jbsjunk

Not bad. I'm not going to pay over $500 for a swap rad tho. Mine was $145. I'll probably end up building all my mounts again because I don't want to get new driveshafts again.

Thanks for the link, good to know.

FrankZ

I've been considering building my own, but the amount of time those will save is worth the cost.

Now 500 bones for a radiator...GEEBUS!!!

Team Willys

I am about to put an LS2 into a 2001 Cherokee for a customer. FWIW, the Novak Stuff is the way to go. The only bad thing is that THE ONLY HEADERs THAT WILL WORK WITH THEIR MOUNTS ARE THIERS. Period. I will buying as many off the shelf parts as possible to save time b/c it has to be in and running plus get a suspension redesign before July 1st.

FrankZ

Let me know if you have any questions not covered in this thread.

Transamman25

iTrader: (1)

I have a 91 Jeep Cherokee 4x4, I have been looking for a engine swap idea for a good bit, I thought stay mopar and grab a cummins diesel out of a ram, but the chassis is the limiting factor.... I damn near maxed out my rear travel towing my roller T/A.

Then i thought, why not a 360 ? but hell why go through the trouble of swapping a V8 for little HP gain? I was looking on ebay at Titan 4.9 (stroked out 4.0) engines and they claim 315hp, 345 ft lbs tq ... if they can deliver that why swap in a V8 ??

FrankZ

I've been down that road before and believe me a stroker simply can't make Vortec numbers without a considerable investment. When you weight the costs, output in torque/horsepower it simply doesn't make sense not to drop a V8 in....and I haven't even mentioned reliability.

I spent thousands building my first stroker, and then thousands more rebuilding it when the cam failed, lifter dropped into the #6 hole, valves tuliped, rod and main bearings failed.....never again.

ig109

Im doing this swap but staying with the stock AX15 5 speed.. I am all over the Cherokee forum with this and trying to find a few misc parts.. My GM-Ax15 adapter will be here thursday and then i can start smoking together some mounts.. Cant wait to see the first pic of that engine in the Jeep..

Look for build thread on here soon..

Transamman25

iTrader: (1)

guys the titan stroker has a 3 year 36,000 warranty and only costs $3500 ... but I agree do the ls swap ... then we can do a side by side comparison on and offroad !

ig109

My LS1 cost me nothing.. So 3500 bucks is a pretty damn pricey option for me..

Plus the LS1 weighs less.. Is a GM and not some bastard Chrysler/Jeep product..
And i bet we can do the comparison and i would stomp that stroker.. LOL

Transamman25

iTrader: (1)

Lets do it ... my 4.0 made it 290,000 miles stock longblock ! But i agree free is way better than 3500

Team Willys

Well, we found the perfect Combo for it yesterday. A 2006 GTO LS2 and 4L60E combo with only 19000 miles. It will have all the wiring including the Gas pedal and the module and wiring that goes with that, as well as the ECU. Best part is, we got it for $5700 shipped. Once its on the way, the 4.0 will be pulled out and I will be making a rather larger order from Novak. Gotta get it in as quickly as possible. Plans are to keep the 4.0 computer and swap over the sensors from the Jeep onto the 6.0 so that the factory gauges will work. I don't think the tach will be accurate, but its possible that it will at least move. Im not sure, I have to do some more research in all data to see what happens. Obviously, the 4.0 computer will not run the 6.0, so its sole purpose will be to control the gauges. I will be cutting out all other wiring in the engine harness to keep it clean. The Jeep computer will no longer control the CEL, I will wire that into the Chevy harness. As far as the speedometer, the Chevy's is in the tail housing on the 4L60E, but the Jeeps is in the output on the T-case. As long as the adapter still has provisions for the Chevy VSS, I will run the chevy one to solely satisfy the trans shift points and the ECU. It will not control the Speedometer, as I will use the factory Jeep one to do that Job. However, if the adapter does not allow for the Chevy VSS to be kept, I will have to get the signal converter from Dakota digital and run that to satisfy both the speedo and the computer.

I think the fuel system is going to be an easy task as well. The 97-01 Jeep and the LS2 both use returnless fuel systems, and the pressure specs at the fuel rail are almost identical for both. So, with this being a stock engine with no mods, the Jeep pump and lines should be able to feed the LS all it will need. Now, if upgrades were made, or if it ever saw forced induction, it would probably be an issue. But seriously, this will be a 425-450HP engine in a Cherokee, it probably doesn't need that much, so it should never need more.

He is wanting to retain the AC, so Im not sure what I'll have to go through to get that working, that may end up being one of those after the fact ordeals, but I hope to hook it up so that the Jeep computer will run the AC, or possibly let the GM computer do that, whichever turns out to be easier. Unfortunately, I am about 99% sure that I will have to notch out the "frame rail" pretty substantially to get the compressor to clear, but thats not a big deal on this Jeep. It has a full exo cage front to rear, as well as a full set of frame stiffners, so it won't hurt the structure enough to matter.

Should be an interesting Swap, although I have done an LS engine before and it wasn't too bad, so I am not too concerned with it at all. The only down side is my time frame. I have to finish my buggy up (a TON of work to do still on that) plus swap the engine in this thing and build a custom 4 link rear suspension and redo the front suspension, as well as axle swaps and ORI struts... lots of work. But this is a high quality, high dollar build, and He definitely brought it to the right place to have his work done, as quality is my number 1 goal.

jeeprats

Yes, Novak has a kit to prevent notching the frame. As a old welding teacher, I would invest in the kit to put your air conditioner up right. That is what worked for me with my 98 jeep with a LQ9 2006 engine. Problem you must solve will be placing all the air conditioning hose. Get you evaporator farther back would be best to prevent hose jamup.