ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[jackson1701]

She sounds fantastic. Not loud at all but very mild with that deep throaty V8 sound. LOVE it!

Thanks for looking.

we need a video or it never happened....

 

[Mark_17]

Beautiful job. You're going to love the new motor.

If you ever want more out of it, a tiny cam, headers and a 3" exhaust is all that is needed for huge gains. The new intake and head designs on these motors love more flow and the bottom and mid range really respond well to it.

 

[zmotorsports]

we need a video or it never happened....

I'll work on that.

Thanks for checking it out.

 

[zmotorsports]

Beautiful job. You're going to love the new motor.

If you ever want more out of it, a tiny cam, headers and a 3" exhaust is all that is needed for huge gains. The new intake and head designs on these motors love more flow and the bottom and mid range really respond well to it.

Thanks. The motor is staying stock. I've been building engines for over 3-decades and there always is a trade off, especially on the newer ones because they are so efficient as is. The older engines you could gain on power and still gain on drivability and efficiency but these new engines are so efficient that there will be a sacrifice somewhere. It may be efficiency or it may be idle quality but the whole reason I went with the 6.2 vs. either the 5.3 or the 6.0 is because of the HP and torque and not wanting to play with cams, intakes, etc. If I wanted more than this I could have even stepped up to the GEN V engines which deliver both even better but at a higher cost associated as well. The GEN IV engine was my choice because of the value and bang for the buck right now. I just want it to drive like a stock Denali or Escalade but wheel like a Jeep.

Thanks for checking out my build projects.

 

[zmotorsports]

I put the last item on the Jeep tonight for this project. I wasn’t going to put any badging on it revealing what’s under the hood, but I changed my mind and decided to give a little hint, just in case the tone of the exhaust isn’t enough. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any L94 badges but seeing as how the L94 shares the same basic architecture as the LS3, it would be fine.


I was not going to install my new tires & wheels until after a few miles and road tests but my son convinced me otherwise.






After installing the new tires & wheels I couldn’t stand it any longer. Even though we had a pretty good snowstorm this morning and the roads were wet, I had to go for a drive. I think I’m gonna really like this, the thing pulls like a freakin' freight train.

 

[Firstram]

unfortunately I'm many times not as happy with my work as I want to be.

Which is the reason you work to such a high standard. Jeep turned out great!!

 

[Boosted1]

The conversion looks great as well as the new wheels and tires.
Nicely done.

 

[zmotorsports]

The conversion looks great as well as the new wheels and tires.
Nicely done.

Which is the reason you work to such a high standard. Jeep turned out great!!

Thanks guys. I appreciate the comments.

Thanks for following along on not only this build but all of my projects.

 

[Finallygotit]

That Jeep just looks badass. Great job Mike. Let us know how good its road manners are. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it will be pretty good.

 

[zmotorsports]

That Jeep just looks badass. Great job Mike. Let us know how good its road manners are.

Thanks Dan. I only have about 10 miles on it at the moment but looking forward to putting more on it. So far it pulls strong, sounds great and handles good. I'm excited to get it up on the interstate and see how it does.

Thanks for following along.

 

[LXCam]

After installing the new tires & wheels I couldn’t stand it any longer even though we had a pretty good snowstorm this morning and the roads were wet, I had to go for a drive. I think I’m gonna really like this, the thing pulls like a freakin' freight train.

Wth Mike, some of us have been waiting all night long for the story of the first drive?!

 

[zmotorsports]

Wth Mike, some of us have been waiting all night long for the story of the first drive?!

Sorry Cam. It was a long past few nights and the first time in nearly two weeks that I went in the house before 8:00pm and sat down to dinner with the wife and son.

As for the test drive, initial impressions are good. With the 4.02:1 first gear it leaves from a stop like a go-cart, even with very, very little throttle. The Jeep is heavy and you can still feel the 6k pounds when driving but it feels much more "nimble" if that makes any sense.

This transmission is great but will take some getting used to. Being a torque sensing transmission it is always seeking to be in the highest gear possible so it shifts at quite low RPM's. For the first 10-mile drive rounding a corner from a stop it is generally shifting into second gear half way through the turn so that will take some getting used to.

Also it is very linear, when you push the accelerator a little it speeds up a little, push it a lot it moves quicker. Very different from the anemic 3.8 liter V6. On that engine I knew where to push the accelerator pedal to the point just before it would downshift but then I would literally have to wait for the Jeep to catch up to the point where the torque could move the Jeep and catch up to the accelerator position. NOT so with this combination, push the accelerator and it moves in relation to where the pedal is located, very different feeling.

