I couldnt believe how much i had to cut out! I actually ended up moving the drivers seat 2" away from the tunnel to make more room. I made the panels I built removable so I could access the shifters and driveline easier if needed.
The ax15 is pretty strong. I bet it would last a decent while. I personally would use the money towards a stronger tranny rather than adapting to an ax15.
Eyup.
I spent quite a few hours researching transmission options. I hate driving auto. Like, why bother driving at all?
But ultimately, while there are options for adapting a manual to the 5.3, I didn't like any of them. The AX15 is a good transmission, but it feels a tad light for an even mildly built 5.3, and requires a lot of work/parts to get the clutch working.
Auto is just plain easier. Once my swap is complete, I'll give it a try. If I absolutely can't deal with driving like a dunce (auto!) I'll look into a manual again.
From what I can tell, the biggest issue is that the 5.3 crank doesn't stick out as far as the other SBC's that came from factory with manual transmissions. Requires aftermarket parts for everything in the bellhousing.
Where's the burnout vids man? I gotta see some blown rubber to get me all pumped back up about my swap (been super sick for the past week, so now I've got pretty near all the parts I need to complete the swap just sadly sitting on the shop floor).
Also, I'm doing the same for my gauge cluster. I think all the after market gaugues are ugly as hell and I really don't want to have to spend time tapping more sensor holes into everything. Was originally going to run stock gauges with XJ ECU as a mule, but really, tablet + torque or a home brew black box is easier, faster, cheaper, and looks so much better, plus it's upgradable and portable to your next project.
P.S. Your Jeep is by far the most illenist. Mine turns heads around here, but nowhere near yours. I've been holding off on a lot of the big work (tonnes, rear axle stretch, coilovers, etc) till I had the power to drive them.