The LS Swap Begins
- Thread starter beaufrusetta
- Start date
Update 2/20/22:
Ordered a boat load of stuff from Novak last night (LS to NV3559 adapter, clutch, flywheel, clutch fork, pivot ball, throwout bearing, pilot bushing, engine mount, and transmission mount).
Waiting to hear back from the machine shop to see what my bill is going to be and timing on when they will be done.
I’m at an impasse though…the cost of a new gauge cluster and gauges is nearly the same as the emulators and parts I’m going to need to mate the Jeep cluster to the GM power train, not to mention any headache/gremlins associated with that process. I welcome any feedback/suggestions.
Ordered a boat load of stuff from Novak last night (LS to NV3559 adapter, clutch, flywheel, clutch fork, pivot ball, throwout bearing, pilot bushing, engine mount, and transmission mount).
Waiting to hear back from the machine shop to see what my bill is going to be and timing on when they will be done.
I’m at an impasse though…the cost of a new gauge cluster and gauges is nearly the same as the emulators and parts I’m going to need to mate the Jeep cluster to the GM power train, not to mention any headache/gremlins associated with that process. I welcome any feedback/suggestions.
This is the guy I met Wednesday that does swaps in Jeeps. He might have suggestions.
It might be too late since you placed your order with Novak, but for adapting to the NV3550 I would reccomend looking into the Quickdraw Brand adapter. Uses almost all off the shelf components like flywheel, throwout bearing, slave cylinder etc. If I knew about then before I did my swap I would have used them instead.
https://quickdrawbrand.com/product/ls-to-ax15-bellhousing-adapter-kit/
https://quickdrawbrand.com/product/ls-to-ax15-bellhousing-adapter-kit/
That's a LOT of money for the same stuff I got. I picked up a bell housing for like $80, and the rest of the parts were like $700ish for what they are trying to sell for $1500. I get that they've got a slick bell housing cast (assumed)...but meh...I've got one out of an old Chevelle that is older than me!
Updates as of 3/10/22:
I've made a lot of progress this week - my wife and youngest daughter stayed back for a few extra days in CA to hang with friends, so that means I've gotten a lot of extra time to get'r done.
Purchased another 5.3L from a guy that I had bought some accessories from. The first engine went to the machine shop and the quote came back way higher than I was expecting, so I ended up selling that block/rotating assembly back to the guy I bought it from originally and it was a wash essentially. Also ended trading back the accessories I bought from the 2nd engine guy for some $$$ off the new engine (because those accessories were already attached to the new one).
The Transplant
I've broken down the new motor and started cleaning. I'm getting there, and man does this teach you to be patient.
I've got an extra harness & ecm now that I'll need to unload - shouldn't be too hard to move that. The new harness and ecm came off of a 2006 Tahoe 4x4, and it's drive by wire. Initially I was hesitant on going down that path, but I feel like it's going to give the engine bay a cleaner of a look without the throttle cable draping over top of the engine cover.
The Patient
The goal is to get the engine/transmission/transfer case out of the Jeep by today and to start cleaning the engine bay.
I've got a lot of Jeep parts to sell - including the engine (166k miles, runs perfectly) - so if you guys see anything you want, let me know.
I think I've also figured out the wiring for the stock dash. It's not that hard once you put the pieces together, but there is so much competing information out there, it can get you sideways really fast.
The Budget
Some of you have asked about budget, so with the pivot and all the parts I've purchased (and plan to purchase), my total budget estimate is hovering at $5,051 - no estimates have been added for the AC relocation - I'm guessing that will be in the $500 range after parts/labor. Mind you, I'm doing all the work myself, and I'm utilizing the existing transmission/transfer case, so that's saving quite a bit of cash.
I'm freakin' tired from going balls out the past few days...gotta push through...today and tomorrow!
I've made a lot of progress this week - my wife and youngest daughter stayed back for a few extra days in CA to hang with friends, so that means I've gotten a lot of extra time to get'r done.
