cleenrob

i think i saw some one use ls3 manifolds on an xj, what headrs are the that are 1200$?

my novak headers were i think 330$usd

LS XJ

You are right! I've been bouncing around the internet so much and read so much that I've missed the mark!

I've burnt up money trying to save money.

Headers & mounts are on order. I've got better things to do with my time, I won't re-invent the wheel, or at least what makes them go around.

cleenrob

did you go with novak?

LS XJ

Yes, I just ordered mounts & headers

LS XJ

Small update

I've been wasting a couple of weeks with trying to find OEM manifolds that work. Lots of room, but they all exit in the wrong place. Finally bit the bullet and bought mounts and headers from Novak. Cost me $900 CDN. The headers fits perfect. Haven't installed the mounts yet, need to pull the engine out so I have room to work.

This last week I fabbed up the accessory drive. I used the Jeep P/S because it was there already, didn't have to buy a GM pump & hoses.


So later this week I'll pull the engine and then the cleaning starts. Clean and paint the engine bay, install the mounts. Tidy up some wiring. Clean and reseal the engine and paint it.

Then the install and fuel hoses, finish the wiring harness, mount rad, etc.

s346k

cool swap

what's your fuel system consist of? i don't recall where the fuel lines enter the engine bay but you can flip the fuel rail if needbe. just have to grind on one of the inside supports.

also is that a throttle by wire throttle body? what pcm is controlling it? what trans?

LS XJ

Thanks

I swapped the tall truck manifold out for an LS1 intake so I don't have to cut up the hood. This required that I reuse the truck injectors that it is tuned for. Adapters let me use truck injectors on a car intake. Using an LS1 intake also required that I use a fuel return that the PCM is tuned for. The LS1 doesn't use a fuel return, but the XJ has the return line, so I'm using custom fuel rails and I'm going to plumb in an adjustable fuel regulator.

The throttle is DBW, the same as the engine came with, same PCM.

4L80E is also what the engine came with. It should be bullet proof in this light weight XJ.

s346k

you're doing a lot of unnecessary work with that fuel system. stock ls1 injectors are a dime a dozen, idk what tune you're talking about but it will run fine. you can regulate the pressure with the ls1 corvette fuel filter and nothing extra needs to be done.

if you're using a dbw throttle body you also need the corresponding accelerator pedal. your best bet would be to convert it to a cable tb.

i highly suggest you do some research on lsx swaps before spending another dime.

LS XJ

The PCM is tuned for the truck injectors that are on the engine.

The PCM is tuned for a return fuel system, the LS1 is not. I'm aware of the Corvette fuel filter/regulator.

The PCM is tuned for the DBW throttle body. I have all the parts, why would I want to change that?

The whole idea of this swap is to use as much of the original parts as possible. I'm not buying parts to replace the parts that came with the truck, and then spend more money to have it retuned.

Thanks for the advice but I think I'll be able to fumble my way through it.

s346k

if it's a factory ecm tune it doesn't matter. after a decade of lsx dealings and several lsx swaps in various chassis i would suggest keeping it simple, even if it means redoing a little work that is already done.

good luck.

Photojared

While I agree with the Corvette fuel filter/regulator its super simple to hook up. Just running one line up front and not having a return simplifies it a lot.

I disagree with the DBW. Its super easy to set up and very simple to adapt.

Good luck with your swap. I'm just about finished with mine

LS XJ

Well now that I've confirmed that the exhaust and conversion mounts will fit, I've pulled the engine out for the big clean up and detail.

I made up these hoops to facilitate the lifting in and out of the engine and transmission combo.


I only need the one at the rear of the engine when I'm lifting both together. It balances perfect. The hoop clears the firewall easily and can be removed easily afterwords. If I'm lifting only the engine I use both hoops. I do have a tilting engine lift but with the LS engine I don't have the easy lift hooks like the old SB. I also didn't want to remove the intake every time the engine needs to go in or out. I also didn't like the idea of the combined weight of the engine and transmission hanging on those valley plate bolts.

I added a little hand winch with a strap to tilt the whole assembly as I duck the transmission into the tunnel going in. It's a little hard to make out in this photo but the strap is attached to the front pulley.


I can simply wind the front of the engine up and the tail goes down. No effort. I can slip the engine into place in under 2 minutes.

So of course I needed to deal with this rusty battery acid mess before the engine goes in for good.








Getting it pretty.


The engine sitting on the stand naked. New high volume oil pump getting installed, new pan gasket, new rear main seal. Getting painted before the install.

chipmaker

Lookin good.

mikebravo

Nice project. Looking forward to how it turns out.

LS XJ

Thanks guys

Painting everything in sight today. Things are going together over the next several days. Hoping to have the engine in place permanently by this time next week.