I also noticed that the cam phasing is a bit more pronounced with this package in my Jeep than other vehicles I've driven with VVT. It pulls strong off idle and with as little as 1/4 throttle the RPM's climb and as they pass about 3k RPM you feel a little burst of energy that the first time it did it, I thought the trans shifted but then realized it wasn't the transmission shifting it was the cam phasing. I pulled over and stopped and did it again so my son could feel it and sure enough it gets another shot of power as the cam phases and just keeps on pulling.

I also noticed that even driving @ 40~ish MPH, in 6th gear around 1200 RPM, when I wanted to accelerate a little I pushed the accelerator and rather than the transmission downshifting, it just pulled the RPM up with little effort.

Also worth noting is just how smooth the power delivery is. It's not a hot rod, which isn't what I wanted, but the power is so smooth. It also idles dead smooth at about 550 RPM, can't even feel it in the steering wheel or body. I had it idling while I was topping off the transmission fluid and my son even commented on how smooth it was idling and how nice and quiet the PWM fan is. The fan ramps up and down so smooth and quiet in relation to engine temp.

I hope all that makes sense. I hope to get a bit more seat time this weekend. I was going to drive it to work this morning but didn't have the balls to take out a fresh build on the interstate right out of the shop for the 15-mile commute. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[LXCam]

Now that's the kind of initial impression we expected outta ya bud. Most excellent!

I'm sure you know this but I'll step on my toes anyhow. Once you determine what idiosyncrasies you don't care for or would like taylored to your driving enjoyment the trans can be programmed to your liking. I'd also have to imagine that trans has a "tow" feature that locks the converter and extends the shift points. Did it have that provision and if so how do you or did you provide a means of activation? Just kinda wondering.

 

[zmotorsports]

Now that's the kind of initial impression we expected outta ya bud. Most excellent!

I'm sure you know this but I'll step on my toes anyhow. Once you determine what idiosyncrasies you don't care for or would like taylored to your driving enjoyment the trans can be programmed to your liking. I'd also have to imagine that trans has a "tow" feature that locks the converter and extends the shift points. Did it have that provision and if so how do you or did you provide a means of activation? Just kinda wondering.

Thanks Cam, I was hoping what I was typing made sense. Sometimes I have a hard time conveying my thoughts in print with my limited vocabulary.

As for the transmission, I'm not going to do too much with programming until I have some miles on it because it is an adaptive trans and will change to my driving over time so I want to see exactly what that looks like before I go in and make any changes.

As for shift modes, when you pull it back into the manual gate it enters that gear lock and tap shift feature but as far as tow/haul mode I did not activate that at this time. I really don't feel they add much value unless you are in fact towing and need that function so I wanted to get it running and see how it feels before I do anything but doubtful I will activate the tow/haul as currently I am pretty happy with the shifting quality, may just need to tweak a couple of parameters.

Again, I hope all that makes sense.

 

[zmotorsports]

Nothing too hi-tech going on last night. Mainly I cleaned the shop and discarded a lot of parts and boxes that are no longer needed then decided to tackle my engine cover mounting.

Many of these taller truck/SUV LS swaps that I have seen aren’t running the engine cover due to hood clearance issues but from the get go I had it in my head that I was going to run an engine cover for the real OE look.

After a little trimming and messaging of the cover I got it to sit without rubbing any wires or interfering with anything but had to trim down the two mounting bosses where the rubber grommets reside that actually snap the cover fine securely to the intake. Then the issue became the ball studs that screw into the upper manifold and pop into the grommets were way too tall. I’ve seen some just screw a mounting plate onto the top of the engine and then use a nice looking large flat headed screw through the cover and they look okay but not the OE look I was going for. I was nearly ready to go that route when I decided to attempt machining the studs down to lower the mounting point.

This is what I came up with and they work perfect.


I was even able to install a 6mm-1.0 nut to use as a jam but and hold the stud firmly in place. The cover pops into place perfectly and clears the hood, barely but it clears.

Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Driving Impressions and Thoughts

I decided to hike my skirt up and drive the Jeep to work this morning tackling my 15-mile commute in the dark and snowy conditions. The drive was AWESOME!!! I took the back roads just to stay off the interstate in the event I had an issue and had to get out of traffic quickly but it was a freaking awesome drive. I did however freeze my *** off as the temps were right about 32-degrees and it was snowing but that could be due to the fact that I had my driver's window down most of the drive listening to that beautiful music coming from the exhaust. I was damn near to the point of being "giddy" all the way to work.

