Bought a '06 Tahoe for the drivetrain

[Tonimus]

Picked up a '06 Tahoe to drive around for the summer, then yank the 5.3 and 4l60 for my '78 Burb. If you haven't seen my post on it, my 454/TH400 blew up.

Think I'm also going to lower the floor pan and put the front seats in the '78 as I already have brackets for the matched 3rd row. Got it for a very reasonable price. Put about 30 miles on it so far and it seems to run really well. Had to put a new oil pressure sensor and a new hatch lock actuator in it. Also ordered a new driver bottom seat foam as it's just a little smushed.

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[Grit dog]

Looks too nice to part out. If you bought it cheap enough that it’s worth it to steal the engine and trans, it sounds like a money maker. Be real clean with some fixin on the peeling paint.
Plus less hassle to use a 2wd transmission.

 

[Grit dog]

Either that thing is low miles and/or was driven by a 90lb grandma who knew not to slide off the seat bolster when exiting the vehicle.

 

[Tonimus]

206k, I do believe that I'm the 3rd owner after the second owner got it when their inlaws passed. I think the wife has fallen in love with it and will actually let me keep it AND my '78.

 

[Sad Sack]

Like Grit Dog said, it almost looks too nice to use it as an organ donor.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Sheesh, here I am looking for something like that to incorporate into the fleet and you're planning to part out a perfectly fine one. OY!

 

[Tonimus]

The reason I was planning to part out something so nice is the wife was most definitely NOT on board for another vehicle. I also only paid $2700 for it.

Since then, the wife seems to really like it and is now open to me keeping the Tahoe and the Burb. Seems my oldest son has fallen in love with it as well, and has asked mom about it.

If it continues to run as good as it seems, I don't think I actually will be parting it out.

 

[bucket]

That's probably for the best, if you were going to keep that 5.3 stock or nearly stock. Other than an increase in mpg, that would be a disappointment in the power department, compared to a stock '78 454.

 

[Sad Sack]

The reason I was planning to part out something so nice is the wife was most definitely NOT on board for another vehicle. I also only paid $2700 for it.

Since then, the wife seems to really like it and is now open to me keeping the Tahoe and the Burb. Seems my oldest son has fallen in love with it as well, and has asked mom about it.

If it continues to run as good as it seems, I don't think I actually will be parting it out.

Alright! Here comes the dual 15" subs

 

[Tonimus]

That's probably for the best, if you were going to keep that 5.3 stock or nearly stock. Other than an increase in mpg, that would be a disappointment in the power department, compared to a stock '78 454.

According to GM's literature, my '78 was putting out 205hp and 335ft/lb. The '06 5.3 Flex is rated at 90 more horsepower and the same amount of torque.

 

[bucket]

According to GM's literature, my '78 was putting out 205hp and 335ft/lb. The '06 5.3 Flex is rated at 90 more horsepower and the same amount of torque.

No offense, but peak power doesn't mean jack diddly compared to overall power.

For direct comparison, I have a '78 C20 454 Suburban with 3.73 gear and also a '00 K2500 6.0 Suburban with 4:10 gear. Usually 33" tires on both. Driving unloaded, both are pretty darn comparable. While towing and foot to the floor, they are also both pretty darn comparable. The only difference is, the '78 can loaf around at lower rpm while towing and not sound like it's trying to win a race. Even though my 6.0 is an early one with iron heads, it has more grunt than any 5.3 I ever drove around (of the gmt 800 era). And I've driven plenty of stock ones.

 

[Tonimus]

I was just going by numbers. No offense taken.

There's a Gen VI 454 four hours from my house WITH a transmission. Maybe...

 

[bucket]

I was just going by numbers. No offense taken.

There's a Gen VI 454 four hours from my house WITH a transmission. Maybe...

The world is your oyster, as they say. However, I don't know who "they" are, lol.

If your '78 is still the original 454, it should have the good 781 heads and would make a great starting point for a builder. Or there's always the crate big block that would swap right in. Then there's the appeal of the Gen 6 454 that can be affordable and has great heads and a roller cam block. And of course, the ever popular LS swap. I won't argue that they can make great power... just not with a stock or near stock 5.3l.

 

[Tonimus]

The wife officially gave me her blessing to day. I get to keep the '06 Tahoe and my '78 Burb.

 

[TooSlo]

The world is your oyster, as they say. However, I don't know who "they" are, lol.

If your '78 is still the original 454, it should have the good 781 heads and would make a great starting point for a builder. Or there's always the crate big block that would swap right in. Then there's the appeal of the Gen 6 454 that can be affordable and has great heads and a roller cam block. And of course, the ever popular LS swap. I won't argue that they can make great power... just not with a stock or near stock 5.3l.

I was going to do a similar donor vehicle for mine, but my mechanic has recommended this Summit 5.3 for my '82 Suburban rebuild. He wants to put a tow kit in the TH400 and keep it, rather than do one of the 4L60/80 units. He doesn't think my towing mission will be well-served by running a 4-speed with larger tires.

However, I'm now thinking about going down to 31" tires (it's currently on 35s), which might mean going to a 4-speed would make sense. Hard to say which way is best...I'll also need to open up the diff covers and confirm the axle ratios. Lots of math to do here.