LH6 5.3L Engine Specs: Performance, Bore & Stroke, Cylinder Heads, Cam Specs & More

(Image/Wilson’s Car Sales)

Mechanically similar, General Motors’ LS and LS-based Vortec engines wound up on almost every branch of the GM family tree: Chevy, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac, Buick—heck, even Saab, Hummer, and Isuzu got some LS love.

Since LS and Vortec engines are so common, they’ve become the go-to performance and swap engines of the modern era.

These motors are capable of making a lot of horsepower, and respond well to upgrades like turbos, superchargers, high-flow cylinder heads, intake systems, cams, and nitrous oxide.

The aftermarket is strong, crate engines are available, and used motors are often cheaply sourced through junkyards.

Summit Racing has created a series of comprehensive guides for each engine in the LS family, so engine builders and tuners can have a handy reference for their projects.

This specific guide is for the GM LH6 5.3L Vortec 5300.

You can find more LS engine spec guides and LS-related information here.

(Summit Racing’s Paul Spurlock and Brian Nutter contributed to this article.)

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LH6 5.3L Vortec 5300 Engine Specs

The LH6 engine is a 5.3L Gen. IV aluminum engine that replaced the LM4 in 2005. It was the first Gen. IV LS truck engine and offered Active Fuel Management (AFM). The LH6 was available in mid-size SUVs until 2009, and in GM pickups from 2007-09. For marketing purposes, it was also known as the Vortec 5300. The information listed here is for a stock engine.