Davemayn13's 2004 LJ Hemi Swap Project

Apologize if you said already but what product are you using for body match paint. I picked up a couple cans of Dupli Color PBT to try but not sure that is best idea for something like corner armor.

I did use duplicolor PBT, but no clear coat. I know I'm going to have to touch them up once in a while, so I figured I'd forego the clear and make it easy to respray. If that doesn't work out, it's easy to sand them and stick with the rustoleum satin black enamel to match the bumpers and flares.

What headers are these? Are the O-port or D-port?

These are headers from the Red Rock kit. As I shared in an earlier post, they're a cheaper header from DNA Motoring. All that Red rock did was weld a coupler on and trim off the ears.

Screenshot_20210318-202544_Chrome.jpg
 
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I did use duplicolor PBT, but no clear coat. I know I'm going to have to touch them up once in a while, so I figured I'd forego the clear and make it easy to respray. If that doesn't work out, it's easy to sand them and stick with the rustoleum satin black enamel to match the bumpers and flares.



These are headers from the Red Rock kit. As I shared in an earlier post, they're a cheaper header from DNA Motoring. All that Red rock did was weld a coupler on and trim off the ears.

View attachment 235567
The headers I got from Red Rock were JBA Performance. I was quite happy with the quality of that set. He must have went to a cheaper supplier.
 
The headers I got from Red Rock were JBA Performance. I was quite happy with the quality of that set. He must have went to a cheaper supplier.
I wish someone would make a decent D-port header for the TJ swaps... Holley headers are nice looking and apparently have a nice fit, but are O-port as well. I just got a set of 6.2L Jeep SRT MP manifolds (which flow better than most shorties anyway according to the Gen III swap gurus) but prefer the look of nice stainless/coated shorties :)
 
And then, there was Hemi!

So I finally got a weekend at home and took full advantage. I've got one more week in Seattle and then I get to work from home again for a while, which means I should be able to get this thing wrapped up before it gets to 110 degrees.

Some updates:

Parts:

RedRock Offroad: So I finally got fed up and filed a chargeback with my credit card for the last purchase I made with them. 3 days later, it was closed in my favor. Funny enough, the next day a bracket from Red Rock showed up, priority overnighted to me. No email, no call, just a magic appearing bracket. I'm glad we're done with each other now.

Savvy: I called and emailed a couple more times in the last few weeks, all of which were unanswered. I finally opened a claim with PayPal since I was on the verge of my transaction timing out for claims. The next day, I got an email direct from Michael. He let me know there was something weird that happened with their system for orders the week I put mine in. The odd thing was I got my front bumper that was part of the same order months ago, but whatever. I mentioned in the claim that I still wanted the bumper if he had one. He apologized and offered to refund or ship me the bumper and a free shirt. Lo and behold, he had a couple boxed up and ready to go. 3 days later, a nice shiny bumper and a free t shirt showed up at my door. Claim was closed and all is well. I love Savvy products, and appreciate him apologizing for the issue

20210404_103535.jpg



I spent Saturday cleaning, prepping, and re-orienting myself to where all my shit was. I prepped and painted the rear fenders, rear bumper, and put the final coats on the armor. I got the armor mounted to the tub and cinched up. I'll throw the rear tire carrier on next weekend as well as the bumper which should wrap up the rear end.

Engine!

Whelp, I finally got the beast in. Dropped the engine off the stand onto some furniture dollies, then made the precarious trip outside to the front of the jeep. I narrowly avoided dumping it on its side, and got it oriented. Up on the crane, into the brackets, and it fit like a dream. Pulled it out, burned in the brackets, painted everything, let it bake for a bit. Engine went back in, and I put the spacers on either side of the bolt (as opposed to both in the rear). And now we have Hemi...between the rails!

20210411_123953.jpg


😱
20210411_131453.jpg


*cat whistle*
20210411_131436.jpg


No spacers yet, but fit was good
20210411_131522.jpg


Clearance between head and firewall
20210411_131517.jpg


About damn time!
20210411_160119.jpg



I got a screaming deal on a Ford Focus RS while I was posted up in Seattle, driving that back to Reno this coming weekend, but should still be able to get some work done later Saturday and Sunday! Hopefully we'll move a little faster going forward now!
 
For sure, so much cleaner up top without a ton of plug wires all over. 10/10 would do again.
I always give my LS buddies grief about wasting so much money on plug wires. Never gets old - well, at least not to me...

Can’t pick on my Magnum buddies (Hey Rick!), ‘cause we are cousins.
 
