3 LS engine build traps and pitfalls to avoid at all costs! 

I very much enjoy unfiltered JR rants of this sort....

For us LS beginners who are financially strapped, this is the most informed informational LS Channel around. Learn something new every time. Some day I'll get it done. 👍

To be fair, in every Richard Holdener video I’ve seen he’s very clear with the engine performance graphs that show what RPM range produces the best power for a given combination. If internet idiots don’t pay attention and go buy expensive parts that work best above 5000rpm and all they do is drive around on the street then I have no sympathy for their stupid mistakes. I appreciate you are honest about the headers and buying for looks where many folks would not.

Both my brother and I have been building high performance engines & doing high end fabrications for over 20 years, & this video is so spot on in so many ways! We say most of this stuff so so so many times too!

Hey JR. I must agree, I am finally in the middle of my swap. The directions you can go are endless, so I am sticking to the realization that "I" dont know as much as a GM Engineer. Sticking with virtually all OE parts as my 6.0 came. The education I have received over the last few years, from you and others is now paying dividends. Thanks.

The 5.3 4l80e swap on my 82 Gmc I used a 5.3 from a 04 Avalanche and a 4l80e out of an 04 Silverado. All stock everything except for aftermarket harness. Cleaned up the engine and put new head,intake and exhaust manifold gaskets. New oil pump and new exhaust manifold bolts. Had to get another drive shaft cause mine was dented.. I just wanna cruise to shows and do decent burnouts.

You have a really bad attitude young man! I love it! Keep it up. If your junk runs,keep it running!

You’re right about Richard Holder he is a great guy and an awesome source of information. I reached out to a lot of people in the LS community, so when I continually go to for information is a guy who won drag week with a Stock bottom end LS.

Great video man. I'm researching ls swaps and you hit the nail on the head in terms of losing sight of what's good enough. It's too easy online to see other people doing the best thing to their car and reaching for 1000hp, when really you would be happy with a stock ls making 300. Thanks for the reality check.

I spent $90 on a strap-on torque angle tool for doing Subaru head bolts. Used it twice, now I just use a sharpie and eyeball it. Over 20 done now with no issues, let's go brandon!

Everyone wants 800-1k rwhp.. but yea get it going with a hot cam & small bolts ons at 500hp to the flywheel.. enjoy it & get a feel for it. Then in the meanwhile stack your parts for the 2.0 version. Way practical & in the meantime you get to enjoy your hardworking! Very valid points my friend. Great content!

JR, thank you for all the great content! Found you last year when looking for information on doing my swap. You have inspired me to get my hands dirty and go for the junk yard "it ran to the scene of the crash" route instead of just spending money. Keep up the great work!

Yo JR this is why I say watching your videos because even for the beginning diy engine swap dudes that's interested in LS swaps, you break everything down in the simplest way and just keep it real. Thanks and keep it coming bro!

"the entire military runs on powerpoint" ooooofffffff, this fucking hit hard. I do not wish to remember those days lol

I have learned so much more from The Driveway Engineer, than I could have ever paid for.

Another great video with lots of useful information, for someone like me who’s just become interested in Ls swapping my vehicle, thanks again for the “ to the point tips and information “

Last year I helped a friend that had made several bad choices because he wanted a LS swap. What should have been a cheap swap ended up costing almost $5000 from bad decisions. He traded a built 383 with a th400 trans +$1000 for a 200k mile 1998 LS1/4l60e, the LS1 ended up being seized and had to be rebuilt. He hit a point where he was going to give up and sell it all but I stepped in to at least get it running. Another expensive waste of money was the sheet metal intake he had bought, looks cool but does nothing and costs alot.

You brought in some great arguments. I went down the 8.1L rabbit hole thinking it was going to make me feel warm and fuzzy as a diesel and it just didn't work out. The 8.1L is great at so many things but it's just not a relaxed diesel towing my RV by any means. There simply needs to be more people like you speaking their minds to help balance things out.

You helped me throughout my swap and finally got to move my project on its own power like a month ago. My engine/transmission came ot off a 2002 Tahoe with 190000 milesand I put it in stock and thats how im keep it besides shorty headers and cold air intake.

