TIL a junkyard Vortec 5.3 can run on a standalone harness for under $400

I was digging around on a forum called LS Swap Depot last night, just killing time, and found a guy who documented his whole budget swap into a beat-up '87 Chevy truck. He got the whole engine with accessories out of a 2001 Suburban for $250 at a local yard in Phoenix. Add a $150 standalone harness off eBay and some tuning tweaks, and he was driving it for under a grand total. Has anyone else tried this with a gen III or gen IV motor without breaking the bank?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera4d ago

Wait, does that $150 harness actually include everything you need? I've seen some of those eBay deals that make you buy the ECU and pedal separately, which kinda kills the whole budget vibe.

susanh463d ago

My buddy Mike bought that same harness off eBay last spring. He was all excited until it showed up with just the connectors and wires, no ECU or pedal like you said. He spent another two weeks hunting down a used ECU from a junkyard and ended up paying $80 for the pedal assembly anyway. By the time he was done, he was into it for almost $300 and a lot of frustration. He told me straight up he should've just saved for a proper kit from the start. So yeah, those setups can bite you if you don't read the fine print real careful.