]

Making progress on the swap. New engine pretty close to being ready to go in. New barbell, oil pickup o-ring, RMS, rear cover gasket, pan gasket etc. added the girdle to oil pump pickup too.

Worked a bunch last weekend on getting the LMG ready to pull. Tonight I got out all the bell housing bolts so should be the last major hurdle. Having the intake out is key for the top two bolts and exhaust manifolds out made the four side ones a breeze. In a previous post I was debating removing the core support, but I think I’m just going to go over it now. I will support the trans with a ratchet strap to the frame and then will lower the front of the truck almost to where the brake rotors will touch. My cherry picker should be able to get it up and over that way.

Question: second pic below shows two electrical connectors. The one by the motor mount secured with a bolt is a knock sensor, correct? What is the other one?

 

[donjetman]

@Dave09
crank position sensor above/behind starter

 

[JoeBlobs]

Awesome thread, sub'd. What a find on that motor!

 

[DaveO9]

@Dave09
crank position sensor above/behind starter

Ok cool, I that’s what I was thinking but there’s another sensor by crank pulley on front that I thought was crank sensor. What is that one?

EDIT: Nvm, I now realize what I was looking at below the balancer is just the connector for the cam sensor. Didn’t realize the the wires from cam were routed down to the bottom for the connector.

Awesome thread, sub'd. What a find on that motor!

Thank you! Yeah, I’m excited to get this thing running.

 

[DaveO9]

Did the last of my unbolting and disconnecting tonight - including sensors and harnesses on bottom of engine, motor mount-to-frame bolts, flex-plate to torque converter bolts, AC comp to bracket bolts, and other odds and ends. Trans is supported with a ratchet strap to frame. In theory, I'm ready to lower the front end as much as I can, bolt on my LS lifting plate and lift her out. Unless I'm forgetting anything....

 

[SpareParts]

Transmission lines bolted to the side of the oil pan?