2000 Sahara Engine / Transmission Swap

[Declan McPherson]

Hey I am new to the whole forum thing and to be honest I usually avoid them like the plague but I have come to a crossroads and don't have anywhere else to turn. That being said I apologize ahead of time if I lose anyone in all this.

I am wanting to learn more about engines, transmissions and really the guts of a vehicle so I figured what better way than to do it myself. I told myself that if the engine or transmission got into a bad enough condition that I would start working on a 350 engine swap. Well as of recently my transmission has started to go out.

First things first, a little bit about the vehicle. Right now I have the 4.0 I6 with a cool air intake and a 3 speed auto trans. What got me looking at the trans in the first place was that the overdrive gear started acting a little wonky on my 14 hr drive back to Abq. When I checked the trans fluid it was pitch black. My biggest fear is that if I do change the fluid it might get progressively worse and fail quicker than if I leave it alone.

Secondly I would like to do a 350 engine swap with either a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. As far as the engine I want to do. I'm thinking the 5.3 l33 aluminum block since there is still a lot I can do aftermarket on top of the fact I would be losing weight and gaining hp. I'm having more problems figuring out what transmission to do more than anything which is unfortunate since that is the first thing to be going.

Now during my research online of trying to figure out everything I wanted to do. I got a little overwhelmed and started asking some people I know. Something that was brought up to me was running a turbo 400 but since I can't really find any stock manual 400's I don't want to do that. The other trans that was brought up to me was a TR6060. Since that one I can run in either 5 or 6 speed I am pretty positive that is what I want to do especially since stock it will handle most any aftermarket I would ever do to the engine. I have looked at Novak and that is how I came across the l33 and did a lot of reading on there as far as doing swaps. They were very knowledgeable but I still have some questions.

Something else that was brought up to me was that since I would end up swapping the trans first is that I can actually get away with throwing in the TR6060 with out having to worry about anything getting messed up. Is that true? Obviously I would still have to do some modifications because I would go from the stock auto trans to a new manual trans but can I actually get away with that. Also does anyone have a good reason that the engine I have picked out wouldn't work with the TR6060. In the end I am just looking for some opinions and help figuring this out.

 

[ohiopatriot]

Man, that would be a daunting task for even an experienced guy.

You may consider starting with a used transmission swap, unless someone could mentor you. Alot of money, fabrication and time will be required not to mention tools. And beer. Lots and lots of beer.

 

[Chris]

I agree with what @ohiopatriot is saying. This is no simple task, not even for an experienced guy. These shops like Brusier Conversions that do all these engine swaps in Wranglers do them day-in and day-out. This is why they've become so efficient at it, because they live and breath it.

I grew up rebuilding engines with my Dad and I feel comfortable doing 95% of everything on my Jeep myself. However, an engine conversion is one of those things that while I know I could figure out, it would take me months (probably half a year) to get it all sorted out to the point where it would work. I wouldn't even think about doing it as a starting point.

The myth of changing your transmission fluid and having the transmission go bad shortly thereafter is nothing but internet baloney... seriously. It's a MYTH, and it's a stupid one too. Change your transmission fluid, even if it's been in there the life of the vehicle. It's not going to hurt at all. If your transmission is on it's way out, changing the fluid won't harm it or help it.

The other thing to keep in mind is that it's normal for any vehicle to need a transmission overhaul around 200k miles (sometimes less), especially considering that with automatic transmissions, heat is the number one killer of them (another reason we always suggest running transmission coolers on our automatic transmissions... this is a MUST).

While I can't answer some of your questions (as I've never done a V8 swap), I can tell you that the two people you should talk to are Novak Conversions and Bruiser Conversions (if they aren't too busy to talk to you). Those guys do this every day, all day long, and they know everything that will work and won't work.

I wish I could help more, but the only advice I can offer is that I hope you have seriously deep pockets, and I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Again, this isn't meant to deter you or sound rude, I just know this is a huge project. Perhaps someone with some V8 swap experience will chime in here. I know @ac_ and a few others have done it.

