It's 5.3/AW4 swap time for the road racer

[IXNAYXJ]

I'd consider buying one of these LS-AW4 adapters if they are made available for sale.

We'll see how it holds up in racing and go from there. They are somewhat labor intensive to produce, so it may not work out dollar wise.

trying to find a NOS master cylinder for a '56 Renault Dauphine.

I know a guy. Seriously.

-Matt

 

[IXNAYXJ]

So...plans keep evolving.

Tranny and motor about to be bolted together for (hopefully) the last time.

-Matt

 

[GSequoia]

Hurry up. I'm awaiting your fuel economy and NVH tests.

 

[child9]

I lol'd when I read "NVH".

 

[kastein]

NVH: yes, comes equipped with all three.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

We'll see how it holds up in racing and go from there. They are somewhat labor intensive to produce, so it may not work out dollar wise.

-Matt

For one-off's I could see this. But depending on how many people want them, could possibly be done in a larger facility at a lower cost. And depending on what the cost actually is, I would say that it would be worth it to most as there is less other fab/mods to be done, and lots of people already have beefed up t-cases and trans.
I would most likely run a manual trans otherwise.

 

[IXNAYXJ]

I'm awaiting your fuel economy and NVH tests.

We're hoping for 6.5 Gallons Per Hour and lots of NVH.

-Matt

 

[child9]

Less on the H if I have anything to say about it.

 

[IXNAYXJ]

Less on the H if I have anything to say about it.

Looking forward to seeing how the Fringe XVO throttle body helps the AW4 hold up to 300+ lb/ft. We'll know in a few weeks.

-Matt

 

[child9]

LOL it's a valve body. Hahahaha!

 

[IXNAYXJ]

LOL it's a valve body. Hahahaha!

What?>? I thought it was a 89mm TB?

JK...it's been a looooong few weeks.

 

[Tptrsn]

So...plans keep evolving.

Is that going to be a brace for the front axle just to improve stiffness, or are you going to chop out the center portion of the axle so you can drop the engine in further, or so you can avoid notching the oil pan?

 

[IXNAYXJ]

Is that going to be a brace for the front axle just to improve stiffness, or are you going to chop out the center portion of the axle so you can drop the engine in further, or so you can avoid notching the oil pan?

No, you got it right. There was no way we could clear the oil pan so we cut out the tube and replaced it with the truss (shown in Cardboard Aided Design form).

 

[Tptrsn]

I love the ingenuity you guys show in this build!

Is there anywhere that you have detailed your modifications you've made to the suspension? The video you posted up to show the operation of the shifter was amazing more so for the way you guys were gobbling up cars with a Jeep. Simply stunning and hilariously awesome! :worship:

 

[IXNAYXJ]

I love the ingenuity you guys show in this build!

Is there anywhere that you have detailed your modifications you've made to the suspension? The video you posted up to show the operation of the shifter was amazing more so for the way you guys were gobbling up cars with a Jeep. Simply stunning and hilariously awesome! :worship:

Thanks! Here's a link to a write up on what we've done the suspension, in truth, very little:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1059549

And here are some more pics of the truss. It was a little nerve wracking cutting the tube...there was no going back after that:

We needed to paint it to keep it from rusting, and we happen to have a lot of Petty Blue laying around. Speed holes were just for fun:

 

[bjoehandley]

Dad was watching the start up video and was wondering why the engine sat so high in the bay, he figured it should be lower than the 4.0l.

 

[IXNAYXJ]

Dad was watching the start up video and was wondering why the engine sat so high in the bay, he figured it should be lower than the 4.0l.

Part of that is just the XJ engine bay and unibody rails. The LSx is pretty compact, but just not in the dimensions that help it fit in the Cherokee. I think if we swapped the truck intake for the Corvette or Camaro, it would be a little lower. Our solution:

 

[IXNAYXJ]

And here's the video of it driving for the first time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhmHs19tI6Q&list=UUq4NnY-jLWUr5G1OPu7PbWg&index=1

 

[Tptrsn]

Sweet!

 

[GSequoia]

It has a bit of a growl.