hey pewter, i think i can follow that plan. I'm leaning toward that route the more i read and hear your recommendations. Blackseven: i'm sourcing the motor from Stoystown, PA....stoystown auto parts...good website. i found them thru car-part.com. Steve is one of the employees that i spoke with and they are checking one out this morning for me. its a about 39k miles for 2k out of an 09 2500hd. They have a good 08 ly6, with about 54k miles....should i consider that or stay with 09 year?

 

2007 up ly6 or even the flex fuel l96 will work fine for you. All have vvt and no afm... so while you are in it swapping the top end delete the vvt and you will have no real problems. You can leave it and cam accordingly but its just another tuning consideration. And yes... use you 5.3s top end... I love those engines (and the 07 up 4.8's) for parts for 6 liters. I had an 09 2500hd ly6 truck and it was a joke. Stock for stock my 05 could rape it... and that was with the lq4 stock tune lol. They have an utterly useless powerband in a heavy truck. Like no joke 4500 rpm plus.... anything below that is lethargic at best. Driving one is like is like the kid in a Honda waiting for his vtec to kick in. Luckily I lost that lump 09 at 60000 miles shortly before one of its junk ls7 lifters ate a lobe off the cam. Smaller duration cam with your 243/799s and the 87 mm truck intake from the 5.3 will make a nice truck to drive.

 

duly noted, some great information here. I'm hoping to get one on the way tuesday after this holiday weekend. I've got a few to choose from, i never heard anything from the stoystown yard...i'm assuming the engine had issues (front end collision). I expanded the search and found many more options with better mileage and similar prices.

So plan is this, please chime in if i got anything wrong:

aquire2009 ly6 2500hd engine
remove intake and heads from ly6, sell.

install my 5.3 LC9 intake on 6.0
install my 5.3 heads (after valve job and resurface)
install my 5.3 intake


reprogram computer / have tuned for 6.0?


Peweterliftedz mentioned hardened rods, can someone recommend a particular brand or point me to a correct part # for the application.


thanks, getting anxious to get started.

 

Pushrods. You will need to measure realistically for length as you will be decking the heads so you ensure proper preload. You can buy them in 0.050" increments. Don't forget a cam for your list. And whether or not you want to delete the variable valve timing or not as your 5.3 didn't have it and any 6 liter you get will. If you want to delete it you need a timing cover and a new top timing chain sprocket.

 

Ok the Vvt delete is available as kit I believe I've seen those somewhere. I'll research how to properly measure pushrods in meantime or should I let machine shop handle that? When installing new cam I assume new bearings are in order. Would it be silly not to have entire lower end rebuilt at this point even if low mileage engine? I guess what I'm really getting at is if I'm gonna rebuild it anyway I may opt for less $ higher mileage motor and let machine shop have at it.

 

A cam swap does not require new bearings, personally I would just buy a low mileage engine and get after it. You can use the front cover off your 5.3 for the VVT delete. If you don't want to do a cam swap, I would grab an LS2 pull-out cam cheap

Oh and don't forget a new timing chain tensioner, the 07+ tensioner is junk.

 

Sell the LY6 heads and intake...and use the 243s? Probably some of the worst advice ive read on PT.

 

Find a LY6, keep the VVT, have your stock pcm tuned for the LY6 with VVT.

 

care to elaborate avlanche?? Why wouldn't he want more usable torque for his wifes DD. Rectangular port heads are designed for flow and rpm, useless for a heavy DD suburban.

Also adding VVT would require a new harness.

 

Running too much lift on rectangular port heads is what kills the torque, keep the cam lift around .500 and it will be fine. Adding VVT does not require a new harness, what it requires is a new cam sensorconnector and adding two wires to the pcm.