It is so smooth and docile yet getting on the skinny pedal brings it right to attention and plants you in the seat. I am almost embarrassed to admit this but I will say it now as I know the more seat time I get in it the mellower it will feel, it is "almost" too much power for the vehicle. Now before you guys start beating me up saying you can never have enough power, and I truly agree, my point is for this specific vehicle, the type of driving a Jeep does and as a commuter the other part of the time.

Anything had to be better than that little 3.8 liter mini-van engine and POS 42RLE transmission but I had wanted a Jeep Wrangler for nearly 30-years and when they came out with the 4-door version in 2007 I wanted one even more but couldn't afford it. We had and XJ and then a ZJ and they worked great for daily driving and the little bit of weekend wheeling we were doing at the time but I wanted to do more and really needed a 4-door vehicle so the new JKU was the perfect Jeep in my mind, however the price was well above my budget. When my wife and I finally did save up enough and started looking it was late 2011 and I had my mind set on a 2008-2010 for prices as well as the fact that I could use the ZJ I was driving for the buildup once I sold it and bought the parts. The 2012's were out by then but also well outside of our budget. I had my wife convinced that we would giving up a few things that we had in the ZJ like the V8, the climate control and the heated seats she liked so much.

One day in late November 2011 I stumbled across this particular black 2011 JKUR. I swore I would never own another black vehicle but the wife fell in love with it and she LOVED the interior which had all of her creature comforts, climate control and heated seats. The owner was in a hurry to sell it because he had just ordered a 2012 because he was not happy with the performance of the 3.8 and wanted the newer Pentastar 3.6. It was a decent deal and only had 3k miles on the clock so we ended up driving home with a new Jeep and I told my wife I could live with the anemic engine until I could do something about it. I built the Jeep up into what I wanted and regeared which made it bearable for the past 90k miles and 7 years.

Four plus years ago I started really contemplating putting an LS engine and six-speed transmission in her yet everyone else was on the Hemi craze. I stumbled across a guy in Moab that had Motech do an LS swap for him and started communicating with Robbie what I would need to put a 5.3 liter LS into my 2011 Jeep because I figured that would be adequate for my "needs". It was 1.5 liters more than the 3.8 liter engine that I had with a modest HP output of around 320 and I figured it would provide me a nice balance of power and economy to make my Jeep more fun to drive. At the time Robbie was pretty much only doing in house builds and I wasn't going to have someone else do my engine swap so continued to search for options and information, mainly about the whole CANbus integration and EPA compliance.

Moving and life got in the way of this modification but I started researching again earlier last year when I discovered that Robbie had developed some very nice billet brackets for his builds in which utilized the factory Jeep accessories and kept much of the parts OEM which really intrigued me. Upon calling and talking with him he was at this time selling components for this swap and had the whole USEPA integration pretty much solved so I knew I found my answer. After driving several Hemi's in Jeeps, supercharged Jeeps and even a turbo'd Jeep I knew that was not what I wanted. Yes they had more power than stock but the drivability just wasn't there in my opinion. The Hemi was the closest but even that combination with the 5-speed transmission didn't feel "right" to me. It actually wore on me after a while as it was like driving a hot rod and that wasn't my target.

I did like the power however, which made me start looking at something a little more than the 5.3 liter although a friend's 5.3 Silverado ran so good I was having a hard time pulling away from that engine. I didn't want a hot rod, just more power than what I had so I could easily merge with traffic and the Jeep could get out of its own way. Off-road wasn't a large part of the decision as my Jeep did great off-road although there are some roads that really didn't need 4WD but I had to run in 4-Low due to lack of power. My wife informed me that if I was going to do it, not to settle and do it once and be done so I started talking myself into finding a low mileage 6.0 truck engine as that provide me with the extra torque to move my heavy JK around. In the end I stumbled across a brand new 6.2 crate engine that was too good of a deal to pass up other than I then had to find a matching transmission.

Sorry for the long description but it is leading up to my point after this morning's drive to work. The 6.2 liter I think is definitely more engine than I "needed" as the 6.0 liter would have been more than adequate. After today's almost giddy drive to work I am so happy I went with the engine that I did and I wanted to convey that before I get used to the power and all of a sudden it just feels like a normal Jeep again (which I hope NEVER happens).

