Look what followed me home!

[AWD V8]

The start of a new project!
I'm just finishing the parts gathering stage and I've just begun the 6.0L swap!

The intention here is to make a sleeper as cheaply as possible, so that means very little go fast parts. the equation is simple; light weight car, big engine, low gears.

I bought it for $340 and the engine donor, 2003 2500HD for $1000
Between selling off the parts I don't need, I'm into it so far for under $2000


Pulled the engine/transmission on the big truck last week and I'm going through the wiring harness to make it a stand alone. I'll get it running again on the floor before it goes into the Cherokee. The Cherokee has a bad engine, puking out it's connecting rods.

The 6.0 sitting on the floor.


With a 4L80E the transmission should be near bullet proof as the GVW if the 2500HD was nearly 10,000 lbs. this thing should weigh in at less than 3200 lbs.
The Ford 8.8 rear end should stand up well as I've seen track cars running under 10 sec. on a stock rear end.

The project will be moving slow as I have limited funds and the work proceeds as the funds come in. I am at the stage of having enough to do right now, rewiring, pulling the Jeep drive train out, fabbing up mounts and such.

Stay tuned.

 

[Sparky]

Was the 2500HD a wreck? Because that is stupid cheap for that truck!

 

[AWD V8]

The back of the 2500HD was really rough, it was a work truck.

Mileage is high, 275,000 KM/171,000 miles, but it runs great.

 

[littleblazer]

171k is just broken in for those 6.0ls. Since you'll be pulling the motor I recommend a new oil pump. Did that on the sierra last winter and it runs at 60psi now. Hot... at idle. it should be easy since you'll already have it out.

(There was an issue where when cold it would drop oil pressure and then as it warmed up run higher)

 

[AWD V8]

Yes, I am planning to do that, I've read horror stories about the LS engines dying that way.

 

[Reprise]

Watching thread...looking forward to reading about progress!

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Sweet beercan! Try to build the 6.0 enough to fold that thing in half!

 

[jsheahawk]

Very nice! I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes.

 

[AWD V8]

So I was concerned that the DBW throttle wasn't working correctly. The gas pedal would operate the throttle, key on, engine off, but if you activated the starter, the throttle plate would not open.

I got the engine running as a stand alone after reworking the harness, and the gas pedal does operate the throttle plate after start up.

Video below.

 

[littleblazer]

Doesn't look like that throttle has torque management.

 

[AWD V8]

Doesn't look like that throttle has torque management.

I know, from what I've seen in online videos the butterfly has a delayed response. It may need some other component in combination that I have removed.

 

[Sparky]

PCM probably doesn't let the throttle plate move when starting so you can't start it at WOT.

 

[Mooseman]

Loved it! Also loved your idea of using compressed air for the fuel supply.

 

[littleblazer]

Wonder if it was tuned as well. Do you have a separate TAC module in line somewhere? I imagine you still need that unless the earlier trucks are different.

 

[AWD V8]

2003 was the first DBW truck, this one has it. I've got the TAC wired in, it works fine. It really was only 2 more wires to work with. I'm swapping an LS1 intake on, only because I need the hood clearance, DBW throttle body bolts right up to it.

 

[littleblazer]

I can confirm that the sierra's throttle response isn't that good. It was with the tune before the ecm cooked though. The ls1 intake gives you a bit more on top right?

 

[AWD V8]

The ls1 intake gives you a bit more on top right?

Well that is what I thought at first. The only reason I'm swapping the intake is because of interference with the hood.

Hotrod had a dyno intake comparison, link below.