 

[ac_]

I won't discourage you from any learning and experimenting on your Jeep. I did change my engine and drivetrain in my YJ, but there is a lot to consider before you start.

First you don't want to just swap your trans, because you need to know what engine you are going to put in at the same time. You need to mock up where you are going to put your engine, transmission, and transfer case all at the same time. The reason why is you need to know how far away from the radiator you are going to be, and how much rear driveline you will need. The driveline is super important because it is going to be so short, and you are going to have to have an idea of how much lift you are going to run, so you will know how long your rear driveline will need to be to accommodate any kind of a lift.

When I did mine, I hung the new engine in the engine compartment put the empty trans case on the engine and bolted the transfer case to it, and aligned it all up and measured for driveline angle and length. That is just part of it.

I suggest since you already have an automatic to stick with it because if you swap to a manual, you will have to put in some pedals and decide if you are going to use linkage or hydraulics. And if you don't use stock Jeep parts, it will be some serious fabricating. If I can't talk you into sticking with an auto, then I would look at stock jeep transmissions like an AX-15 which will hold up to your v8. They came in Dodge durango's and behind other v8.s. You can look at the new Ventures that came stock on the TJ too. The more stock stuff you use the better, and easier I honestly think sticking with the auto will be the best. If you go to advanced adaptors you can buy an adaptor that will fit your engine to the stock transmissions.

If you do decide that you want to use a chevy motor you can also use a chevy trans also and adapt to a Jeep transfer case or even use the chevy transfer case. Again you are going to want to measure each component to see how close you have to be to the radiator and the rear diff.

I could go on and on with more things, and I expect a lot of questions, so that is it for now. Except one thing, emissions if you have to go through emissions make sure you see what your laws are. I know here I can put a v8 in and as long as it passes, I am good, but at their discretion they can do a visual, and if it is not stock they can fail me, so it is a crap shoot. It is a gamble I don't want to take, so I am keeping my engine stock and changing everything else. If I wasn't in an emission zone, I would totally v8 my Teej

Good luck keep us posted and post a ton of pics because I always like to see serious projects being done.

 

[Chris]

I'd also encourage you to think about whether or not you actually need a V8. I put a supercharger on my last TJ and the power that thing gave me was incredible... mind blowing actually. It totally transformed my 4.0 from a good engine into a beast. I'll be doing the same thing to my current TJ. It's around $3000, bolts on in under 4 hours, and is a breeze of an install.

I'm only bringing this up because I personally thing it's a very viable alternative.

 

[ac_]

I'd also encourage you to think about whether or not you actually need a V8. I put a supercharger on my last TJ and the power that thing gave me was incredible... mind blowing actually. It totally transformed my 4.0 from a good engine into a beast. I'll be doing the same thing to my current TJ. It's around $3000, bolts on in under 4 hours, and is a breeze of an install.

I'm only bringing this up because I personally thing it's a very viable alternative.

Someday we should have a conversation about that?

I can probably get away with that now that my emissions is only an ALDL and a fuel cap check! I would probably need to rebuild my engine first though. Although I wonder if rebuilding as a stroker would be good enough and cheaper, but still would like to have a conversation about that sometime.

 

[Chris]

Someday we should have a conversation about that?

I can probably get away with that now that my emissions is only an ALDL and a fuel cap check! I would probably need to rebuild my engine first though. Although I wonder if rebuilding as a stroker would be good enough and cheaper, but still would like to have a conversation about that sometime.

I looked into strokers extensively. A supercharger is still better bang for the buck. A stroker puts out the same power as a supercharger pretty much, but it costs a lot more. The only way I'd end up doing a stroker is if my engine needed rebuilding. But to get to the point where you'd need to rebuild a TJ engine... you'd have to have some serious miles!

