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6.1 Hemi LJ Madness and Mayhem

261K views 736 replies 148 participants last post by  Deacon 
#1 ·
Ok so I was sitting around that now that i have my freedom back after a 3 year relationship with a 'supportive when its convenient' type girlfriend...... and realized that all the new pups have found homes, i hadnt financed any trips lately, i have extra cash daily, tax money on the way, dont have anybody trying to be the VOICE OF REASON or rather a killjoy:mad: winter's over and i had neglected my jeep..sorry jeep:nono: so i figured i would do something mad as idle time is the devils play ground or a jeepers pocket books worst friend.

it just so happened i had been driving the jeep for a few weeks here and there and even with 4.88s i just wasnt happy with its get up and go on the street. i had been toying with the idea of a v8 hemi swap and researching the project for awhile. so i got out out the laptop and the excel program just to see where how deep the rabbit hole really was. when it comes to v8s im a ford guy at heart however..its a jeep...to me it has to be a hemi. :thumbsup:

so i searched the forums and google was my friend:cheers: for hours on end. i read cost sheets and vendor pricing on conversions, swap materials and the like. i found people like to simplify things and leave other things out. for example... hemi in a stock tj:thumbsup: hemi in a lifted tj with tucked style lift kit:thumbdown: etc.... 5.7 in jeep tj/lj not a big deal honestly.... oh your gonna do a 6.1... well hmmm. that will require some work.... and the NAG1 trans..yeah not so much... 545rfe pretty much the only option.

what else... common advice found... 'collect all your parts before you begin the project" actual life experience-not so much: yeah thats not gonna work, oh cant send that back, no way that fits, oh you needed 3" not 2" blah blah blah.

alright so i set a budget of 10K to do the 6.1 hemi swap in my LJ... i figured i could get it done cheaper than the astronomical numbers ive seen and maybe recoupe some of the cash selling by I6 with 7500 miles on it for a few bucks.

motor swap build plan i started with:
  • 6.1 hemi-srt8 [5k]
  • 545rfe trans [500]
  • wiring harness from hotwire [1500]
  • advanced adapters motor mounts [200]
  • teraflex trans mount [50]
  • aluminum radiator-find cheaper that $700 everyones trying to get for it
  • external transcooler with aeroquip lines [60 plus lines 60]
  • not running AC....ITS A JEEP.
  • electric fan set up [125]
  • reuse rubicon nv241 transfer case and tom woods DS
ok so after mock up, key issues i ran into:
the current superlift long arm kit tucks the front upper and lower control arm mounts up inside the frame rails and the trans sits 3.5" off the current mount-:thumbdown::brickwall this is real estate i need for exhaust. next, the alternator on the 6.1 is on the lower pass side of the motor and sits approx less that 1/2 inch off the frame-not enough clearance for it considering motor twist, frame twist etc. lastly, the stock header manifolds are huge and semi bulky, if you use the 'jeep grand cherokee 5.7manifolds' you will choke the motor so those are not an option. and lastly, the srt was mated to a NAG1 trans so all the hardware and whatnot have to be swapped back to 5.7 stuff [dust cover, oil pan etc]

resolutions to the obstacles;
pulling the superlift kit off and installing a TNT long arm kit with 2" front stretch.
notch and re-inforce the frame for alternator clearance.
jba catforward shorty heaaders:facepalm:$$$
a trip to the dealer for 210.00 worth of 5.7 parts

here we go



working getting the old out

 
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#684 ·
You'll see in the last pic of my bead lock that one bolts missing. Yep one broken nutsert. Sweet. Be on the phone to race line next week.
 
#685 ·
my old track bar mount... I have no idea why I mounted it at such an angle.. needless to say, that contraption is on its way out tonight and working in the revision....






and the jeep sittin on her own shoes...


 
#687 ·
yeah maybe.... lol... thanks buddy. got my trans guage in, so I will be getting the trans pan up there and filled with fluid. have to rotate the hydro cylinder and then get hoses made up for that. sooooo close to firing her up!!!!
 
#688 ·
threw up a video of the patriot hemi jeep on that thread. throwing a couple on you tube now. jst waiting for the darn things to load LOL
 
#689 ·
videos are under red rock industries.

getting the rubi on her shoes gave me a bit of a sense of accomplishment, so I took a few hours tonight and decided to pull the hurt motor out of the mustang. supposed to be 95 and humid as hell tomorrow. its 2 am and its already muggy as hell out. icky feeling, ready for a shower.









need to get her torn down and parts off to their respective places, primarily the heads. order new rings and bearings. hopefully I can get her put back together and drive her at least once before it snows... as it has been almost 2 years since she has breathed fire!
 
#690 ·
Been reading this thread from the start for a .. few days now. Man. You could write a book with this stuff. Glad to see you are triumphing all that life decides to throw at you:thumbsup:

I cannot wait to see the finished hemi. You are an inspiration. I hope one day to have enough skill to completely rebuild a jeep, since that is basically what you are doing. Mad props, and keep up the good work!:highfive:
 
#691 ·
Leffnasty.... Thanks buddy and you are soooo right. !!!!