Stock LS1

eBay Price: $155
Construction: Composite
Runner Length: 11.0 in
Throttle Opening: 2.960 in
Throttle-Body Size Tested: Accufab 78mm
Fuel Rail: Wilson billet
Injectors: Holley 75 lb
Peak Power: 535 hp at 6,900 rpm
Peak Torque: 468 lb-ft at 5,100 rpm
Ave HP (3,000–7,000): 418.9 hp
Ave TQ (3,000–7,000): 438.6 lb-ft
TQ at 4,000 RPM: 446.4 lb-ft

*********************************
Stock Truck

eBay Price: $80
Construction: Composite
Runner Length: 11.0 in
Throttle Opening: 2.960 in
Throttle-Body Size Tested: Accufab 78mm
Fuel Rail: Stock truck
Injectors: Holley 75 lb
Peak Power: 549 hp at 6,900 rpm
Peak Torque: 481 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm
Ave HP (3,000–7,000): 431.2 hp
Ave TQ (3,000–7,000): 450.8 lb-ft
TQ at 4,000 RPM: 454.5 lb-ft

Link: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/20-ls1-intake-manifolds-tested/

 

[littleblazer]

Gotcha. They're fun either way. And they don't die.

 

[AWD V8]

Update

2wd front axle installed, much lighter than the 4wd one.


Engine set in place, first test fit. I'll have to "adjust" the firewall lip where the driver side head hits. The oil pan contacts the steering damper and the carbon canister has to be relocated, but overall it looks good in there,


Now to pull the engine and make some adjustments and try again. The 4L80E trans fits with lots of room to spare.

 

[Sparky]

An LS6 intake is a nice improvement over the LS1 intake and is a direct swap, but it may not be worth the extra cost as it is a popular upgrade for LS1 guys to do and I imagine LS1 intakes are a dime a dozen vs the LS6.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

My LS1 came with the LS6 intake

Looks like some good progress. Cant wit to see burnout video of this thing!

 

[AWD V8]

An LS6 intake is a nice improvement over the LS1 intake and is a direct swap, but it may not be worth the extra cost as it is a popular upgrade for LS1 guys to do and I imagine LS1 intakes are a dime a dozen vs the LS6.

Yes I would have liked an LS6 intake, but they are much more money. My preference was to keep the truck intake but I don't want a hood scoop. Maybe when the time comes to do an performance update a better intake will happen.

 

[AWD V8]

Not much to show for my time, I did a little of this, and a little of that.

Worked some on the mounts, some on the brakes, some on the rad install, and some more on the wiring.

Got the rad from Summit, $150
Snug fit for the space I've got to work with.
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Cut out the lower rad support so I could make a pocket to drop the new rad into. Nothing bigger I could fit into the stock location. Stock rad was 23" x 11" I think, single row, this one is 22" x 19" double row.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image.



I've got 5 1/5" for the rad fan. I'm waiting on the exhaust manifolds to finish setting up my mounts, so I don't want to make anything permanent yet.
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Picked up my fuel lines and fittings today.

Next week I'm getting manifolds, air intake, water pump spacers. So I've got lots to do next week.

 

[AWD V8]

I've been struggling with finding exhaust manifolds that clear everything.

I've tried 3 sets of OEM manifolds and cannot get the right combination. They either don't clear the steering shaft, don't clear the frame or they exit into the firewall. The latest ones, LS6, I thought would work but sadly do not clear the frame.


So I've cut off the exit flange and plan to have some stainless tubing welded on so I can direct the exit where it needs to go.

Stay tuned.

So, I am planning to order the mounts & headers from a swap company, Novak. I've spent too much time and money trying to save money! The bleeding has to stop.

 

[RedRocketZ28]

Cool swap. Seen quite a few LS Cherokees and they look like fun. Even in the stock form the 6.0 will be a blast in that thing. I would throw a TransGo HD-2 into the trans. They are cheap and help out with some of the 80E's small issues. I ran a stock 80E with a HD-2 in it in my Camaro for awhile and it took me into the 9's @ 140+ mph. The car now has a built 80E and is quite a bit faster though.

 

[AWD V8]

Small update

I've been wasting a couple of weeks with trying to find OEM manifolds that work. Lots of room, but they all exit in the wrong place. Finally bit the bullet and bought mounts and headers from Novak. Cost me $900 CDN. The headers fits perfect. Haven't installed the mounts yet, need to pull the engine out so I have room to work.