Nice vid. I bought a running kinda driving 99 5.3 silverado 1500 4x4 for 600 bucks. Bad trans, no drive or over drive, I drove it on the trailer. Pulled it out the other day putting a gasket kit on it and then it's going into a 79 GMC. What he says is real. It's easy to get lost in buying the "best" parts for your swap. The most I am doing to my 5.3 is new gaskets, no need to open it up any further.

Thats what i like about this channell....no Bs....just strait to the point. Thanks JR.

Love how honest he is

Lol. You are right about everything. I have guys asking me a lot about helping or doing a swap for them. They usually don't know but want to be a part of the thing that all their buddies are talking about. They don't want understand that they need to come up with a plan with the help of a seasoned swapper and go with it.

All I have to say is, The LS Swap Community NEEDS MORE OF YOU…. Thanks 🙏🏾 buddy 😎

Great video and quality information. Doing a LS swap into a 2005 Lincoln Navigator. Still on the look out for an affordable 6.0L / 4L80 combo.....Prices have gone stupid crazy! Waiting on the holidays when people will need money and be willing to dump a complete wrecked vehicle for an affordable price.

Never understood the disassembled engines that ran!! Imo you have the best no nonsense channel!!

Bro it’s been a little and I saw this video posted a year ago. Shesh time flies when you are having fun. So much has changed and still so much teaching. Thank you jr

So I leaned to stick with the basic engine and get something running for cheap than a huge expensive paper weight. Thank you!

My local u-pull it sells all V8’s for $350. I’m not ready to do the LS swap on my Land Rover, I just did work on it’s 4.6 (Buick 215), but I know I will need to replace the Rover V8. LS’s are way more reliable and cheaper. With that said, I do need to buy a special adapter to mount a GM trans to my Rovers 230 transfer case. I just found a used one for $400 because the dude is doing a diesel swap on an LS swapped Rover. I know all about rabbit holes, my other project is a H6 swapped Subaru. I see so many RU-vid channels swapping the intakes on LS’s. I’m just swapping in a complete truck motor, L33 because it’s aluminum block like the Rover V8. Similar weight. Thanks for the information.

#2 was the biggest pitfall I have ever made in my life. That slows the whole process. Thanks for the slap in the face J.R. You told me from the beginning. I didn’t listen because I don’t kno you and money grows on trees😖! But you were definitely right. Yeaa Mane

Amazing information, I’m new to LS world and appreciate all the help.

I made some homemade headers.from the heads are 4 inch and the collector are 10 inch.They will work good at 37,000 rpm.

I’m with you on the trunion upgrades. I’ve never seen the stock needle bearings fail. There was a bulletin from GM about it about 20 years ago, but I’ve never personally seen one fail. My swap runs stock rockers and they’re fine. But my cam is only .588 lift.

Jr u are right about everything u said only reason i got shorty headers for my lq9 was i was tired of stock manifolds leaking i know shortys wont make more power but they look nice and no more leaks so win win i love ur videos cause ur a real person if my motor was messed up ur gonna tell me wrong or just send it just to prove a point to people so my lq4 blew up i got a lq9 someone told me ill gain nothing from putting the lq9 tune in my pcm that used to run my lq4 motor

Spot on!! Awesome video!! This kind of content is why I subbed originally. We’ll done sir. Lastly. What happens is once they get to a certain point, a fella can’t turn back because he’s too far invested, often just to spare his pride. Ask me how I know 🙄. I’ve learned my lesson. Complete or nothing.

💪💪💪Great vid I'm stepping into my first LS swap and this was what I needed to hear, thanks for the gems

I found myself in 3 categories he mentioned in the pitfalls. And I was sure I wasn't doing anything wrong in my approach to this. Glad I learned something. Sad I bought an engine like the one without an intake he displayed. Makes me feel like I bought a hunk of junk now

Swapped a motor in a 07 Silverado for someone. I got the motor out of it in payment. Crank was fucked up. Valves bent. Cam chewed up. Lifters toast Bought a 58x crank for $75… used the rods in the engine. Put summit forged pistons in it. Put a set of milled 862s on it. Custom btr cam. 11/32 push tubes. Btr high rpm springs. Ctsv lifters. Car runs 8.90s in the 1/4 like a bracket car and only have 2k into the engine.

