1/4 mile times

[64nailhead]

Comes down to your budget. On the cheap if you’re still using the stock 7.5, then a mini spool. But a spool on the street SUCKS a lot. If you can find a Torsen from a 4th gen Camaro or Firebird, then grab a set of stock 2wd s10 axles (‘95 or newer). If you have $400 then grab an Eaton style posi and bearing kit from Quicks Performance. Rub another $250 together and throw in a set of Moser axles. After that chuck a turbo on that 5.3and see what 600whp
Feels
Like
Lol 🙂 and what breaks first - rear or trans!!


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[fleming442]

Open rears hook fine at the track- RUN IT!

 

[olds307 and 403]

I thought a LS 5.3 would run much better, even stock. My 9.6 to 1 Olds 350 with the lame 204/214 cam, 2300 stall 2004R and a 3.42 open rear ran a equal to 14.8 in the 1/4. My 88 hooked terrible, best I did was a 2.07 60 ft, even with a locker, 2.1 with the open and MT ET Street slicks. I would imagine a 2000+ stall converter would make a huge difference as the 5.3 makes nothing down low. I would seriously consider a converter swap, my 4L60E stalled at 1500 rpm, no good for even a stock 5.3.

 

[Yav8]

I had a friend that has a 66 long box with a stock LS 5.3 with a 4.10 gear. I had my 90 GMC shorty with a stock 350 vortec with a stock marine cam. Both were 2 wheel drive one with a 200R and I with a th350 and a 3.42 rear gear. BOTH truck ran almost the same ET. 14.75s and the weights of both trucks were almost the same 4,425 lbs. with drivers. My take is the LS looks nice, but will take a butt load of money to get it to run. For half the price of the LS upgrade you could stroke the vortec block and upgrade the valve springs and add a Comp. 282HR cam. That combo in a 80 cutlass with DR and a small converter and street driven to and from the track would go 11.86 at its best pass. This is what I had in that motor for money. $200 for the 350 truck vortec , Clean and hone the cylinders and put in new cam bearings. Stroker kit was a $800 balanced kit from Comp Products with the dished pistons to make it a 9.5-1 motor with the 64cc heads for pump gas. Comp cam from $150-300 for a regrind or a new cam, I used the regrind from ebay. Comp bee hive valve springs and retainers $225 also from Comp Products. Thats the motor I built for the 80 cuddy. My take on a stock LS and a stock 350 vortec truck motor, both make about the same power. Add a bunch of money to the LS or put a good upgrade cam and springs in a 350 vortec and both will make good power.

 

[GPNX]

I thought about doing that idea when i started with just a 350. Then i wanted to see if i could do a 5.3 swap for cheap. I don't have that much invested in it. I went to the junkyards around here a lot. The throttle response is really good. I have to practice more at take off. It will start doing a brake stand at 1800 rpms. If i just hit the gas it will spin the tire. I was hoping for high 13s with it the way it is. Rear end is an 8.5 out of a 84 grand national.

 

[lilbowtie]

Not going to happen - you need more HP or your car needs to be really light. You have the capability of running low 14's if everything is right.

 

[fleming442]

The throttle response is really good.

That wouldn't have anything to do with fuel injection, would it?

 

[Turbolq4]

I had a friend that has a 66 long box with a stock LS 5.3 with a 4.10 gear. I had my 90 GMC shorty with a stock 350 vortec with a stock marine cam. Both were 2 wheel drive one with a 200R and I with a th350 and a 3.42 rear gear. BOTH truck ran almost the same ET. 14.75s and the weights of both trucks were almost the same 4,425 lbs. with drivers. My take is the LS looks nice, but will take a butt load of money to get it to run. For half the price of the LS upgrade you could stroke the vortec block and upgrade the valve springs and add a Comp. 282HR cam. That combo in a 80 cutlass with DR and a small converter and street driven to and from the track would go 11.86 at its best pass. This is what I had in that motor for money. $200 for the 350 truck vortec , Clean and hone the cylinders and put in new cam bearings. Stroker kit was a $800 balanced kit from Comp Products with the dished pistons to make it a 9.5-1 motor with the 64cc heads for pump gas. Comp cam from $150-300 for a regrind or a new cam, I used the regrind from ebay. Comp bee hive valve springs and retainers $225 also from Comp Products. Thats the motor I built for the 80 cuddy. My take on a stock LS and a stock 350 vortec truck motor, both make about the same power. Add a bunch of money to the LS or put a good upgrade cam and springs in a 350 vortec and both will make good power.

There's a bunch of rambling here. Which truck had the 4 speed trans and which had what rear gears? Unless you have the SBC already then the price of junkyard engines is the same. "Stock" vortec heads and "stock" Marine cam never came in a 1990 pickup. It was saddled with the TBI 350 at best with a raging 190 ponies.

I'd pit a junkyard 4.8/5.3 against your engine any day. They are a cam/springs away from 400+ crank. This isn't conjecture or guesswork, been proven many times. Im questioning the ability of the TBI engine to be able to double it's output with stock vortec heads and a boat bumpstick.

Plus efficiency and all the parts availability nonsense.

 

[Yav8]

There's a bunch of rambling here. Which truck had the 4 speed trans and which had what rear gears? Unless you have the SBC already then the price of junkyard engines is the same. "Stock" vortec heads and "stock" Marine cam never came in a 1990 pickup. It was saddled with the TBI 350 at best with a raging 190 ponies.

I'd pit a junkyard 4.8/5.3 against your engine any day. They are a cam/springs away from 400+ crank. This isn't conjecture or guesswork, been proven many times. Im questioning the ability of the TBI engine to be able to double it's output with stock vortec heads and a boat bumpstick.

Plus efficiency and all the parts availability nonsense.

First I think you have everything mixed up here on what I wrote. The 66 long box did not come with LS motor and a 200R trans and a 4.10 gear and DR tires. The 90 GMC did not come with a 350 vortec motor or a marine cam or a th350 trans and DR tires. These were both trans plants that we both did to have some fun. Both ran very close to the same numbers for the comparison of a LS 5.3 motor and a 350 vortec with a used marine cam. With this small of a cam I reused the stock valve springs with no work to the heads. What it will do is make around 400 ft of tq. from 1000-5200 rpms. Just for comparison of the 350 vortec and a the marine cam and how it performs in a Gbody. (1980 Lamans) This one had a 3.73 gear and a stock converter and a th350 trans, again this was a transplant not the stock V6 and stock trans and rear end. This one was driven to the track and back every weekend to race. Depending on the weather it ran 13.50-13.75 at 101-103mph. I must also state that ALL had headers and duel exhaust except my 90, it had a cross over and a 3 inch single back. This was only to compare the close to stock LS and a 1996-2001 Gen 1 350 vortec with a $35 cam off ebay.

 

[Northernregal]

I can't wait until spring to put some of this to rest. I have what is essentially a stock L76 with a cam and headers. If I don't put down 400 wheel I'm gonna be disappointed. If I wasn't building for the future it would have cost a TON less to make that number. Spin a stock bottom end 350 to 7k and spray a 250 shot into it, I dare you (lots of LS motors doing this and much more with boost). A 5.3 will do it with gapped stock rings, and a 4.8 will do it and spin to 7500. Calculate the cost of building a Gen 1 to do that, my complete 6.0 cost $400 and I reused everything in the rotating assembly except the rings and bearings and easily could have reused everything but one con rod bearing.