The k5 blazer and the Monte Carlo are both done, paid for and out of the shop. My motor for the mustang is toast... Thanks to life over the last 2 years.. So I had to decide on a course of action for that.. Looks like it will be a slower build now.. Cause...final call is (heeheee) 393 stroker, 9.5-1 comp and wait for it.... Paxton 2000 with an 8lb pulley. Hmmm fun street car. I mean my muscle car should by all rights have way more hp than the Hemi LOL...:) so I need to be at least 460+ hahaha...

So back to the build tomorrow. Trans pan install, run wire for trans temp gauge, finish hydro boost lines with newly arrived fitting. ***** for got to order a darn temp switch for the electric fan. Hook up radiator hoses... Make hydro left/right lines and then i can Begin fluid process !!
 
#692 ·
ok so I have been busy on other projects... but I did get a few hours in on sunday!!!!

finally got the trans pan installed with the trans 'temp' sender in place. had to re-tap one hole as it appears 'someone' stripped out the threads. hmmm.. I know it wasn't me. anyways, grabbed a 7mmx1.00 and cut some new threads, a $0.50 bolt and away we go. added a few quarts of aft+4, thanks Chrysler, to check for any leaks/seepage. all good so far.

then... I got to messing with the hydro ram. I needed to rotate the ports to clear everything. fun part was looking for [2] specific fittings for the hydro ram.. that you have put your hands on in 2.5+ years.... thanks good I like to put everything in Rubbermaid totes!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::rofl::rofl::rofl:

made some hydro lines from the orbital to the ram... zip tied them up for now.

connected the lower radiator hose:thumbsup: went I was at orileys buying $140 in new fluids for the beast.. I took a walk along the overbearing wall of radiator hoses in seach of one, perfect hose.. for the upper radiator. I sold the original BTR radiator I got for the swap as it had the upper on the drivers side. rad hose and intake fought for the same real estate. ordered a new BTR radiator with the upper on the pass side. so I needed a hose that went up at 45* then up 6" then 90* to connect to the rad... and be almost 2" in diameter... no problem... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

halfway down the wall a twisted hose caught my eye. it looked twisted enough and of a large enough diam in the store that it may work. when doing the hoses on the hemi jeep, it took 5 trips to the parts store before finding ones that would work, so I was already prepped for the same cluster. how much is this hose... 27$ sweet! that's about 2.70 per inch. wow.

set the hose in 20 different orientations it seemed. marked it and contemplated the 'cut.' the kid that helps out up here was like 'are you going cut it there and see if its right'... I responded with it better be, its a $27 cut...:rofl::rofl::rofl: all said and done... worked perfect!!!!

made a plate for the power posts and grounds on the firewall. think it will work fine. used the heater box mounting studs that were sticking out of the firewall:2thumbsup:

















maybe ill be firing the 6.1 HEMI and the LS this weekend. that would be a good weekend:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:
 
#694 ·
okay, so after a bath in amsoil filling the atlas last night...ehhhh! today I put the 3/8 plug in the radiator, hooked up the oil pressure gauge and threw it on the floor. I put 3 more quarts In the trans....pulled the fuel pump relay and turned her over a few times to prime the oil system and circulate fluid through the hydro system while swinging the tires side to side....

then... I put the relay back in... cycled the key a few times..and got this wicked #$@! please note the 8109 original miles and custom bullet hole in the windshield... then watch the jeep do the 6.1 hemi shake..:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

EDIT: CLICK ON THE PIC.... ITS A VIDEO OF THE HEMI FIRING UP!!!!!
 
#695 ·


 
#698 ·
Click on the dash board pic!!!! It's the fire up video!!!!! It's photobucket, not you tube..lol

Thank you by the way.

I'm waiting for the exhaust guy to come by and tell me if he wants to do it at the shop or at the fancy engineering shop...! Lol
 
#701 ·
So I wonder how much **** this will stir.

Iiiiiiiiiiii am seeeeeeeriously considering a MAJOR revamp of my efforts and projects. I reallllly want a 6.0 LS or better powered hill killer rock buggy. Seeing that it took so long to get this project this far, and a lot has changed in my life during that time- I am now looking at costs and my personal objectives. I am trying to be real about what I have, what I want and real time finances. Truth is I'm not going to take the rubi and "balls out it on a rock course" and Im sure as heck "don't want to put it on its roof"..... So thinking about...... Ehhhhh..... Well here goes.