Purchased another 5.3L from a guy that I had bought some accessories from. The first engine went to the machine shop and the quote came back way higher than I was expecting, so I ended up selling that block/rotating assembly back to the guy I bought it from originally and it was a wash essentially. Also ended trading back the accessories I bought from the 2nd engine guy for some $$$ off the new engine (because those accessories were already attached to the new one).
The Transplant
I've broken down the new motor and started cleaning. I'm getting there, and man does this teach you to be patient.
I've got an extra harness & ecm now that I'll need to unload - shouldn't be too hard to move that. The new harness and ecm came off of a 2006 Tahoe 4x4, and it's drive by wire. Initially I was hesitant on going down that path, but I feel like it's going to give the engine bay a cleaner of a look without the throttle cable draping over top of the engine cover.
The Patient
The goal is to get the engine/transmission/transfer case out of the Jeep by today and to start cleaning the engine bay.
I've got a lot of Jeep parts to sell - including the engine (166k miles, runs perfectly) - so if you guys see anything you want, let me know.
I think I've also figured out the wiring for the stock dash. It's not that hard once you put the pieces together, but there is so much competing information out there, it can get you sideways really fast.
- Battery/Volts Gauge: this won't change from it's current setup - it will receive it's signal from the Jeep ecm.
- Fuel Gauge: this also won't change - receive from the Jeep ecm.
- Coolant Temp: this little adapter with the coolant temp sensor from my 4.0 connected to my Jeep harness, and it'll get it's signal from the Jeep ecm.
- Oil Pressure: otherwise known as the dummy gauge, will use the oil pressure sensor from my 4.0 connected through this oil cooler adapter and get it's signal from the Jeep ECM.
- Speedometer: since I'm keeping the NP241D and the VSS on the tail of it, it'll get it's signal from there through the Jeep ecm, and I'll split that signal, route it through the Dakota Digital SGI-100BT, and send the output to the GM ecm so that it knows the vehicle speed.
- Tachometer: I've got to add a tachometer output wire to the GM harness that I'll route to the Dakota Digital SGI-100BT tach input and run the tach output to the Jeep ecm as input for the crank position sensor input, which will feed a tach signal to the stock Jeep gauges via the Jeep ecm.
The Budget
Some of you have asked about budget, so with the pivot and all the parts I've purchased (and plan to purchase), my total budget estimate is hovering at $5,051 - no estimates have been added for the AC relocation - I'm guessing that will be in the $500 range after parts/labor. Mind you, I'm doing all the work myself, and I'm utilizing the existing transmission/transfer case, so that's saving quite a bit of cash.
I'm freakin' tired from going balls out the past few days...gotta push through...today and tomorrow!
I'd love to come out - I need to get out of the house more. As the pandemic stretches on with working from home, I find that I'm leaving the house less and less. I've got a buddy that bought one of those new Broncos, and he wants to get out on some trails as well. I figure I should be wrapping this all up at the perfect time when the weather is warm, but not "OMFG I'm going to die" hot outside. It's going to take easily a few weeks to just sort out the wiring, merging the harnesses, test fitting, reconfiguring, test fitting some more, testing connections, etc.
I was also thinking about slipping in new carpet for the Jeep into this project...given I'm ripping almost everything out and refreshing it, that should be a no-brainer, and I think I can get that bed rug set for like $350, but we'll see.
I do have a question for anyone that's following this - how the eff do I disconnect the power steering pump and lines without spraying fluid all over the effin place?! I'm a bit of neat freak with my garage floor and I'm constantly that weird neighbor that's always seen mopping his garage floor. I've already mopped a few times this week. 
I don't remember spilling much when I did mine, I believe I loosened a line at the gearbox and dumped it into a pan.I do have a question for anyone that's following this - how the eff do I disconnect the power steering pump and lines without spraying fluid all over the effin place?! I'm a bit of neat freak with my garage floor and I'm constantly that weird neighbor that's always seen mopping his garage floor. I've already mopped a few times this week.
