rockvegas555
Member
They plan for now is to drive it until it breaks....Well once it is running!! Fingers crossed that its soon.
2008 JKU "Argenta" Build Thread (plus an Islander side project)
- Thread starter pc1p
- Start date
They plan for now is to drive it until it breaks....Well once it is running!! Fingers crossed that its soon.
Rain was supposed to roll in this AM, so I decided to take a late night run to inspect and pick up that crate motor. The motor was exactly as described, and aside from an issue with the sellers cherry picker not wanting to work (and a very smashed thumbnail!), it was a relatively painless pickup...
I've got some parts coming in hopefully early next week - an 8HP70 flex plate for example - and then I can get this put on the engine stand. It will be easier to do the rear sump oil pan conversion as well as the 45° Oil Filter Relocation once it's off the pallet, though I very much appreciate the stability.
I found out the exhaust manifolds are the Mopar Performance ones based on the SRT 6.4L Grand Cherokee ones. I wonder if I'll be able to make these work with some OEM parts, perhaps a set of GC cats and Y-pipe. This would save me a considerable bunch of $$$, as the JSS header and exhaust kit is $2300...
I've got some parts coming in hopefully early next week - an 8HP70 flex plate for example - and then I can get this put on the engine stand. It will be easier to do the rear sump oil pan conversion as well as the 45° Oil Filter Relocation once it's off the pallet, though I very much appreciate the stability.
I found out the exhaust manifolds are the Mopar Performance ones based on the SRT 6.4L Grand Cherokee ones. I wonder if I'll be able to make these work with some OEM parts, perhaps a set of GC cats and Y-pipe. This would save me a considerable bunch of $$$, as the JSS header and exhaust kit is $2300...
rockvegas555
Member
rockvegas555
Member
I am not sure if you have but I would put a hydro assisted steering in. The factory will whine like crazy once you swap the engine.
A PSC big bore, PSC pump, and 6.75" ram is indeed planned for... hoping to catch a few Black Friday deals coming here soon.
rockvegas555
Member
That’s what have in both of mine. The difference is ridiculous. Are you going to convert to a Holley Terminator X? If not what is your plan there?
Nope - I'll be running a factory 2012+ Challenger ECM from JSS that's been programmed accordingly (I'll also be adding the 8HP70 TCM from JSS). Doing it this way lets me use about 95% of off-the-shelf OEM parts, and retain all my factory accessories (gauges, idiot lights, a/c, etc). Even things like transmission cooler lines are all OEM (from a 392 JLU).
Well, it looks like 2WD weather has finally kicked in!
(that's a a Jerry B. Easter Egg for those who spent some time on the TJ Forum
)
I had a quiet midday and used my lunch break to get some progress made on pulling the 3.8L and trans out. I listed it on Facebook Marketplace and already have it pending... I didn't think there would be much of a market for 200,000+ mile 3.8L's, but here's the world we live in...
The grill support, radiator, etc. are all out of the way. Next up is dropping the exhaust and transmission crossmember (I pulled the t-case last night), disconnecting some remaining wire connectors and fuel lines, then this is just about ready to be snatched out! I haven't decided but I might swamp the 37"s out for the rollers to make it easier to get the engine in and out. I like the height at the moment as it makes it easier for me to get to things and to fit underneath.
Despite the snow, my hope is that with the slightly warmer weather coming this weekend that I'll be able to get the motor out, and can push this thing out of the garage for a final degrease and power wash!
(that's a a Jerry B. Easter Egg for those who spent some time on the TJ Forum
)I had a quiet midday and used my lunch break to get some progress made on pulling the 3.8L and trans out. I listed it on Facebook Marketplace and already have it pending... I didn't think there would be much of a market for 200,000+ mile 3.8L's, but here's the world we live in...
The grill support, radiator, etc. are all out of the way. Next up is dropping the exhaust and transmission crossmember (I pulled the t-case last night), disconnecting some remaining wire connectors and fuel lines, then this is just about ready to be snatched out! I haven't decided but I might swamp the 37"s out for the rollers to make it easier to get the engine in and out. I like the height at the moment as it makes it easier for me to get to things and to fit underneath.
Despite the snow, my hope is that with the slightly warmer weather coming this weekend that I'll be able to get the motor out, and can push this thing out of the garage for a final degrease and power wash!
rockvegas555
Member
Since I did the LS Swap I went with the RPM Extreme conversion kit. If I had to do it all over again I would have went with the Holley Terminator X solution since I did LS. I think if I ever do another one it would be a HEMI swap. The LS3 is cool but getting the everything working together is a nightmare. The computers literally fight each when you run the AC. It took forever to figure out. Its the little shit that drives you nuts.
The oil tanks are full, the heat is on, and it's 60° in the garage... might as well make the best of it!