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Reactions: Wildman and Irun
Ok, let's talk about the kit. I'm going to preface this post with the following statement. I'm not an expert in any of the following fields: exhaust, manifolds, fans, radiators, air cooling, liquid cooling, heat transfer, welding, metallurgy, etc. I'm not qualified to determine if a certain part at $x is any better or worse than another part at $y. Any hints of sarcasm or annoyance in this post are strictly coincidental, I'm merely trying to share my observations with the group. Consider this, what the kids these days call an "unboxing" post.

As a refresher, I bought the Stage II kit from Red Rock modified to remove the following options:

EGR Delete Kit - I needed to be smog legal, and my motor actually had an EGR delete on it already
Body Lift - I had a savvy body lift kit already
OEM Pedal and Mount - Junkyard find and teraflex bracket already acquired
O2 Sensors - Bought from Rockauto
SYE kit - Already had one on the xfer case

Those adjustments removed $702 from the cost of the kit.

To the kit, I added a swap manual that I have yet to receive, and a hot rod exhaust kit. Those add $550 to the cost of the kit.

My out the door invoice (after the late shipping adjustment) was $5,241

Let's start with a refresher on what's listed in the Stage 1 part of the kit, with the description from Red Rock's website

"The Red Rock Offroad 'Stage 1 Kit' was designed to tackle all the key installation components and processes to jump start your conversion project. The objective of this Kit was to provide you with all the pieces to get the Drivelive properly, safely and quickly installed between the frame rails and then get all the primary fluid systems plumbed like the Engine Cooling System, Transmission Cooling System, Power Steering System and the Fuel Delivery System. The Kit contains all the current product versions of our install components, from our V2.0 Transmission Crossmember to our V2.0 Fuel System Kit.

With our Stage 1 Box Kit, you can have your HEMI sitting between the frame rails and plumbed within a Weekend.

KIT CONTENTS

  • Conversion HEMI Motor Mounts
  • American Made 2 Core Aluminum Radiator, custom made to our specifications
  • Electric Fan and Shroud Kit
  • Radiator Hose Kit
  • Heater Hose Kit
  • Transmission Crossmember Kit
  • External Transmission Cooler Kit
  • Drop-In EFI Fuel Pump Assembly
  • Complete Fuel Line and Fitting Kit
  • Complete Steering Shaft Kit
  • Low Pressure Steering Return Line Kit
  • 1.25" Body Lift Kit"

And the Stage 2 kit as follows, also provided by Red Rock's website

"Here is our STAGE 2 HEMI Conversion Kit for your 1997-2004 Jeep TJ/LJ Wrangler when installing a GEN 3 5.7 HEMI and 545RFE Automatic Transmission.

This Stage 2 Kit was designed to tackle all the key installation components and processes to jump start your conversion project. The objective of this Kit was to provide you with all the pieces to get the Drivelive properly, safely and quickly installed between the frame rails; get all the primary fluid systems plumbed like the Engine Cooling System, Transmission Cooling System, Power Steering System and the Fuel Delivery System; then provide the next set of components needed to further accell your build. .


KIT CONTENTS : Complete Stage 1 Box Kit plus the following components

  • EGR Delete
  • Thermal Activaction Fan Switch
  • Reducer Fitting
  • Factory Mopar Accelerator Pedal
  • Accelerator Pedal Mount
  • Complete Air Intake Kit
  • PCV Kit
  • Shorty Exhaust Headers
  • [2] Upper O2 Sensors
  • Battery Cable Kit
  • Over-flow Recirculation Bottle Kit
  • 4wd Cable Shifter Kit
  • 545rfe Transmission Side Auto- Shifter Cable Bracket
  • A/C Line, Fitting and Bracket Kit
  • Mega Short SYE Kit for the 231J Transfer Case"

So, I'm going to go blow by blow, in order above to provide a review/observation of the kit:

Conversion HEMI Motor Mounts

The motor mount kit is in fact the Advanced Adapters Motor Mount Kit, as seen here.
http://www.advanceadapters.com/products/713098--jeep-tj-hemi-57l-motor-mount-kit/

View attachment 211548

Nothing really earth shattering here. AA makes a great mount.

Retail price $267.36

American Made 2 Core Aluminum Radiator, custom made to our specifications

So the radiator itself is in fact aluminum, with a transmission cooler built into the passenger side, and a bung on the driver's side for what I can assume is a switch. The sides of the radiator for attachment have clearly been cut, wallowed, and otherwise chopped. The shroud appears to be fabricated sheet aluminum and attached to the radiator with typical sheet metal screws.