I told my wife last night that I see this Jeep as a vehicle we hold onto for a long time and something that we will enjoy for a long time and I am finally glad we went the route of transplanting a powertrain into it that makes it more drivable vs. selling it for a newer one that still wouldn't have this kind of power. The 6.2 is definitely overkill, but overkill is under-rated.

Thanks for all of you who have followed along and commented during my LS swap. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I have had sharing my experience throughout the build.

Now to put some miles on it and enjoy it.

 

[Finallygotit]

Face it Mike, you were in full giddy mode. Do not deny it. You are floating.......as you should. I can tell just by your writing let alone if I was there talking to you.


I am VERY happy for you.



Congrats!!!

I decided to hike my skirt up and drive the Jeep to work this morning.....

BTW, that is a visual that I'm finding quite disturbing right now.

 

[protegeV]

First I was happy for you, now I hate you. I want one

 

[zmotorsports]

Face it Mike, you were in full giddy mode. Do not deny it. You are floating.......as you should. I can tell just by your writing let alone if I was there talking to you.


I am VERY happy for you.



Congrats!!!






BTW, that is a visual that I'm finding quite disturbing right now.

Thank you Dan, I appreciate the comments.

As for hiking up the skirt, please don't take it literally, it's just an expression. No one needs that visual.

 

[zmotorsports]

First I was happy for you, now I hate you. I want one

Thanks. I highly recommend one.

 

[stinkity stoink]

Great job, amazing attention to detail and a great explanation of everything you do !!!
Thanks for posting!!

 

[Nlped]

My 72 yr old dad (whom I actually turned onto this thread) sent me a text a few minutes ago that merely said...”it’s alive, now I want to do this to mine” with a link back here. You’re an inspiration to jeepers everywhere. [emoji23] He’s wintering at Happy Trails in Surprise AZ, but has begun the research.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JCQuick]

Wow that turned out real nice as I expected.

 

[GRN96WS6]

Freezing in a jeep? Those things have heaters that output enough heat to heat a car five times it's size! Even with the window down you'd die! [emoji57] [emoji57]

 

[zmotorsports]

Great job, amazing attention to detail and a great explanation of everything you do !!!
Thanks for posting!!

Wow that turned out real nice as I expected.

Thanks guys, I appreciate that.

 

[zmotorsports]

My 72 yr old dad (whom I actually turned onto this thread) sent me a text a few minutes ago that merely said...”it’s alive, now I want to do this to mine” with a link back here. You’re an inspiration to jeepers everywhere. [emoji23] He’s wintering at Happy Trails in Surprise AZ, but has begun the research.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now that's funny. I'm glad he has followed along and has enjoyed the journey with me. We have friends who just left Happy Trails in Surprise, AZ to head to the FMCA 4-Wheelers rally in Yuma. I've been following along with the rally via pictures but sure wish my wife and I were there.

Our local Jeep club is in Hurricane, UT this weekend for the Winter 4x4 Jamboree which I wanted to go to but didn't end up making the deadline on having my Jeep done with enough time to do testing and break in. Maybe next year.

Thanks again for following and sharing your dad's response.

 

[zmotorsports]

Freezing in a jeep? Those things have heaters that output enough heat to heat a car five times it's size! Even with the window down you'd die! [emoji57] [emoji57]

You're right, the heater is deadly even with the windows down. I should have been more specific that my left ear and head was freezing from listening to the exhaust.

 

[HEEP]

Mike, This has been fun and extremely informative ride on this project. It seemed to turn out better than you expected form what I have read.

The quality of work to the information that you give us here is fantastic and more importantly inspiring. As I have followed along, I have also been doing a swap as I stated earlier in a post. However, I can only dream of having the same type of quality. It's in my mind, but not in my hands. Although, my son thinks I am doing great. I may start a thread after the fact, as time is taken in work and the swap.

Anyways, this has been awesome and as others have said, exactly what we all expected coming from ZMotorsports Garage/Shop

Bill

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, This has been fun and extremely informative ride on this project. It seemed to turn out better than you expected form what I have read.

The quality of work to the information that you give us here is fantastic and more importantly inspiring. As I have followed along, I have also been doing a swap as I stated earlier in a post. However, I can only dream of having the same type of quality. It's in my mind, but not in my hands. Although, my son thinks I am doing great. I may start a thread after the fact, as time is taken in work and the swap.

