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LT1 Swap into my '88 XJ

AHHHH damn cheby guys get all the good stuff :D

well damn. thanks anyway. ill be following this to see how it goes :thumbup:
 
Nice build :D I've got the same project going. still collecting parts. Question on the motor mounts. Are you planning on beefing up the frame at all? I was planning on adding to the frame and tie-n into the cage.

Talking to another XJ guy told me his buddy did a V8 swap, was sitting stopped at the bottom of a hill.. mashed the gas.. jeep jump a foot and shut down. opened the hood and the motor was upside down... ripped the frame apart at the seams.. :wierd:
 
I'll give this thread a good revive. I'm planning an LT1 swap as well, since LS1's seems either non existant here or are made of pure gold with diamond encrusted pistons. Plus, the simplicity of an older generation of engines grabs my love. Did the a/c compressor and power steering, all the accessories go in clean? Any clearance issues? Please keep us updated! I will be following this thread closely.
 
1991Jeep_Man said:
I'll give this thread a good revive. I'm planning an LT1 swap as well, since LS1's seems either non existant here or are made of pure gold with diamond encrusted pistons. Plus, the simplicity of an older generation of engines grabs my love. Did the a/c compressor and power steering, all the accessories go in clean? Any clearance issues? Please keep us updated! I will be following this thread closely.
Click to expand...
Who needs an LS1, I am sure there are plenty of Full-size GM trucks with 5.3/6.0L LQ engines (cast-iron block vs aluminum)
 
L8RH8R said:
"beej" I am doing this exact swap and I too bought the Novak mounts. I noticed that after the engine was installed, it was angled to the left (the rear of the engine was offset to the left). I was able to use a ratchet strap and center the engine, however, now i notice that the passenger side engine mount is slightly bound. The mounts are not completely tightened because I wanted to see where the tranny lined up after the cross member was installed. Still have to drill two holes in that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
make sure that you installed the mount on the passenger side of the engine in the right holes. it is possible to install it into multiple holes on the passenger side
 
L8RH8R said:
Yeah I called them today. Not much help. Told me the engine was NOT supposed to sit XXXX-eyed in the engine bay. Ya think! Thanks for the help. I also bought a tranny mount from them and it too did NOT fit as the tech said it would. I was told it would bolt to the 4L60E tranny and jeep cross member. Now I will have to employ my mad fab skills and make it work. Oh well. By the way, what radiator and fan set up did you use. I'm looking at a 3 core all aluminum and dual Cherokee fans. :flipoff:
Click to expand...
i'm using a stock brass 4 core, with 3 11" electric fans. the hose are quite interesting, but they work.
 
1991Jeep_Man said:
I'll give this thread a good revive. I'm planning an LT1 swap as well, since LS1's seems either non existant here or are made of pure gold with diamond encrusted pistons. Plus, the simplicity of an older generation of engines grabs my love. Did the a/c compressor and power steering, all the accessories go in clean? Any clearance issues? Please keep us updated! I will be following this thread closely.
Click to expand...
have to use a/c delete pulley, other wise everything else is good. i'm gonna run a puma 12 volt compressor for on-board air, as it will be impossible to do anything belt driven
 
sorry it's been so long, i've been busy with my baby and softball on the weekends.. not too much progress, but things are starting to settle down so hopefully will have some more progress pics soon.........
 
Johnnie Walker said:
Who needs an LS1, I am sure there are plenty of Full-size GM trucks with 5.3/6.0L LQ engines (cast-iron block vs aluminum)
Click to expand...

I was researching V-8 conversion when I stumbled across the the LS1 on Novak's XJ Conversion; any thoughts on this?

Taking the transplant one step further, assuming I have a 5.7L would there be a need for a 5:38 differential in going with 37" tires? Or would the torque of the motor be sufficient to go with the stock differential?
 
Gigantor said:
I was researching V-8 conversion when I stumbled across the the LS1 on Novak's XJ Conversion; any thoughts on this?

Taking the transplant one step further, assuming I have a 5.7L would there be a need for a 5:38 differential in going with 37" tires? Or would the torque of the motor be sufficient to go with the stock differential?
Click to expand...

There was a fellow on youtube with an L98 (or L89, can't remember the exact) corvette engine putting I think 250ish rwhp, so about 300 at the crank. Anyways, he had 33's and still used stock 3.55 gears, and he said you couldn't even tell. So I imagine 37's would need a modest 3.73 or 4.11, not 5.38's. The benefit of the Gen 1, 1+, and 2 engines is their peak torque is low, near 3000 rpm.
 
I own a 94 firebird formula. I've had it for five years now and am finishing up a engine rebuild. Big cam. Ported heads. The works. If u have any questions about lt1's I'm ur man lol
 
I am doing the same exact swap (out of a 95 Roadmaster) and I am adding 5/32 steel all the way down the subframe. I am pretty sure that the subframe will not handle the added HP and torque. I split the firewall in my last Cherokee from upper control arm to upper control arm on my 8th trip through the rubicon. I figure if the firewall won't take the articulation of the rubicon, I'm not sure how much it will take from an LT1 and I want it to last. By stiffening up the subframe, it should relieve the pressure on the firewall.
 
Normally I would say friends don't let friends put in opti sparks, but it sounds like you have thought it out. Hey, at least the motor is not shoved under the dash.:D Sounds ok to me. I'm gathering parts to throw a magnum in mine. I can make near LSx power for a reasonable cost.
 
some progress, but i've now decided in the interest of trail fixablility and parts availibility in podunk towns, i'm ditching the efi and optispark for a carb and hei distributor. stockpiling parts............
 
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