GM 5.3/4L60E/Klune/Stak 300

[John D]

I actually switched to this after talking to Frank Z. John Bjorum runs something similar on his LS1 without issues too. I think this was $20-something at Advance.

Without my tuner software showing me a high IAT on the virtual guage I wouldn't know it was high. I have not noticed anything bad and I have run it hard and hot on the dunes.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Back to the radiator, I built a custom fill neck out of some aluminum channel I purchased as well as the fill neck I cut off the stock radiator and then I had a guy weld it together.

I then cut a hole in the radiator and massaged it until the new filler neck fit.

Here it is stuck in place.

Here's how the radiator, fill neck, and hoses will sit.

I decided to make and weld on some little studs that will slip into stock rubber XJ lower radiator mounting bushings. I designed the studs to mount to the strongest part of the radiator. This should support the radiator well and yet allow it to be rubber mounted. I plan to mount stock rubber xj upper radiator mounting blocks to the top of this radiator as well.

I designed the shoulder of the studs to sit flush with the bottom of the radiator.

Here is one stud welded on.

Here's the fill neck welded in.

Here's the upper radiator mounts installed. Notice the patch welded over the stock fill neck hole.

I bent up some sheet aluminum to the right angle, bolted it to the radiator and then bolted the rubber pieces to the sheet aluminum.

I'll post some pics of the radiator bolted to the shortened stock upper radiator mounting piece and the header panel later. Jeff

 

[John D]

Nice work and welcome back.

What was the radiator's original application?

 

[kastein]

Wow, that is beautiful! Good work.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Nice work and welcome back.

What was the radiator's original application?

As I stated somewhere way back in this long stupid thread, it is an off the shelf generic Northern Race Pro radiator part number 209606 19x28 costing around $200. I've probably got another $100 in it by now, but it is ready to be mounted. As you can see, fitting and installing it is not an off the shelf procedure! I rebuilt the front of the frame horns with 2x6 box tubing and additional plating and will now have to build a custom front crossmember arrangement that will suport the bottom of the radiator AND protect it. BTW, I think if I were to do this again I would probably get a double pass radiator with both the inlet and outlet on the passengers side. I think the hoses would fit better that way, but I guess what I've got going here should work.

Like I said, I have been chipping away at different portions of this build and I just took the time to post some of it last night. I've got some other stuff to post, but I ran out of storage on my photobucket account and now need to decide what to do. I suppose the easiest would be to send them some cash and become a "pro" member of the site. Jeff

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Ok, I just spent actual cash just to post pictures on the internet. Seems foolish to me, but I guess that's the way it goes. So, here's a few shots of the radiator in the header panel with the top mounting piece in place.

Jeff

 

[cracker]

Looking good Jeff.

I know it'll be a while but I can't wait to see this thing done :cheers:

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Here's the rear crossmember installed. It might get some more work on it, but for now I think it'll stay where it's bolted just fine.

Here you can see both crossmembers from the rear and slightly under the belly.

Right and left rear crossmember attachments. Right angle brackets welded to the frame (will also have a 1/2" rod going through the bracket and both sides of the frame welded in place eventually) and the 2x4 crossmember slipped between them. 2"x.25" strap slipped into the end of the 2x4 and welded in place and finally, a 1/2" bolt through each tab. The rear crossmember is mounted the same way as the front.

This shot shows how there is plenty of clearance for the driveshaft tube once it is welded to the CV joint.

Finally, one can see that there is clearance behind the crossmember to get at the driveshaft bolts.

Jeff

 

[John D]

Those crossmember studs look long, I think they might defeat the belly tuck

Not much room to work under there, I would go nuts! Looks good tho.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Here are the 40" MTR's with Kevlar I bought.

Here they are rolled up next to the truck sitting at 109" wheel base. They are way beyond full compression in this shot.

Here are two tires from the front well beyond full compression as the axle is sitting below the centerline of the rims and it is at full compression. I'm going to have to do quite a bit more mocking up to see how these things are going to work.

What to work on next? Rear lower control arms or front header panel/inner fenders or floor modifications for front upper control arm or rear upper control arms and figuring out the 4 link calculator or ??? Jeff

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Those crossmember studs look long, I think they might defeat the belly tuck

Not much room to work under there, I would go nuts! Looks good tho.