View attachment 211543

View attachment 211547
View attachment 211541
The attachment points appear to be modified, it's a little rough but fine. Zoom in to those mounting points and you'll see what I mean.

The shroud seems similar, but not exactly the same to something like this

http://www.assaultracing.com/item/1213960-fan-shroud-fits-22-58x-18-58-its-19x28?category=8012

While I couldn't find an exact copy, it certainly shares a lot of characteristics with various aluminum TJ to Hemi Conversion radiators available. All in all, appears to be of good quality, and a competitve price.

Retail Price: 4-500ish
Retail Price alone at Red Rock: $415

Electric Fan and Shroud Kit

So, if you were to buy just the radiator/electric fan and shroud kit, here's the description on Red Rock's website:

"The Red Rock Offroad V8 Conversion Radiator is built right here in the USA, right here in Michigan to be exact. The Radiator is built to our specifications, so it has a few features most standard 'conversion radiators' dont.

The HEMI Conversion radiator works perfectly with our Hemi conversion based Upper and Lower Radiator Hose Kit.

Our Radiator is a custom built, 2 core, all Aluminum product. It is a direct fit for the 97-06 TJ/LJ grilles, replacing the stock 4c or 6c radiators.


We offer the Radiator with or without our Custom Electric Fan and Shroud Kit. We use high flow quality SPAL electric fans on our radiators to give our customers peace of mind that SPAL fans come with. If you choose to order the Fan kit, you can also choose whether or not, you want us to install it on the radiator for you before it leaves the shop."

For reference, the SPAL 16" puller fan retails for 178.31 direct from SPAL.

Now, one would assume that this would carry over into the kit. One would appear to assume incorrectly, here's what was delivered.

View attachment 211536

While it looks similar, it does not appear to be an SPAL fan. In fact, it appears to be eerily similar to this fan here:

http://www.assaultracing.com/item/1213632-electric-fan-16-in-s-blade-wmt-kit?keyword=16"+fan

The retail price of this eerily similar fan is $27.69.

Radiator Hose Kit
Heater Hose Kit


The hose kits are also very straight forward. Unmarked brands. Associated hose clamps included.

View attachment 211560

From Jeep Speed Shop's notes, the radiator hose parts as follows here http://jeepspeedshop.com/hemi-swaps-1997-2006-lj-tj-jeeps/

  • Upper Radiator Hose (Napa Part #: 8030)
  • Lower Radiator hose (Napa Part #: 7759)
Today's retail price on those, 46.99 and 18.79 respectively

Heater hose is non-molded, run of the mill hose, 3/4" and 5/8". Retail price is 1.99 and 1.19 per lf respectively.


Transmission Crossmember Kit

Full disclosure, I don't have the manual yet so I'm assuming my understanding of the assembly is correct. I will come back and fix this when I receive the manual, if I've misrepresented anything.

This kit is fully fabricated, the only off the shelf parts are the bushings and the bolts/nuts/washers. Essentially it has two frame brackets with various height adjustments and uses fabricated pipes to support the transmission, independent of the skid. Obviously this is advantageous as it allows you to drop the skid without needing to support the trans/transfer case from drooping. the frame brackets are made from punched and pressed steel, and have a nice logo cutout on them. In general, this solution is much beefier than the typical OEM mounting solution.

Pics of the kit. Simple welding required.

View attachment 211573View attachment 211574

Retail Price: ??? N/A

External Transmission Cooler Kit

The transmission cooler kit appears to be a run of the mill add-on transmission cooler. Two ports via hose barb. Hose and fittings.

View attachment 211575

Suspiciously similar to something like this
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/d...erVDFuRSMSJNpmAY6IZAQ5wQctbMU-BUaAhFpEALw_wcB

Retail price: 46.99 plus hoses/fittings.

Drop-In EFI Fuel Pump Assembly
Complete Fuel Line and Fitting Kit


This kit can also be purchased separately from Red Rock. Description from Red Rock as follows:

"Red Rock Offroad has put together the only direct fit DROP IN FUEL PUMP KIT on the market. It works with either HEMI or LS swaps.

Our fuel pump assembly, will drop right into the 97-04 TJ/LJ fuel tank and secure with the stock retaining ring. The internally regulated pump delivers the required 59psi for both V8's. The fuel level signal sensor is correct for the Jeep TJ/LJ Fuel Gauge based on a stock fuel tank.

