The 450-horsepower LS3 surely makes this new Jeep a blast to drive on or off-road.
We have driven the all-new Jeep Wrangler “JL” and there is no question that it is better in pretty much every way. The new SUV is offered with a hybrid-turbo four-cylinder and a naturally-aspirated V6. Both mills do a fine job of making this a great off-road machine, but they are lack the pizzazz of a V8. Fortunately, the folks at Bruiser Conversions have already put together a V8 swap for the next-gen Wrangler, using the GM LS3.
The Bruiser Conversions LS3 Jeep
The Bruiser Conversions Jeep Wrangler JL LS3 package removes the Pentastar V6 and in its place, a lightly worked-over 6.2-liter LS3 V8 is bolted up to the factory FCA transmission via a proprietary adapter. The engine in this swap has been worked to the tune of 450 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. Don’t worry, the Jeep transmission has been mated to much stronger engines than the Wrangler’s V6 before. It should do a fine job managing that power.
Unfortunately, we don’t have pricing on this package yet, but it will be sold as a turnkey setup that is installed for you, or you can buy the components and install it yourself. The kit even comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty on the engine.
Functions like stock
The Bruiser Conversions mates a GM engine to a Jeep transmission with full factory functionality, but the LS3 swap maintains all other factory function as well. It even works with the Jeep computer system, so all of the gauges and monitoring systems will work like the rig still had the original engine.
Finally, thanks to the position of the LS3 in the engine bay and the high-riding hood line, the GM V8 fits cleanly under the hood, making this one hell of a sleeper – shy of the sound. In the video below, we get to hear the LS3-powered Jeep fire up and drive out of the garage, and while it isn’t crazy loud, it sounds a whole lot better than the stock V6. Of course, when you open the hood, the bright red “Corvette” across the engine covers give away the secret in a hurry.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
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