Yes, I was cussing at everything as I tried to weld to the frame and the helmut was hitting everything and I couldn't see very well and the welder kept burning back and sticking in the tip! Man that sucks! Crawl under, get set as best you can, hit the trigger and zap wire's stuck. Crawl out, do what's necessary to straighten out the welder, repeat. Oh, one of those times I found the spool at it's end and it COULDN'T feed any more wire! :doh:
Things seemed to work better with a new spool of wire though.

Hey, I had to hunt high and low in all my bins just to come up with those threaded rod pieces to hold the crossmember in place while tacking everything down! BTW, please ignore any filthy garage scenes you may find. I know! It's a MESS! Jeff

 

[cracker]

Nice Jeff. I am assuming you'll have a 1/4" plate going under there as a full belly pan? That is what I did on my MJ.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Nice Jeff. I am assuming you'll have a 1/4" plate going under there as a full belly pan? That is what I did on my MJ.

Probably something like that. So, I have not been able to keep up with the California shenanegins so I don't even know if you have a rig now. The last one I was aware of was a the green rig you were building a fancy front axle for. It lost most of it's sheet metal and had a bunch of tube, but that's the last I'm aware of. So you built an MJ since then? Do you have a build thread or a pic site of this rig? Jeff

 

[kastein]

whoa!

how did I never realize this was all going under an MJ? I can't wait to see the finished product now.

 

[John D]

whoa!

how did I never realize this was all going under an MJ? I can't wait to see the finished product now.

I never realized it either, I think he was keeping it a secret. Or he buried it deep in the 26 pages of thread so no one would know.

 

[Ghost]

I never realized it either, I think he was keeping it a secret. Or he buried it deep in the 26 pages and 2+years of thread so no one would know.

Fixed it for you! :shhh: Oh yea looks great!

 

[beer_goggles_009]

I like the mounts for your crossmembers... I was looking at a smiliar solution to mount a flat belly skid on the bottom of my jeep. Are you planning on using the crossmembers as a skidpate? If so are you concerned about coming down on rocks and ripping the frame around the small mounting plates welded to the frame rails? I question this after spending a few days repairing frame tears around the outside of some RCX drap bracket braces that were welded to the frame. Interesting to hearing some opinions.


jim

 

[cracker]

Probably something like that. So, I have not been able to keep up with the California shenanegins so I don't even know if you have a rig now. The last one I was aware of was a the green rig you were building a fancy front axle for. It lost most of it's sheet metal and had a bunch of tube, but that's the last I'm aware of. So you built an MJ since then? Do you have a build thread or a pic site of this rig? Jeff

Yeah. That one eventually got cut up....I'll tell you why when we sit around a campfire with with the two MJ's parked side by side :cheers:

[thread hijack]
This was a power build. Basically took one year to build. Tons of crap on it...stroked, klune, 37s, big axles, etc. blah blah blah.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

I like the mounts for your crossmembers... I was looking at a smiliar solution to mount a flat belly skid on the bottom of my jeep. Are you planning on using the crossmembers as a skidpate? If so are you concerned about coming down on rocks and ripping the frame around the small mounting plates welded to the frame rails? I question this after spending a few days repairing frame tears around the outside of some RCX drap bracket braces that were welded to the frame. Interesting to hearing some opinions.


jim

First off, this build is probably more like four years old! I started it before I knew of anyone swapping a 5.3 in and now there are many and even some places selling parts just to do this. As for the mounts, the frame has been plated with 10 gauge steel plug welded all over the place and the corners have all been welded as well as the bottom plated with 3/16" steel. Also, instead of putting a long bolt through a sleeve welded through the frame rail, I wanted short easily gotten to bolts, so I went with the tabs welded to the plating welded to the frame. I also plan to install 1/2" rod through the frame and the tabs and weld the rod in from both sides sort of simulating a bolt and transferring some of the load between the inner and out frame rails. I'm quite sure it'll hold. However, I am concerned about rust forming between the plates of steel and rotting the frame out from the inside. I do NOT have a solution for that other than wheel the piss out of it before that becomes an issue! At the rate I'm going, it'll become an issue before I get it movable! Jeff

 

[kastein]

However, I am concerned about rust forming between the plates of steel and rotting the frame out from the inside. I do NOT have a solution for that other than wheel the piss out of it before that becomes an issue! At the rate I'm going, it'll become an issue before I get it movable! Jeff

That is my only worry about frame stiffeners, and the stock frame itself for that matter. My MJ had some horrible rust on the frame when I got it due to the way it's formed, the bottom of the frame rails is two pieces of sheetmetal spotwelded together.

I like unibodies when they aren't rusty but damn do I ever hate what rust does to them.