Plumbing your V8 Fuel Delivery System is quick and easy with our ROCK LOCK High Performance Race Quality adapter fittings and 'push to connect' line fittings. Our fuel system has only 2 connections- one at the pump assembly and one at the fuel rail. Done!


The Fuel Pump Kit also includes a universal adapter harness that with the included DIY WeatherPac Connector, will easily wire into any 97-04 chassis harness."

As previously noted, it appears to be an assembly from Autobest. The lower section of the pump does not appear to have been modified or replaced. The top ring has been slightly cut down to fit the older tank opening. Part number used in the comparison pic is f3211a from an 05-06 TJ. What was not included in the kit was any way to secure the line to the frame. I bought some 5/8 stainless clips to get it done.

View attachment 211576
View attachment 211577

Retail Price from RR: 379.99
Retail price for the DIY: $100 pump +$30 hose + harness + fittings + 1 hour or less of time


Complete Steering Shaft Kit

This kit is also available separately from Red Rock. Their description as follows:

"The Skinny Steering Kit.... this is the kit we designed to work with a Gen III or Gen IV HEMI outfitted with either the JBA or BBK Headers (Highlighted so you notice it specifically, will be reference later on) in your TJ or LJ.

We designed and created this kit out of need as you cannot run a stock pillow block with headers. Adding to this, Jeep no longer manufactures the 4cyl pillow block that was an option years ago. No other aftermarket solution works like ours! We use this kit on all our Hemi Conversions.

Our Skinny Steering Kit replaces the intermediate shaft on the stock jeep steering. This is the primary shaft between the Firewall Joint and the Gear Box. The kit uses both upper and lower bearing towers to support and orientate the new steering shaft correctly. This is a builders kit, so welding is required.


The basic kit utilizes a solid steering shaft. If you want a collapsible shaft, contact the shop for more information."

This kit includes a section of steering shaft, two support eyes as pictured, a fabricated tall support and fabricated short support.

View attachment 211578

Retail price from Red Rock: $95.99


Low Pressure Steering Return Line Kit

There's really nothing fancy here...it's hose plus two fittings.

Retail Price: xxx


1.25" Body Lift Kit

As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

EGR Delete

As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

Thermal Activaction Fan Switch

Super straight forward, this is an on at 200, off at 180 degree sensor. No control module, relay or wiring was included for the fan, just the sensor.

View attachment 211551

Retail Price: $21.89

Reducer Fitting

I am assuming this is the silicon/rubber reducer fitting for the air intake tube. Again, very straight forward.

Factory Mopar Accelerator Pedal
Accelerator Pedal Mount


As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

Complete Air Intake Kit

This kit includes a bent aluminum pipe at 90 degrees, with a barb welded onto it for the pcv hose. A spectre air filter has been included.

View attachment 211579

Retail Price: TBD

PCV Kit

Per the previous email with Jim, this is no longer part of the kit since they welded the tube onto the intake. They just haven't updated the site or manual supposedly.

Shorty Exhaust Headers

I want to pull your attention back to the steering kit above. One might assume that the headers included in the kit are JBA or B BK based on the description of the steering, but one would assume incorrectly.

The headers sent are stainless steel, and have been modified by grinding the tabs off and welding in a reducer fitting and a vband coupler.

View attachment 211552

I bought a suspiciously comparable set of headers from DNA Motoring off Amazon for $166.

View attachment 211553
View attachment 211554
View attachment 211555

I'll let the readers draw their own conclusions.

Retail Price: $166 + fittings and stainless welding. A local fab shop here charges $150/hr for stainless welding. My estimation is this is less than an hour of welding.

[2] Upper O2 Sensors

As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

Battery Cable Kit

This is pretty straight forward, 8ish gauge wire kit with ring terminals on each end for attachment. Labeled at each end.

View attachment 211559

Retail Price - Not much. $20 plus 30 minutes of your time

Over-flow Recirculation Bottle Kit

This kit includes an overflow bottle and bracket for attachment. The bracket is fabricated aluminum. The bottle itself is brushed stainless, 3"x10". It is suspiciously similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0816D7QWT/?tag=wranglerorg-20

View attachment 211580


Retail Price: $25 plus bracket

Ok, let's talk about the kit. I'm going to preface this post with the following statement. I'm not an expert in any of the following fields: exhaust, manifolds, fans, radiators, air cooling, liquid cooling, heat transfer, welding, metallurgy, etc. I'm not qualified to determine if a certain part at $x is any better or worse than another part at $y. Any hints of sarcasm or annoyance in this post are strictly coincidental, I'm merely trying to share my observations with the group. Consider this, what the kids these days call an "unboxing" post.

