I have a 2006 Colorado with the I4 and would like to know what it would take to put a 5.3L in it? And is it possible? I know in 2009 GM put a 5.3 in but I also read that the Colorado is bigger than 04-06 and want to know also if a V8 will fit.

buy a new one with a v8! you will love it.

It would cost you less to sell your I4 Colorado and buy one with a V8. It is a doable swap but difficult, time consuming, and expensive.

not really, I might be able to pick up a 5.3 with pcm for 2500 bucks. all thats left is motor mounts. if you can find a motor cheap that cuts most of the cost down.

And where are you going to get the wiring harness? Transmission? I haven't followed the threads but I'm pretty sure it would at least use a different bell housing.

Its the little things that add up. Not the obvious things.

it should bolt right up to the 4l60e but i could be wrong.

a 5.3 could be found for $500-700 with all acc., intake to oil pan with gas pedal and pcm.
would need to get a tcm if auto i, engine mounts, custom harness, ignition switch, e-fans and most of the rest would be labor

Trans might be the same but I thought I remember seeing someone say the bell housing was different. Its not much to change but I was just pointing out the little things. Everyone just thinks its buy engine, mounts and rest is labor.

It can be done on the older Colorados.

CPWire has the mounts, modified ignition switch and harnesses: http://www.currentperformance.com/

I don't mean to be a dick, but if you have to ask if it's possible you would probably be better off buying a new one with the v8 stock. If you can't afford to sell yours and buy a new one the cost of the swap done properly is probably out of reach as well.

355nation has a section devoted to this topic. A handful of guys have done it already, one even did an LS7 but it's his profession and it was a clients truck. If you can wade through all the flaming and pipe dreams posted there's a lot of good information to read.

Again, I apologize if I came across like I was pissing in your cereal.

You are wrong. You would need to swap the bellhousing, input shaft, and torque convertor.

I'm in the same boat. I can do a LS2 OR 3 swap in my 08 regcab 3.7 or just buy a crewcab 5.3 and mod it.

It would cost me around $12k to do the swap the right way, but i would have alot of down time as i use my truck everyday as a work truck. I never wanted a crewcab as i am a reg cab fan.

Or i can buy a 5.3 crewcab and mod the 5.3 to around 400hp and be done with it without alot of down time. Anytime you do a engine swap there alll kinds of bugs to work out.

Why does it have to be a crew cab? You can get an extended cab ZQ8 with a 5.3L.

what limits new colorados from doing it, beside that they are available with it, but is it only the 2.8/3.5 that can do it? or what?

It can be done on the newer ones as well. DBNissan was just letting the OP know a V8 swap could be done on the older ones ALSO.

gotcha, my bad lol

I like the looks of the crewcab better.

actually it would be easier on the newer ones 08+. They had planned on putting the V8 in it in 08, so the motor mounts will except a chevy small block v8 like the LS series (including truck engines like the 5.3 and 6.0.....they are LS series or gen III and gen IV or whatever)

Not according to CPWIRE who's been there and done that. Look at post #42

http://www.355nation.net/forum/engine-swaps/18479-ls7-alive-3.html

I was thinking of finding a trashed 1500 with fuel management that had a good drive train and swapping it into my truck. Would the engine mount be the same for the V8 if an I4 is in the Colorado, same length but is the width different?