Operation Cherry (pit swap)
 

Hello!
This is my first build thread, so id like to give an introduction. My name is Karl, im 18 going on 19 mid march. I go to School for my associates in CAD, and I work part time as a Head Lifeguard. I grew up with my Dad's jeep in the backyard. When it turned time for me to drive we started to fix him up. its been my DD since but with a 3" pro comp lift 31's, smittybuilt xrc front bumper homebrew rock sliders and a stock tire carrier. I love that jeep, but id like to not dd my trail rig, especially with the D35 in the rear. :whistling2:
I recently purchased a 97 4.0 2wd with a blown head gasket, or cracked head (moisture coming from the exhaust manifold as well as seizing the motor). Anyway more than Id like to deal with pulling apart and fixing, as it has 211k on it. Plus it was only $500! immediately I thought of all the possibilities of a motor swap/4wd conversion.
A few days ago my dad and I went and saw another jeep, all ready for a life of 4x4, a black 92 with a 3.5" RE kit, 33's 4.56 gears locked front and rear dana 44 also locked. with only 82k on it. the body and interior were in beat condition.
That one arrives on Wednesday. :grin:
Enter the Operation!
Remove all drivetrain from the Red and Black jeeps, swap the 4x4 guts to the 97, scrap the parts we dont use.

Unfortunately with very few days available to work on it, it will be a very tedious and time consuming trial. Id rather wait until we have both vehicles ready to go before I start pulling anything to keep it all organized. Making matters worse, we have bought too many jeeps and are running out of space. My moms already pissed about us getting the red one, so the 4x4 one will have to be a few miles away at my uncles house.

Ive never swapped an entire engine, transfer case, or transmission. I have done axle swaps though. So anyone with experience on the matters feel free to chime in, I welcome any advice or harsh words :thumbup:
First one is the new 97, and the second there is my DD

Sweet deals man.. First off, congrats on being so experienced at your age. You should have no problem doing an engine swap. I just tackled my first engine removal & had it rebuilt then reinstalled it, 30 yrs old, figured it was a good time to learn.. Wish the best with everything, keep updating with pics/your progress along the way!

Look what I found! 2100 for this beast with 82k, locked and loaded. Some of the suspension components need a touch up, I'm thinking red... can't wait to get this done!

Quick question, because the red is a 97 2wd and the donor is a 92 4wd, will I have to swap out the wiring harness for the engine, the ecu, or tcu? I've got a lot of research I need to do...

Guess the pictures are working now!

Engine swap
 

Someone else is going to have to pitch in on the wiring- I'm just not experienced enough to know.. I know that they changed over the years, and someone here definetly knows... I drive a 2001 red cherokee, and my last one was an 89- So I dont know 'enuff about the years inbetween...
Does this make a total of three cherokees you have now? or is this the one you had to move to your aunts?

Hehe, three for me, an 01 for my brother and a 93 zj for my sister. It has very quickly become a jeep thing for us.

I did some research, seems like it will all just bolt right in, and I can leave the harnesses but the TCU needs to be spliced into the existing harness of the red guy. Then I need to figure out the 4wd light because the red doesn't have one. I'm also thinking of painting the dash trim bezel, and swapping and painting the center console cuz the red one's is broken.

Looks like lots of work that will pay off!
Start warming up to flares

Does something Whacky this way come?

I've been too busy to work on it, but my dad has been working on it.
Here's the reason for the bad head, such a shame. this motor probably could've seen another 50k easily.

Attachment 178888

Alternator and intake/exhaust manifolds are next, other than that we've got some tranny lines and other odds to go.

Attachment 178889

Got some more done today, crankcase and tranny are drained, all electrical and transmission cooling lines removed from the engine, and most connections from the tranny removed. We're getting down to business in these next two weeks. Should be chug and plug kind of stuff.

Looking for a good extraction point for the engine, anyone got a tip or two?

Here's whats left;
Remove engine from red
Remove tranny from red
Swap tranny, and engine
Get it running
Clean and repair black's axles
Axle swap black to red and red to black so we can roll away the bad body
Tires
Wheel it!
(Sell off remaining scraps to pick n pull or otherwise)
Then armor it up!

Some upgrades I have thought of;
2x6 rocker replacement
Comp cut rear
Cut and fold fenders
Gas tank skid
Tcase skid
Rear bumper and tire carrier (I'm digging Froelich's design and price)

Looking good so far, dont comp cut unless you're putting 40's on it

Sorry, by comp cut I mean the rear quarter panel cut and fold. I wasn't very awake last night haha

Oh ok that's better

Got some more done today! Its crunch week...

Got the transmission and exhaust out, and the engine is ready to pull. Does anyone have any reccomendations for extraction points? The intake and exhaust manifolds are staying on for now.

Id like to get the suspension and axles swapped over as soon as possible, however we have to keep the black one a few blocks over parked on the street. Sooo there's not much we can do till we figure out a situation that will allow us ample time and space to work.

Time to pull the motor!

Ta da!

Coming along great! Were did you hook the engine? Im pulling mine and intake/exhaust are still on and cant find a good spot