Hello, Tommy here recently I asked about a tick my suburban (03) had because I was about to go on vacation. Suburban made it just fine and did great. I plan to start working on the Silverado (01) and the suburban this year. My plan for the Silverado (01 1500hd) is cam, full exhaust, tune, 241 swap, vortech blower in the future. The suburban will be getting just the cam, exhaust, and tune. I’m curious as to what you guys favorite cam options for both na and for boost. I plan to rebuild both motors as I’m in there doing some work. Both rigs will get headers to flow through cats with an equalizer loop to an x pipe and side exits. I really want to use kooks for headers but I just don’t know my budget will allow. Trying to do the Silverado for 10k and the suburban for 5k. Any help-full knowledge or tips thought this upgrading process would be greatly appreciated. The suburban is the family rig and I don’t want to overdo it on power as my wife drives it mostly and in the winter. I’d like to do 03-07 cat eye front end and I’m also curious the modifications needed for that project. I found a parts rig that I can steal fenders and a hood off of. I will buy a grill and the main reason for the swap is so I can use alpha Rex headlights
Upgrades.
- Thread starter Tommye
- Start date
This is what I want to do this the truck I’ve always dreamed of a blown Silverado and the truck is already the truck I want. I’m more so looking at advice for not buying shit parts haha. As for the suburban yes we both want the performance mods just nothing crazy she’s still newish to driving and definitely does not need 3-400 hp at the ready I do a bit of pulling with it and it’s used more for our daily driver than anything. Furthermore the suburban has a tick or a knock and I’d like to tear it apart and rebuild it. While I’m in there I might as well do a cam and a few other supporting mods like I said I don’t need anything crazy out of the suburban just a nice daily with a little more power. I want to run the Silverado na for a while before I supercharge it. I don’t want to do things twice so I’m trying to get a head start on boosted parts for the build.
I’m thinking on a cateye conversion, you’ll need from the doors forward. I’m thinking core support, headlight brackets, and bumper are different between the 99-02 and 03-07.
Oh damn I knew about everything but the bumper I thought those mounted up the same but thank you I will take that off the parts truck aswell. I don’t necessarily like the “cateye” front end more than the “round eye” but I do already have the Silverado and man I want alpha Rex headlights they look so good
INW-Iron-Steel
Well-Known Member
Not buying shit parts is SO hard! It sucks, but that usually just means forking over more money... But, as far as camshafts, stick to ones that are OE quality or better. For instance, Cam Motion has multiple options for cam cores. Of course the better quality 8620 core is more expensive than the 5150 core. Here is some info about cam cores directly from them.
Cam Motion Steel Alloy Cam Cores
This is tough, it is easy to make a great driver a horrible daily with too much camshaft. Additionally, more lift will be harder on the valvetrain, and the valvetrain will not live as long. This would be a huge factor in a daily driver for me. I would be inclined to go what I call the "OE Plus" route here. It really depends on how involved you want to get. If oil pressure was not an issue and mileage is under 200K, I might be inclined to leave the bottom end alone. Clean the oil pick-up and do the O-ring. Obviously some new lifters. 243/799 heads would be a nice simple upgrade with "LS6" style springs. Paired with a "low-lift" aftermarket cam would make for a reliable combination. Now, these "low-lift" "small" aftermarket cams are still miles ahead of the anemic camshafts GM installed from the factory. If you're wanting to go full rebuild, grab some 4.8 pistons. Pairing the flat top pistons with 799 heads would yield an iron block L33. Oh, and trailblazer tq converter paired with the mild cam.
On the Silverado, have you considered LS3 style rectangle port heads? These would be even better with boost, and I think all you would need is the correct Gen 4 truck intake. You could also use the LSA supercharger if you want. As far as camshaft, BTR truck norris cam. While somewhat small, it just seems to flat out work. Solid low speed torque and power under the curve. In all honesty, any cam can be a boost cam. If it makes decent power NA, it will make decent power with boost. (If you haven't watched Richard Holdener's videos on youtube, he is a wealth of knowledge on LS stuff.)
Edit: I assumed the 1500HD is a 6.0. The LS3 heads WILL NOT work on the smaller bore 4.8/5.3/5.7 blocks.