This last week I fabbed up the accessory drive. I used the Jeep P/S because it was there already, didn't have to buy a GM pump & hoses.


So later this week I'll pull the engine and then the cleaning starts. Clean and paint the engine bay, install the mounts. Tidy up some wiring. Clean and reseal the engine and paint it.

Then the install and fuel hoses, finish the wiring harness, mount rad, etc.

 

[jsheahawk]

This is an impressive undertaking. How many engine swaps have you done?

 

[AWD V8]

Thanks

I've done a few. A rotary engine into a VW Beetle, a Nissan engine into a Suzuki 4x4, a V8 RX7, and maybe another that I've forgotten about.

This is the first one I've actually bought the mounts & headers for, guess I'm getting lazy.

The next couple of weeks is the fun part, putting it all together.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Great build so far!

 

[Reprise]

Great build so far!

Seconded. Just caught up on this thread... awesome

 

[AWD V8]

Thanks guys

Well, after wasting so much time on the exhaust manifolds now I can really get to work. I got a bunch of parts to prep the engine for the final install, and more are coming.

Engine comes out tonight and I get to work cleaning things up.

 

[AWD V8]

Well now that I've confirmed that the exhaust and conversion mounts will fit, I've pulled the engine out for the big clean up and detail.

I made up these hoops to facilitate the lifting in and out of the engine and transmission combo.


I only need the one at the rear of the engine when I'm lifting both together. It balances perfect. The hoop clears the firewall easily and can be removed easily afterwords. If I'm lifting only the engine I use both hoops. I do have a tilting engine lift but with the LS engine I don't have the easy lift hooks like the old SB. I also didn't want to remove the intake every time the engine needs to go in or out. I also didn't like the idea of the combined weight of the engine and transmission hanging on those valley plate bolts.

I added a little hand winch with a strap to tilt the whole assembly as I duck the transmission into the tunnel going in. It's a little hard to make out in this photo but the strap is attached to the front pulley.


I can simply wind the front of the engine up and the tail goes down. No effort. I can slip the engine into place in under 2 minutes.

So of course I needed to deal with this rusty battery acid mess before the engine goes in for good.








Getting it pretty.


The engine sitting on the stand naked. New high volume oil pump getting installed, new pan gasket, new rear main seal. Getting painted before the install.

 

[jsheahawk]

Man...I need to learn to weld.

 

[AWD V8]

Man...I need to learn to weld.

Well don't take any tips from me!

 

[Sparky]

I want to learn sometime too.

 

[eutechnyx]

I find it hilarious that I am sub'd to this on s10forum also haha.

 

[AWD V8]

Baked me some headers!


Got a grease smudge on them from the pot holders!

Not too concerned though, I just want to preserve them for as long as I can.

Got the engine cleaned, sealed up and painted! Looks pretty sweet.






Hanging the engine front and rear, much more stable to work on.


Just when I thought I could get a flywheel holder locally I discovered nobody around here has one, not even the speedshop that's been here for decades. I'd have to wait a week to get one in, so I made one.




With the engine done I can now move on to finishing cleaning and painting the engine bay.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Ingenuity...I dig it!

 

[AWD V8]

A little setback

Put the Cherokee up on the hoist again to clean up the underside before the engine goes in. I knew it had some rust under the driver's floor but didn't think it was through. If I can see carpet, that's not good.


Scrapped off the under coating on the passenger side to find this.


I wasn't really looking forward to fixing floors, but I've got all winter to get this finished. Just that my shop is so full with other crap that to pull seats and carpets out and make a big mess is not the best working conditions. The weather is getting new freezing now and even though my shop is heated, I can't be moving stuff outside while I do this. I really hate working in a mess!

 

[AWD V8]

Oh how I hate rust repairs!

Well the floor is done and I'm almost ready to move forward again.



One more coat of paint in the engine bay and the engine goes in this Saturday.

From then on I hope that the momentum picks up, I want to have this move under it's own power by Christmas.