As a refresher, I bought the Stage II kit from Red Rock modified to remove the following options:

EGR Delete Kit - I needed to be smog legal, and my motor actually had an EGR delete on it already
Body Lift - I had a savvy body lift kit already
OEM Pedal and Mount - Junkyard find and teraflex bracket already acquired
O2 Sensors - Bought from Rockauto
SYE kit - Already had one on the xfer case

Those adjustments removed $702 from the cost of the kit.

To the kit, I added a swap manual that I have yet to receive, and a hot rod exhaust kit. Those add $550 to the cost of the kit.

My out the door invoice (after the late shipping adjustment) was $5,241

Let's start with a refresher on what's listed in the Stage 1 part of the kit, with the description from Red Rock's website

"The Red Rock Offroad 'Stage 1 Kit' was designed to tackle all the key installation components and processes to jump start your conversion project. The objective of this Kit was to provide you with all the pieces to get the Drivelive properly, safely and quickly installed between the frame rails and then get all the primary fluid systems plumbed like the Engine Cooling System, Transmission Cooling System, Power Steering System and the Fuel Delivery System. The Kit contains all the current product versions of our install components, from our V2.0 Transmission Crossmember to our V2.0 Fuel System Kit.

With our Stage 1 Box Kit, you can have your HEMI sitting between the frame rails and plumbed within a Weekend.

KIT CONTENTS

  • Conversion HEMI Motor Mounts
  • American Made 2 Core Aluminum Radiator, custom made to our specifications
  • Electric Fan and Shroud Kit
  • Radiator Hose Kit
  • Heater Hose Kit
  • Transmission Crossmember Kit
  • External Transmission Cooler Kit
  • Drop-In EFI Fuel Pump Assembly
  • Complete Fuel Line and Fitting Kit
  • Complete Steering Shaft Kit
  • Low Pressure Steering Return Line Kit
  • 1.25" Body Lift Kit"

And the Stage 2 kit as follows, also provided by Red Rock's website

"Here is our STAGE 2 HEMI Conversion Kit for your 1997-2004 Jeep TJ/LJ Wrangler when installing a GEN 3 5.7 HEMI and 545RFE Automatic Transmission.

This Stage 2 Kit was designed to tackle all the key installation components and processes to jump start your conversion project. The objective of this Kit was to provide you with all the pieces to get the Drivelive properly, safely and quickly installed between the frame rails; get all the primary fluid systems plumbed like the Engine Cooling System, Transmission Cooling System, Power Steering System and the Fuel Delivery System; then provide the next set of components needed to further accell your build. .


KIT CONTENTS : Complete Stage 1 Box Kit plus the following components

  • EGR Delete
  • Thermal Activaction Fan Switch
  • Reducer Fitting
  • Factory Mopar Accelerator Pedal
  • Accelerator Pedal Mount
  • Complete Air Intake Kit
  • PCV Kit
  • Shorty Exhaust Headers
  • [2] Upper O2 Sensors
  • Battery Cable Kit
  • Over-flow Recirculation Bottle Kit
  • 4wd Cable Shifter Kit
  • 545rfe Transmission Side Auto- Shifter Cable Bracket
  • A/C Line, Fitting and Bracket Kit
  • Mega Short SYE Kit for the 231J Transfer Case"

So, I'm going to go blow by blow, in order above to provide a review/observation of the kit:

Conversion HEMI Motor Mounts

The motor mount kit is in fact the Advanced Adapters Motor Mount Kit, as seen here.
http://www.advanceadapters.com/products/713098--jeep-tj-hemi-57l-motor-mount-kit/

View attachment 211548

Nothing really earth shattering here. AA makes a great mount.

Retail price $267.36

American Made 2 Core Aluminum Radiator, custom made to our specifications

So the radiator itself is in fact aluminum, with a transmission cooler built into the passenger side, and a bung on the driver's side for what I can assume is a switch. The sides of the radiator for attachment have clearly been cut, wallowed, and otherwise chopped. The shroud appears to be fabricated sheet aluminum and attached to the radiator with typical sheet metal screws.

View attachment 211543

View attachment 211547
View attachment 211541
The attachment points appear to be modified, it's a little rough but fine. Zoom in to those mounting points and you'll see what I mean.