No BS, Not convoluted and straight to the point. Got my Sub. Keep it real 🤜🤛

New subscriber ... you hit the nail on the head brother. Another big one is I have a good running engine and I need to take the heads off to make sure 🤣🤣🤣 do a compression test and leave it alone lol

Thanks for this I just started the thought process of swapping one in a old car I have and been going down a rabbit hole on what I should get or should I buy new heads ect. Now I know just buy a complete one and throw it in

Thanks for every bit of info

Brutally honest......I love it

I got my 5.3 from a wrecked Tahoe z71 in some guys front yard. I pulled the engine, trans, harness, gas pedal, O2 sensors, intake basically every took off to remove the engine I took home all for $1,000. I did the headers and fancy digital gauges but the rest was mostly junkyard parts and stuff I modified to make it fit. It runs great so far. If it breaks I’ll go and get another junkyard engine to replace it. This is my first LS swap and I look forward to doing it again hopefully soon.

Use what you have and upgrade later Best advice someone said

Sunday I went and picked up a 1999 firebird with the V6. The engine runs but has a knock. I figured I would just LS swap it. I do not want to go Down a rabbit hole. What I need to know is 1) can I use the transmission that came with the car? 2) do you reuse any of the parts that are on the V6? 3) does the suspension need to be done right away? 4) do I need a new K member? I'm sure there are 100 more questions but those are the most important to me.

Your honesty,is dead on!!

Just bought a 2002 Silverado with a LM7 4L60e for $500.00. They towed it to my house said the crank sensor needed replace. So I checked things out Charged the battery and vroom she started right up. Now looking for something to swap it into!

🤣i knew this video would sound like this🤣i love it. Basically keep it simple,buy a complete engine,install it,send it.

Someone finally said it!!! Thank you. Video and point well made. 👌🏽

Keeping it real JR keep it coming great video

As soon as you said, “you’ve never had a turbo, b**ch.” I subscribed and hit the bell.

Dang I'm glad I found your channel before I got too deep into my build. I'll go through your videos before I bombard you with dumdass questions, but Im doing a quick, cheapish build to swap into an 04 V6 silverado

Thanks for the information needed

Thanks for the good information.

This is the video everyone should watch before doing an Ls swap. I've gone down the road of spending a lot of money to do one, and learned that I didn't have to.. I could have got away much cheaper, and had just as much fun. I'm about to swap another 3rd gen Nova of mine.. the complete running 5.3 with wiring, pcm, tac module, and pedal I got in trade for a big block bellhousing (roughly $300 because it was a lakewood bellhousing).. I went with ICT billet swap mounts ($40), an Amazon 302-2 oil pan ($200, and came with everything including the dipstick), Ls3 manifolds ($200, most people can get away with the stock truck manifolds).. I'll barely have any money into my swap this time.. and the 300hp the 5.3 puts out is a lot more than the probably 150 the car had originally. I also have about $250 into a clutch, pressure plate, and clutch ball pivot adapter because I'm running a muncie 4 speed.

This cracked me up!!!!! It was like hearing myself rant about people buying dumb stuff they don’t need for a build that never happens and then spend all their time bench racing like they know something 😂😂

Just stumbled across your channel and love your keep it simple stupid commentary. Definitely subscribing and looking forward to new LS videos.

Thank you for the knowledge.

Spot on, I have a shop with a dyno and deal with this daily.

“You never had anything turbocharged biittch” I’m crying 😅😂🤣. I needed this this morning.

Very impressive, this upload...

I half-disagree about headers - they do make power, but 5-10hp for that price is absurdly bad $/hp. Same for the TBSS intake, unless you can pull one complete from the boneyard for $30 like I have. The cast OEM headers that fit and truck intake if it fits will let you spend money on things that REALLY make a difference.

Good video I had my project on hold for 2 years obsessing over the perfect motor wanting a lower mileage 6.0/6.2. Big waste of time I just want a fun street car. Found a 5.3 with half the mileage, quarter the price and actually complete! Used the extra money for cam and car intake to fit under hood. I can burn the tires easily and i'm actually enjoying the car now.

