denraden

Good morning and thank you for allowing me to join and participate in your forum:

I was recently given a 2000 Grand Cherokee AWD by a friend of mine but we are unable to get the title for the car.
His Mom who was the owner of the car, passed away 6 years ago and the vehicle was sitting in a garage since 2011.
I also have a 2000 grand cherokee with slight front damage and a blown 4.0L engine, 2WD
I want to swap the 4.7L V8 engine into the the vehicle with the blown 4.0L engine and keep the 2WD.
What are some of the things I will have to bear in mind when doing the swap?
Motor mounts?
Fuel Pump?
Flex plate?
I will be pulling the 4.7L engine complete with the electrical harness and computer

XJRed96

I'm sure someone somewhere has done this swap, but you are talking alot of custom fabrication and custom wiring harness. pretty sure you need the transmission from the GC as well which means a custom drive shaft. and Unfortunately my only real advice on this matter is dont do it. But should you pursue this pursuit please document it and take a lot of photos. good luck.

dave1123

My opinion? Sell the good 4.7 engine and trans, use that money to buy a good 4.0. It's far easier that way, believe me! You'll be back in the road in no time. Take the sheet metal you need along with other parts and scrap the rest, or store it for later. Scrap yards are picky about taking vehicles without a title. You could also do the "chop shop" route and sell the parts.

Of course that's the logical way to go, but I know you really want a V8! If that's the way it is, don't waste your money on a 4.7. They don't take kindly to abuse.

I'm just a crusty 72 year-old hotrodder, but what do I know?

Willys55

Listen to Dave, fix the one that has a running engine, sell the 4.7, they are in hot demand because they break all the time........besides, where I come from, if you have to ask, you are not up to the task.

dave1123

There ARE ways of getting a title to that car, but it's complicated. You have to submit the VIN to the DMV and for a fee, they will search for the last owner. If the owner is deceased, the executor of the estate can sign off on it if he wishes, or set a price. This is just an outline of the process that may vary state to state. An abandoned vehicle is easier to get, but takes longer.

This may not be the road you wish to travel though. In some cases, it's easier to just make it disappear!

denraden

@Willys55: Thank for your kind words of welcome.
FYI, the only reason I posted this was because if someone had done it before, their experience would lend to some of the issues that person encountered.
Over my lifetime, I have done many swaps, so easy some difficult.
I am sorry if you felt that way. Only the smart ones ask questions. The not so smart think that they don't need to ask, but then you are from Jersey and I am from New York.
Big difference, don't you think.
I will therefore be seeking advice elsewhere.

dave1123

First of all, this is an opinion site! The physical part is pretty easy, but the electronics are a nightmare! You'll probably wind up chasing ghosts as long as you own it! Do what you want, after all it's your jeep.

denraden

@Dave1123: And that was exactly my point. The donor vehicle will supply all of the electrical harneses, the instrument cluster, computers etc.
My question was simply whether anyone had done it before. Simple as that.

XJRed96

It is not a popular swap given the unreliability of that V8. the more popular swap is a chevy small block v8. there are plenty of write ups on the web that i came across on a simple google search. some on this site, some on others. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1007477

theres one example. but again this is a high dollar swap probably going to have sink at least $1000 - $1500 into parts and supplies.

Engine mounts will need to be custom fabricated unless you can find a company selling adaptors. but again i haven't seen an adaptor for that engine because no one wants to use the engine you want to use.
It doesn't seem like you will want AC once your done so thats one less headache.... running heater hoses is easy enough.
Electrical harness will need to be spliced/ extended/ or modified.
The hood will need to be modified or the frame rails notched so that the engine sits lower.
the dash will need to be mutilated to get the new cluster to fit.
A custom drive shaft will likely be required.and you will also need an output shaft for the trans so that you can convert it to 2wd style, since right now the v8 trans is going to a transfer case not a drive shaft.
full custom exhaust that will either require pipe bending or lots of parts that would need to be welded together.
and should you get all that accomplished, which is not impossible, you will likely be chasing all sorts of weird drive ability problems when your done. as well as check lights for ABS and traction control.
Also the fact the that this is only 2wd indicates you wont be using this jeep for offloading and using the lower end of the power band. you will likely be running this at higher RPMs because why else would you want a v8 if not to go fast, which brings us back to the big point everyone is trying to tell you, this particular Chrysler v8 is not meant for that. Hell I just bought a 2000 gc with a v8 for 300 bucks because it has a bad rod knock. Its just not the engine you want to use if you are going to be doing all of the work required to make it run.

dave1123

Now if you wanted to use the 5.7 Hemi, that's a horse of a different color. You could use a stand-alone engine controller instead of the normal PCM. You'd still have problems integrating it with the rest of the system, BCM, TCM, etc.

Actually, by now I may be talking to a ghost.

denraden

I am still here: Based on the inputs, I have decided not to do the swap.
Thank you all for your input. I will figure what to do with both vehicles at a later date.

HP2

I'd go this route. Not always easy, certainly not fast, but it can be done.

denraden

Hello again!
While I was away from the forum, I purchased another GC quadra drive (1999)with a bad transfer case and a slight tick which is heard in the intake plenum.
I sold the GC with the bum 4.0L engine.
Now I have a 2000 GC with a perfect 4.7L engine, transmission and transfer case and the newly acquired 1999 GC with the bum TC and engine noise.
On the 1999 GC, I hear a slight bearing noise on start up, if it is left sitting for a few days but goes away immediately and as mentioned before, there is a top end noise
( more of a tick) when the engine is running and a bad transfer case.
My plan now is to swap out the engine, tranny and TC from the 2000 GC into the 1999 GC since it is a perfectly running power train.
Question is that I want to pull the engine, tranny and TC as a complete unit from both vehicles and do the swap.
Anyone did it this way? or is it better to split the units which in my opinion is a lot more work.
Any issues with doing it as a complete unit as opposed to splitting them?
BTW, the title issues for the 2000 is going nowhere so the powertrain from the 2000 will be going into the 1999.