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Yep, agree!

I just went through a conversion on a Jeep TJ:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/other ... ls-into-a-99-jeep-tj.html

As you mentioned, there are numerous kits to mechanically get it to work. I used a 5.3 in the conversion and just made sure that the crank bearings and bottom end of the motor looked good. Many of the donor motors out there are in wonderful shape and will not need much.

The only piece of advice that I wish I knew before the conversion is to trash the OEM computer and gages. Getting the OEM dash and electronics to work with the GM computer is where the cost escalated. I'd recommend one of those dash packs or the like. Clean, easy and overall cheaper.

Sounds like a cool project and keep us updated. FYI, the shop that did much of my work just finished up an iron block 6.0 and placed twin turbo's from a mid 90's GMC diesel behind it. They actually work and the thing absolutely fly's!! By the way, I think the turbos were ~$50 each...

Got the Jeep back this weekend! Wow, does it drive differently. It is "twitchy" to say the least. As light as the sprung weight is on the Jeep, it will cycle trough to 3rd gear before hitting 10 mph while driving slow. The torque just pulls it forward. It will also go 70 nicely.

The only bummer under the hood is that the engine cover would not allow the hood to close, so all of the wiring is exposed. There are a few bugs that I have uncovered and will be taking it back to the shop in May to have sorted out. It will be fun breaking it in!

They guy who did the work took it out before I could ride or drive it to test it out. He put it in 4 high and mashed the gas. It was a little dark out and all I could see was the headlights jump up in the air and the sound the V8 screaming with the off road tread eating up the ground. It all held together and I don't see anything breaking as I will not drive it nearly that hard, especially in locked 4wd!

I will work on getting a short video of it running this evening and a few pictures. The engine is very dirty right now, so no comments about all the dirt!!

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Hey, that doesn't look like a C4 motor! What LS is the motor?

Nice work. This one will be fun to follow.

The Jeep is running and I should get it back within the next week or so. Everything is turning out really nice. The only tell tale sign that a V8 is under the hood is the B&M shifter (see picture below). It even looks like the original manual trans. shifter, however the stock manual shift lever would not work. Other than that, everything looks and works just like stock (tach, speedo, oil pressure, temp, cruise, AC, etc., etc.)

Also, the garage added some bling under the hood that was a surprise to me. Since my last name is Wheeler, he wanted to incorporate that into the build somewhere, so they made a fan shroud extension, with the words "Weekend Wheeler" on it. Once I get it back home and cleaned up, I'll list all of the pieces needed to do this conversion, post some pictures and give you an idea how the thing drives.

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Yes, the C5Z's are very reasonably priced in the Missouri area. There is a MY 2003 Z with ~70k miles on it at a dealer in town, asking price is somewhere around $18.

The only thing that looks strange is the suspension on the CL add. It looks like a 4x4! I really like the red / black interior.

Brian, I really hope it doesn't look like that in May! I would have to drive the car hauler around the track in place of the Corvette.

There are 4 couples from Mid-Mo headed down for the event. Will be fun and please let me know if any guru's will be at the event!

Interesting that drains are not allowed. You cannot hardly get a garage in a house without a drain in my neck of the woods. Yes, it comes in very handy in the snow season. All you have to do is let the water drain and once the floor is dry, broom or leaf blow the salt and grime out!

Thinking about it, my basement garage has 2 drains!!

Wiring, wiring and more wiring!!! GRRRR....

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Who knew there was sooo much wiring on a simple, basic TJ!!

They do have nice injectors and I will add that they are very reasonably priced!! Great product.

Motor, transmission, tcase - all mechanicals are in. Still need the cut front and rear driveshafts. At this point, time for plumbing the fuel and wiring. The garage hopes to have it running by the end of the week.

Doesn't this look like fun!! Looks like a nightmare to me.

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Anyone from CG going to the Vettes4Vets event at Talladega Superspeedway in May? My wife and I, along with a few folks from mid - Missouri is headed down. Let me know if you are and I'd love to meet more CG members in person.

There is actually lots of room left, which is amazing. The motor actually looks smaller than the 4.0 boat anchor. Believe it or not, I think the motor may be lighter as well.

More updates

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Frame is notched, motor mounts are done and engine is in! Lots of things left to do. The motor is actually Chevy orange.... looks like a different color in the picture.

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Sorry, pictures were moved...

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Ha, I hear ya DB. The shop isn't the cleanest, but they take on projects most shops will not touch. I have seen Chrysler, Ford and GM vehicles getting LS swaps there. They do everything from tractor/trailer work, building their own wiring harness, reprogramming, fabricating and much more. Some of the more unique jobs include stuffing a GM LT1 into a late model RAM and extending the frame over 10 feet and rebuild a rear box to a semi - box truck.

Thought y'all might be interested to see the latest project (check out the lower right vehicle). It is getting an LS 6.0.



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Some progress has been made on the Jeep. Sharing pictures of it, getting ready for the new driveline. Will post more once reassembly is in progress. The shop doing the work has been great to deal with so far.


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Frank, those 50's CJ3B's are very fun vehicles. I've never driven one with a V8, now that would be a blast. What is the weight of one of those, 2500 pounds? The guy doing the heavy lifting on the project has another Jeep project, don't know the year, but it is a 50's era model, which is getting worked over 6.0 LS motor.

I'll post pictures soon.