The engine is out, and I've got a guy coming Friday morning to pick it up. He just blew a rod through the side of his 3.8L, which I thought was a little shocking since I didn't think the 3.8L made enough horsepower to put a rod through the block
I've got a few things to do tomorrow: get the rest of the exhaust out, torque the rest of the front suspension down, add the rear track-bar (I had to steal my Mopar one for Charlotte's Islander a few weeks ago), steal a few parts off of the 3.8L/trans (e.g., t-case shift cable bracket), and then do some general garage clean-up.
I've got a busy weekend ahead; on Saturday our local HS is going to Round #1 of the state playoffs and I'm the team photographer, and on Sunday the Mrs. wants to decorate the outside of the house for Christmas before winter fully sets in and it's too cold/frozen to hang anything. Sunday AM is looking like my one and only day to get this thing properly degreased and power washed one last time.
I've ordered all the small parts and pieces for the Hemi (new alternator, idler, hardware, etc.) and am just waiting for them to arrive. With any luck, both PSC and Jeep Speed Shop will kick off their holiday sales soon and I'll be able to get the parts need to start installing. In the meantime, I guess I'll strip the OEM motor mounts off the frame and touch up the body mounts that have some rust building up (the "horns" where the radiator support mounts, as well as the "wings" that support the front fenders could use a bit of needle scale work and rust reformer). I also have the J8 booster and master to install, so maybe I'll plan on doing that soon as well (seems a lot easier to do when you can stand next to the firewall!).
The engine is out, and I've got a guy coming Friday morning to pick it up. He just blew a rod through the side of his 3.8L, which I thought was a little shocking since I didn't think the 3.8L made enough horsepower to put a rod through the block
I've got a few things to do tomorrow: get the rest of the exhaust out, torque the rest of the front suspension down, add the rear track-bar (I had to steal my Mopar one for Charlotte's Islander a few weeks ago), steal a few parts off of the 3.8L/trans (e.g., t-case shift cable bracket), and then do some general garage clean-up.
I've got a busy weekend ahead; on Saturday our local HS is going to Round #1 of the state playoffs and I'm the team photographer, and on Sunday the Mrs. wants to decorate the outside of the house for Christmas before winter fully sets in and it's too cold/frozen to hang anything. Sunday AM is looking like my one and only day to get this thing properly degreased and power washed one last time.
I've ordered all the small parts and pieces for the Hemi (new alternator, idler, hardware, etc.) and am just waiting for them to arrive. With any luck, both PSC and Jeep Speed Shop will kick off their holiday sales soon and I'll be able to get the parts need to start installing. In the meantime, I guess I'll strip the OEM motor mounts off the frame and touch up the body mounts that have some rust building up (the "horns" where the radiator support mounts, as well as the "wings" that support the front fenders could use a bit of needle scale work and rust reformer). I also have the J8 booster and master to install, so maybe I'll plan on doing that soon as well (seems a lot easier to do when you can stand next to the firewall!).
The minivan engine is no more! Guy came as promised from over 2.5 hours away to get it. I still can’t believe I had multiple people in line for a 209k mile engine…
The weather today was crappy and not great for much of anything but it looks like I’ll have some opportunities this week to get the engine bay properly degreased and cleaned up.
My various parts orders have been arriving. These are mostly OEM parts needed for the swap. The biggest exception so far is this AIRAID air tube I’ll need. The BOM for the swap calls for a 2007-10 Grand Cherokee 5.7L air tube, but they’re nonexistent from Mopar and used options aren’t great.
I found this on eBay for the same vehicle application and it was at a super cheap price with free shipping. It probably flows a little better than an OEM air tube and looks better too, so I’ll consider that a win.
The weather today was crappy and not great for much of anything but it looks like I’ll have some opportunities this week to get the engine bay properly degreased and cleaned up.
My various parts orders have been arriving. These are mostly OEM parts needed for the swap. The biggest exception so far is this AIRAID air tube I’ll need. The BOM for the swap calls for a 2007-10 Grand Cherokee 5.7L air tube, but they’re nonexistent from Mopar and used options aren’t great.
I found this on eBay for the same vehicle application and it was at a super cheap price with free shipping. It probably flows a little better than an OEM air tube and looks better too, so I’ll consider that a win.
Finally got the Islander gears all broken in (mileage wise), and have been cruising down the highway a bunch…
The guy that bought my 3.8L thought I was nuts for going with 5.13’s on a stock rig, but it cruises great (as great as an underpowered minivan engine can cruise).:
It cruises 80 mph at exactly 3000 rpm. I can now travel up a few of the long sweeping sections of highway nearby that would normally caused the trans to downshift out of OD at least 3 times between the place I enter the highway and my exit. Now, she maintains 70 mph with ease…
The guy that bought my 3.8L thought I was nuts for going with 5.13’s on a stock rig, but it cruises great (as great as an underpowered minivan engine can cruise).:
It cruises 80 mph at exactly 3000 rpm. I can now travel up a few of the long sweeping sections of highway nearby that would normally caused the trans to downshift out of OD at least 3 times between the place I enter the highway and my exit. Now, she maintains 70 mph with ease…
Those things are still great bullet proof engines when maintained. Guy is probably going to do a complete rebuild, or sell it on eBay or something.