But I also had one of these on the floor, not necessarily this one.
Drymate XL Oil Spill Mat (36" x 59"), Premium Absorbent Oil Pad - Reusable/Durable/Waterproof - Contains Liquids, Protects Garage Floor Surface (USA Made)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R185TNN/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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There shouldn't be any pressure in the system if the pump isn't running (take cap off to check). From there disconnect a hose to the gear and drain it in a pan. Put caps on the ports before you remove the gear if youre worried about but otherwise just wipe up what you spillI do have a question for anyone that's following this - how the eff do I disconnect the power steering pump and lines without spraying fluid all over the effin place?! I'm a bit of neat freak with my garage floor and I'm constantly that weird neighbor that's always seen mopping his garage floor. I've already mopped a few times this week.
The beginning:
The middle:
The end:
WD-40 and elbow grease. Holy crap those pistons look good!
The middle:
The end:
WD-40 and elbow grease. Holy crap those pistons look good!
He was doing a lot of work that I felt was probably too much. I don’t need a perfectly spec’d race engine…but he’s only going to do it that way I guess…so I just passed.
He claims that it needs to be bored 0.030 over, block decked, heads decked, and full valve/spring replacement…and since it’s bored, it’ll need new pistons, rings, and rods. Since all of that is new, it’ll have to all be rebalanced…the list was long and the quote was $3000. Not that I can’t afford it, but it’s certainly out of the budget I agreed to with my wife.
Update 3/11/2022:
I made a lot of progress last night. My father-in-law stopped by for a little bit and helped with the wrenches and paid for dinner...so...score! I also discovered that the rubber boot over the shift box that's connected to the top of the transmission has a generously sized tear in it. I also discovered that the transfer case and transmission were not quite as heavy as I had imagined in my head. I popped the transfer case off and pulled that out easily - and when I pulled the engine/transmission combo and disconnected the transmission, I picked it up and carried it myself - my back is letting me know that might not have been the best idea, but I don't care...the progress made this week has been incredible!
Does anyone happen to know what the going rate is for the catalytic converter portion of the exhaust? A few people told me that they'd pull a good price because of the rare earth metals within them?
I'm going to list all of the stuff for sale today. If you see something that you might want - let me know. I'm keeping the transmission, transfer case, and driveshafts (hoping I don't have to get new ones)...and I don't think I'll need much else.
I made a lot of progress last night. My father-in-law stopped by for a little bit and helped with the wrenches and paid for dinner...so...score! I also discovered that the rubber boot over the shift box that's connected to the top of the transmission has a generously sized tear in it. I also discovered that the transfer case and transmission were not quite as heavy as I had imagined in my head. I popped the transfer case off and pulled that out easily - and when I pulled the engine/transmission combo and disconnected the transmission, I picked it up and carried it myself - my back is letting me know that might not have been the best idea, but I don't care...the progress made this week has been incredible!
Does anyone happen to know what the going rate is for the catalytic converter portion of the exhaust? A few people told me that they'd pull a good price because of the rare earth metals within them?
I'm going to list all of the stuff for sale today. If you see something that you might want - let me know. I'm keeping the transmission, transfer case, and driveshafts (hoping I don't have to get new ones)...and I don't think I'll need much else.
I honestly think that transfer case weighs more than the transmission. I lifted the two a couple weeks ago and couldn’t believe how heavy it was.
Making good progress, and the work is clean and organized. Is that $5k figure your estimate at the end, or just where you were at the time? Seems really reasonable.
So you are just using a used motor instead of rebuilding one now? Any idea what the mileage was? Just curious really
So you are just using a used motor instead of rebuilding one now? Any idea what the mileage was? Just curious really
$5k is what I’m tracking as spent + to spend in Excel.
The guy I bought it from said it was “low mileage”, and judging by the look of all the accessories and the internals, it definitely doesn’t look like it has more than 100k.
You know, I haven’t checked, but I wonder if the ECM stores mileage? I’ve built a bench harness and can spin up and read the ECM…
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