Last edited:
The bumpers probably mount the same but they are different. That being upper cap, lower airdam, and bumper itself. The top cap dips down in the middle to clear the grill and the driving light are different between the trucks. 
Another way to see the differences, go onto LMC Truck and order a truck catalog. I use it as reference material for my own truck. They do still send out paper catalogs. It’s easy to flip through the pages and compare part numbers from one series to another. I find it easy knowing ahead of time what fits and what doesn’t when you get to a salvage yard/ donor truck.
It comes in handy knowing the differences between the 03-05 and the 06-07 trucks.
It comes in handy knowing the differences between the 03-05 and the 06-07 trucks.
AuroraGirl
Well-Known Member
youll need to make sure the gen iv intake can either use your throttle body or swap to it, which i dont know how difficult that is, i think they used a different MAF too?Not buying shit parts is SO hard! It sucks, but that usually just means forking over more money... But, as far as camshafts, stick to ones that are OE quality or better. For instance, Cam Motion has multiple options for cam cores. Of course the better quality 8620 core is more expensive than the 5150 core. Here is some info about cam cores directly from them.
Cam Motion Steel Alloy Cam Cores
cammotion.com
This is tough, it is easy to make a great driver a horrible daily with too much camshaft. Additionally, more lift will be harder on the valvetrain, and the valvetrain will not live as long. This would be a huge factor in a daily driver for me. I would be inclined to go what I call the "OE Plus" route here. It really depends on how involved you want to get. If oil pressure was not an issue and mileage is under 200K, I might be inclined to leave the bottom end alone. Clean the pickup and do the O-ring. Obviously some new lifters. 243/799 heads would be a nice simple upgrade with "LS6" style springs. Paired with a "low-lift" aftermarket cam would make for a reliable combination. Now, these "low-lift" "small" aftermarket cams are still miles ahead of the anemic camshafts GM installed from the factory. If you're wanting to go full rebuild, grab some 4.8 pistons. Pairing the flat top pistons with 799 heads would yield an iron block L33. Oh, and trailblazer tq converter paired with the mild cam.
On the Silverado, have you considered LS3 style rectangle port heads? These would be even better with boost, and I think all you would need is the correct Gen 4 truck intake. You could also use the LSA supercharger if you want. As far as camshaft, BTR truck norris cam. While somewhat small, it just seems to flat out work. Solid low speed torque and power under the curve. In all honesty, any cam can be a boost cam. If it makes decent power NA, it will make decent power with boost. (If you haven't watched Richard Holdener's videos on youtube, he is a wealth of knowledge on LS stuff.)
Edit: I assumed the 1500HD is a 6.0. The LS3 heads WILL NOT work on the smaller bore 4.8/5.3/5.7 blocks.
99Sierra2500
Well-Known Member
There are aftermarket cable 4 bolt TB:
Nick Williams 92MM LS Gen 3/4 Cable Throttle Body, 92MM CNC Billet for 4.8 5.3 5.7 6.0 6.2 LS1 LS2 LQ4 LQ9 LS3 L92 L94 L76 L77 LY6 L96
Shop Michigan Motorsports for LS & Gen V LT performance parts, camshafts, rocker arms, heads, tuning tools & more. Built for racers. Trusted by gearheads.
www.michiganmotorsports.com
Not sure about MAF, I have heard they are discontinued.
stutaeng
Well-Known Member
I would agree and say leave the Silverado engine alone if you are going to supercharge it down the road. You can just tear it down and get new bearings, and gap the piston rings accordingly.
On the Suburban, a mild cam (plus tune) should get you a good additional 25 HP. Nothing wild, which move the power band way up the RPM range.
On the Suburban, a mild cam (plus tune) should get you a good additional 25 HP. Nothing wild, which move the power band way up the RPM range.
INW-Iron-Steel
Well-Known Member
Tough thing with the suburban is OP mentioned a tick. In that case, I'm getting new lifters, but that might just be me. On an LS, lifters are a head off ordeal. If you got the heads off you might as well... And that's how I get myself in trouble!
Not buying shit parts is SO hard! It sucks, but that usually just means forking over more money... But, as far as camshafts, stick to ones that are OE quality or better. For instance, Cam Motion has multiple options for cam cores. Of course the better quality 8620 core is more expensive than the 5150 core. Here is some info about cam cores directly from them.
