Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Hurricane 6 swap possible?

senecagreen

Member
Original poster
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2022
Messages
81
Location
Oklahoma
The Hurricane 6 has been out a couple years now. Eventually there should be a used ones avaliable. Im thinking this would be a interesting swap if possible. I wonder the weight compared to a small block chevy? Or even bellhousing pattern? They are in the 4x4 pickups now so there should be a way.
 
If theres a will, theres a way
The only thing stopping you is time and $$

441lbs for the HO version
Its always the most time spent finding the right mounts, exhaust, wiring pinouts, and adaptations to an existing platform. Theres also the ECM programming, and then obviously getting transmissions sorted

Ive done 2 LSx swaps into classic cars with enormous engine bays. One I made an auto, the other I retrofitted a T-56 into.

TJ is very small by comparison. If you dont have the fab skills and desire to spend hours and lotsa $$$ wait for a custom shop to do it and advertise it in an article

99.9% of the time these swaps cost waaaaay more then you anticipate and negate any fuel and power savings. My 3.5L ecoboost F150 is a pig on fuel
 
Last edited:
If theres a will, theres a way
The only thing stopping you is time and $$

441lbs for the HO version
Its always the most time spent finding the right mounts, exhaust, wiring pinouts, and adaptations to an existing platform. Theres also the ECM programming, and then obviously getting transmissions sorted

Ive done 2 LSx swaps into classic cars with enormous engine bays. One I made an auto, the other I retrofitted a T-56 into.

TJ is very small by comparison. If you dont have the fab skills and desire to spend hours and lotsa $$$ wait for a custom shop to do it and advertise it in an article

99.9% of the time these swaps cost waaaaay more then you anticipate and negate any fuel and power savings. My 3.5L ecoboost F150 is a pig on fuel

This is my thought. Sure, it could be done. But the aftermarket has so much time and money invested in LS and Hemi swaps to make them more sensible. The support isn't there for the Hurricane like the others. And if that engine doesn't stick around as long as the LS or Hemi (or even the Magnum engines) then it never will be.

As for the 3.5, my work truck is a '23 F150 with the 3.5 and 10 speed. Fast truck but gets horrible fuel economy. It has plenty of power to tow, but as soon as you put a trailer behind it, I swear the mileage cuts in half.
 
+3 to the support not being there. There is also the question about the engine physically fitting into the Jeep. A lot of V8s barely fit, the Hurricane has turbos and all the associated stuff as well. It would be a wiring nightmare since that engine has way more electronically controlled stuff than even an LS or modern Hemi would have.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bbaldwin237
And if you're buying a crate engine then why not a Cummins 2.8 which has mounts, adapters etc ready and available.

I'd love to see it done. But I have a good idea of the time and treasure needed to get there.

-Mac
 
This is my thought. Sure, it could be done. But the aftermarket has so much time and money invested in LS and Hemi swaps to make them more sensible. The support isn't there for the Hurricane like the others. And if that engine doesn't stick around as long as the LS or Hemi (or even the Magnum engines) then it never will be.

As for the 3.5, my work truck is a '23 F150 with the 3.5 and 10 speed. Fast truck but gets horrible fuel economy. It has plenty of power to tow, but as soon as you put a trailer behind it, I swear the mileage cuts in half.

Losing about half of your fuel mileage when towing is the case for most gasoline engine powered vehicles. Diesel does much better.
 
Losing about half of your fuel mileage when towing is the case for most gasoline engine powered vehicles. Diesel does much better.

I would disagree with half being normal. My 1/2 ton ram with 5.7 and 8-speed tows my TJ on an 18 ft 7k tilt car hauler and loses about 3 mpg (18 to 15). My work truck averages about 18 with the driving I do, and then goes to about 10 with just a 12ft utility trailer with a two seat Polaris Ranger. I towed a basically empty 26' enclosed (huge wind resistance I know) a few months ago and averaged about 6. I was getting like 150 miles per tank.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeepguy03
As for the 3.5, my work truck is a '23 F150 with the 3.5 and 10 speed. Fast truck but gets horrible fuel economy. It has plenty of power to tow, but as soon as you put a trailer behind it, I swear the mileage cuts in half.

??? You guys with the 3.5 Ecoboosts must be in the throttle/turbo all the time! I'm about to turn 80,000 trouble-free miles on mine and overall mileage since new (and that includes some towing) is 20.5 mpg. That's calculated by an Excel spreadsheet and not taken from the truck's display. On trips I've managed to get much better than that. 210 miles since filling up and 660 miles still to go till empty (36 gallon tank). How can you beat that in a pickup truck with a payload of essentially 1 ton?

mileage 9-23-24.jpg
 
I would disagree with half being normal. My 1/2 ton ram with 5.7 and 8-speed tows my TJ on an 18 ft 7k tilt car hauler and loses about 3 mpg (18 to 15). My work truck averages about 18 with the driving I do, and then goes to about 10 with just a 12ft utility trailer with a two seat Polaris Ranger. I towed a basically empty 26' enclosed (huge wind resistance I know) a few months ago and averaged about 6. I was getting like 150 miles per tank.

I've been impressed with the 5.7L/ZF8 in my WK2 for towing. Got 18 mpg pulling a small trailer through the hills and I don't have a light foot. I know two people with ecoboost F150s and they each laugh that you either have "eco" or "boost" and can really drink fuel with the second. Personally I think the Ecoboost and many other GDI turbo charged engines are a great way for manufacturers to achieve mpg and CAFE requirements under specific test environments while real world doesn't always match.


As far as a Hurricane swap I think @astjp2 hit the nail on the head. CAN BUS and the module connectivity might be the limiting factor here, where complexity might make it impossible without having a complete donor vehicle and all the modules, not to mention it being a question if the engine and accessories even fit in a TJ. I used to own a few BMWs, from the E9x platform (2006 - 2013 3-series). Even with BMW having a lot more aftermarket software and coding support, swapping a twin turbo engine in the same chassis from a car that had that engine to a car that did not was quite the undertaking, to where most people just opted to seek out the car with the turbo engine instead.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bbaldwin237
The Hurricane inline 6 engine does not have a dipstick. This is in an effort to encourage professional maintenance and warranty compliance.

I wouldn't consider buying one.

Not only that, but support and parts availability is a complete shitshow. After my experience with the current JL, I wouldn't touch anything of current FCA/Stellantis production.
 
??? You guys with the 3.5 Ecoboosts must be in the throttle/turbo all the time! I'm about to turn 80,000 trouble-free miles on mine and overall mileage since new (and that includes some towing) is 20.5 mpg. That's calculated by an Excel spreadsheet and not taken from the truck's display. On trips I've managed to get much better than that. 210 miles since filling up and 660 miles still to go till empty (36 gallon tank). How can you beat that in a pickup truck with a payload of essentially 1 ton?

View attachment 623071

I have a lot of idle time in mine, so the regular mpg would be higher. But that only makes the towing mileage even worse!

I agree with what @jeepguy03 said, it's either eco or boost. It's seems like every Ecoboost owner has a different experience.

I'll add too that my Ram would do 21ish on the highway before I added lift, 35's and some power adders.
 
I have talked with a guy who bought the hurricane package and it swapped directly into an XJ with only minimal fabrication. He had to buy the complete kit, the long block version will not work. I talked with him at a car show and the car he had there was his XJ.

There are 3 choices now...420hp, 525hp, and 1,000hp. 420 still would be bat chit crazy.
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts