What Would You Do?

[coz3z3]

Hello! New here and wanted to get some opinions on what I should do.

Back in November, I acquired a 2013 Yukon XL Denali in great shape, with a seized motor (I knew it was), for VERY cheap. It has 200k on the odometer. My initial plan was to fix it and keep it as I love the Suburbans/Yukons. My plans have changed as I have too many vehicles (projects) and don't have the room or really necessity for such a large vehicle at this time. I thought I would be able to find a used motor for fairly inexpensive, slap it in, and get rid of it. That hasn't been the case since I have seen these 6.2's rising in price it seems. The weekend I brought it home, I found one for $1500, now I can't seem to find on for less then $2800. I've searched my local junkyards with no avail. I would REALLY love to keep the motor out of this. I have a 78 K10 I could put this in, or a 55 Pickup that would also love it.
So with that, I guess my options are:
1) Buy a brand new shortblock
2) Have this one rebuilt
3) Bite the bullet on a used one
4) Keep the motor and trans and part out the vehicle
5) ???


So, what would you do? Thanks!

 

[mikeyss]

This kind of depends on your budget. The Denali would make a nice ride, but there are other expensive fixes that you could run in to, mainly the suspension. But..... A 6.2 in your 78 K10 would be a very cool project. My 6.2 decided to eat a valve seat a few years back, and I spent over 8K building a new one. It is nowhere near stock though, so you may be able to get a short block for around 5k. Check out Texas Speed Performance

 

[coz3z3]

Sweet thanks for the reply. I'm not too concerned with the budget right now. Because at first, when I wanted to keep it, I went straight to Texas speed for a forged short block lol. And you're correct, around 5k. Now with the intent on selling. My budget has seemed to become much lower as I would like to sell it and use as much of the "profit" to build the seized motor for my 78/55.
I've read on here a little bit lately about the suspension and that's been kind of concerning. Which again is why I kind of thought of a part out. Sell that stuff for fairly cheap while it's still decent

 

[swathdiver]

Put a 5.3 in it and let the buyer know.

 

[coz3z3]

Put a 5.3 in it and let the buyer know.

I've thought about this as well. I wasn't sure how much this would devalue the vehicle. Although I can find them cheaper, I'd then need it to get tuned to it. Same with finding a gen 4 6.0.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

Unless you are looking to make profit I would just sell it and recover any cost you’ve invested so far.

I don’t think it’s worth it to put any more time into it unless the profit would be worth it

 

[petethepug]

Make a profit by installing a 6.0L from a 3/4 or 1T. They’re just under 40hp shy of the 403hp of the 6.2, No AFM, e85 capable, runs on regular, bolts in & plentiful at about 2.5-$3.5k from a wrecker.

They just need a tune on the Denali existing ECM to turn off the AFM. If you planned on keeping it I’d cam the 6.0 and turn it into a 400hp+ Reg fuel/e85 beast for towing or super inexpensive limo/hauler.

If you listed it nationwide for sale in States where 91 is $5.25 & e85 is $2.69 someone would pay damn fine money to have a truck that spec’d knowing a fill up would be $80 or $150 vs $165 with 91 (CA). $20k would be a dream price for a truck that still pass smog if it had a 2013 or newer donor motor.

 

[Marky Dissod]

What Would You Do?

Hello! New here and wanted to get some opinions on what I should do. Back in November, I acquired a 2013 Yukon XL Denali in great shape, with a seized motor (I knew it was), for VERY cheap. It has 200k on the odometer. My initial plan was to fix it and keep it as I love the Suburbans/Yukons...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Make a profit by installing a 6.0L from a 3/4 or 1T.
They’re just under 40hp shy of the 403hp of the 6.2L.
No AFM, e85 capable, runs on regular, bolts in & plentiful at about 2.5-$3.5k from a wrecker.

They just need a tune on the existing ECM to turn off the AFM.
If you planned on keeping it I’d can the 6.0L and turn it into a 400hp+ Reg fuel/e85 beast for towing or super inexpensive limo/hauler.

If you listed it nationwide for sale in States where 91 is $5.25 & e85 is $2.69,
someone would pay damn fine money to have a truck that spec’d knowing a fill up would be $80 or $150 vs $165 with 91 (CA).
$20k would be a dream price for a truck that still pass smog if it had a 2013 or newer donor motor.

^^^x2^^^ ^^^x2^^^ ^^^x2^^^

In fact there's a possibility that a 6.0L impersonating a 6.2L would actually find it easier / more likely to pass CA emissions, even if it was only running 87 octane!

