Project "Red Headed Stepchild" A restoration & build

[RangerRick]

I didn't know GenRight made a 30 gallon. I plan on purchasing their 24.5 gallon. I assume the 30 gallon must hang down a lot lower than the factory tank?

I do stand corrected, the GenRight enduro crawler tank for TJ Wrangler is 24.5 US Gallons. For some reason I was still thinking of the enduro tank I bought from them years ago for my old XJ Cherokee I had built up. That GenRight enduro was 30.5 US Gallons capacity instead of 24.5 like the TJ version. Thanks for pointing it out.
Still glad I got it though and installed it because it meant one less 5 gal. fuel can hanging off the back of the Jeep possibly negatively affecting the LCG of my build. My last Jeep seen in the very first picture of my build thread had two mounted on the Garvin tire swing gate. This sometimes affected my weight transfer when traveling on steep undercut stairsteps causing me to drain them as soon as the main tank was low enough to add an extra 10 Gallons to it.

RR

 

[RangerRick]

More tidbits on early production Jeep TJs:

I have one of the first of the back then new TJ Wranglers built on March 3rd, 1996 when it rolled off the assembly line. At the time it was built, the automatic transmission and upgraded stereo with overhead sound bar options together cost more $$$ than the 4.0L 6-cylinder engine with its base AX-15 manual 5-speed transmission combination would have been! This Jeep had only those two options and was about as close to the $13,568 base model price except for the two extras bringing up the cost to about $16,184.

In 1996 the TJ Wrangler was the hottest selling vehicle on the Chrysler/Jeep dealers showroom floor, therefore most dealerships were getting full sticker and then some for them. Same thing would happen again when the Rubicon Edition and Unlimited models were released in my area of the country.

I have since added many factory available extras to the basic vehicle mostly excluding the performance parts here, but including some not offered by Chrysler-Jeep [at the time**] or (ever*) on TJ Wranglers. Many of these items should have been and I believe would have pushed at least another half-million units sold in overall production numbers of the TJ Wrangler line.

1. Leather wrapped steering wheel
2. Convenience package group:
Lockable storage
Under dash interior courtesy lighting
Engine compartment light
Tilt Steering
Intermittent Wipers
Conventional same size spare wheel & tire
3. Cloth seating surfaces front & rear with optional fold & tumble passenger & rear seat brackets
4. Full floor carpeting with kick panels and rear cargo area, ( Kick panel carpeting only available originally on the Sahara edition with hard top)
5. Air Conditioning
6. Locking full length arm wrest center console with dual cup holders, (sub-woofer installed, optional in 2001+ Wranglers & Rubicons)
7. Fog lamps
*8. 5.2/5.9L Magnum series V8 fuel injected gasoline engine, (230/250 Horsepower & 300/335 Lb. Ft. Torque)
*9. 46RE 4-Speed HEAVY DUTY automatic overdrive transmission with O.D. cancel (towing mode) switch
*10. Dana 44 front axle with select-able locker (not available until the introduction of the Rubicon in 2002 for the 2003 MY)
11. Dana 44 rear axle assembly (was an option available on TJ Wranglers in the US starting in early 1997), (Dana 44 available as standard equipment in limited quantity military specification models made overseas in Egypt including extended wheel bases.) It now has the Dana 60 with select-able locker 5.13 Gears, 35 spline ChroMo shafts, 5x5.5 pattern with disc brakes.
*12. 24.5 Gallon gas tank, (Note: Early 1997 MY production TJ's had 15 gallon tanks, later in 1997 and up fuel tanks were 19.2 Gallon capacity. Tanks were Physically the same shape, the difference was like in the YJ Wrangler predecessor, a filler neck tube extension inside the tank that caused an air pocket at the top of the tank reducing capacity to only 15 Gallons) Some removed the filler extension tube to gain the extra 5 gallons of fuel capacity, an easy fix from the YJ Wrangler days!
**13. Cruise Control, (something never offered on the 1997 wranglers). This didn't become an option until the 1998 model manufacturing started in late 1997, a full year and a half after TJ production started in January 1996.
**14. 4-Wheel power disc brakes (offered as optional starting in 2002 on 2003+ model Wranglers, was standard equipment on Rubicon Editions)

 

[RangerRick]

More forward progress today. While the kids were away, the mechanic went and played........... On his Jeep that is!

