hindsight is 20/20

[james w]

Hi everyone I'm new here and I've been reading alot of what everyone has said and done to their dd tahoes \ trucks ect. I have a 2002 z71 flex fuel tahoe with gt5 (410) gears. It has 200,000 miles long tubes, ory ,cat back, corvette servo and Cai. I purchased a efi live and am currently waiting my BBTUNE eagerly, however like everyone else I want more power. I do my own repairs and such as I'm a auto tech by trade ( 20+ years) so that being said if all you fine people could maybe give me your suggestions if you were in my situation what would you do new engine with better cam and heads, converter/transmission done. Or new valve train, heads, cam converter/trans Done. Or new valve train, turbo kit --spike,trick,kb-- converter/trans Done. The current engine has good oil pressure but has a lifter tick on first start that goes away after a few seconds 40+ psi hot idle. The trans is ok but 200k miles I don't want to put a converter in front of it for it to just give up and contaminate everything, same concern with the engine I'd hate to put a turbo kit on it, have the engine fail and contaminate the new turbo. So if you experienced people would give me some suggestions or maybe hindsight on what you all have done and learned I'd really appreciate it my budget is 5-8k prefer lower but it is what it is, if any vendors could suggest a potent tried and true package that would be great to looking for as much dd power as possible thanks everyone

 

[Walkercraig01]

Drop a 6.0 in

 

[Trooper_Ed]

I agree with all you said...no point putting a turbo on a tired engine with a weak trans. I'd do it in steps, as you can, do the trans, and then engine build.

 

[james w]

When you say do the trans do you mean new beefy 4l60e or 80 conversion

 

[james w]

Wow not nearly as many replies as I expected
How about doing a leak down on the 200k motor if good results replace oil pump timing set valve train he's carry on
Are there any opinion on the life expectancy of the 5.3

 

[Countryboy07]

If it were me and I was planning on adding a turbo, I'd do the following;

1. Built 4L80 swap
2. Build a long block capable of withstanding boost either 5.3 or 6.0
3. Swap in built engine and turbo
4. Have fun

Granted, this is the costly route to go, but makes the most sense in my mind. You see people taking junk yard 5.3's boosting the crap out of them, blowing them up, and then swapping another junk yard motor in. Might be a cheap solution up front, but eventually the cost will add up. Since your doing your own work, you will save a lot of money right there. Take your time, find good deals, build it right the first time, and you'll thank yourself down the road.



-French

 

[Walkercraig01]

Life expectancy on these are over 250k. Numerous ppl gave that of course throwing boost into the mix would greatly shorten it

 

[james w]

t

If it were me and I was planning on adding a turbo, I'd do the following;

1. Built 4L80 swap
2. Build a long block capable of withstanding boost either 5.3 or 6.0
3. Swap in built engine and turbo
4. Have fun

Granted, this is the costly route to go, but makes the most sense in my mind. You see people taking junk yard 5.3's boosting the crap out of them, blowing them up, and then swapping another junk yard motor in. Might be a cheap solution up front, but eventually the cost will add up. Since your doing your own work, you will save a lot of money right there. Take your time, find good deals, build it right the first time, and you'll thank yourself down the road.



-French

Life expectancy on these are over 250k. Numerous ppl gave that of course throwing boost into the mix would greatly shorten it

Thanks yea I've found a 100k engine for cheap I'm gonna do a little inspection and if necessary freshen it up or just go ahead and build it but thank you for the response

 

[deerhunter1970]

Life expectancy on these are over 250k. Numerous ppl gave that of course throwing boost into the mix would greatly shorten it

FWIW - I have a stock '02 Yukon XL with 457K on the original motor and trans.....trying to make it to 500K. It's really about how you care for them and how you drive them.

RPM - Ruining Peoples Motors

 

[hoss08]

Id go with a mildly built LQ motor. There is a night and day difference in power between my 6.0 caddy and the 5.3 Yukon I drove the other week. A good start would a healthy 6.0 with a cam duration around 220, TBSS or NNBS intake manifold with an LS2 throttle body, long tubes, Efans, a good tune and a good trans. If you want to stay with the 4l60 a transgo HD2, billet servos and nice cooler would be a good start. Put a decent limited slip in the rear along with 4.10s and you'll have a pretty solid performer at a very reasonable cost. If you want to add boost later on you can rest easy knowing these 6.0s can really handle the boost. Although you may want to go with the 4l80 swap if you are dead set on boost. Even with an NA build an 80e is a good idea if your budget allows for it.

Deerhunter, 457k is a ton of miles. I cant remember if it was 500k or 1 million miles but a guy with a Silverado put that many on his truck with the original motor and trans and GM actually gave him a new truck. Maybe if you're lucky you might get a free truck out of GM...