I'd not be surprised to find out that very few 6.2L owners / drivers (not all) would either barely notice or not care if their 6.2L was replaced by a 6.0L, especially after learning that they could now safely use 87 octane and still work / play as hard as they wanted / needed.

WARNING:
Any 6.2L being driven on 87 octane should be driven as gingerly / gently / conservatively as possible, until the 87 octane is flushed out by 91 or 93 octane!

 

[coz3z3]

Unless you are looking to make profit I would just sell it and recover any cost you’ve invested so far.

I don’t think it’s worth it to put any more time into it unless the profit would be worth it

Sell it as is right now? Or do you mean like take the motor and send it on its way? My initial investment is almost nothing. I paid very, very little for it. So if I can get a motor for 2k, install and sell for 10k, I would profit 8k. And it is in very good shape. Has the normal wear and tear you would expect out of 200k

 

[coz3z3]

Make a profit by installing a 6.0L from a 3/4 or 1T. They’re just under 40hp shy of the 403hp of the 6.2, No AFM, e85 capable, runs on regular, bolts in & plentiful at about 2.5-$3.5k from a wrecker.

They just need a tune on the Denali existing ECM to turn off the AFM. If you planned on keeping it I’d cam the 6.0 and turn it into a 400hp+ Reg fuel/e85 beast for towing or super inexpensive limo/hauler.

If you listed it nationwide for sale in States where 91 is $5.25 & e85 is $2.69 someone would pay damn fine money to have a truck that spec’d knowing a fill up would be $80 or $150 vs $165 with 91 (CA). $20k would be a dream price for a truck that still pass smog if it had a 2013 or newer donor motor.

What Would You Do?

Hello! New here and wanted to get some opinions on what I should do. Back in November, I acquired a 2013 Yukon XL Denali in great shape, with a seized motor (I knew it was), for VERY cheap. It has 200k on the odometer. My initial plan was to fix it and keep it as I love the Suburbans/Yukons...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

^^^x2^^^ ^^^x2^^^ ^^^x2^^^

In fact there's a possibility that a 6.0L impersonating a 6.2L would actually find it easier / more likely to pass CA emissions, even if it was only running 87 octane!

I'd not be surprised to find out that very few 6.2L owners / drivers (not all) would either barely notice or not care if their 6.2L was replaced by a 6.0L, especially after learning that they could now safely use 87 octane and still work / play as hard as they wanted / needed.

WARNING:
Any 6.2L being driven on 87 octane should be driven as gingerly / gently / conservatively as possible, until the 87 octane is flushed out by 91 or 93 octane!

This was my third option I was looking at. A gen 4 6.0. My second option was looking at a L92 and then just tuning out DOD. For some reason I can get a L92 a few hundred dollars less than a L94. My question comes back to, how much, if any, would the vehicle devalue with a stock 6.0 instead of the 6.2. Thanks for the ideas though! I thought I read the 6.0 was not e85 compatible? That was one thing that kind of threw me off of it. I can tune out DOD by myself since it's a simple switch in HP Tuners. But e85 might be a little more complex for me.

 

[Marky Dissod]

You can get an L92 cheaper than an L94? Since an L92 is an L94 with V4 mode disabled, cool!
(Early L92s had V4 mode disabled, yet had V4 mode hardware installed, for some odd reason.)

My question comes back to
How much, if any, would the vehicle devalue with a stock 6.0L instead of the 6.2L?

Depends on the buyer.
If they'd PREFER to be able to use 87 octane and still work / play hard with the engine, they'd pay more than the stickler who dogmatically insists that it's not a 6.2L.
Sorry I can't math it for you.

But a 6.0L Escalade would be far more moral / ethical than a 5.3L 'vette - especially because a 6.0L Escalade would be MORE durable than a 6.2L because it can work / play with 87.

 

[j91z28d1]

off topic I know, but can you not just pull a few deg timing out of a 6.2 and run 87?

has anyone watched the knock count while running 87? I haven't seen the tune on one, but the 6.2 ls3 tune has a low octane timing map and a high octane timing map. once it sees some ping and retards timing, it will switch to the low timing until the next fill up. couldn't you just copy the low map into the high and call it a day. I doubt you'd even notice the hp outside of a track run.. and even then probably less than a tenth or 2?

so I believe the Cathedral board heads would fit on a 6.2 right? only difference I know of between the 6.0 and the 6.2 besides a mm or so bore is the rec port heads? what makes the 6.2 so sensitive to octane?

 

[petethepug]

If an L92 is in the budget do that. The L96 e85 6.0L was in the HD trucks from 10-17. They are one of the few apples for apples swap that can use your existing ECM.

I mentioned e85 / Reg gas because it can be a deal maker depending on the market you want to sell it in.

