ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

Mike,


Do most newer vehicles have a main disconnect to make lifting a body off the frame fairly simple?

You waste no time! I'm envious and you're one guy that if I was local I'd come offer a hand just to learn and have fun.

Your son sitting there just shows that we as guys never grow up! [emoji23][emoji23]

Many have a main chassis connection that disconnects the frame from the body. The Jeep has one up at the front right corner by the radiator but also I had quite a few accessories that I had to also disconnect but all in all not to bad. Within about 4.5 hours I had everything disconnected, all fluids drained, e-brake cables disconnected, fuel fill and EVAP lines removed as well as transmission cooler lines and A/C lines.

My son cracks me up. He jumped up on the frame and I just had to snap a picture of it.

 

[matt_i]

Very cool, have to ask about the L94 and 6L80 trans...I could be wrong but wasnt a 4L65 the original transmission in the 6.2L Escalade setup?

Maybe this is no big deal to resolve via aftermarket controllers or custom programs but I was curious about your plans to get it all working together

I have had thoughts of using a garden variety 5.3L from early 2000s + the 4L60 in a pickup but my idea was to get the entire vehicle so I could try to integrate other components like radiator, AC condenser, fuel pump, etc.

 

[Bighead38]

That’s a big project.

Been there? It’s an 87, it’s a nightmare. Mostly just nuts and holts but have had to cut a couple hoses. That doesn’t bother me but the knock sensor breaking is a problem. I’m going to try and hammer on a turbo socket tomorrow, if that doesn’t work I will drill it out. Getting the oil pan off alone was a nightmare, the 2 chassis brackets were bad but the crossover line took time. Damn northeast corrosion.

 

[zmotorsports]

Very cool, have to ask about the L94 and 6L80 trans...I could be wrong but wasnt a 4L65 the original transmission in the 6.2L Escalade setup?

Maybe this is no big deal to resolve via aftermarket controllers or custom programs but I was curious about your plans to get it all working together

I have had thoughts of using a garden variety 5.3L from early 2000s + the 4L60 in a pickup but my idea was to get the entire vehicle so I could try to integrate other components like radiator, AC condenser, fuel pump, etc.

The 6L80 was the transmission behind the LS in the Denali’s and Escalades since 2007. The 4L60 was used in the early to mid-2000 GM’s, basically the GEN III engines. The engine, transmission, wiring and operating system I’m using is GEN IV GM.

In 2007 and 2008 the engine was an L92 with 6L80, then in 2009 they added flex fuel and it was an L9H. In 2010-2014 they added AFM (Air Fuel Management) and called it the L94. All were just over 400 HP and about 417 ft/lbs of torque.

2007 and 2008 had a very unfriendly operating system, then in 2009 was an operating system unique to that particular year. The 2010-2014 GM GEN IV’s went to the 238 (known as the E38) computer and the TCM’s were internal in the transmission. The ECM’s and TCM’s work together as part of the emissions system where they look for VCN (Vehicle Calibration Numbers). Everything has to match in order to USEPA compliant. In 2015 GM went to the LT engines and GEN V components but I’ll be using all GEN IV engine and components.

Basically everything from the GM vehicle that was EPA certified will be used in this build to be USEPA compliant.

As for everything working together I will be using an aftermarket CAN controller that will create the “handshake” between the GM engine/trans and the Chrysler BCM. It will use the interior CAN network so everything Jeep as far as dash, HVAC and adaptives will function just as if they were OEM Jeep.

There is a lot if information out there but takes some time and energy to research, more than I would have time to explain it all here. I’ve been planning this build for over 4 years and think I have all of my i’s dotted and t’s crossed but if your serious about doing a swap or transplant just be sure to do your homework before beginning to avoid getting frustrated.

 

[Bighead38]

Good post Z. Research you have done should make it work. There will be hiccups but nothing you can’t beat.

 

[Balor]

Outstanding Mike

rngr1

 

[zmotorsports]

Good post Z. Research you have done should make it work. There will be hiccups but nothing you can’t beat.

Thank you and thanks for following along.

 

[zmotorsports]

Outstanding Mike



rngr1

Thank you. I appreciate you checking out my projects.

 

[zmotorsports]

After breakfast today I went out into the shop to start prepping things. I unboxed the parts that have been collecting dust on my shop floor for the last six months and laid things out in the order in which I think I’ll be using them.

I decided that while I have the body off the frame that I may as well replace my fuel pump. The OEM one has over 90k miles on it and I’ve seen them fail as early as around 100k, but then again I’ve seen them go many, many more than that also. I just thought it would be beneficial to replace it now while I have easy access. With my luck the damn thing would fail in a few months or few thousand miles and I would end up having to drop the fuel tank. I’m replacing it with an OEM Mopar fuel pump.


