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A couple questions, sorry if I missed it in thread.
How does mount location compare to say Novak or Dave’s Customs?
Can/should cat be used with exhaust?
One the website I only see TJ for the exhaust portion. Will this be made for LJ also?
Thanks for your questions. The Hooker Blackheart TJ swap system is configured to keep the engine/crankshaft center line in the stock 4.0L position (passenger side offset). I'm not an expert on the geometry of the Novak and Dave's Customs mounting brackets, but I believe both of them move the engine over towards the driver side of the frame and are positioned further forward on the frame to provide clearance for various headers that existed on the market at the time they designed their mounting brackets.
As I designed the Hooker Blackheart headers from a clean sheet to be compatible with the Hooker Blackheart mounting brackets, I didn't have to factor header fitment into the design of the engine mounting brackets. That made it possible to locate the mounting brackets further back on the frame, which provides more engine accessory clearance in front of the engine mounting brackets for the user.
All the components in the system other than the exhaust system will work on an LJ also. The exhaust system won't be bolt-in compatible on the LJ due to the extra wheelbase length those models have. You could definitely install a single catalytic converter behind the outlet of the Y-pipe if you wanted to, be it would not make the set-up any more emissions legal than it is without a catalytic converter, which is why the exhaust components in the kit were designed for off-road/competition use only.
Last edited by user 4737373; 09-09-2020 at 01:02 PM.
Any measurements on the drivers side, from the y-pipe/header to the frame. Just trying to gauge the DS clearance vs the pipes. Not using a stock front axle and there is allot of stuff to cram into that 8" of space. For reference I see just under 8" of space from the steering mount to the downpipes.
I don't have a vehicle here at this time to be able to take a discrete measurement of that clearance for you unfortunately. That clearance you are searching for is one of the main factors that led me to design the Hooker Blackheart swap system to maintain the stock 4.0L engine offset instead of moving the engine closer towards the center as most of the competitive mounts on the market were designed to do. To go along with that effort to maximize the driveshaft clearance for the user, I put the same effort into tilting the driver side header collector in towards the engine as far as possible.
All the up-travel clearance for the driveshaft that is possible has been incorporated into the design of the engine mounting brackets and headers, so the absolute clearance will not be determined by what clearance was left on the table in the design of those components, but rather the overall suspension geometry/lift used on the vehicle. There are no stock LS exhaust manifolds or aftermarket headers available that provide more front driveshaft clearance than the Hooker Blackheart headers and Y-pipe do in combination. Here is an image of the header and Y-pipe prototypes on the development vehicle that depict what that clearance looks like from a visual eye-ball perspective.
You may or may not be able to determine the usefulness of the components in your application from the photo, but I hope it helps.
The pic does help give some understanding of the space. Working with a high pinion 60 moves things up quite a bit. The pic makes it look like it would work.
I figured some of you guys might be interesting is seeing some Jeeps represented at the Holley trailer at the LS Fest event that is taking place right now. The TJ is LS swapped using the complete Hooker Blackheart swap system and the CJ next to it is a custom LT swap that was done by the owner that is a Holley EFI engineer. Some interesting points I'd like to make about the TJ swap is that it was done without a body lift and with the stock transfer case shift linkage unmodified, which are key characteristics of the Hooker Blackheart system.
I need to get some assistance from any of you Jeep TJ owners that are members on any of the popular Jeep Wrangler/off-road forums (wranglerforum.com, jeepforum.com, pirate4x4.com for example). Holley has just released the Hooker Blackheart Jeep TJ Gen-3 Hemi swap system that I developed recently and I would appreciate help getting it and the Hooker Blackheart LS and LT swap systems mentioned on any of the Jeep/off-road sites as I don't have the bandwidth to join those sites and build and manage suitable threads there.
Thanks to any one of you who is willing and able to help me out in that regard,
Do you know if the engine mounts will work with the 2010-2015 Camaro LS3 exhaust manifolds? Also, it sounds like these mounts place the engine fairly far back, do you know the relation of the bellhousing mounting surface location front/rear relative to the 4.0L?
Do you know if the engine mounts will work with the 2010-2015 Camaro LS3 exhaust manifolds? Also, it sounds like these mounts place the engine fairly far back, do you know the relation of the bellhousing mounting surface location front/rear relative to the 4.0L?
I can't say with certainty that those manifolds will fit with the engine mounting brackets, but my guess is that they will since the Hooker Blackheart cast iron exhaust manifolds do and they were designed as a close approximation of the LS3 manifolds. One should be aware however that even if you can bolt a set of the manifolds onto the engine, they won't provide anywhere near the optimized exhaust system routing that the Hooker Blackheart headers do to clear the front driveshaft. The bellhousing mating plane is moved forward 2-7/8” from the 4.0L position. With the engine mounted at this fore/aft position, the LS engine right side cylinder head sits about 1/2" away from the firewall and the user is provided with 6-1/2" of radiator/shroud/fan packaging space between the core support and the front of the stock truck engine water pump pulley snout.
Last edited by user 4737373; 10-27-2020 at 08:15 AM.
I want to buy the exhaust system including headers but they are not shipping until March.! Why is it taking so long to ship?
That’s what is currently listed, but I anticipate they will ship long before then. It’s a combination of demand and COVID that is causing issues for us and everyone else.
I placed the order for the complete exhaust and swap oil pan today. Lets see how long it takes. Hopefully it is as good as the advertising.
Since it sounds like you plan to use them with engine mounting brackets other than the specific Hooker Blackheart mounting brackets they were designed for use with, please post the results of your experience here for the benefit of others who may be contemplating the same thing.
Will do. I will be using Daves Custom engine mounts for the first mock up. I will also try to see if it is possible to run dual 2.5 with X pipe and tack into the Y pipe by cutting off the 2.5 collector. As I am planning somewhere between 650 and 700HP with the 416LS motor I hope to be able to give it more breathing room. At least this setup can give a baseline.
Will do. I will be using Daves Custom engine mounts for the first mock up. I will also try to see if it is possible to run dual 2.5 with X pipe and tack into the Y pipe by cutting off the 2.5 collector. As I am planning somewhere between 650 and 700HP with the 416LS motor I hope to be able to give it more breathing room. At least this setup can give a baseline.
Understood. What I expect to possibly cause you fitment issues is the engine centerline shift, towards the driver side, incorporated into the design of the Dave’s mounting brackets. The Hooker Blackheart engine mounting brackets place the engine center line in the stock 4.0L offset position. Just something for you to consider as part of your fitment and evaluation.
Last edited by user 4737373; 12-20-2020 at 10:36 AM.
09-09-2020, 09:18 AM
