in the past two nights ive read the last three pages of this thread. im pretty intersested in the V8 conversion but unfortunately i wont be anywhere near this anytime soon. money and the current condition of the truck are the only problems.

anyways, heres the questions and the basic info that ive picked up from the threads i have read. as ive read only the first three pages, i havent read anyones true build thread; they are all soon-to-be V8s. if there is anything you can add or correct that i have said, feel free to do .


the best bang for the buck engine for the ZR2 is the 5.7L. right out of the box, you have the added hp of the larger engine versus the 5.3L (not hating don't worry ). the 5.7L has stopped being used in trucks since 1999 and in vans in around '02 and '03. it will now be a little harder to find one with lower miles on it. the 5.7L is almost like a 4.3L with two additional cylinders.

to swap the 5.7L in, the following is required:

-wiring harness (mostly fuel injection) will needed to be extended by currentperformancewiring.com

-motor mounts will need to be modded up or bought from advanceadapters.com

-proper cooling will be needed (e-fans, tranny cooler to relieve the tranny and radiator, larger water pump,and the corvette radiator is a nice addition although its not needed)

-ECM will have to be flashed to accomodate for new engine (2 new cylinders).

-and clearance of the oil pan is a must. either a bl will resolve this or an adjusted oil pan can be used, purchased at s10v8.com.

i want to know more about the best exhaust setup. i read that Sanderson headers are the best choice (Zr2x350) because of their patented gator grip, gasket non-required setup. what about beyond this?

i live in NC and the emissions are pretty strict. im not sure of all the details but if i could ever go V8 i wanna be compliant but have the nice rumble with some good torque and a few horses to go with it. how does Sanderson headers to 2 hi flow cats to H pipe to 2 fm 40's sound? or would i do headers, 2 hi flow cats, H pipe and straight pipes after that?

as far as swapping accesories goes, i believe i have read the PS pump, AC compressor, alternator, and the starter (i hope that shimming would not be the case for all, Zr2x350 ) will all swap. that correct if they are all in good condition?

i believe i would upgrade the alternator by then anyways and would an upgrade on the PS pump be worthwhile?

fuel pressure needs to be bumped up as well so a full size fuel pump would also be a need.

i dont want to buy a rebuilt engine if possible... stock 350 with bolt on pony gainers would be an awesome option for me. what kind of things would help out?

i would highly consider a mild cam versus a high end cam or the stock cam. just looking to get some extra out of it, but would still like to keep the torque. what would be needed to properly accomodate for the change in cam?

how about upper intake plenums? valve covers? heads?

all information appreciated . theres still some info. that ive missed putting into this one but its a lot to absorb from just two days in . ill continue my research in the mean time and hopefully ill make my way over to the real build threads.

Be careful on getting different cams for the vortec heads. They need to be between .420 and .430 lift for stock heads. With work done to them you can get decent lift. There is info on it in my v8 swap thread.

thanks for the help guys. ill check your swap thread.


i new the 5.3L was the newer engine but i didnt kno that it had more hp outta the box. from all the threads ive read... this engine is more expensive too tho. and aftermarket is out of the question expense-wise. at the expense of new heads and the 5.3L, you can get more hp and torque with the 5.7L with even more mods at the same cost. that right?

the 5.3 has more hp, and you can use our stock starter and yes i did have to shim mine but that's nothing abnormal.

so really a 5.3L swap is just as much an ideal swap? other than having to modify the motor mounts in another way, and having to get a flexplate-torque converter adapter from advance adapters, its really that much more expensive? do u have to get a new ECM and wiring or can that stuff be flashed and modified?

what is it with this piston slap and rough startups with the 5.3L? is it harmful to the engine and does it reduce its lifetime? lotta questions but one more. is this the motor with the fuel conserving capabilities by backing down to 4 cylinders at highway speeds?

I chose to do the 5.7 swap because the 5.3 swap, from everything I read, takes a lot more money and a lot more work. None of your 4.3 accessories will work and I think your computer can be reprogrammed but I am not sure. I have read where people have notched their cross member to get the 5.3 to fit. I didn't want to consider that much. If you have all the tools and the time I think the 5.3 would be nice. But is it really worth an extra 30hp?

Some Info Googled:

http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f213/new-to-...v8-swap-329463/

http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f213/5-3l-sw...finally-294516/