His spun a bearing and the insides wanted to be on the outside…I guess this is a common type of failure on these blocks. Not nearly as common as some of the 3.6L issues or Hemi-cam-chewing, but common enough to see multiple examples of it on the web.
Shockingly, it looks like Mopar still sells complete engine replacements for the 3.8L! I told him to at least go through and do basic maintenance on my old engine. Some new gaskets, plugs, maybe a timing chain, etc. certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Last edited:
I've decided to keep the bulk of the Hemi swap info in a separate forum thread: https://wranglerjkforum.net/threads/jku-hemi-swap-reference-guide-swap-info.32731/
I'll still post a lot of progress info here, but technical details, part #s, links, resources, etc. will be there for easy future reference.
I'll still post a lot of progress info here, but technical details, part #s, links, resources, etc. will be there for easy future reference.
Just like what I found during my TJ Hemi swap stuff, there's a lot of information to absorb and digest, much of which is scattered in bits and pieces across the web...
At least when I was doing my TJ swap, there were some forum pages and readable materials that made sense and had good info. Now it seems like everything is either quickly covered in short-form reel type videos, or in a 4 hour "watch me undo 19 oil pans bolts in 1x speed while I say the wrong thing and simultaneously overlay the correct information on the screen". I hate both for technical stuff that requires decision making, hence my effort to consolidate as much information as I can on the swap for people. If nothing else, it will be a good resource for me to refer back to when I have to figure something I did out haha
While I'm waiting for parts to come on Black Friday sales, I'm wrapping up some odds and ends that I can. On the interior, I removed the ignition park-interlock (the one that prevents you from removing your key when the transmission shifter isn't in "P"). Since my 8HP70 won't have a need for it, it gets removed. I didn't snag any photo, but the process is simple - put the key into the switch, rotate to "run", then depress the clip in the back of the cable where it enters the ignition switch under the column. Since my lower dash and column were already apart, this only took a few seconds.
I also removed the OEM exhaust and Y-pipe. I ended up cutting the exhaust in half, keeping the front Y-pipe and OEM cats in usable condition (just in case my daughter's Jeep needs them). I'll chop up the long rear pipe tomorrow and throw it in the trash. I usually take my scrape steel to the local scrap yard when I get lots of metal saved up, but I just did that a few weeks ago and forgot about the exhaust pipe. I won't have much anytime soon and would rather not have a big a$$ pipe in my way over the next few months.
After that, I turned my attention to some rust issues I found. Despite this JKU coming from, and spending much of its life in Florida (and a short stint in NC), there was a good bit of rust under the front fender flare support bracket:
It even rusted out a small hole on the bottom side. The rest of the fender is solid. Even just 1/4" around the holes and I can't make it budge. With that, I figured it was worth saving this fender rather than swapping out.
I used the needle scaler on the chunky stuff, then hit all the spots with a wire brush and gave two coats of rust converting primer. I followed that up with two quick coats of Dupli-Color OEM Bright Silver. I'm still undecided on what flares I want to run, but in the case that I run a flare that needs the support bracket and/or the bracket is visible, it might as well have some protection on it.
I also removed the OEM exhaust and Y-pipe. I ended up cutting the exhaust in half, keeping the front Y-pipe and OEM cats in usable condition (just in case my daughter's Jeep needs them). I'll chop up the long rear pipe tomorrow and throw it in the trash. I usually take my scrape steel to the local scrap yard when I get lots of metal saved up, but I just did that a few weeks ago and forgot about the exhaust pipe. I won't have much anytime soon and would rather not have a big a$$ pipe in my way over the next few months.
After that, I turned my attention to some rust issues I found. Despite this JKU coming from, and spending much of its life in Florida (and a short stint in NC), there was a good bit of rust under the front fender flare support bracket:
It even rusted out a small hole on the bottom side. The rest of the fender is solid. Even just 1/4" around the holes and I can't make it budge. With that, I figured it was worth saving this fender rather than swapping out.
I used the needle scaler on the chunky stuff, then hit all the spots with a wire brush and gave two coats of rust converting primer. I followed that up with two quick coats of Dupli-Color OEM Bright Silver. I'm still undecided on what flares I want to run, but in the case that I run a flare that needs the support bracket and/or the bracket is visible, it might as well have some protection on it.