Installed the front axle and mocked it up for the swaybar tabs, upper arm joints, drivers side bridge and mount and checked caster angles. Also checked and cycled suspension checking bump stops, shock lengths and angles. Looked for binding and contact of the pitman arm with the tie rod and contact or binding of the track bar. Took measurements so I can do some welding on things tomorrow. Will weld the pumpkin bridge, upper left control arm and right control arm mounts along with the double shear track bar frame mount and ram assist hydraulic steering mount points.

replacing the factory box with an oversized AGR tapped for the ram and a high output power steering pump by PSC to keep up along with a plate style oil cooler for it all.

Jeep looks much better now after two years with no front axle under it!

And yes I have heim joint rod ends, 3/4" or larger with lock nuts and plenty of fine thread sticking out. I will go back through and safety wire every fastener that doesn't have a castle nut and cotter pin. Also, I have full RuffStuff 1-ton rod end steering for it as a backup with new flat-top high steering arms properly ackerman angled for steering on both of these setups just in case I end up with more street time on her. There are safety washers on all rod ends in case of separation, I won't be wiped out. Point is, steering is serious business folks! If you don't understand the engineering that goes into it then buy an off-the-shelf system somebody engineered for safety reasons is why I mentioned this tidbit.

More to come soon!

 

[RangerRick]

More work done Sunday,

Installed the AGR rock-box oversized offroad steering box and MORE steering box armor. I've had this box on 2 other Jeeps and have owned it prior to PSC in the game. This was when the original owner still had the company and there were no Q.C. issues. The pump is the matching high-output pump.

Brake lines are routed and connected up to the front disc brake calipers. Worked on routing the rear brake lines and connected up the extended rear brake line. This Jeep will have much larger full size truck front brakes with big single piston Modine calipers & F-150 style vented rotors. Full size lockout hubs and parts are common at every auto parts store and junkyard so I am maintaining COMMONALITY with other popular vehicles. Nothing 1-off custom where I can't just go get the part somewhere easily. It originally had 6 lug rotors but I swapped them out to maintain Jeep wheel bolt compatibility of 5x5.5 with my CJ-7. The rear brakes will be the ZJ Grand Cherokee discs with the small drum parking brakes inside the rotor hat. I also have a second brake on the rear drive shaft output flange at the Atlas II transfer case if I really want to make sure my Jeep is going to stay put on the steepest rock face angles.

Finally unboxed and installed the new Currie Anti-Rock sway bar system and mocked up the tabs for the axle mounts. This Jeep has flat-top knuckles, raised track bar and crossover high-steering so I needed to raise the sway bar links up above all that noise to get them out of the way of the linkage at full-lock turns. There will be no bump steer throughout the suspension cycle with the flat parallel steering and track bar.

I also started to fabricate the transmission mount with integrated exhaust hanger for the TeraFlex tummy tucker skid plate. Looks like I won't have to massage the floor pan of the tub at all and everything will tuck up nicely. Working on fitting the Gale Banks Monster Cat-Back exhaust from my previous TJ into the mix with the ZJ front "Y" pipe and O2 sensors. I cut out the restriction in the Y pipe where the exhaust was pinched way down to fit between the firewall and unibody frame on the ZJ. It won't be a problem on the TJ with 1" body lift.

Running the Rancho 5000X in front and either 5000X's in the rear or Bilstein 5100's on shock shifters.

I need to enlarge the axle hole on the ZJ disc brake brackets with a drum sander on the drill press so the larger bearings will fit from the Currie Rock Jock 60 axle shafts. 35 spline 1.5" Chromolly shafts take really large bearings compared to the Dana 30/Dana 44 stuff, but I think there will be plenty of meat there to make it happen.

