Junior—My 04 TJ 5.3 / Auto Swap Build Page
- Thread starter Longhorn84
- Start date
MaritimeTJ
Member
OP
I can definitely post more pics, I just painted the fender flares and rocker panels last night and gave the whole thing a wipe down, it's been in the garage for months and needed a shine, looks much better! Off to the exhaust shop at lunch. I have taken video along the way but didn't want to post them until it was finished, so now I am going to edit them all together and post a high level "how to" series to YT. I still need to loom up wiring so the engine bay isn't finished yet but I can post some pics as it stands now.
OP
MaritimeTJ
Member
This may be a stupid question.. what is the accessory that's on the top of motor opposite the Alternator. That A/C?
Jeep looks awesome. What size lift and tires are you running?
Do you plan to have your stock 4.0l cluster functional with the 5.3?
I had bought a 5.3 LM7 for my Jeep back in the summer but ended up selling the swap for now, I will do it when I have more time and can dedicate the $$ numbers you mentioned above for the Novak parts and such. I wanted to use the NSG 6-speed manual but you seem to have done a pretty good job with the 4l60 swap.
Jeep looks awesome. What size lift and tires are you running?
Do you plan to have your stock 4.0l cluster functional with the 5.3?
I had bought a 5.3 LM7 for my Jeep back in the summer but ended up selling the swap for now, I will do it when I have more time and can dedicate the $$ numbers you mentioned above for the Novak parts and such. I wanted to use the NSG 6-speed manual but you seem to have done a pretty good job with the 4l60 swap.
OP
Yes, that's the ac compressor opposite the alternator on the passenger side. Not currently hooked up. Came with Novak's relocation kit as it's usually on lower side of engine but will hit the frame on the TJ.
4" suspension 1" body lift and 35" tires.
All gauges work, which is great!
I love having the automatic, I just went for a test drive and it's an entirely different experience than the 4.0 and stick. The $$$ I spent was not all necessary but it does take a lot, as I mentioned there are ways to cut it down. If I'm really being honest, I would heavily consider a supercharger over this swap, it was a lot of money, a lot of time, and I'm sure I'll chase down issues forever into the future!
Whitetrash
TJ Enthusiast
OP
Yeah, not sure what that was but the autozone knock off switch works fine vs the $45 mopar switch I bought on amazon.
Whitetrash
TJ Enthusiast
Maybe the amazon one was some Chinesium junk put into a Mopar box? Haha. Anywho, glad to see its up and runnin dude.
OP
Update: Fixed the radio (amp power wire was in awful shape), took the top off, went to autozone for a few things, #gamechanger. It is a freakin blast to drive, makes the entire effort worth it, I think I’m in love. Now I just need to get it inspected to see if I pass my final test!
MaritimeTJ
Member
What did you end up doing for an exhaust? Did the exhaust shop connect the headers up to your old exhaust?
What gear ratio are you running with this setup?
What gear ratio are you running with this setup?
OP
4.56 gears, runs great.
I had a few options for the exhaust but at the end of the day I had an entirely new exhaust run, two cats, flowmaster exhaust, 2.5” the entire way. Old exhaust only has one cat which you might be able to make work but I just decided to run it as close to what the 5.3 would have had in the suburban as possible. O2 sensors are coming on Wednesday and then I can go get it inspected.
MaritimeTJ
Member
Wicked. Probably sounds just like a chev half-ton with a cat back exhaust on it! Do you find it's quite powerful coming from the 4.0/5 spd?
When should we expect to see the tutorial videos being posted
OP
Wicked. Probably sounds just like a chev half-ton with a cat back exhaust on it! Do you find it's quite powerful coming from the 4.0/5 spd?
When should we expect to see the tutorial videos being posted
Power is awesome, I haven’t really laid on it since I’m worried the Dana 35 in the rear will crap out and I’m having too much fun as it is. The videos I’ve been thinking about, just downloaded adobe premier pro. I want to get it inspected and “finished” at least meaning street legal and then I’ll start editing. I’m by no means a pro filmmaker but I assume it will help folks down the road. Goal would be start posting videos in the next few weeks.
Looking forward to watching this. Did you say already how long this swap took you?
OP
I’d say 4 months. Technically I bought the 5.3 a year ago but most of the project sat until mid December when I really started working on it. Dec to Jan was all 5.3 prep, most of which wasn’t necessary like clean up and paint. I pulled the engine 1/31 and had the Jeep on the road 3/26 so if your engine was crate then it would be 2 months which included an SYE, trans rebuild, and an engine bay repaint. Hard to pull out all the unnecessary stuff I did and just isolate the swap pieces but I would think 2-3 months is a good estimate depending on if you have all the parts you need and don’t wait for something on back order.
B00mb00m
The Church of Cutting Brakes of Atlas-Front Digs
Supporting Member
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Man seeing it all sandwiched in there makes me wonder how folks do it with highlines and a Coiliover cross over tube to boot. How many miles were on the 5.3L? I love the auto shifter looking like a manual, nice touch. I'm almost willing to do a chevy swap just for the transmission.
I'm almost willing to do a chevy swap just for the transmission.
OP
Man seeing it all sandwiched in there makes me wonder how folks do it with highlines and a Coiliover cross over tube to boot. How many miles were on the 5.3L? I love the auto shifter looking like a manual, nice touch.
Both the jeep and donor have about 125k miles on them. My hand naturally rests on the shifter out of habit but yep, nothing to do while driving! The auto trans is really nice, shifts smooth and let's you just enjoy the ride.
It's not for the faint of heart or faint of wallet so you need a good reason to tackle the project, some days are tough to get in the garage and keep going! The list can seem impossibly long at times, especially since each situation is unique so there's no once size fits all "how to" manual.
How much did your transfer case move? Did you need both new driveshafts? You said you SYE’d so I’m sure the rear was new.
OP
Yes, both new, I assume I could have lengthened the front but I sold the front and just wanted to go new. Went with Tom Woods, fantastic customer service and really quick shipping. I'm not sure on the tcase movement but my rear driveshaft ended up being 20 1/2 inches whereas I think stock is ~16".