Doing LS Swap - I have no idea what I'm doing!

[ls1nova71]

If the engine you're getting has 126k miles on it, I personally wouldn't do any of that stuff to it, with the exception of the oil pan for fitment issues. I mean, if you went out and bought a 2004 Silverado, and it only had 126k miles on it, you'd think of it as a fairly low mileage vehicle these days, and you wouldn't touch it. I understand not wanting to have problems down the road, but in all likelyhood, you won't have any issues with what you listed. Water pumps generally last longer than the mileage it's at, but even so, they are an easy repair. Front and rear seals are long lasting too, unlike the old small block stuff, and there's the potential of making problems you didn't have before by improper installation of them as there is no alignment fixtures on the engine and require special tools to install. You can do them without the tools, but in my opinion at the miles the engine has, not worth the risk. When you replace the oil pan you will have to replace the pick up tube, which should come with a new O ring, replace that and be sure not to pinch or tear it in any way and you should be fine, that O ring is usually the only thing that causes people trouble on swaps. This is all my opinion however, you can spend your money any way you see fit, just throwing it out there.

[EagleChief]

Originally Posted by ls1nova71

If the engine you're getting has 126k miles on it, I personally wouldn't do any of that stuff to it, with the exception of the oil pan for fitment issues. I mean, if you went out and bought a 2004 Silverado, and it only had 126k miles on it, you'd think of it as a fairly low mileage vehicle these days, and you wouldn't touch it. I understand not wanting to have problems down the road, but in all likelyhood, you won't have any issues with what you listed. Water pumps generally last longer than the mileage it's at, but even so, they are an easy repair. Front and rear seals are long lasting too, unlike the old small block stuff, and there's the potential of making problems you didn't have before by improper installation of them as there is no alignment fixtures on the engine and require special tools to install. You can do them without the tools, but in my opinion at the miles the engine has, not worth the risk. When you replace the oil pan you will have to replace the pick up tube, which should come with a new O ring, replace that and be sure not to pinch or tear it in any way and you should be fine, that O ring is usually the only thing that causes people trouble on swaps. This is all my opinion however, you can spend your money any way you see fit, just throwing it out there.

I appreciate your input. I just don't want to have to worry about leaks or any issues down the road. If the rear seal will last to 200k or so, it'll be a long time before I get there in this truck. The less I have to replace, the better.

When I replace the oil pan, I know I've seen a few options. In my list, I have the H3 Hummer oil pan written down. Is that a good one to go with? As far as the pick up tube, I'm assuming I get one for the same vehicle that the pan comes from, right? Due to my lack of knowledge, would I get an oil pump, pickup tube, and pan from the same type of vehicle - whatever that may be?

[ls1nova71]

Most parts on an LS engine will go 200k with ease. As for the oil pan, the Hummer pan, or the "Muscle Car" pan as GM calls it is about an inch or so shallower than the truck pan, and may hang down a tad below the crossmember depending on mounts, so as long as you're not slammed on the ground will work fine. If you buy the oil pan as a kit, the pick up tube will come with it, which is what i would recommend.

[EagleChief]

Originally Posted by ls1nova71

Most parts on an LS engine will go 200k with ease. As for the oil pan, the Hummer pan, or the "Muscle Car" pan as GM calls it is about an inch or so shallower than the truck pan, and may hang down a tad below the crossmember depending on mounts, so as long as you're not slammed on the ground will work fine.

An inch doesn't sound like much, but I know can be a lot, as well. My truck is dropped 3.5"/5" with spindles, springs. What's a good pan to use for that? I'm assuming the truck pan won't work, but maybe it will?

[ls1nova71]

It depends on your mounts somewhat. The Hummer pan is what I use in my trucks that are similarly lowered and have never had any problems. If you want a shallower pan, the CTS-V pan is what you want, but it's a much more expensive pan for some reason.