The shroud seems similar, but not exactly the same to something like this

http://www.assaultracing.com/item/1213960-fan-shroud-fits-22-58x-18-58-its-19x28?category=8012

While I couldn't find an exact copy, it certainly shares a lot of characteristics with various aluminum TJ to Hemi Conversion radiators available. All in all, appears to be of good quality, and a competitve price.

Retail Price: 4-500ish
Retail Price alone at Red Rock: $415

Electric Fan and Shroud Kit

So, if you were to buy just the radiator/electric fan and shroud kit, here's the description on Red Rock's website:

"The Red Rock Offroad V8 Conversion Radiator is built right here in the USA, right here in Michigan to be exact. The Radiator is built to our specifications, so it has a few features most standard 'conversion radiators' dont.

The HEMI Conversion radiator works perfectly with our Hemi conversion based Upper and Lower Radiator Hose Kit.

Our Radiator is a custom built, 2 core, all Aluminum product. It is a direct fit for the 97-06 TJ/LJ grilles, replacing the stock 4c or 6c radiators.


We offer the Radiator with or without our Custom Electric Fan and Shroud Kit. We use high flow quality SPAL electric fans on our radiators to give our customers peace of mind that SPAL fans come with. If you choose to order the Fan kit, you can also choose whether or not, you want us to install it on the radiator for you before it leaves the shop."

For reference, the SPAL 16" puller fan retails for 178.31 direct from SPAL.

Now, one would assume that this would carry over into the kit. One would appear to assume incorrectly, here's what was delivered.

View attachment 211536

While it looks similar, it does not appear to be an SPAL fan. In fact, it appears to be eerily similar to this fan here:

http://www.assaultracing.com/item/1213632-electric-fan-16-in-s-blade-wmt-kit?keyword=16"+fan

The retail price of this eerily similar fan is $27.69.

Radiator Hose Kit
Heater Hose Kit


The hose kits are also very straight forward. Unmarked brands. Associated hose clamps included.

View attachment 211560

From Jeep Speed Shop's notes, the radiator hose parts as follows here http://jeepspeedshop.com/hemi-swaps-1997-2006-lj-tj-jeeps/

  • Upper Radiator Hose (Napa Part #: 8030)
  • Lower Radiator hose (Napa Part #: 7759)
Today's retail price on those, 46.99 and 18.79 respectively

Heater hose is non-molded, run of the mill hose, 3/4" and 5/8". Retail price is 1.99 and 1.19 per lf respectively.


Transmission Crossmember Kit

Full disclosure, I don't have the manual yet so I'm assuming my understanding of the assembly is correct. I will come back and fix this when I receive the manual, if I've misrepresented anything.

This kit is fully fabricated, the only off the shelf parts are the bushings and the bolts/nuts/washers. Essentially it has two frame brackets with various height adjustments and uses fabricated pipes to support the transmission, independent of the skid. Obviously this is advantageous as it allows you to drop the skid without needing to support the trans/transfer case from drooping. the frame brackets are made from punched and pressed steel, and have a nice logo cutout on them. In general, this solution is much beefier than the typical OEM mounting solution.

Pics of the kit. Simple welding required.

View attachment 211573View attachment 211574

Retail Price: ??? N/A

External Transmission Cooler Kit

The transmission cooler kit appears to be a run of the mill add-on transmission cooler. Two ports via hose barb. Hose and fittings.

View attachment 211575

Suspiciously similar to something like this
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/d...erVDFuRSMSJNpmAY6IZAQ5wQctbMU-BUaAhFpEALw_wcB

Retail price: 46.99 plus hoses/fittings.

Drop-In EFI Fuel Pump Assembly
Complete Fuel Line and Fitting Kit


This kit can also be purchased separately from Red Rock. Description from Red Rock as follows:

"Red Rock Offroad has put together the only direct fit DROP IN FUEL PUMP KIT on the market. It works with either HEMI or LS swaps.

Our fuel pump assembly, will drop right into the 97-04 TJ/LJ fuel tank and secure with the stock retaining ring. The internally regulated pump delivers the required 59psi for both V8's. The fuel level signal sensor is correct for the Jeep TJ/LJ Fuel Gauge based on a stock fuel tank.

Plumbing your V8 Fuel Delivery System is quick and easy with our ROCK LOCK High Performance Race Quality adapter fittings and 'push to connect' line fittings. Our fuel system has only 2 connections- one at the pump assembly and one at the fuel rail. Done!


The Fuel Pump Kit also includes a universal adapter harness that with the included DIY WeatherPac Connector, will easily wire into any 97-04 chassis harness."

