LS swap into a 97 TJ

Strodinator

Caught the Bug
Looks like I'm finally getting around to it. I have most of the pieces together and got working today. I picked up an Lm7 from a 2002 Chevy Tahoe and spent about 5 hours stripping it apart so I can clean it and replace all the gaskets. I plan on running the LM7 in front of an nv3550 manual transmission, retaining the np231 transfer case and upgrading to a Ford 8.8 rear end using the artec truss kit.

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Strodinator

Caught the Bug
Lots of pictures for this thread! The better part of my night (7:00-1:00) was spent labeling the wiring harness and stripping the motor down. IMG_20170902_185724.jpg IMG_20170902_192056.jpg IMG_20170902_192345.jpg IMG_20170902_211604.jpg IMG_20170902_214651.jpg IMG_20170902_215938.jpg IMG_20170902_221302.jpg IMG_20170902_223001.jpg IMG_20170902_224408.jpg there you can see my wiring harness mostly labeled and strung up for splicing later. IMG_20170902_224416.jpg IMG_20170902_230657.jpg I didn't know what these were to find out they are the knock sensors (duh). IMG_20170902_231220.jpg IMG_20170902_232524.jpg IMG_20170902_232531.jpg IMG_20170903_005543.jpg heads came off smoothly and will be sent to the shop come Tuesday.

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Strodinator

Caught the Bug
There's a lot more pictures than what I posted. The tear down was fairly easy, but I was very meticulous so it took longer than it generally would.

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Rst8rox

Active Member
Nice [emoji106]! I put a 6.0l from a 05 Denali in my 98 TJ! Nice to see a tj build! IMG_0098.jpg IMG_0648.jpg
Just got home from Drummond Island had a blast this weekend! You'll love it... keep the pic/updates coming!


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Strodinator

Caught the Bug
More progress tonight, I flipped it and worked on stripping down the bottom end. Got all the way to the crankshaft before breaking my pulley puller so I gave up for the night.
 

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Strodinator

Caught the Bug
Little more work before I start cleaning up. I got the crank pistons all removed along with their bearings. All the inner cylinders look great with no grooving. I'm waiting on the machine shop for a quote on machining the heads and block if needed, balancing the crankshaft, and installing a new cam with new valve springs. Until then I'm stuck in limbo with not much to do. IMG_20170904_130448.jpg
 

Rst8rox

Active Member
That's pretty sweet. I love how clean the wiring is under the hood.

Thanks Man!!! The wiring was my biggest concern... spent lots of time with wiring diagrams and on the phone with tech support to find out exactly what was needed and what could go. There is nothing left that wasn't need in the engine harness from the tj original harness but maybe 5 wires. All gauges where converted to use the jeep gauge cluster an gm sending units!!! It was fun lol! Hit me up if you have ????'s I'll do my best to help!! Keep up the work!


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PT1400

New member
Looking good. It's the whole hurry up and wait game. Hurry to stop it down and wait for the machine shop to get it done. That waiting is the hard part!
 

Strodinator

Caught the Bug
Machine shop finally got back to me. I'm zilching the oversize cam idea just because of money and because I can do it any time after. 265$ for both heads, thermal clean, resurface, and valve checks. I just put a master rebuild kit for the motor on my credit card (700$) it should be here Thursday. I finally got the crank pulley off, got the crank and camshaft out, got the timing assembly off and now have one solid block with nothing on it ready for me to attempt to clean it.
 
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Strodinator

Caught the Bug
Some pictures for you, IMG_20170918_174145.jpg IMG_20170918_174149.jpg IMG_20170918_175236.jpg IMG_20170918_203620.jpg I decided to jump the gun and clean it. The only things left on the block was one sensor, the camshaft bearings, and some plugs. Soaking it with degrees error seemed to help and a stiff bristle brush helped break up the worst of it. Before reassembly I still need to chisel the mounting surfaces to remove all remains of the previous gaskets. IMG_20170918_215752.jpg IMG_20170918_203629.jpg IMG_20170918_203639.jpg as you can see I made quite a mess, I didn't anticipate this much blowback when using compressed air. IMG_20170918_215759.jpg
Just to show you how the whole guts of the motor is sitting, I have everything separated and laid out on plastic, I utilized cardboard to arrange important bolts as I removed them, and I strung up the wiring harness to make it easier to reference. IMG_20170918_215809.jpg IMG_20170918_215812.jpg IMG_20170918_215817.jpg IMG_20170918_215825.jpg IMG_20170918_215832.jpg IMG_20170918_215837.jpg IMG_20170918_215844.jpg IMG_20170918_215855.jpg IMG_20170918_215855.jpg IMG_20170918_215900.jpg
The only bench I didn't care about organization for was the accessory section. Also there's a side by side of the two valve covers, one mostly cleaned and one as I received out of the motor. That should give you an idea of the kind of buildup I'm dealing with.
 

Gadget

Caught the Bug
Kind of jealous, not of the amount of work you have ahead of you, but of the soon to be V8 TJ you will have. A V8 is on the upgrade/rebuild list for my TJ down the road.


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