Thinking about
-getting a stock LJ frame,
-making a 4" basic single triangulated mid or long arm kit (also relocate shocks and rear coils) or a JJ style SA kit IDK on that just yet.
-locked rear 8.8 and tru-trac'd front d44 with 4.88
-putting my body and some stock LJ armor on it together ( I haven't cut the gas tank filler yet either lol)
- Side in the 6.1 set up in between the rails with a stock rubi t case, re-install a stock steering box and then ram ps pump on the Hemi.
-roll It on 35" bfgs and some nice 15's

Total cost to re-purpose-about 7k tops..... or finish it and put it up for sale at 55k. I really dont want to sell it. We have been through too much. Lol

If I re-purpose the rubi, I can daily street drive it AND then I have a donor (paid for) pile of 25k+ worth of stuff I would need for a killer buggy build. Bulletproof Front and rear 60s, the atlas t case, 14 of 16 needed link ends, all 4 corner coil overs, full hydro set up 40's on bead locks etc. new buggy chassis and other things I would need, figures out to about a cost 10k.

Figure I could sell the current Rubi frame all set up for a couple grand.

End result... Street able and capable rubicon and full blown rock buggy that I can drag bash flip roll, parked next to the rubi.... Call it done for 20k.

Can't finish the rubi as it sits now AND build a rock buggy for the same 20k.

Maybe I just need a swift kick in the a$$ to clear my head...lol

F' it... Once I sell something else... I'm doing it.
 
#702 ·
Basically... I want something like this... Witj a lot more tube work.
 

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#704 ·
What he said.

We have PM'ed a little bit...and you know i have my 2003 thats basically stock and super clean. I have the 5.3 in the garage but i am waiting on a project jeep to pop up. Hate to take a nice jeep and trash it....it bothers me when i see some "rock crawlers" that started out as gems and end up like junk.
 
#705 ·
thanks for the input... ;)

2 sides to the coin... conte' in regards to your jeep, I guess I would say if the 5.3 is as clean as the jeep, I would install it-going for a factory look. Its when they get 'thrown in there' that they just look bad and 'bring down' the jeep. the patriot hemi I built was SUPER clean when I bought it and the 2011 hemi was SUPER clean. when the 2 of them got mated, it was bliss... LOL.

so I have been kickin this whole possibility around in my head. I have been too busy working on customers stuff and other projects [$$$$] which has kept me at bay from the rubicon. the jeep itself is still salvageable as 90% of the body and interior is A1. I did find a guy that has a set of stock F/R rubi axles. also there is a local retired guy that just finds and builds 8.8's. he has a few that would work for me. also, I located a stock-clean- LJ frame. I decide that I want to be able to daily drive the hemi jeep and there is absolutely no reasonable or rational way I can justify that in its current status and direction. like I mentioned earlier, my wants, needs and outlooks have changed. the kind of wheeling that we are doing... will just tear up the rubi...ehhh. the first time I crush a fender and it catches the tub, its 'toast.'

SO THIS WILL REALLY TWIST IT UP..... I SCORED a 2004 patriot blue [LOL] LJ on weds night. all stock. it was bought strictly for a conversion as I sourced a 55k 2009 hemi ram driveline. I will see how I feel about all this bullhocky once its completed.

quick re-cap... I am driveshafts, front axle brake lines and exhaust away from 'PHYSICALLY' being able to drive the jeep. cosmetically. it needs some kind of tube fenders up front and a ton of work to the rear quarter armor. total real time costs, about 2k to 'finish it.' I like the stock 'look' too much to run tube fenders on the front and blah blah blah. 3 years and I still cant decide on aftermarket set.. hmm wonder why.

all this aside, I am still waiting for my frickin hoist to show up. guess I need to call tomorrow and inquire as to its current status and location!
 
#707 ·
Yeah...... BUT.... Can't justify the cost of an aev kit and won't work with my set up anyways cause I'm stretched a few inches in the front. Can't buy a expensive kit like that and then cut it all up to clear the coil overs/towers.

So today I became a zone off-road dealer along with JKS, BDS, fox racing and warn.... Working on rough country right now. That's being a little difficult.

I have been really thinking about this rubi thing. Here's my final decision.

I am going to swap out the custom built axles under my rig for a set of geared and locked 60s out of a ford (drivers side front diff). I Can get a set locally for about 2k. I'm going to keep the bling race lines and 40's on it.

With becoming a fox dealer, makes a big difference in the pricing for coil overs.

I'm just going to build a rock buggy from scratch. /chassis later on this winter. Thinking 6.2 LS th400 atlas 4.3 to my 60's with 5.38's and 43 tsl sx on some h1 bead locks.

I need to order 2 new gel cell batteries for the rubicon... Any recommendations other than the optima red tops I'm about to order? Anything fit the same profile? They have to fit in the dual tray in the rear.
 
#709 ·
I did look at those. I looked at my mount set up and have reserved myself to having to replace the Optimas I have with new ones. My buddy is goin to see if we can "warranty" out one of them?? Idk.

I am going to fit the fenders on the rubi tomorrow and if I get a minute... Re-work and re-position the stock fuse center. It can longer sit in the stock location. Oh well.

Also a call to tom woods is in order. Going to do a dealer application and then order the high angle drive shafts for the jeep.

I might pull the trigger on some Genright aluminum flares for the rear and then have them TIG welded to the corner armor, then off to paint. Considering the aluminum front fenders for it?

Right now I just want it mobile.
 
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