Cam Motion Steel Alloy Cam Cores
This is tough, it is easy to make a great driver a horrible daily with too much camshaft. Additionally, more lift will be harder on the valvetrain, and the valvetrain will not live as long. This would be a huge factor in a daily driver for me. I would be inclined to go what I call the "OE Plus" route here. It really depends on how involved you want to get. If oil pressure was not an issue and mileage is under 200K, I might be inclined to leave the bottom end alone. Clean the pickup and do the O-ring. Obviously some new lifters. 243/799 heads would be a nice simple upgrade with "LS6" style springs. Paired with a "low-lift" aftermarket cam would make for a reliable combination. Now, these "low-lift" "small" aftermarket cams are still miles ahead of the anemic camshafts GM installed from the factory. If you're wanting to go full rebuild, grab some 4.8 pistons. Pairing the flat top pistons with 799 heads would yield an iron block L33. Oh, and trailblazer tq converter paired with the mild cam.
On the Silverado, have you considered LS3 style rectangle port heads? These would be even better with boost, and I think all you would need is the correct Gen 4 truck intake. You could also use the LSA supercharger if you want. As far as camshaft, BTR truck norris cam. While somewhat small, it just seems to flat out work. Solid low speed torque and power under the curve. In all honesty, any cam can be a boost cam. If it makes decent power NA, it will make decent power with boost. (If you haven't watched Richard Holdener's videos on youtube, he is a wealth of knowledge on LS stuff.)
Edit: I assumed the 1500HD is a 6.0. The LS3 heads WILL NOT work on the smaller bore 4.8/5.3/5.7 blocks.
yes your correct the Silverado has the 6.0 I’d really like to build off the 6.0 platform. The truck doesn’t get driven as much as the suburban so I plan to do the truck first and then try to get the suburban done in a weekend or 2 as long as I don’t have to tear into the engine. I have not concussed lax I just figured they want stupid money for them this is one of my first few builds and I’m not trying to go crazy my goal is a reliable 375-400 whp out of the Silverado. If I was able to source a wrecked car with the lsx on it that could definitely make it a possibility. I did plan to do stock gm heads that flow a bit better than the ones on it now and for the cam I’ve heard of the truck Norris cam a bunch and I’ve also heard every cam is a boost cam if you want it to be lol I really just want the best bang for my buck I’ll do some more research on a cam as for the blower I do have a bit of time to save for it. I’d like to have the truck completely done tune and all N.A. by the end of the summer I’ve got a full time job and a family so I can’t give it my full time but I definitely want to get started I’ve got most the tools I need just wanted a bit of a heads up on parts or things you guys went through. The Holdeners videos on YouTube is where my motivation comes from that man can do some crazy stuff with gm engines . As for the suburban yes it has a lifter issue I will have to no matter what get into the top end of it pull the heads and what not I would like to rip it out and just do a full rebuild. It’s got 220k miles and it’s ran with this tick or Knock for for the last 100k atleast. Regardless what’s your pick on engine rebuild kit for the 6.0? As I’ll probably do it twiceNot buying shit parts is SO hard! It sucks, but that usually just means forking over more money... But, as far as camshafts, stick to ones that are OE quality or better. For instance, Cam Motion has multiple options for cam cores. Of course the better quality 8620 core is more expensive than the 5150 core. Here is some info about cam cores directly from them.
Cam Motion Steel Alloy Cam Cores
This is tough, it is easy to make a great driver a horrible daily with too much camshaft. Additionally, more lift will be harder on the valvetrain, and the valvetrain will not live as long. This would be a huge factor in a daily driver for me. I would be inclined to go what I call the "OE Plus" route here. It really depends on how involved you want to get. If oil pressure was not an issue and mileage is under 200K, I might be inclined to leave the bottom end alone. Clean the pickup and do the O-ring. Obviously some new lifters. 243/799 heads would be a nice simple upgrade with "LS6" style springs. Paired with a "low-lift" aftermarket cam would make for a reliable combination. Now, these "low-lift" "small" aftermarket cams are still miles ahead of the anemic camshafts GM installed from the factory. If you're wanting to go full rebuild, grab some 4.8 pistons. Pairing the flat top pistons with 799 heads would yield an iron block L33. Oh, and trailblazer tq converter paired with the mild cam.
