96 xj sport 5.3 swap

C

cleenrob

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Converse TX
hey all thought i would document my 5.3 swap into m 96 cherokee

The jeep:

252k
4.0/aw4/np231 w/SYE
5.5"ish bastard lift with b.lees 3 link
33s/4.10s
woodgrain interior
zj seats
front winch bumper
yatta yatta

i did the whole neon injectors , bored throttle body thing, i had considered doing a stroker over a 5.3 for a long time but now i have a pickup i can have the jeep down for a while, plus 5.3= mo' powah. i started stock piling parts about a year ago so im happy to finally starting this swap!

any who heres my overall plan for the swap

-01 5.3/06 4l60e
-NP231J with np241c 6 pinion planetary an 27 spline input/np231c wide chain an gears, bolted up with an AA np231jto 4l60e adapter
-novak motor mounts/headers
-motor is drive by cable
-ill be reworking the harness my self
-19x22 radiator
-ls1 intake/fuel rails/injectors
-kwik performance alt/ps bracket
-2.5" to 3" exhaust
-walboro 255lph/ corvette fuel filter/ braided -6an fuel lines
-jeep trans shifter
-factory jeep gauges

im sure theres something i havent mentioned but im sure ill get to the point where i do eventually

the jeep:




some pics of my current progress:

ive already built my NP231j/c while looking for my drive train, i ebayed a np231c wide chain and gear set along with an np241c 6 pinion planetary(i couldnt find an s10 case for under 300 in my area so it was the cheeper option)



stock jeep mainshaft compared to the advanced adapters main shaft and jeep gears, the sye has the wide gear already:




jeep planetary on the left np241c planetary and 27 spline input



going together:


all done:



its got a stock 34tooth speedo gear in it now, ill go up or down in size as needed once i get the 5.3 up an running.

heres the motor with the ls1 intake mocked up and the accessories/harness all pulled for cleaning and painting



other swap components





more to come soon

 
Last edited:
headers and motor side of the novak mounts are installed:



clipped off one side of the truck MAP sensor and filed it down to fit the ls1 intake,mostly cause im too cheep to buy the ls1 version, plus i had a perfectly good truck sensor:




plus i also put it new sparck plugs and painted the throttle body and valve covers too (i know the covers are red in the picture but thats only because i left them on when i painted the block, they are black now)

ill get some more pics later.

im hoping to have the motor all painted and re assembled sometime this week, then ill start doing the harness

 
got some work done!

after way too many hours of cleaning and painting the motor is near-ready for drop in!
painted the valvec overs/alt/PS pulley/ kwick performance bracket etc

cleaned a TON of grime off it.

got new valve cover/intake/ TB seals

got a bunch of fuel system stuff( braided line/fittings yatta yatta

still need to:
-finish assembling the TB
-clean up the trans(no paint)
-bolt up the AA adapter(after dumping it in a bucket of rtv first)
-drill and tap for the jeep oil sender
-bolt up trans and t-case
-bolt down the intake(waiting on bolts since the intake didnt come with them)

im hoping to start prepping the jeep for the 5.3 next weekend depending on how long the harness takes me
 
havent gotten a whole lot done recently, been busy with work, fixing other people stuff, and today i was fiddling with the steering on the xj all day.

but i did manage to get the trans bolted up and half of the AA t-cas adapter bolted up and rtved, along with installing the reluctor ring.

will be starting on the harness slowly over the next week
 
long time no update!!

thing have been slow going because of work, but i've been able to get some work done and order some stuff as well

-got the trans bolted up
-gm harness is done aside from re-looming all of it, its all prettied up for the ls1 intake(ill wait until i have the jeep harness ready to integrate)
-starter installed
-ordered -6an line for the fuel system, a bunch of fittings,a corvette fuel filter, and a walboro 255 and install kit with a 12" section of submersible fuel line(will figure out how to shove the pump in the unique fuel sender/pressure reg. when i get that far)
-ordered a bunch of mandrel bends and a generic gm 3" tail pipe kit(going 2.5" to a single 3" out and all the way to the rear near where the "stock" pipe lets out)
-ordered ls1 intake bolts
-ordered/installed new ls1 gaskets (head/TB)
-grafted in some new injector connectors from a jeep that fit the ls1 injectors
-sent out/ received the pcm to/from LT1-swap.com for stand alone(kept the computer controlled a/c removed the emissions, however ill program it back when im ready to add the emissions back in, i technically don't need it here in SA since they dont do emissions testing but i want to run it all in case they do in the future)

i think that brings yall up to speed

puled the jeep in the drive way for disassembly purposes so i hope to get moving on it soon, but i will likely be very busy with work until the 4th of july




 
the_midwesterner said:
Do you know what vehicle the oil cap came off of that is in the above pic?

Currently swapping in an LM7 into mine and it came with the standard truck oil fill neck, which is too tall and hits my hood. I would like to swap it to just a short cap.
Click to expand...

its the stock lm7 cap

you can pop the long fill neck out and screw the oil cap directly in the fill neck hole, fits perfect
 
Hey order Walbro GSS342 and 400-869. Its a stock Jeep replacement 225LPH pump. It comes with the same filters and will drop right into the jeep fuel module. That way you don't have to deal with what I did.
 
PhotoJared said:
Hey order Walbro GSS342 and 400-869. Its a stock Jeep replacement 225LPH pump. It comes with the same filters and will drop right into the jeep fuel module. That way you don't have to deal with what I did.
Click to expand...

Hmm maybe, 96's have a one year only sending unit/pressure regulator so i still have to goil in and gut the reg out. While im in the tank im also gonna extend the tank vent tube for more fuel capacity :)
 
got some more stuff done

got the oil dingle hoper drilled and tapped for the jeep oil sending unit



installed the coolant temp sender adapter in the passenger side head for the jeep coolant sender



installed novak oil level sensor delete plug and got the throttle body all screwed back together minus one screw i can seem to find for the TPS



and removed the winch bumper, the engine hoist mad it super easy, and got an inch of lift in the front for removing it haha



also ordered a bunch of stuff for it
 
cleenrob said:
Hmm maybe, 96's have a one year only sending unit/pressure regulator so i still have to goil in and gut the reg out. While im in the tank im also gonna extend the tank vent tube for more fuel capacity :)
Click to expand...

You can always call Novak and just order the billet reg. bypass and fittings.

I asked if they would sell it separately and they agreed.
 
Nice to see another swap going on. Good progress. Subscribed ;)
 
i was thinking the 5.3 myself but the aluminium block version L33 i think it is. lots of reasons to do it. mine is a Renix and doing this would rid me of so much Renix headache. do you have the weight differences of the 5.3 and the 4.0?
 
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