It's all the hundreds of little things that get you on such a comprehensive build where everything was worked on.......

Photos:

 

[RangerRick]

More work on saturday:

Mocked up the bridge for the control drivers side upper control arm today.

Then cleaned and stripped the tub for armor and positioned the tub armor up ready for Sunday to drill and final seal/mount them in position. All holes were in the exact right place for everything to fit just right.

 

[RangerRick]

More work on Sunday. Mocked up the flat fenders and cut the old fenders up for the wheel wells. There were no real defined patterns to do this so it was more a cut and try, cut again and try to fit, then final cut and fit after several trials, I finally had a satisfactory fit that didn't look like crap. Next step will be to seal and paint the freshly cut areas to the new flatfenders. Body work trial fit is always tedious work to me....

 

[RangerRick]

The black on red color scheme is really growing on me and I think I like it. Having past Jeeps all white, black or green & black, it's nice for a welcome change. Red was not my first choice but when you're getting a TJ Wrangler of any color for $300, beggars can't be choosers right?

Anyways, the grill finally mounted back on the front of the Jeep after 2 years removed. It feels good to be making forward progress again after family & life got in the path for so long. Family always comes first before hobbies and personal desire so I didn't mind, just always anxious to get back on the many projects my "Home for Troubled Jeeps" has.

Speaking of Jeeps, picked up another Jeep for cheap, a 1998 ZJ Grand Cherokee V8 Laredo special edition a couple months back. It was the magic $500, had transfer case along with some electrical problems of a minor sort that caused abandonment and subsequent mexhanics lean. I straightened out 90% of the electrical in just one day. The next few days were spent tackling the transfer case. It has a 4.5" lift and 33" tires on it and I bought a DIY plate steel winch bumper from JCR at a killer deal to complete the front end look. Pictures later. After all this is a Wrangler forum.....

 

[RangerRick]

I think I will install some LED turn indicator lamps like my old CJ has in the grille under the headlamps to finish off the classic flatfender look. I'm going to hold one of the CJ's turn lamp lenses up to the area I want to install it and see if it looks good. I think I will also try one of the lenses off my JKUR to see how the newer style lights might look before I get out the hole saw and cut the grille area out. There are small holes in the gussets for the flatfenders that take these little amber LED lights for turn indicators so I will probably fit them with the LED lamps as well. I think I will also make some small brackets to fit under the tube fender area near the front for the side marker/turn corner lamps just to keep it all DOT legal.

Another friend of mine that has a flatfender conversion on his Jeep showed me how to use some common garden edging plastic border material to make mud flaps and increase tire coverage for states and areas that are strict on that sort of thing. It costs under $20 and can be removed in minutes for trail runs, doesn't look terrible and with the rounded edge the stuff has on it, actually looks like something specifically made for the application. Not a band-aid job to satisfy the local LE community......

It takes a lot of time and custom fitment to get tube fenders with inner fender liners installed right and make them look good. I was not about to loose my inner fender wells to a flatfender treatment. Besides, lots of things are mounted on them such as radiator overflow, evap canister and emissions equipment and cruise control. Also the main PDC is located on the passenger fender near the battery tray and if one is keeping the factory style air box, it is mounted on the inner fender well area also.

My rock lights are all waterproof LED modules that can change colors if I desire or fade colors.....
Yeah, a party goin' on right there on the trail sync'd to the stereo like a color organ. Okay, I'm dating myself but you guys remember the color organs right? Well sometimes you gotta have fun on the trail at camp in the dark on a night run...... :dancer2::elefant::guitar::hsughwiggle::dancing::b1::aplastao::cop::qpasaneng2:

 

[derekmac]

I put JK lights under my headlights, and am happy with how they look.