The very early, like late 06 L92 6.2L had the AFM hardware but no software to operate it. There were only a few handfuls of those and fewer survivors. You’d be hard pressed to find one.

 

[Marky Dissod]

can you not just pull a few deg timing out of a 6.2L and run 87?

Actually, YES, although its more involved than it would be on a carburetted engine.
Several new spark maps and spark offsets would need to be written.
I SUPPOSE one COULD use the ignition templates from a 6.0L as baseline references, but ...
It would not be nearly as simple or quick as just transcribing 6.0L ignition tables and offsets and whatnot into a 6.2L ecm.

Even the low octane timing maps for 6.2L were never written expecting idiotards to haul arse / several tons with 87 in the tank.
Driving a 6.2L like Miss Daisy til you can get some E85 or 91 octane in there is one thing.
Being cheap with 87 and driving like you shoulda used 91 ... gambling the wrong way ...

LS3 cars are not nearly as heavy as L92 / L9H / L94 trucks.

 

[Marky Dissod]

... so I believe the Cathedral board heads would fit on a 6.2L right?
only difference I know of between the 6.0L and the 6.2L besides a mm or so bore is the rec port heads?
What makes the 6.2L so sensitive to octane?

Religious port heads fit on a 6.2L, but they'd limit power, especially the Gen3 ones (61cc) with the small valves, especially over 4750RpM.
The LS2 used Gen4 church port heads (65cc), remember - those make more power at higher RpM because they used medium valves.

I'd see no problem with using chapel-port heads on anything up to 6.0L - go look at the LS2 again.
400 horse @ 6000RpM ... on 91 octane. OF COURSE it'd be less on 87 octane.
I'd even be willing to use holy-port heads on a 6.2L - but ONLY AFTER having a tune written SPECIFICALLY for 87 octane!

GM did not write any Low Octane Table for any 6.2L specifically for 87 octane.
ECMs since LS1 have Low Octane Tables and High Octane Tables. The engines use BOTH because of variable fuel quality.

There are SEPARATE contingency tables that ALLOW 6.2L engines to GET AWAY WITH using 87 octane.
Not the same as "spec'd and designed for 87".
More like "how far is the next gas station that aren't idiots that are out of 91? Don't put in any more 87 than we need to get there ..."
"... gotta drive like we're all suffering from motion sickness til I fill it with 91, or better yet, E85."

 

[coz3z3]

You can get an L92 cheaper than an L94? Since an L92 is an L94 with V4 mode disabled, cool!
(Early L92s had V4 mode disabled, yet had V4 mode hardware installed, for some odd reason.)Depends on the buyer.
If they'd PREFER to be able to use 87 octane and still work / play hard with the engine, they'd pay more than the stickler who dogmatically insists that it's not a 6.2L.
Sorry I can't math it for you.

But a 6.0L Escalade would be far more moral / ethical than a 5.3L 'vette - especially because a 6.0L Escalade would be MORE durable than a 6.2L because it can work / play with 87.

Interesting! Thank you. Yes, I have found a few that were a couple hundred dollars less than the L94. I thought it to be a little funny. I will have to think about it and look at some more options for sure.


Thank you to everyone that has replied!

 

[donjetman]

off topic I know, but can you not just pull a few deg timing out of a 6.2 and run 87?

The first 12 months and 12k+ miles that we owned our 2007 6.2L L92 Denali we ran nothing but 87 & 89 unleaded. Gas mileage suffered.
I did get a "knock" message once or twice.

 

[petethepug]

L96 6.0L Non-AFM, Iron block Alum head 360hp / 380tq 9.6-1 motor.
L94 is the 6.2L AFM 403hp motor.
L92 is the 07 & 08 6.2L Non-AFM 380hp motor. Trucks & Esky had 403hp approx 07-14.
L9H is the one year only 09 ... nevermind, I'll just paste the app chart below

The Definitive Guide to LS Engine Specs and LS Engine Upgrades

We put everything you need to know about the Gen. III & Gen. IV LS engine family in 1 spot—from cam specs to upgrades & everything in between.

www.onallcylinders.com

 

[coz3z3]

Hey everyone! Project is still underway and still looking for a motor. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. At this time, it's been put on hold just because of weather here and had a vacation and other things. I have the motor ready to come out. My only issue I'm having is the torque converter bolts. Since the motor is seized, I can't spin the converter to access the bolts. Any ideas? I can't fit a torch in there to cut the bolts. And I'm having a hell of a time trying to separate the converter from the trans itself. Thanks again!

 

[j91z28d1]

only 2 ways I can think if, drop the oil pan and loosen the rods and main till you can turn it. or pull the converter out of the tranny.