As previously noted, it appears to be an assembly from Autobest. The lower section of the pump does not appear to have been modified or replaced. The top ring has been slightly cut down to fit the older tank opening. Part number used in the comparison pic is f3211a from an 05-06 TJ. What was not included in the kit was any way to secure the line to the frame. I bought some 5/8 stainless clips to get it done.

View attachment 211576
View attachment 211577

Retail Price from RR: 379.99
Retail price for the DIY: $100 pump +$30 hose + harness + fittings + 1 hour or less of time


Complete Steering Shaft Kit

This kit is also available separately from Red Rock. Their description as follows:

"The Skinny Steering Kit.... this is the kit we designed to work with a Gen III or Gen IV HEMI outfitted with either the JBA or BBK Headers (Highlighted so you notice it specifically, will be reference later on) in your TJ or LJ.

We designed and created this kit out of need as you cannot run a stock pillow block with headers. Adding to this, Jeep no longer manufactures the 4cyl pillow block that was an option years ago. No other aftermarket solution works like ours! We use this kit on all our Hemi Conversions.

Our Skinny Steering Kit replaces the intermediate shaft on the stock jeep steering. This is the primary shaft between the Firewall Joint and the Gear Box. The kit uses both upper and lower bearing towers to support and orientate the new steering shaft correctly. This is a builders kit, so welding is required.


The basic kit utilizes a solid steering shaft. If you want a collapsible shaft, contact the shop for more information."

This kit includes a section of steering shaft, two support eyes as pictured, a fabricated tall support and fabricated short support.

View attachment 211578

Retail price from Red Rock: $95.99


Low Pressure Steering Return Line Kit

There's really nothing fancy here...it's hose plus two fittings.

Retail Price: xxx


1.25" Body Lift Kit

As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

EGR Delete

As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

Thermal Activaction Fan Switch

Super straight forward, this is an on at 200, off at 180 degree sensor. No control module, relay or wiring was included for the fan, just the sensor.

View attachment 211551

Retail Price: $21.89

Reducer Fitting

I am assuming this is the silicon/rubber reducer fitting for the air intake tube. Again, very straight forward.

Factory Mopar Accelerator Pedal
Accelerator Pedal Mount


As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

Complete Air Intake Kit

This kit includes a bent aluminum pipe at 90 degrees, with a barb welded onto it for the pcv hose. A spectre air filter has been included.

View attachment 211579

Retail Price: TBD

PCV Kit

Per the previous email with Jim, this is no longer part of the kit since they welded the tube onto the intake. They just haven't updated the site or manual supposedly.

Shorty Exhaust Headers

I want to pull your attention back to the steering kit above. One might assume that the headers included in the kit are JBA or B BK based on the description of the steering, but one would assume incorrectly.

The headers sent are stainless steel, and have been modified by grinding the tabs off and welding in a reducer fitting and a vband coupler.

View attachment 211552

I bought a suspiciously comparable set of headers from DNA Motoring off Amazon for $166.

View attachment 211553
View attachment 211554
View attachment 211555

I'll let the readers draw their own conclusions.

Retail Price: $166 + fittings and stainless welding. A local fab shop here charges $150/hr for stainless welding. My estimation is this is less than an hour of welding.

[2] Upper O2 Sensors

As stated above, I did not purchase this with the kit.

Battery Cable Kit

This is pretty straight forward, 8ish gauge wire kit with ring terminals on each end for attachment. Labeled at each end.

View attachment 211559

Retail Price - Not much. $20 plus 30 minutes of your time

Over-flow Recirculation Bottle Kit

This kit includes an overflow bottle and bracket for attachment. The bracket is fabricated aluminum. The bottle itself is brushed stainless, 3"x10". It is suspiciously similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0816D7QWT/?tag=wranglerorg-20

View attachment 211580


Retail Price: $25 plus bracket
Do you by chance have a link to the Amazon headers you found?
 
Hey everybody, it's been a hot minute. It's amazing how quickly your free time disappears when you have your first little one and try to change jobs all at the same time.

The good news, the project isn't dead, just been on hold! I'm looking to dive back in and finish this before summer.

As it currently stands, my next moves are to install the transmission, transfer case, and rig up the new sidewinder shifter and genright center console...then it's time to fire up that rebuilt Hemi! As far as I can tell, all my parts are in hand now, just need to find some time!
 
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Hey everybody, it's been a hot minute. It's amazing how quickly your free time disappears when you have your first little one and try to change jobs all at the same time.