 

[RangerRick]

Ya looks good! Might go with the later ones that are clear and use the amber bulbs but does look factory there! I want to see what difference the CJ lamps will make, they are clear and have a couple screws that hold them in you can see. They also have a silver trim bezel molded into the lamps. The JK lamps look clean as just round and not overly big compared to the headlights. I like it! As I was saying tucked into the corners of the tube flatfenders there are round holes to accept small single LED marker/turn lamps that I may use.

It feels good to have the body exterior getting done now besides all the electrical and mechanical work, it's a visual thing to see it out in the yard looking like more than a pile of parts there.

 

[RangerRick]

I have had a few private messages in the recent days so I thought to post this excerpt or recap of some notables regarding the V8 swap:

Some hints, kinks & insight:

Link to my build:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/project-red-headed-stepchild-a-restoration-build.6125/

I didn't put tons of detail on my build of the wiring but what I can tell you is you need the factory manuals for BOTH vehicles if you are to "blend" the harnesses together.

My opinion here:
It's not worth the huge money shops get to do this. Besides, their job will never look factory like you can make it look. Trust me, I've seen them all and they always add extra fuse blocks or relay panels etc. Things not needed and weren't factory style because they don't blend it with your factory tub wiring. They make it stand alone to run the engine in a kit or project vehicle, not like it came with the motor from factory unless they had your whole vehicle tub electrical to work on it at once.

Many believe it is easier to use the TJ harness and "add" the extra wires for the other injectors while changing all the sensor connectors to match the V8. That may be true in certain years or that came with a 4.0L, 42RLE & cruise control where the bulk of the transmission and injector wires are already there as needed. In my case with a very early 3/1996 build date TJ, it was easier to use the ZJ Grand engine compartment side harness. Also it was much easier for me to remove the engine compartment side harness connectors from the TJ harness and add them in where necessary. Reason being the wiring harness is already shaped to the V8 and it's transmission. I added the fuel sender unit wiring, the two accessory plugs that go to run the dash gauges, A/C, proper transmission 4x4 indicator lamp wiring and the cruise control to the V8 Grand Cherokee donor harness. It was way easier than adding a dozen pins to the ECM connectors otherwise and trying to re-shape the TJ harness. I started with a basic 4-cylinder automatic transmission recipient missing a great deal of the required wires from the start.

The ECM's groupded by bus type all have the same pinout for the type of bus, (1996-2000 CCD, 2001-2004 PCI then late PCI 2005-2006) for similar years of ECM bus used. Only difference is in the circuitry and programming that is INSIDE the ECM itself. You'll most likely want to reuse your Dodge ECM especially if it's from a basic truck that didn't come with a chip key or security enabled on it. The more basic without extras like remote door locks, the better because it is much less likely to need reprogramming or a companion BCM like ZJ Grands use. I used the ECM from a very basic 1998 V8 Ram truck automatic. You don't want to use a 1997 Ram ECM because 1996 & 1997 RAM trucks used a different type of dash instrument cluster, only 1998+ CCD ECM will run TJ instrument clusters in a 1996-2000 TJ Wranglers properly. There's more on this but that is why it is VERY important to select the correct donor & ECM for your swap. This is assuming your TJ is CCD bus but similar rules will apply to a PCI bus TJ built after 2000 year model.

Look carefully at the factory manuals I show pictured in my build, you'll need them. They contain ALL the needed connector pin assignments, wire color codes, ground locations and the schematic of the Automatic Transmission relay circuit that you will need to add to your Jeeps PDC under the hood. Take your time.....

Another note that you should be aware of:

Make sure your donor is THE SAME AGE OR NEWER than the recipient. Make sure you follow this chart from Hotwire auto on the generation of ECM and engine management bus or you will have to do extra wiring in the dash and replace gauges to work correctly. It won't be FEDERAL or STATE smog compliant if they test in your area OR if you ever move to an area they have testing in. If you move to a state that has strict emissions testing like California and you want to take your TJ with you, you'd better follow emissions laws. Typically if you follow California emissions laws, you will pass all the other states but I am not an expert on other states so you must do your homework and use "due diligence" when determination of what's needed there.