Anyways, this has been awesome and as others have said, exactly what we all expected coming from ZMotorsports Garage/Shop

Bill

Bill, thank you very much. I am flattered by your kind words.

Good luck in your swap and I hope your skills and talents continue to improve as all of ours should. We should reach higher each and every day if we are to improve. There are a lot of people on this forum that are truly inspiring by what they are able to accomplish and many who I don't feel like I will ever be to their standards.

Thanks again for following along and commenting.

 

[rattle_snake]

Please post a long, smokey burn-out video with decent audio of that new V-8 rumble. Might want to use the old tires though...


Thanks

(I'd guess you're more mature than that but some of us here aren't and want to see it! )

 

[zmotorsports]

Please post a long, smokey burn-out video with decent audio of that new V-8 rumble. Might want to use the old tires though...


Thanks

(I'd guess you're more mature than that but some of us here aren't and want to see it! )

Don't know about the burnout Justin. I was going to with the old tires on but I only have about 300 miles on new gears and don't want to put that kind of stress into them quite yet. Now that I already have my new tires on I think it will be a long time until a burnout happens.

I will admit however, while leaving an intersection this morning on the way to work I got on it just a little to see how quick it would accelerate and it broke the tires loose from the stop. That's never happened before. Granted the roads were just a little wet but not icy, but even on wet roads I could never break the tires loose before whereas today was on accident.

I will however try to get a sound clip of the exhaust in a future video. The sound clip of starting it up on my Part III video that is coming soon is straight off the manifolds with no exhaust so not a very good representation. Today driving with that deep throaty V8 sound, HELL YEAH!!! That's what I'm talking about

 

[manwithtools]

Freezing in a jeep? Those things have heaters that output enough heat to heat a car five times it's size! Even with the window down you'd die! [emoji57] [emoji57]

You are so correct, that was one thing the early versions were criticized for. My 2015 get's the heat production effectively moving so quickly it's amazing. Less than 3/4 of a mile from the house and the heat is flowing. I used to think that Chevy's were quick to heat up. The newer Jeep's take the prize.

 

[zmotorsports]

Today I finished wiring up my driving lights that weren’t working on my bumper so I figured I would redo my wiring and install a new relay as the relay had failed, which is why they weren’t working.

I soldered and heat shrunk the battery lead and decided on a new mounting location. I also added some abrasion loom to the wire to the fuse block.


Load, control and ground wires ran.


Relay mounted and completed.




After another day of putting some miles on the ole girl.

 

[zmotorsports]

Serviced the wife’s Acura today and rotated tires, checked fluids, vacuumed and cleaned windows inside and out. I’ve kind of neglected her car the last little while.

 

[C2tuck]

Thought you were gonna do another swap when I saw it on the lift...lol. Go ahead, throw an LS in it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[protegeV]

Thought you were gonna do another swap when I saw it on the lift...lol. Go ahead, throw an LS in it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha, good one.

 

[customh]

Was almost 1k miles late on the Oil Change and Tire Rotate for the pickup here. Neglect isn't acceptable but sometimes just the way it goes especially when you can't trust anyone to properly torque lug nuts. Reminds me, I need to text Mike about the reason before he finds out here....

 

[zmotorsports]

Thought you were gonna do another swap when I saw it on the lift...lol. Go ahead, throw an LS in it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha, good one.

Ha ha. No swap just a little LOF and rotated tires. It still had some time remaining on the oil but not much so I took the opportunity to change the oil and give her some lovin'.

I think I will be helping my son install a couple of steering upgrades on his Duramax next then tackling his bumpers on his Jeep. Trying to get everything of his done prior to spring and prior to him getting married this summer.

 

[zmotorsports]

Was almost 1k miles late on the Oil Change and Tire Rotate for the pickup here. Neglect isn't acceptable but sometimes just the way it goes especially when you can't trust anyone to properly torque lug nuts. Reminds me, I need to text Mike about the reason before he finds out here....

Ouch Travis. I've been over a couple of times on services and I've kicked myself each time. It's definitely not something I like making a habit of but sometimes life gets busy and things get pushed down on the list. I agree about not trusting anyone to do it properly, especially something as simple as torqueing lug nuts. I've seen so many shops do it incorrectly and yet it is such a simple thing to do.

 

[zmotorsports]

A little tweaking last night.


Pretty good overall right out of the gate. I have about 170 miles on her now and still impressed with it.

Thanks for following along everyone.