5.3 Rebuild Cost

[Pranav]

If you can find a lower mileage 5.3 with a known history, simply throwing on beehive springs and hardened/machined valve locks/retainers and a baffled camaro oil pan should be enough.

I bought a 120k mile long block and had it gone through with $3k in parts/labor by a good engine builder. I simply rehoned and skipped the main align bore, good coated bearings, re used pistons, roadrace lifters and coated bearings.

I have not been kind to this motor all year and yet I have perfectly clean oil filters after every 3 day race weekend.

If you get a steel block 5.3, realize that you may or may have rusty coolant passages if it has sat in a yard. You will also have to drill a hole in one of the front mounting bosses for the alternator bracket. The aluminum block requires a dipstick home to be drilled (because front sump pan mounted dipstick in truck apps). It is also lighter and runs cooler if you are ok running at 3300lbs.

If you can swing the cost/effort to get a 5.3, it is well worth it.

It's just a tough, durable package that is well within it's stride when taking it up to "only" 6k, especially if you spend the money on good valve springs. Neutral balance crank, 6 bolts mains, and an ignition system that's solid as hell.

The only real issue with the 5.3/ls is managing crankcase pressure and oil sucking into the intake due to the deep skirt block and super shallow valve covers with tiny breather hoses, but I've pretty much fixed that with huge breather hoses .