Link to Hotwire's list of MOPAR SWAP COMPATIBILITY GRID:
http://www.hotwireauto.com/?page=mopar-eng

Pay CLOSE attention to the years of CCD, PCI & CAN bus. Depending on the exact YEAR & MONTH of manufacture your Jeep may vary from the swap grid. The type of bus your Jeep has is key to alleviating LOTS of added headaches.

Ask me if you have more questions. I'll try to answer best I can.

It took me a month or two to build the harness working a couple of hours a night on weekends and odd times around my family schedule VERY part time. I could have done it in under a week if I worked at it 3 or 4 hours a night till it was done.

Motor mounts were Advanced Adapters placed where THEY recommend with the dowel pins. Donor in my case was a 1997-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ because I wanted the starter on the passenger side and ONLY JEEP has it on the passenger side. All Dodge Truck & SUV applications will have the starter on the left side which means you WILL have to have at least 2-2.5" lift to clear the front drive shaft and exhaust system after the swap.

Also, ZJ Grand Cherokee exhaust manifolds fit PERFECT. Dodge Ram and Dakota/Durango may require a center dump header or trial & error. You may try to swap ZJ Grand 5.2/5.9 Exhaust manifolds on the Dodge sourced engine but it may interfere with the starters location on the drivers side of the Jeep.

It is a very wise idea to have the transmission completely rebuilt or re-manufactured prior to the swap. Having to pull a transmission because it is slipping or failed prematurely is a real PITA after the fact.

If your TJ was an automatic, find a late (2003-2006) automatic selector indicator to obtain the OVERDRIVE marking on your existing shifter which will work with this swap just fine. Yes I went with the 5.9L Limited ZJ Grand Cherokee 46RE transmission as the 46RE is a much heavier duty automatic over the 44RE found in regular ZJ's. All Dodge sourced engines should have the 46RE and the only difference is the starter is on the driver side with these. It is a good transmission provided you protect it from the rocks and keep the bands properly adjusted. Make sure the breather tube is routed well up and out of the way because ANY water in your automatic will destroy it almost immediately.

If your fuel sender is working fine now, it will work with the swapped Magnum V8 engine as well. The only time it won't is if you are making really big HP numbers with all kinds of aftermarket goodies or you've swapped in the V10 which would be crazy!

I reused the starter wiring and the alternator wiring from the Jeep but used the much LARGER ZJ alternator with higher amp output.

At the same time I swapped an Atlas II transfer case to the 46RE transmission and added aftermarket Rock Jock axles to the project. I also swapped in the GenRight EXT desert crawler extended range tank so I would not have to carry jerry cans on the back and alter my center of gravity.

There is a photo of the all aluminum radiator I am running and pictures of the AGR steering box with high-output pump on my build. I highly recommend you run a ZJ Grand Cherokee 5.2L fan and factory 4.0L Jeep shroud for cooling. It will fit like it was factory if you care about those kinds of things. I like all my engine swaps to look like it was off the assembly line. This is much more reliable than any electric fan solution if you do any serious back-country exploring or creepy-crawly over slow stuff. Also I used an external "plate" style transmission cooler along with another for a power steering cooler in front of the A/C condenser.
Under this topic, many people take this time to swap out the power steering on Dodge sourced engines to ZJ Grand Jeep style which is almost the exact same as your TJ has now. This means the power steering hoses fit perfectly and the pump is tucked closer to the engine than a Dodge sourced power steering pump and accessory bracket. Many times there is inner fender interference since the Dodge sourced power steering sticks way out on the drivers front side. Not everyone has trouble with this but many do so keep it in mind while doing your swap.

There are a couple of large threads, one started in 2012 by JeepinGIJOE on doing V8 Magnum swaps on the J ee pfo rum dot com forum that is 167 pages long as of now, with lots of details and will take you a week or more to go through. You'll have to dig around to find it but you should definitely check there for specific details on additional things. Lots of guys still regularly monitor it and posts have been made recently this summer so it's not a dead thread. There are others too but that one has current activity usually every few months.

