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96 xj sport 5.3 swap

i was thinking the 5.3 myself but the aluminium block version L33 i think it is. lots of reasons to do it. mine is a Renix and doing this would rid me of so much Renix headache. do you have the weight differences of the 5.3 and the 4.0?

I have read varying specs on weight but from what I have gathered the 5.3 iron block/4L60E/231 combo is lighter than the 4.0/aw4/231. The aluminum block LS motors are about 80lbs lighter than the iron block so that would be even more weight savings.
 
i was thinking the 5.3 myself but the aluminium block version L33 i think it is. lots of reasons to do it. mine is a Renix and doing this would rid me of so much Renix headache. do you have the weight differences of the 5.3 and the 4.0?

An l33 is gonna be a pricey motor. A 6.0 is cheeper and puts out roughly same, maybe a hair more( i dont remember the out puts for them 100%)

But if weight savings is your goal then go for it, or an ls1
 
An l33 is gonna be a pricey motor. A 6.0 is cheeper and puts out roughly same, maybe a hair more( i dont remember the out puts for them 100%)

But if weight savings is your goal then go for it, or an ls1

the L33 (alum 5.3) is more expensive than a LM7 (iron 5.3) and about the same power as the LQ9 (iron 6.0). the 6.0 puts out more power but its easy enough to make that power up on a 5.3.

the L33 is WAY cheaper than any of the LS line of alum blocks. LS1 pullouts with over 100k miles still pull around 1500-2000 dollars. L33's can be had for around 800-1000. Only downside is the height of the truck intake manifold. its a good 5-6 inches taller than the LS1 style intake. you can pick an ls1/2 intake for pretty cheap (around 150-200) or an LS6 for around 300-350 for a little extra power potential.

i have a 4.8 in my garage that we pulled out of a trash pile that i am going to end up using for my xj down the road. it needs cam bearings, oil pump and a basic rebuild. otherwise still in good shape just lots of sludge. also have a 4l60 out of my wife's GTO that i am going to convert to the 4wd tail shaft.

im not trying to make tons of HP with the 4.8 i just love the ls motors :D have 3 of them powering 3 cars.
 
the L33 (alum 5.3) is more expensive than a LM7 (iron 5.3) and about the same power as the LQ9 (iron 6.0). the 6.0 puts out more power but its easy enough to make that power up on a 5.3.

the L33 is WAY cheaper than any of the LS line of alum blocks. LS1 pullouts with over 100k miles still pull around 1500-2000 dollars. L33's can be had for around 800-1000. Only downside is the height of the truck intake manifold. its a good 5-6 inches taller than the LS1 style intake. you can pick an ls1/2 intake for pretty cheap (around 150-200) or an LS6 for around 300-350 for a little extra power potential.

i have a 4.8 in my garage that we pulled out of a trash pile that i am going to end up using for my xj down the road. it needs cam bearings, oil pump and a basic rebuild. otherwise still in good shape just lots of sludge. also have a 4l60 out of my wife's GTO that i am going to convert to the 4wd tail shaft.

im not trying to make tons of HP with the 4.8 i just love the ls motors :D have 3 of them powering 3 cars.

ls1s are defiantly pricier, i haven't found any l33s in my area at all,and i imagine i wouldnt find one too cheep considering its a rare 5.3 however it all depends aon where you live, people up north get drive trains cheep as hell cause theire vehicle rust out before the get to high a mileage.

i kinda wish id gotten a 6.0 but a 5.3 will get lq4/9 power with a mild/medium cam and a tune
 
Nice. You're fully committed now :)
 
not a whole lot to report, pulled the engine harness and other garbage out of the engine bay, been working on the jeep harness mostly, and pulling my hair out..normal stuff.

i have the jeep harness mostly finished, i will likely install the motor mounts tommoro and paint the engine bay

 
painted the engine bay today after lots of de greasing/sanding,wiping cleen with acetone,





pulled the fuel sender out whilst waiting for paint to dry, que goofy one year only 1996 jeep xj fuel sender/pump/regulator:



its basicly a 95- sender with an extra bracket for the in tank pressure reg. it even has the metal return line even tho it doesnt continue out of the housing, insted the pres. reg. has a little line coming off it acting as the functioning return line, im thinking i should be able to drill a hole where that "return line" is and thread in a barb fitting to make it a functioning return, and putting the 255lph should be easy enough
 
Wow the engine compartment looks great
 
My two cents would be to sell that unique '96 unit to someone who will love and cherish it. Use the funds to get one of the more readily available earlier years and modify that as needed.

Clearly it is yours to do with as you wish, but speaking from personal experience I know those '96 units can be desirable to the right folks.
 
