"Wrangler With Attitude" Project Has Bigger Issues Than We Thought ($$$$)Progress on "Project "Wrangler With Attitude" has been slow as of late. We have not abandoned it altogether, but for now I have other things to tend to. I also need to get some more work done on prepping our "new to us" 5.7 Liter Chevy Engine for it's transplant into my Wrangler. Keep Checking back here for updates on our progress and if you are following along and want to add your two cents worth, feel free to respond by clicking on the "Contact Us" link at the top of this page. Meanwhile, enjoy a few pictures, and visit the rest of the Nor Cal Outdoor Website.
   
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| We found a donor for our Wrangler in Redding. Here we are loaded up and ready to deliver it to it's new home. | Here we have our donor all loaded up and headed for our Garage where we will perform the transplant operation. |
Stopped off to give our donor a bath before we get it home and start removing the engine in preparation of our swap. |
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We are getting things ready to resume the engine swap later this summer.Although we won't be doing the actual swap until later this summer, we still have most of the major components that we need and will be working on getting them ready so that when the time comes, we'll be able to get the swap done in a week-end or two. Stay with us as we: Go through the process of getting the 5.7 ready for it's new home Add the Super Short SYE to the 241C Transfer Case Have the wiring harness adapted to work with the YJ system Look into the possibillity of making the 3/4 ton GM 14 Bolt Rear Axle work on our JEEP Wrangler [anyone have input to share on this?] We will also be continuing our research, gathering as much information as we can, and putting it here on Nor Cal Outdoor so that you can still follow along as we make progress with Wrangler With Attitude! |
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In the interest of making sure we get this done in the best possible way we can, we have decided to put our engine swap on hold for a little while. Money's in short supply and there's a lot more involved in doing an engine swap than we originally anticipated.
Having the engine, Transmission, Transfer Case and the wiring harness and computer are a big step in the right direction, but having the adaptors, the new motor mounts, a new radiator and the patience to make sure it all gets done right are just as important.
Speaking of patience, I could not handle waiting for another two months before I would be able to drive my Jeep again. I started looking around for a replacement transmission that would get me back on the road, and I found a really good deal on eBay. The replacement AX-5 is comming out of the same year Jeep and had been recently rebuilt. The guy selling it to me is doing a swap in his Jeep and say's he won't be needing it anymore. It will be here on Friday and I will be putting it in my Jeep over the week-end. Look for a write up or two on this project comming in the next couple of weeks. |
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Although I will do my best to provide as much information as I can in the process of completing this project, I want to stress the fact that I am not a "Mechanic". I have had quite a bit of experience in working on my own vehicles for years and I have done a lot of removals, rebuilds, and installs, but I have never done a complete engine swap such as this. So, as much as I may try to be prepared, it is quite possible that there might be some "unexpected technical difficulties" along the way that I have not yet considered. So take what you will from the coverage of my prgress, but please do not rely solely on what I say to be your only source of information if you are planning to do something like this yourself.
One More Important Note: There are several reasons why I am devoting this portion of my website to this project.
Reason #1
The biggest reason is that I have been wanting to do this ever since I brought my Jeep home, and now that I am in the position to do it, I figured it would be a good topic for my website.
Reason #2
I will be honest and tell everyone right up front that I expect (or hope) to generate more traffic to my website through the visitors I recieve from the promotion of this project coverage and I hope that the increased volume of traffic will turn into earnings generated through people clicking on my ads and visiting my affilliate websites when they are looking to purchase products related to the outdoor activities they participate in.
Click here ---> Shop 4Wheel Drive Hardware. For All Your Jeep Needs.
I started this website a little over a year ago, and I have spent a lot of time getting it laid out just the way I wanted it. It is not perfect, but is a work in progress, and I plan to continue adding valuable content that my visitors will be able to use and enjoy.
Reason #3
In doing research on this project, I noticed that there is not a lot of specific information readily available for people like myself that will really lay out what needs to be considered in taking on a project such as this. There are a lot of bits and peices that are helpful, but I could not find anything that I would consider as complete coverage. So I am going to try and give my visitors something that I could not readily find myself. In the process, I hope to get ideas, information, tips and criticism that I may be able to share with others.
Reason #4
I own a JEEP! As a Jeep owner and avid off road enthusiast, I don't think further explanation is really needed. It's a Jeep thing, I think you understand.
Reason #5
Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to show that a project like this is not limited to "Professionals", and that any "Joe" is capable of successful completion of a project such as this as long as they have the will to do it, and the common sense to figure out how it is done. It may take a while, but when it's done, it will be much more than just another modification to a Jeep, it will be the realization of a dream come true!
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Answer most, if not all, of the questions below prior to getting started, and your project will have a much better chance of success.
WhatKnowing the reasons for doing an engine swap may help to determine other impotant aspects of the project such as costs and complications.
Determining what engine to swap into a Jeep should not be based on what happens to be lying around the garage (unless of course there happens to be a complete engine, transmission, wiring harness, computer, radiator and all the necessary adaptors neatly tucked away in the corner just waiting for someone to come along and put it all together).
Where the project is going to be done is an important factor to consider. Having an appropriate shop available for upwards of a month or more would be ideal, but not absolutely necessary.
Knowing how the project is going to get completed, and knowing what will be required for success will save much time, money and frustration in the long run.
What resources are available? Shop manuals, access to special tools, internet articles (like this one) to refer to, websites and forums might prove to be useful in answering questions or solving unforseen problems that may arise.
Basic tools can be used for most of the project work, but there will inevitibly be a need for some special tools that not everyone has in their tool box. Do some research to try and determine what might be needed and make arrangements to have them on hand when the time comes.
Having addressed at least most of the above will be very helpful in seeing the project through to the end. Being over prepared is unlikely, and by taking into consideration as much as possible beforehand, the frequency and severety of the unexpected can be reduced dramatically.
One of the most important factors in assuring a successful engine swap is being prepared for the task. There are a lot of issues that will need to be addressed along the way, and the more information gathered and diligent preparation done up front, the smoother the project will progress. We will now list a number of items that really need to be considered in the process of making the decision to swap a V8 into a Jeep. Having never done this myself, I am certain that there will be other issues that I have not discovered to this point and I will list them as they come up.