Link to a long post: https://www.je ep forum(dot)com/forum/f9/wrangler-magnum-v8-discussion-1365878/

You'll have to correct the URL yourselves. Hope this isn't a huge violation of policy to offsite link but in the case of information needed for such a big job, every bit counts. I will be updating this thread or make a "How-To" on engine harness and swaps for TJ when I have the time.

I used the Jeep ZJ Grand Cherokee throttle cable and it worked perfectly. Since I went to the Atlas II, I didn't really care about the factory TJ transfer case linkage as I have twin sticks for front & rear axle control.

 

[Wildman]

Man I wish you had been around back in 2005-2006 when I was getting ready to do my engine swap. I was recovering from being wounded in Iraq and didn't feel that I could handle the work so I farmed it out to a shop in OR that was doing these swaps. Took 2 months longer than promised and I had to go back and fix issues with the wiring harness. I still need to go back and make the harness look better and right before my Jeep was parked the speedo had stopped working. But I will fix all that this summer.
I like your explanation of the what and why's that the Magnum engine while not the most power producer it does make the most sense for ease. It is what I try to explain to people when they ask the whys of doing this swap.
I started with a 2.5 also but had the manual transmission. I switched to an auto also due to my injury and the shop that did this used a 44RE instead of the 46RE which I was not happy with. My engine started overheating before I parked it and I think I have the dreaded cracked heads. It is a 5.2 and I was never impressed with the power but I never got my engine and tranny to run correctly. I'm building a 5.9 right now and using a stroker kit to make it a 6.7.
We will see what kind of power it makes when I am done.

 

[RangerRick]

@Wildman, I had read your posts and thread on another forum way back when, when you were first posting up about your Jeep build. I used some of your experiences to help shape my decisions in the build. When I was first researching for the swap, the decision to "roll my own" when it came to the wiring harness was partly infuenced by what you went through with yours and the external costs in money, time or other budget overruns that happen with these sort of things. I was also seeing all the pitfalls and challenges you went through with shops, parts and quality of the work done by those that you had taken it to. For all the changes in your life and the things that were drastically altered in it post Iraq etc. I'd like to say on behalf of my family & close friends; Thanks for your service to our country.

Thanks also for your positive thoughts and praise on my balanced approach to refitting power in a TJ. I firmly believe the best engine to use in any CJ, YJ, TJ or JK Wrangler starts with the year of the Jeep, it's ECM bus type of engine management system currently in use, (if any) and what donor engines are out there with the same ECM bus engine management from similar family products. Lastly, what the owner wishes to accomplish with their powertrain swap. It is never just a simple task to yank a mill and replace it with another that isn't identical. These days, especially if you live in a state with emissions and vehicle inspections of annual or bi-annual type, it is very important to pay attention to the little things that make the swap work out.

I also have a CJ powered by a Cummins 3.9B-T. One wire is all that's needed to make it run. That simple.
RR

 

[Wildman]

Thanks Rick,
I am going to have to go back thru my wiring harness and fix whatever is going on with my speedo. Hope you are around when the time comes.

Yes I went thru heck trying to get everything to work way back when. Some of it wasn't Evans fault as he couldn't test drive the TJ since I was doing the rear axle swap AFTER he did the engine swap. He said later that he would never do this again due to the issues he ran into with me. I wasn't happy when I got there an it wouldn't run and he was still trying to get it running. Along with a lot of work that he had said would do that wasn't done like the A/C and getting the roll cage power coated. But live and learn.

I'm glad you were able to use my build back then and use it to your benefit. I use to be a wiz at reading schematics but it has been a long time. I started out as a generator mechanic in the Army so we did a lot of electrical theory and tracing schematics. I like the idea some guys have done over on JF where they got the schematics printed onto briefing boards. I might try that as it might help me a little.

Have you looked at my new build thread on here? What is going on with my TJ and the monster engine I am building for it now?

