Hello
It's good to be here. We have a lot of WAL members come through the shop so I think it's time to contribute here.
Most of you know we have been doing LS JK swaps since 2009 and I believe we are the originators of the fully functional LS JK. We work on nearly all performance upgrades for the JK including Hemi's, Superchargers, Diesels and Turbo's. TBH at the end of the day the LS is the only engine I want to drive; it is the only one that feels right in the JK chassis. Size, weight, economy, CG, torque, drivability is all there with the LS. When combined with the 6l80 no other powertrain is as well suited for the JK IMO, the 6l80(and now 8l80) are a key part of the swap.
From the beginning our design philosophy was to keep the operating systems pure. This means leave the network alone, let it do what it is designed to; problems arise when hacking or patching calibrations. In this way we have a pure GM powertrain and run pure GM calibrations which supports all emission monitors, enhanced DTC's, all Mode 6 data, manufacturer bi-directional controls and more. Of coarse this assures emissions compliance, but also has the advantage of OE level service. Our harnesses, power and ground distribution, network configuration, circuit protection mimic exactly OE. This means your vehicle can be serviced by a dealer using factory tools and procedures. There is no hacked or patched calibrations to deal with. On the flip side the Chrysler network remains pure. Engine performance codes are removed from the PCM but that is it. The Chrysler network can be serviced by a dealer like a stock JK.
The key is our MoTech module which acts as a bridge between the two networks. This allows your standard JK controls to work normally. This means AC, Cruise Control and Instrument Cluster all function normally. While the MoTech module is key it is also not required to operate the vehicle. In fact the MoTech module can be removed and you will continue to drive. We wanted reliability in tough conditions and the GM limp mode will get you home even if you have a TIPM failure.
Early on the swap was somewhat of a challenge due to the additional circuits required. We offered the swap in house or a builders kit for our installer shops. This was not a consumer level kit and required some special knowledge to install. With the release of our Gen III electronics all that has changed. The design philosophy for the Gen III kit was ease of installation. We eliminated all redundant sensors, incorporated circuits for AC, brakes, fuel pump and much more right into our main harness. This means you lay the harness out and plug it into the GM and JK sides, we do all the hard work in the harness.
This also has the advantage of a low wire count, similar to stock. The completed Gen III swap is as reliable as you can get, very clean looking due to the removal of the ugly JK engine harness. An LS3 in a JK looks small in comparison to a Pentstar which is 4 valve 4 cam engine.
Our new billet aluminum brackets have eliminated any alignment issues and puts the JK accessories right where they belong so you can run stock hoses and lines available at your dealer, no custom work required. And this is another important point, running stock calibrations, stock accessories, stock motor mounts(hydraulic) means you can gets parts at your local dealer or parts store. This was an important goal for us since we have swaps all over the world. We have swaps in Mexico, Russia, China, Australia, South Africa..... What we find is LS parts are available worldwide vs custom or Hemi parts.
We have a couple Gen V swaps in the works, both a L83 5.3 and L86 6.2. The Gen V engines have direct injection, continuous VVT, high compression and aggressive AFM. This promises a 15-20% mpg increase and TBH I don't see any other conversion technology that can match the power and efficiency of the gen V engines; and all this on regular gas. Then consider the compact size and light weight of the LS and the choice is clear for me.
Well that's a start, I tend to ramble because I live and breathe this stuff. I feel there are options out there now that are confusing things, like LS engines being run inside Chrysler OS's running Chrysler transmissions. I hope I can answer questions why we do what we do and how we do it. With over 200 conversions and well over 1 million driven miles on our swaps we have gathered a lot of information over the years. Being located in Vegas means we learned a lot about cooling systems. It's currently over 110* here and I drive high compression LS3's around with no overheating issues at all. I'll do my best to answer any questions.
It's good to be here. We have a lot of WAL members come through the shop so I think it's time to contribute here.
Most of you know we have been doing LS JK swaps since 2009 and I believe we are the originators of the fully functional LS JK. We work on nearly all performance upgrades for the JK including Hemi's, Superchargers, Diesels and Turbo's. TBH at the end of the day the LS is the only engine I want to drive; it is the only one that feels right in the JK chassis. Size, weight, economy, CG, torque, drivability is all there with the LS. When combined with the 6l80 no other powertrain is as well suited for the JK IMO, the 6l80(and now 8l80) are a key part of the swap.
From the beginning our design philosophy was to keep the operating systems pure. This means leave the network alone, let it do what it is designed to; problems arise when hacking or patching calibrations. In this way we have a pure GM powertrain and run pure GM calibrations which supports all emission monitors, enhanced DTC's, all Mode 6 data, manufacturer bi-directional controls and more. Of coarse this assures emissions compliance, but also has the advantage of OE level service. Our harnesses, power and ground distribution, network configuration, circuit protection mimic exactly OE. This means your vehicle can be serviced by a dealer using factory tools and procedures. There is no hacked or patched calibrations to deal with. On the flip side the Chrysler network remains pure. Engine performance codes are removed from the PCM but that is it. The Chrysler network can be serviced by a dealer like a stock JK.
The key is our MoTech module which acts as a bridge between the two networks. This allows your standard JK controls to work normally. This means AC, Cruise Control and Instrument Cluster all function normally. While the MoTech module is key it is also not required to operate the vehicle. In fact the MoTech module can be removed and you will continue to drive. We wanted reliability in tough conditions and the GM limp mode will get you home even if you have a TIPM failure.
Early on the swap was somewhat of a challenge due to the additional circuits required. We offered the swap in house or a builders kit for our installer shops. This was not a consumer level kit and required some special knowledge to install. With the release of our Gen III electronics all that has changed. The design philosophy for the Gen III kit was ease of installation. We eliminated all redundant sensors, incorporated circuits for AC, brakes, fuel pump and much more right into our main harness. This means you lay the harness out and plug it into the GM and JK sides, we do all the hard work in the harness.
This also has the advantage of a low wire count, similar to stock. The completed Gen III swap is as reliable as you can get, very clean looking due to the removal of the ugly JK engine harness. An LS3 in a JK looks small in comparison to a Pentstar which is 4 valve 4 cam engine.
Our new billet aluminum brackets have eliminated any alignment issues and puts the JK accessories right where they belong so you can run stock hoses and lines available at your dealer, no custom work required. And this is another important point, running stock calibrations, stock accessories, stock motor mounts(hydraulic) means you can gets parts at your local dealer or parts store. This was an important goal for us since we have swaps all over the world. We have swaps in Mexico, Russia, China, Australia, South Africa..... What we find is LS parts are available worldwide vs custom or Hemi parts.
We have a couple Gen V swaps in the works, both a L83 5.3 and L86 6.2. The Gen V engines have direct injection, continuous VVT, high compression and aggressive AFM. This promises a 15-20% mpg increase and TBH I don't see any other conversion technology that can match the power and efficiency of the gen V engines; and all this on regular gas. Then consider the compact size and light weight of the LS and the choice is clear for me.
Well that's a start, I tend to ramble because I live and breathe this stuff. I feel there are options out there now that are confusing things, like LS engines being run inside Chrysler OS's running Chrysler transmissions. I hope I can answer questions why we do what we do and how we do it. With over 200 conversions and well over 1 million driven miles on our swaps we have gathered a lot of information over the years. Being located in Vegas means we learned a lot about cooling systems. It's currently over 110* here and I drive high compression LS3's around with no overheating issues at all. I'll do my best to answer any questions.
that's good stuff. What's the difference with Gen III and gen V? Is that a different version of your swap kit, or are they different motors entirely?