With the supercharger, you slap it on, and you've got 220 hp at the wheels. It doesn't sound like that much, but over the 150 hp at the wheels stock, it's night and day. It felt like someone put an extra 4.0 under my hood.

 

[ac_]

I looked into strokers extensively. A supercharger is still better bang for the buck. A stroker puts out the same power as a supercharger pretty much, but it costs a lot more. The only way I'd end up doing a stroker is if my engine needed rebuilding. But to get to the point where you'd need to rebuild a TJ engine... you'd have to have some serious miles!

With the supercharger, you slap it on, and you've got 220 hp at the wheels. It doesn't sound like that much, but over the 150 hp at the wheels stock, it's night and day. It felt like someone put an extra 4.0 under my hood.

Do you have a link I can check out?

 

[Chris]

Do you have a link I can check out?

http://boostedtech.com

That's where I got my supercharger. You will not be disappointed.

 

[ohiopatriot]

Do you guys want the stroker/blower/v8 for off roading or the street? I mostly wheel mine with maybe 1k year on the street and with it geared right I don't long for more power. Seems weird for me to say that as I came from the road/drag world and you could never have enough power.

Does that extra power help off road in a 4 low situation? Seems to me it's all about torque and gear reduction.

 

[Chris]

Do you guys want the stroker/blower/v8 for off roading or the street? I mostly wheel mine with maybe 1k year on the street and with it geared right I don't long for more power. Seems weird for me to say that as I came from the road/drag world and you could never have enough power.

Does that extra power help off road in a 4 low situation? Seems to me it's all about torque and gear reduction.

I mainly wanted the extra power for longer road trips. We'll take the Jeep 200 miles or more through the mountains with all 4 of us (my wife and kids) in it, loaded up with gear. The supercharger gives it enough power that you feel like you're driving a much more modern vehicle with plenty of power on tap.

As far as off-road goes though, it's pretty useless. The 4.0 (especially with the right gearing) has plenty of torque to get around, so you don't need the extra power.

So yeah, I really did it due to the fact that we take it on long road trips, and it really helps out in those situations.

 

[ohiopatriot]

Ok, that's what I thought, just making sure I wasn't missing out on something that could make me leap over tall cliffs in a single bound.

 

[ac_]

Do you guys want the stroker/blower/v8 for off roading or the street? I mostly wheel mine with maybe 1k year on the street and with it geared right I don't long for more power. Seems weird for me to say that as I came from the road/drag world and you could never have enough power.

Does that extra power help off road in a 4 low situation? Seems to me it's all about torque and gear reduction.

I tow, and if someone makes me slow down it is 20 miles for me to get back up to speed. It is aggravating. I need the best of both worlds. I want a torquie V8, but since I can't have that, I need to do the best I can legally for my area. If it was strictly an offroad vehicle the i-6 would be fine, but it is a dog on the street. I am going through the process of gearing, but my old YJ had 4:56 with 33's so I know it isn't quite enough. The V8 would be awesome, but I need more uphf on the road. I know the 4:56's will help, but if what @Chris is saying about the super charger is true, that should make me pretty happy. I just hope I have room for it. They don't leave much room under the hood of a 98 TJ for any extras. I am sure going to check it out though.

 

[Chris]

I tow, and if someone makes me slow down it is 20 miles for me to get back up to speed. It is aggravating. I need the best of both worlds. I want a torquie V8, but since I can't have that, I need to do the best I can legally for my area. If it was strictly an offroad vehicle the i-6 would be fine, but it is a dog on the street. I am going through the process of gearing, but my old YJ had 4:56 with 33's so I know it isn't quite enough. The V8 would be awesome, but I need more uphf on the road. I know the 4:56's will help, but if what @Chris is saying about the super charger is true, that should make me pretty happy. I just hope I have room for it. They don't leave much room under the hood of a 98 TJ for any extras. I am sure going to check it out though.

There's plenty of room for it. It sits on top of the intake manifold.