My new GM chassis wiring harness that has the EVAP fuel tank pressure sensor and vent valve for the closed EVAP monitoring system. Also on the GM chassis harness is the driver’s side downstream O2 sensor connector. The engine harness has both upstream O2 sensor connectors as well as the passenger side downstream O2 connector.


Transmission mount. I prefer to use the two bolt heavy duty GM mount that they’ve used for the past couple of decades.


I opted to purchase the Motech billet accessory brackets. Robbie really did his homework as these are nice components and will put the JK accessories right back where they were so all wiring and A/C lines will connect as intended. No custom built A/C lines are required which stays with my theme of keeping this build as OE as possible. They even accept the OEM Jeep tensioner.


I also purchased Motech’s engine mounts as they are complete bolt in and use hydraulic mounts to keep things smooth. I was planning on fabricating my own and using OEM GM mounts but when I was talking with Robbie about his billet brackets he talked me into his EZ motor mounts as well.


Here are quite a few of my OEM GM parts such as engine and transmission dipsticks and tubes as well as fasteners such as torque converter bolts, bell housing bolts, starter motor shields and bolts.


Lastly my OEM GM wiring harness. This is a factory harness for the 2010-2014 GM SUV (Denali/Escalade) vehicles.


Thanks for looking.

 

[larry4406]

Nice job with all your posts! Thank you for letting us watch.

The Jeep with GM power train will be an interesting hybrid!

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice job with all your posts! Thank you for letting us watch.

The Jeep with GM power train will be an interesting hybrid!

Thanks for the comments and for following along.

 

[matt_i]

I’ve been planning this build for over 4 years and think I have all of my i’s dotted and t’s crossed but if your serious about doing a swap or transplant just be sure to do your homework before beginning to avoid getting frustrated.

Thanks for the great education! I figured you were well up to speed on all of the issues present.

One more question if I may, are you concerned about the ~400hp V8 starving from a fuel pump that was originally hooked to a V6? Realizing you are not building a quarter mile sled here but it popped into my mind

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the great education! I figured you were well up to speed on many of the issues present.

One more question if I may, are you concerned about the ~400hp V8 starving from a fuel pump that was originally hooked to a V6? Realizing you are not building a quarter mile sled here but it popped into my mind

The fuel pump will easily support up to around 500 hp so it will be sufficient for this combination. I am however replacing it just due to its age and miles but pressure and volume will be fine with the OEM Chrysler pump.




Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[Finallygotit]

Mike, speaking of fuel, where do they hide the fuel filter on that?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, speaking of fuel, where do they hide the fuel filter on that?

No fuel filters on these Dan. There’s a sock/strainer on the pickup tube in the fuel tank.

 

[Finallygotit]

I guess that makes sense since you don't have to worry about rust from a blow molded gas tank.


Thanks Mike.

 

[rmack898]

Mike I know you are replacing the fuel pump but since you have the body off,
you might want to consider making an access port in the floor for future fuel pump access if the need ever arises.

I know you're using an OEM pump but things happen, I'm just saying.

 

[jbmatth]

Nice to see the progress on your swap. I'm with you on pulling the body for major work like this. By the time I have an engine ready to pull out I'm only an hour away from pulling the body or sometimes less.

JB

 

[shortykorte]

First happy half century mark. I’m thinking you should have rigged the chassis up so you could have taken it for a spin around the neighborhood. Lol.
If you left the body on, just thing of all the colorful stories that would have provided during the swap. WTF. lol. If you’re keeping the Jeep, I like the idea of a pump hatch. I did that with my Tahoe. Sure made things easier. Look forward to seeing this do a 4 wheel burnout.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike I know you are replacing the fuel pump but since you have the body off,
you might want to consider making an access port in the floor for future fuel pump access if the need ever arises.

I know you're using an OEM pump but things happen, I'm just saying.

Thanks for following along Mac. As for fuel pump access, the tanks really aren't that bad to drop on these jeeps and I don't want to cut up my body just for an access port.

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice to see the progress on your swap. I'm with you on pulling the body for major work like this. By the time I have an engine ready to pull out I'm only an hour away from pulling the body or sometimes less.

JB

Thanks JB. It's nice to finally be working on it. I'm sure you know what it's like, planning something for a long time then the feeling you get when turning that first bolt on the actual project. The only thing better is the feeling when it's done and the sense of accomplishment.

 

[zmotorsports]

First happy half century mark. I’m thinking you should have rigged the chassis up so you could have taken it for a spin around the neighborhood. Lol.
If you left the body on, just thing of all the colorful stories that would have provided during the swap. WTF. lol. If you’re keeping the Jeep, I like the idea of a pump hatch. I did that with my Tahoe. Sure made things easier. Look forward to seeing this do a 4 wheel burnout.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Thanks Shorty. No access port as I don't want to cut on my body and the tanks are not that bad to drop on these Jeeps. Don't know about a 4-wheel burnout, I tend to drive this thing like a baby carriage whether on or off-road. I actually think the 6.2 is way overkill for this but what the hell, overkill is under-rated.