Good luck with your build form one Rick to another.

 

[Wojoe]

In your first pic what kind of rock sliders are they?

 

[RangerRick]

Are you referring to the picture of my green TJ that was on 37's? If so, those were made by a guy named Chris who later sold that pattern and several others under the name of "ROCKIT MAN Fabrication". He later had to take back the design when that company went under. I don't know if he still builds Jeep TJ parts or not anymore. It was back in 2005 when I bought those directly from him.

I have a set of Currie plain TJ rock sliders I'm not using anymore. They don't have a nerf or kick-off bar on them and have a bit of rash or scrapes from past wheeling escapades.....

The ones I think you are questioning about in the very first picture posted were very nice because they covered under the tub to the frame as well as the sides all the way up to the door opening. They used at least two of the body mounts to add rigidity to the entire structure. You could lift the whole Jeep off the ground by the kick-off bars or sliders themselves with no bending, no sweat. I pounded the heck out of them, they never bent.

The current pair I have on the red Jeep are a totally different company and weren't as well designed but "fit" with the tub guard skins I run now without a gap in them where the sliders and the tub armor meet. They also mate with the tube fenders I now run. It was all a package deal of tube fenders with 3" tire coverage, rock sliders with kick-off bar/step & tub armor wrap around panels with matching 3" tube fender opening extensions from a company that was just starting out in the Jeep Wrangler accessories business back a few years ago. They wanted exposure so I installed them during the axle upgrade and V8 install.

Turns out, shortly after I put all the current armor on, this newer company moved all their manufacturing off-shore . Only the R & D is here now. It fits perfectly, every single hole lined up and was spot on. However I usually like to support US based companies where I can in practice. Some industries like electronics and their components, this is impossible today but many like the automotive aftermarket and especially for Jeep brand vehicles, you still can get US made accessories that are the best in the world.

Without any bashing, I like to support made in USA where I can plain & simple. Nuff said!


Hope this answered your questions effectively.

RR

 

[Mike_H]

How about an update Rick? This is one of those projects I really hope gets finished!

 

[RangerRick]

I will be updating this thread soon. I have been working on other projects as of late but soon I will post up with progress and the latest on this build with pictures to follow. Spending lots of time with my 3 kids doing things for them at the moment.

RR

 

[TreverStevens]

I'm in the process of doing the Magnum swap like your Red Headed Stepchild and I didn't know the difference between the CCD and PCI prior to picking up my Magnum. I have a '97 TJ (CCD) and my doner engine was from a '02 Durango (PCI). I have de-loomed just about everything on both harnesses and labeled everything and was scratching my head to why everyone uses the TJ harness and adds in everything from the V8 and not the reverse. Then I came across your thread to where you used the 5.9 harness and spliced in the few things you needed for the TJ. So how much of a bind am I in since my ECM bus systems don't line up? Would getting a different EMC or flashing mine resolve issues? I'm in a little deep to sell off the engine at this point and pick up a new one.

My next thing is my ECU is from an automatic, and I'm doing a manual trans. Does this solidify my need for a different ECU?

And last (and probably least important at this point), I don't have cruise control either and wanting to add that in. You somewhat touch on this in your build, but much was over my head, at some point could you dummy-ify this for me so I can possibly add this into my vehicle?

Thank you very much in advance for any input on the topics,
Trever

 

[RangerRick]

Anyway I will answer you here and maybe paste it to my build thread later.

2-ways you can go with this problem:

1st you can convert the engine to CCD by re-wiring your Durango harness to CCD and finding a CCD ECM to run it.

Remember when choosing an ECM you want a base model so there's no security in the ECM that will disable the injectors from firing. If it's from a RAM truck, it must be from a 1998 or newer to run the TJ dash gauges. 1997 ECM's will only run the engine but your tach and gauges will be dead. (I keep a spare 1997 ECM in my bag to get home should the 1998 ECM die, I won't be stranded by the roadside.)

