SSS's V8 swap project ... THE THUNDER is alive
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:26 am
OK guys ... as a "good" ad4x4 fellow jeeper I want to share my latest "daydreams"(?) and research findings with you:
Since I purchased the TJ (actually the first one in 2009) and since the first moment in this club I am "consuming" information of how to add significant power to this amazing desert toy.
The victim:
2006 TJ (with newer high pressure fuel rail/gas tank, newer PCM comm protocol (CAN not ccd and not pci)) and newer dash gauge cluster and AUTO!
The sorted out and discarded routes (for MY(!) V8wannabe TJ):
- forced induction with either banks turbo kit or new RIPP Gen2 supercharger with cool intercooler:
pros: Muroor legal, the RIPP thing can be done in 1-2 days even by myself!
cons: same shitty tranny, HOT underhood temps, and loads of stress on stock 4.0 engine AND STOCK 42RLE ... calling for a early and sudden TJ death.
- bad *** stroker:
pros: Muroor legal , relatively cheap
cons: STILL same shitty tranny ! error prone and overheat candidate if done improperly ... still high risk of failure
- poor man's stroker: (the "modified" Version)
pros: Muroor legal, best bang for the buck, relatively mild to the tranny, relatively low risk in execution and on tranny(?!)
cons: opening up and tampering with a perfectly good engine, still significant overload/overheat risk for the shitty 42RLE auto, low horsepower gain considering the effort and no real risk elimination (for the tranny, which already struggles in the desert)
- GM vortec truck 5.3/4L60E swap :
pros: Muroor legal (bolt on mounts!), signifcant power and still robust, new 4spd tranny ON PAR with power and torque! used drivetrains available here for reasonable prices. No tampering inside the engine ... swap is purely mechanical/electrical work, which can be done here with low risk. LIGHT engines ... alu blocks are even lighter than the stock 4.0!
cons: MAJOR wiring pains ... the stock dash cluster will only run if stock PCM and GM pcm are run in parallel. Engines still not cheap ... lots of other stuff needed.
- Mopar Magnum 5.9/46RE (out of Durango/Ram):
pros: can be made Muroor legal with some creativity, super cheap, super easy for older TJs!, tranny ON PAR with the V8 power.
cons: significant MPG loss, DOES NEED LOTS of downgrading of newer TJ (05-06) (new older cluster, new older evap canisters) ... major electrical and fuel rail mods needed on newer TJs, power not exceeding poor man's stroker gains ... only torque monster with cool sound ... not worth the effort on the second glance.
My actually preferred solution, which CAN be made Muroor legal (if the shop can convert/rebuild the weld on mounts to be bolt on):
The Mopar 5.7 non MDS truck HEMI out of 04/05 durangos and Rams
So have found those guys for a low hassle V8 swap fun:
jeepspeedshop.com
http://www.jeepspeedshop.com/index.php? ... Itemid=158
cool: non skim pcm(!!), p&p harness(!!) , mounts, rad, hoses, ac lines, mech fan/clutch all included
though it is not as cheap as a magnum swap ... it should be doable close to a highend stroker cost wise ... if I find a good and cheap donor (04/05) durango/ram truck drivetrain.
Jeepspeedshop offers turnkey solutions (drop 4.0 TJ off, pick V8 Hemi TJ up) for around USD $12k ... in the US ... should be cheaper here.
Now looking locally for a cheap durango non MDS Hemi drivetrain here ... ... to morph my V8wannabe to a V8ordie
pros: significant power, Tranny (545RFE) ON PAR, new pcm talks/gauges listen and work , not as expensive as expected
cons: hmmm dunno yet. maybe a price around 25k-30k in total?
Since I purchased the TJ (actually the first one in 2009) and since the first moment in this club I am "consuming" information of how to add significant power to this amazing desert toy.
The victim:
2006 TJ (with newer high pressure fuel rail/gas tank, newer PCM comm protocol (CAN not ccd and not pci)) and newer dash gauge cluster and AUTO!
The sorted out and discarded routes (for MY(!) V8wannabe TJ):
- forced induction with either banks turbo kit or new RIPP Gen2 supercharger with cool intercooler:
pros: Muroor legal, the RIPP thing can be done in 1-2 days even by myself!
cons: same shitty tranny, HOT underhood temps, and loads of stress on stock 4.0 engine AND STOCK 42RLE ... calling for a early and sudden TJ death.
- bad *** stroker:
pros: Muroor legal , relatively cheap
cons: STILL same shitty tranny ! error prone and overheat candidate if done improperly ... still high risk of failure
- poor man's stroker: (the "modified" Version)
pros: Muroor legal, best bang for the buck, relatively mild to the tranny, relatively low risk in execution and on tranny(?!)
cons: opening up and tampering with a perfectly good engine, still significant overload/overheat risk for the shitty 42RLE auto, low horsepower gain considering the effort and no real risk elimination (for the tranny, which already struggles in the desert)
- GM vortec truck 5.3/4L60E swap :
pros: Muroor legal (bolt on mounts!), signifcant power and still robust, new 4spd tranny ON PAR with power and torque! used drivetrains available here for reasonable prices. No tampering inside the engine ... swap is purely mechanical/electrical work, which can be done here with low risk. LIGHT engines ... alu blocks are even lighter than the stock 4.0!
cons: MAJOR wiring pains ... the stock dash cluster will only run if stock PCM and GM pcm are run in parallel. Engines still not cheap ... lots of other stuff needed.
- Mopar Magnum 5.9/46RE (out of Durango/Ram):
pros: can be made Muroor legal with some creativity, super cheap, super easy for older TJs!, tranny ON PAR with the V8 power.
cons: significant MPG loss, DOES NEED LOTS of downgrading of newer TJ (05-06) (new older cluster, new older evap canisters) ... major electrical and fuel rail mods needed on newer TJs, power not exceeding poor man's stroker gains ... only torque monster with cool sound ... not worth the effort on the second glance.
My actually preferred solution, which CAN be made Muroor legal (if the shop can convert/rebuild the weld on mounts to be bolt on):
The Mopar 5.7 non MDS truck HEMI out of 04/05 durangos and Rams
So have found those guys for a low hassle V8 swap fun:
jeepspeedshop.com
http://www.jeepspeedshop.com/index.php? ... Itemid=158
cool: non skim pcm(!!), p&p harness(!!) , mounts, rad, hoses, ac lines, mech fan/clutch all included
though it is not as cheap as a magnum swap ... it should be doable close to a highend stroker cost wise ... if I find a good and cheap donor (04/05) durango/ram truck drivetrain.
Jeepspeedshop offers turnkey solutions (drop 4.0 TJ off, pick V8 Hemi TJ up) for around USD $12k ... in the US ... should be cheaper here.
Now looking locally for a cheap durango non MDS Hemi drivetrain here ... ... to morph my V8wannabe to a V8ordie
pros: significant power, Tranny (545RFE) ON PAR, new pcm talks/gauges listen and work , not as expensive as expected
cons: hmmm dunno yet. maybe a price around 25k-30k in total?