Wow the engine compartment looks great

thanx, i figured it was worth painting while the harness is exploded on the bathroom floor, and nothing was else was really in there, plus i want that chip foose "jewelry box" effect, i want that red enging to pop when its in there

My two cents would be to sell that unique '96 unit to someone who will love and cherish it. Use the funds to get one of the more readily available earlier years and modify that as needed.

Clearly it is yours to do with as you wish, but speaking from personal experience I know those '96 units can be desirable to the right folks.

i mean your not wrong.
 
If I can give you 1 piece of advice, if you even have the slightest inkling of possibly throwing a cam in the motor, do it now before its all in.

Everything gets tight really fast and basically the entire front end has to come apart if you ever decide to do it again. Maybe your budget is tight, but think about everything you will have to replace such as coolant, fluids, etc in the future. While you are in there, I would check the chain to make sure its good and throw in a new oil pump while you are it, particularly if you have a higher mileage engine.

At the very minimum I would throw these in since LS motors love to throw rockers. Then those little roller bearings get into the oil and love to kill bearings.

Just my .02 cents. Otherwise, keep up the good work. Your XJ is definitely wayyyy cleaner than mine.
 
If I can give you 1 piece of advice, if you even have the slightest inkling of possibly throwing a cam in the motor, do it now before its all in.

Everything gets tight really fast and basically the entire front end has to come apart if you ever decide to do it again. Maybe your budget is tight, but think about everything you will have to replace such as coolant, fluids, etc in the future. While you are in there, I would check the chain to make sure its good and throw in a new oil pump while you are it, particularly if you have a higher mileage engine.

At the very minimum I would throw these in since LS motors love to throw rockers. Then those little roller bearings get into the oil and love to kill bearings.

Just my .02 cents. Otherwise, keep up the good work. Your XJ is definitely wayyyy cleaner than mine.

id really like to throw a cam in it, but im going to hold off hoping up the motor any more than just performance tuning for a while.

after i buy a house in 3-4 years i plan on pulling the motor/trans and rebuilding it, maybe stroking it to 383, more likely a slight bore with 4.8 flat top pistons, and a decent cam, and ported polished heads.

my end goal is about 450 hp/tq and a beefed up 4l60e or a 4l65/70e if i can find one. maybe one from gear start if i get rich in a couple years..and maybe ill learn something about transmissions in the process

im aiming to keep it cleen since it will serve as a dd once i know its all working right. it will likely never be a serious rock crawler (mostly cause i want to keep closer to stock type axles under it (im thinking narrowed hpd44/f8.8) something that can hold 35s. with ls power)
 
id really like to throw a cam in it, but im going to hold off hoping up the motor any more than just performance tuning for a while.

after i buy a house in 3-4 years i plan on pulling the motor/trans and rebuilding it, maybe stroking it to 383, more likely a slight bore with 4.8 flat top pistons, and a decent cam, and ported polished heads.

my end goal is about 450 hp/tq and a beefed up 4l60e or a 4l65/70e if i can find one. maybe one from gear start if i get rich in a couple years..and maybe ill learn something about transmissions in the process

im aiming to keep it cleen since it will serve as a dd once i know its all working right. it will likely never be a serious rock crawler (mostly cause i want to keep closer to stock type axles under it (im thinking narrowed hpd44/f8.8) something that can hold 35s. with ls power)

My .02cents again, but don't buy an actual 4L65. Its pretty tough to identify one from just staring at the case and unless the label is on top to decipher the code, 9 times out of 10, it will be a 4L60. Unfortunately people lie and since a 65 is worth more than a 60, that's what they advertise. The cost for a 4L65e is exponentially higher up front for the risk and if you plan on building it anyway, then just get a 4L60 and build it up with a 5 gear planetary and it will be stronger than a stock rebuilt 4L65.

I think the axle swaps are a very good idea if you plan on wheeling it. The power output of the LS, even with a just a tune, is way higher than the 4.0. Unless you are careful with the skinny pedal, which I am sure will be difficult, some breakage may occur. Otherwise, the plan sounds pretty good!
 
My .02cents again, but don't buy an actual 4L65. Its pretty tough to identify one from just staring at the case and unless the label is on top to decipher the code, 9 times out of 10, it will be a 4L60. Unfortunately people lie and since a 65 is worth more than a 60, that's what they advertise. The cost for a 4L65e is exponentially higher up front for the risk and if you plan on building it anyway, then just get a 4L60 and build it up with a 5 gear planetary and it will be stronger than a stock rebuilt 4L65.

I think the axle swaps are a very good idea if you plan on wheeling it. The power output of the LS, even with a just a tune, is way higher than the 4.0. Unless you are careful with the skinny pedal, which I am sure will be difficult, some breakage may occur. Otherwise, the plan sounds pretty good!

yea i plan to do and 8.8 at least after things are up an running, as well as plating the frame
 
Sweet man. Lookin forward to updates
 
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