On the Silverado, have you considered LS3 style rectangle port heads? These would be even better with boost, and I think all you would need is the correct Gen 4 truck intake. You could also use the LSA supercharger if you want. As far as camshaft, BTR truck norris cam. While somewhat small, it just seems to flat out work. Solid low speed torque and power under the curve. In all honesty, any cam can be a boost cam. If it makes decent power NA, it will make decent power with boost. (If you haven't watched Richard Holdener's videos on youtube, he is a wealth of knowledge on LS stuff.)
Edit: I assumed the 1500HD is a 6.0. The LS3 heads WILL NOT work on the smaller bore 4.8/5.3/5.7 blocks.
Thank you is this yours? What’s modifications did you do the the core support and headlight brackets
Hahahah your my kinda of guy this is my whole debate I already do a bit of driving and towing with it and i already have to pull the heads off….. so why not give it just a little more you know.
INW-Iron-Steel
Well-Known Member
I assumed the suburban had the 5.3. Does the suburban have a 6.0 too??? Because that might change the course of what I would do. If the suburban has a 6.0, and the 6.0 in the Silverado is solid, it might be worth it to find another 6.0 to build for the Silverado. Honestly, so many options, but express vans are cheap. You could buy the whole van, snatch the 6.0, and then sell the scraps to a junkyard. Or, find a high mile 6.0 in need of a rebuild and do it up how you like for the truck.
Then just plop the Silverado 6.0 in the Suburban. Cam + springs and go. Maybe pull the oil pan and do the O-ring, but don't even worry about the cam bearings. At that point you would have an extra 6.0 you could keep for parts. Or sell it and probably make a profit, especially if you tore it down and sold stuff individually. Anyway, its always cool to hear someone else doing the hotrod thing while still supporting the family!
Totally unrelated, but what oil are you running in the suburban? In the past I have had decent luck with one dose of engine treatment, followed by a few short oil change intervals with a detergent heavy oil to clean gummed up parts. If you are planning to rebuild it anyway, it might be worth giving it a shot. My personal choice is 1qt Marvels with 5qts of something like 10w40 run for a really short interval. I also like the heavy duty "diesel oils" (I have run the 10w30 HDEO "fleet stuff in a lot of different engines). I wouldn't be afraid to use a 15w40 HDEO in the high mile suburban engine. Delvac 1300 is a good choice because it doesn't have enough ZDDP to hurt the cats in a vehicle that has them. (website is outdated, but Mobil hasn't changed the formula, it is still CK-4)
INW-Iron-Steel
Well-Known Member
I forgot to answer this. I haven't personally been that deep in an LS since before the pandemic, and a lot of parts suppliers and names have changed. I am definitely not the guy to ask about this right now, I would hate to lead you in the wrong direction, and it would be an absolute guess on my part.
https://cammotion.com/in-stock-ready-to-ship-cams/titan-1-ls-truck-camshaft-208-214-110-4/
This would be a great cam for the Suburban in a 5.3 or 6.0. Cam motion even says they recommend using the 19420455 GM springs. If doing lifters, maybe mill the heads for a little bump in compression, but just a rebuild will save on buying new heads
stutaeng
Well-Known Member
Is the Suburban a 2wd? If so, I would recommend you spend the money where you really need it and swap a 4L80e.
The long wheelbase SUVs were really the heaviest vehicles with the 4L60e, and not uncommon to have a transmission failures even under regular, light use.
The 4x4 version makes the swap more challenging though, but still doable.
The long wheelbase SUVs were really the heaviest vehicles with the 4L60e, and not uncommon to have a transmission failures even under regular, light use.
The 4x4 version makes the swap more challenging though, but still doable.
Mine is an 04. I figured that pic would be best way to show the difference in the front bumper. I had just painted the upper bumper plastic (not my best job but wanted to see how close I could get to factory paint). After an accident, I used an Amazon replacement black grill painted to match. Awhile back, I’d gone with clear corner chrome lights. I do prefer the 03-05 look over the 06-07.
I’m from mt haha all my rigs are 4x4 suburban has 6.0 and 4l80e the Silverado and suburban are identical matches for drivetrain