By looking at the chart I link to below, we see that if you were to stay with the Durango parts you have, you should find a 1998-2000 V8 (your engine size) Durango for the harness, ECM & cruise parts. A 5.2L ECM will run a 5.9 but won't be optimal. Yes it will work though and probably not cause any emissions lamp or anything and a 5.9 ECM is possible to run too rich for the 5.2L engine. Try to find the correct ECM that fits your engine & remember NO 5.9's ever came in a manual transmission on any Chrysler product sold in North America. Only the 5.2L V8 had a manual option, and very few were in Durango's, mostly RAM trucks and a few Dakotas but Dakotas are rare so I wouldn't bother looking at them unless one falls in your lap.

You may have to get a DODGE RAM 1998-2001 harness, cruise & ECM from a 5.2L MANUAL TRANSMISSION if you don't want to be forced to re-program your ECM by a 3rd party somewhere. These MANUAL ECMs from RAM & DURANGOs even more so are EXTREMELY RARE but are out there so you can use the manual transmission you seek without MIL lamps lit on the dash. Otherwise switch to the 44RE/46RE automatic, it's easier to find ECM's for them and you'll have the transmission from your donor already.

Ideally it would be best to use a ZJ Grand as the transmission donor due to the passenger side starter but there were only 15,000 Limited 1998's that had the 5.9L and the coveted 46RE transmission. Only the first half year of EARLY 1993 V8's that had an AX-15 5-speed behind them and they are EXTREMELY RARE. Those that have one, won't part with the transmission to save their soul......

You can use a 6 cylinder 3.9 V6 Magnum Durango, Dakota or RAM truck manual transmission bellhousing and flywheel with V6 or V8 pressure plate & clutch to go with your V8 but if your V8 is a 5.9L, it is EXTERNALLY BALANCED and you will need a custom flywheel for it or you will get BAD VIBRATIONS.

Otherwise, you could go with a Dakota ECM if you look at the chart in the link below for what year and powertrain is optimal to your needs.

FOLLOW THIS CHART I LINK TO HERE FOR WHAT MAKES THE Best ECM DONOR AND VEHICLE ETC.

<CLICK HERE>


The other way is you can convert the TJ to PCI by re-wiring the TJ and swapping the instrument cluster with a PCI cluster. This would probably be harder to do and cost more so I would go with the 1st route myself.

As far as cruise, You need the switches from the steering wheel that came from the exact year the ECM is because cruise uses resistors in the switches for knowing what commands you are giving the ECM for the cruise. Chrysler changed values of these resistors almost every year so it MUST MATCH to work.


I didn't have any wiring or the wheel with cruise in my Jeep and although I could swap all that in, I would have to obtain it first. Instead, I mounted the resistors to separate switches in the dash and labeled them. They are backlit with the dash lights and different colors. One for each of the buttons that would have been in the wheel. Works the same as the steering wheel but with no clock spring to worry about breaking causing cruise to die. Clock spring only works the horn and air bag now.

If you can find a same year TJ with cruise and can get the switches, clock spring, column wiring that goes to the junction block at the firewall and were to add all the underhood parts, you could add cruise to ANY TJ Wrangler as a bolt in item except on 1996 & 1997 TJ's because there's no wiring in the tub and no engine side harness wiring for the cruise in the first place. All 1998 & up TJ's already have the wiring for cruise installed, it's a simple package to add the cruise to these Jeeps hence the reason I went with dash mount switches instead since I had to add ALL the wiring to the TJ being a 3/1996 MFG date early production.

Heck they were still finishing assembly of some last late YJ Wranglers into early 1996 back then because of a shortage of Jeeps for sale all around the country. Many people are oblivious to model changes and bought YJ's even though there were TJ's already being sold new to replace the older model.

Yes it seems confusing but RESEARCH BY THOSE OF US THAT HAVE DONE IT will save you TONS of time and energy tracking the right part down and what you should use where.

Feel free to ask me if you run across something you don't know or understand, I will help where I can all because it's a labor of love

RR