Thanks for following along Shorty.

 

[mh70ss]

Super job so far Mike. Thanks for all the details. The YT video was very informative.

 

[zmotorsports]

Super job so far Mike. Thanks for all the details. The YT video was very informative.

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[zmotorsports]

Happy New Year’s everyone. I hope you all have a very happy and prosperous 2019.


Tonight I arrived home about an hour and a half before the wife so I ran out to the shop and got a little bit done on the engine swap.

First off I got the engine separated from the pallet then bolted the transmission to the engine and torqued the converter bolts to the flex plate.


I assembled the Motech EZ motor mounts and bolted them to the engine leaving the actual mounts slightly loose for adjustability once the engine is sitting in the chassis.


Next I bolted the Motech billet A/C bracket to the engine.


Rear A/C compressor brackets.


A/C compressor installed and ready to install the stretch belt. Robbie really did his R&D as these brackets fit perfectly and align exactly with the harmonic balancer.


A/C stretch belt installed with the correct tool for the job.


Next up I figured I’d set the engine & trans into the chassis.








All in all I’m into the project about 10 hours and the engine is bolted into the chassis. I still have a little tweaking to get it aligned before tightening everything down in its final location but I feel I’m making decent progress so far.

Thanks for looking and I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

 

[protegeV]

Looks great so far. Maybe another week or so before shes om the road??

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks great so far. Maybe another week or so before shes om the road??

Hope so. Doubt I’ll get out in the shop tomorrow.

Thanks for checking out my projects thread.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

You aren't wasting any time!

 

[Bighead38]

You aren't wasting any time!

He's flying.

 

[timbitca]

Great progress on the Jeep. Can't wait to hear the sound it makes.

 

[LXCam]

Is it done yet???..






Happy New Years Mike. That's going together quite nicely.

 

[Finallygotit]

Man that is so nice to see. Great job Mike!

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Is it done yet???..

At the pace he's moving we might wake up tomorrow to a video of him test driving it!

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for all of the kind words guys. I think up until this point it has gone well but the next several steps are cleaning up some things and swapping radiator, A/C condenser and such so they may not move as quickly but all in all it is moving along at a nice pace.

Thanks for the comments and for following along. I posted up the first video to my YouTube channel the other night and hope to keep the pace going.

 

[JustinS]

Looks great, it will be a new jeep after being rid of that 3.8.

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks great, it will be a new jeep after being rid of that 3.8.

I know right? Not only just the extra power but realistically most of it will be new. The axles both have brand new gears and bearings, TC is freshened up, 6L80E transmission is a low mileage trans and the new motor. And best of all, I think this upgrade is still less expensive than if I would have sold it and purchased a new one in which I still would have been disappointed in. I don't want to think the litlle 3.8 was at the end of it's life but definitely not new by any means and with as underpowered as it was I'm sure I wasn't adding life to it by pushing it.

I had actually gone and driven new ones about a year ago because so many of our RV'ing friends have traded in their 2007-2011 JK's on the new Pentastar with 5-speed's and seem to be happy with them. I still wasn't impressed and just decided to go back to my original plan of building my old 2011 up into the Jeep I really wanted rather than settle for another one. My plan was to build this one to the level that I would be happy with and keep it for the next 15~ish or so years, well into retirement. At that point I will decide whether I will freshen it up again or move on to something newer but I am pretty hooked on the whole off-roading culture and don't plan on giving it up anytime soon. My wife and I have talked about continuing on well into our retirement years but keeping our Jeep very streetable and driveable for daily driving and casual sightseeing when we tow it behind our coach. I think everything I am doing will stick to that plan perfectly, especially if I can keep it as clean and pristine for the upcoming years as I have been able to keep it for the past 7 years and 90k miles.

Thanks for following along on my projects.

 

[zmotorsports]

Well, I had a guy from our local Jeep club come by the shop today. He had called me earlier asking quite a few questions about my build. I told him if he wanted to come by my shop I would be willing to answer his questions and explain anything he had specific questions about in person as it would be easier than over the phone or through texts. During his visit today he commented several times about how impressed he was with the manner in which I was performing the swap, how impressed he was with the the amount of research I had done, how much information I had about the various engines and options and how clean the build was progressing.

He then asked me if he was to gather up all the parts necessary if I would be willing to do another swap and we discussed prices/costs. I told him I would be very interested in doing it for him when he got ready. Hopefully this project will already begin paying off by doing another one in which I could make some money. I don’t know how happy the wife was when I told him I would consider it though. [emoji15]

 

[protegeV]

That's the way to do it!

 

[darwyn]

I don’t know how happy the wife was when I told him I would consider it though. [emoji15]

His wife or yours?

 

[zmotorsports]

That's the way to do it!

Thanks.

His wife or yours?

I was talking about my wife not being happy about me doing it but maybe his wife wasn't happy about it either.