Informed is the key word here!

good honest video mate, thanks

New 2 UR group on FB & U say it how it is & It's great !!! Thanks 4 being U

People really need to do the research before buying things is a big one

JR I always appreciate you, and your knowledge I am not made of money, so you have struck a cord with me Brother, I did have to invest in a Holley oil pan to get my 5.3 in my 64 Chevelle, I ran into some clearance issues with tie rods but other than that, it's been a big learning experience. Thanks for all your help. Look forward to the next video.

Thank you for your videos

Hi, Im JR as well! I own a muffler shop. Love the videos! Doing a LS SOON!!!

Just stumbled on to this video love it thanx I will be subscribing

I love your TRUTH!!!! Please keep it up!!

I did my swap in 2010 when there was a lot less information but fortunately most of it was good. I had a 383 with heads, a 243 duration cam and rpm air gap manifold that blew up. I replaced it with an lq4 with ls1 hotcam and nothing else done. I did have to rebuild it due to copper showing on the cam bearings but I had built engines before so no big deal. That near stock lq4 was 2/10s faster in the 1/4 than the built 383 that it replaced and it ran better on the street. I watch Richard Holdner too and I reach a different conclusion than a lot of people, I see the gains offered by the best and concluded it typically isn’t worth the money. I also see a lot of tests to get that extra 12hp are done with a fully built engine often a 408 stroker. Unless your engine is built to the max you mostly won’t notice the difference and your engine will likely run worse, the whole package has to work together. The best intake is typically the stock one, headers may be a good idea if the stock manifolds won’t fit, I went with headers because my 383 already had headers and going that rout was easier. Years later I modified the 6.0 and went down the rabbit hole to improve it but I had it running and driving while I collected parts, if plans had changed I would have lost money but still had a running driving 6.0 swap. For most people I think a 5.3 with an Ls6 cam would be spot on.

Enjoyed your video and your opinion. Just bought a whole running Tahoe, 5.3 engne, for a swap. I too believe in buying whole running donors. $1200 for every piece I'll need.

Most people don't have the time, patience, or know how to properly assemble an LS. And watching someone who does, makes it look easier than it is.

Great video

Gotta say, you have a great channel!! Lots of real world advice. I have an L33 going into an S-10 and need all the knowledge I can get. Anything specific to this engine you can offer? Again, great channel!! Keep up the great work!!!!

My brother and I started a budget build 5.3 swap in 03 BMW 325xi for just fun.

I actually had a 30k mile 4th gen 6.0 GM crate motor that had a trunion failure on cylinder 1. Still ran fine, lifter was just kicked a little because of missing needles.

I plan to use a Truck Norris cam. It doesn't change low end torque, doesn't need springs, and adds about 30-40 HP at Higher end. I'm using ebay headers. Nothing else. I use my truck for hauling wood, pulling a trailer.

Funny. Thanks all good points and good content keep it up.

the best advice I have heard yet, buy it complete or pass it over

I like your attitude

When I did my build I went to junk yard. I wanted a 6.0. Couldn't find any in my yard. Just 4.8 and 5.3 there. The 4.8 was the easiest pick. So you know what my truck has? A 4.8. Why? Cause that's what got my truck up and running.

This video is amazing

"I didn't blur Matt's name out here because Matt's a dickhead" Bahaha, gold.

I cant wait to run into you im it Detroit YOU MY MAN ARE THE BEST

Great information appreciate it

Love your honesty!!!

I'm 61 years young but I'm still old school. Been wrenching my own stuff my whole life. I'm JUST now starting to contemplate doing a LS swap. Still reading up on it. Sure would love to hang out with you for a weekend. (I'll buy the beer!) LOL You obviously know what your talking about.

i bought my 5.3 ls right out of a pull apart from a wreck for 700 they would have charged 600 if i had pulled it... fired it in the wreck, bought it slammed it in my k10 all stock except for the standalone harness and a pcm reflash iam out doing burnouts everyday runs perfect

I've resisted watching this video for a month (recommended) as I figured it would suck. No offense meant. I've never seen your channel before. Awesome video sir!

Thank you

OMG I LOVE this video!!!

thank you for this video

Truck intake, no-name eBay full length headers and a stage two cam is plenty for 95% of guys on the street. Good springs, roller tip rockers and maybe a convertor. You're done. Spend your money on gears and a transmission that'll last.

This video is very helpful and the guy is funny str8 Savage!!!😂

👍 thanks for the video

Your the bomb dude love your videos