The good news, the project isn't dead, just been on hold! I'm looking to dive back in and finish this before summer.

As it currently stands, my next moves are to install the transmission, transfer case, and rig up the new sidewinder shifter and genright center console...then it's time to fire up that rebuilt Hemi! As far as I can tell, all my parts are in hand now, just need to find some time!


You'll love the Sidewinder and GenRight console. They fit well together and IMO it looks Awesome.

Getting the Sidewinder to play nice with my 46RE transmission was fun and I think I spent 3-4 days total crawling under and out from under the Jeep as I tried to get things "RIGHT". I ended up making my own shifter linkage and mounting brackets. Let me know if I can be of any help.
 
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Mail call part 1:

View attachment 191905

Hotwire harness came in and all I can say is wow!

It was spendy, but you get what you pay for. New connectors, labels, instructions, the works. This thing is going to look good under the hood, like it came from the factory this way.

Talked with Jim @ Redrock, just waiting on the radiator to show up and the kit is headed my way. I opted to add their exhaust builders kit. We don't have many exhaust shops here in Reno and the few I worked with previously were absolute trash. One couldn't bend pipe worth a shit, the other couldn't weld and route any better than I can. My welding isn't great, but I'll be God damned if I have to pay quadruple for a job equally as shitty as my welds look. This will also give me a chance to really dial in where and what type of muffler and cats will fit dimensionally and within my taste. I don't want an obnoxiously loud rig with drone, so I'll be exercising my google-fu on that one once I know my dimensional constraints.

My garage has been turned into a makeshift tranny shop. Found a few hard parts I needed to replace in both the AX15 and 545, and needed a tool to compress the springs in the 545. Those are all here now, so I'm hoping to take a short day at work tomorrow and get after the rebuilds. It may look like chaos, but I've got manuals, pictures, and an organization system that only makes sense to me lol. The AX15 just needs to be reassembled and pressed. The 545 still needs a few modules dismantled and rebuilt. I've already finished the valve body and oil pump, and the reverse pack is just needs reassembled. I've also finished 75% of the bushing removal and install.

View attachment 191907

View attachment 191908

I've got a couple other goodies headed this way in the mail, but I'll post about them when they show up.

Sent my harness to Chris last week. They are 12-13 weeks out right now but shouldn't be an issue with me since I'm just starting my swap and winter has already raised it's ugly head here in Indiana.
I've subbed and watching your build closely.
Thanks for the great write-up.
 
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By chance, does the Rubicrawler bolt up to the 545rfe trans? Or even the Rubicon t-case for that matter?

The Rubicrawler replaces the tail section of the 42RLE. It bolts between the tranny and the tcase, and is specific to that application as far as I know.
 
The Rubicrawler replaces the tail section of the 42RLE. It bolts between the tranny and the tcase, and is specific to that application as far as I know.

I actually put one in my LJ. That is why I was asking.

Is there a way to mate the rubicon t-case to a 545rfe trans? I seem to recall reading a few years ago about a tail housing option from dodge that maybe made that possible.
 
I actually put one in my LJ. That is why I was asking.

Is there a way to mate the rubicon t-case to a 545rfe trans? I seem to recall reading a few years ago about a tail housing option from dodge that maybe made that possible.

I have no idea on the Rubicon Rock Trac NP241OR, but if it helps here is a pic of the business end of the 545. The stock tail housing (on the Dodge Ram version, anyway) bolts directly to an Atlas, and you can bolt an NP231 or NP241 up to it as well as long as the case has the 23 spline short input shaft. The clocking on the bolt pattern is off from the 42RLE, but only by a few degrees. My guess is that the rock track would have the same pattern and spline, but I've never worked with one so I don't know for sure. I'm sure someone will have an answer.

Jeep - 5.7 Hemi 7-7-2017 309.JPG
 
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I have no idea on the Rubicon Rock Trac NP241OR, but if it helps here is a pic of the business end of the 545. The stock tail housing (on the Dodge Ram version, anyway) bolts directly to an Atlas, and you can bolt a NP231 or NP241 up to it as well as long as the case has the 23 spline short input shaft. The clocking on the bolt pattern is off from the 42RLE, but only by a few degrees. My guess is that the rock track would have the same pattern and spline, but I've never worked with one so I don't know for sure. I'm sure someone will have an answer.

View attachment 402971

That purple shore is purty..
I've been wondering if it has a nice grape smell every time you get in that beast??
That would be nice...

😁😁
 
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