Andy

It is a TJ. I purchased it stock, with a 4 inch lift. The rear axle was a d35, which is as weak as a dried out twig. So, the first mod was to install a Ford 8.8 with an Artec truss. Durango Boy from Corvetteguru had a hand in that project. After adding some armor, highline fenders and recovery equipment, I started having fun off road. After having too much fun on an outing, I found the weak link. The d30 front axle is ok, but did give way. The short side of the front axle u joint snaped, which caused the axle ears to eat themselves, which pushed out the lower ball joint. So, time for a new front axle. Well, if I get a new front axle, the shafts must be sized and cut. So, if half of the front is in parts, time for the motor swap. "While I'm at it.....". This has been planned for some time, the axle was the excuse to get it done.

Here is a few pictures of the 8.8

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Having fun on the trail.

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Having too much fun on the trail

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As it sits before conversion

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The LS conversion starts this weekend. I will post progress as I get pictures.

Since I will keep the "new", at least to me, Corvette will remain stock and it is tucked away for the winter, I thought y'all might be interested in the latest project. It is semi-Corvette related as it involves a LS variant motor!

The Heep is under the knife and the 4.0 I6 is going to be replaced with a 5.3 "LS" (Vortec) motor. I must confess that I am not doing the work and a shop out of Rogersville, MO is doing the heavy lifting to get the project done.

All of the driveline, with the exception of the rear axle, is getting swapped. The motor will be a 5.3, the trans will be a 4L60E, I'm taking the rear half of the Jeep transfer case (NP231J) and mating it to the front half of a Chevy transfer case (NP231CHD), new driveshafts, new D44 front axle (sleeved and gusseted) with air locker and much, much more. If there is interest, I'll post pictures as the project progresses.

Here is what the motor will look like (less the FAST intake)

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Hah, that's pretty cool!

Thanks all! There are some really nice Vette's on the forum, I always enjoy seeing pictures of other folks Vettes, regardless of condition and build status.

My favorite would be BillH's, the C2 has got to be one of the top 5 best car bodies every produced!

Here are the most recent of the Atomic Orange C5Z

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Feel good and energized after the Talladega event. Hey vetteblondie, my wife and I stayed in Jonesboro Thursday and Saturday evening. Seems your town is the half way point...

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Yep, I would love to try that style as well. I really wish there were more places near central Missouri! Well, maybe this is a good thing as addictive as these events can be!

Ha, Bill, I can completely understand what you mean! It was great to be in a place to let the car breath a little and scratch that speed itch in a legal setting. I plan on getting back out there in future years....

This is a longer post than I would normally do, but I'm still so daggon excited that I need to write a longer message.

Wanted to send y'all a e mail with pictures of the Vettes 4 Vets event in Pell City, AL. This event was a fundraiser for the veterans and is an experience that I would recommend for anyone. The event was held on Talladega Superspeedway and the setting could not have been better. Just seeing that track in person is an experience. Simply put, that place is HUGE! While inside the tri-oval, only part of the track is visible. Most of it is not visible due to its sheer size.

The program started out with a reception, honoring the Veterans. This was a good place for networking, getting advice about the track day, and getting some good Alabama BBQ. Following the reception, the National Speed Museum was open for us to look around. This is a must do for the first timers.

Track day was simply amazing. Even though the event is for Corvettes, there were a few Challenger SRT8's, a twin turbo V12 Mercedes, a few Mustangs, and others. Each pass consisted of a pace vehicle and a trailing vehicle. In between, groups of 15 where let out on the track. Rules were, no passing, if you break, get to the grass, and by all means, forget about speed limits. Driving took a good deal of finesse, feel for the car, and turning off nanny controls (traction and stability control) was a MUST! The rules of having the lead and trailing vehicle, kept the speeds down quite a bit.

On my first run, I was 2nd in the group of 15. This is a perfect place for a newbie. I had to stay with the pace vehicle and this ensured I kept the speed down and get oriented with the track. Entering the first straight away, I could see turn 1. OK, from watching NASCAR on TV, you cannot appreciate the turns at Talladega until you walk or drive on them. The bank is just under 34 degree pitch. It feels like you are driving on a wall. It plants the driver against the door and the passenger must hang on to anything they can grab to keep them in the seat. Since I was up front next to the lead vehicle, our speed was about 60 mph at that point. Even though the turn was a left, I had to turn fairly hard right, to keep the car on the side of the track. The rear of the car actually hangs or sags down below your front tires. This will eat your tires up quickly! The whole idea of a speed limit is challenged coming out of turn 2 in the straight away. I hit a modest 110 on the back stretch on lap 1. Coming into the next turn is a white knuckle experience for me at 90. Into the turn, the car pressed against the curve and I kept the go peddle to the floor in 5th gear through the turn. The faster you go through the turns, the better the car performs and the more comfortable you become. No longer leaning on the door and the passenger grabbing something to keep them from falling into the driver. By lap 2, you have the routine down. Toward the end of the first session, I was driving through the turns at about 100 and hit a high of 130 on the straights. Not flying, but round one is really to get folks comfortable with the track.

OK, round 2... Laps 1 - 4 were faster, 110's in the corners and mid 130's on the straights. I ended up as the last vehicle in the group, which is a prime spot for generating some speed. The group pushed up against the pace car entering into our final lap. Then, about half way back from the pack, a driver hit the brakes hard. The entire pack fallowing this person knew that some space was being placed between the back half of the pack and the front. I could see the trailing vehicle start to approach the rear of my car, and I was only going about 30 MPH. Then the fun began... The first car that hit the brakes opened up the throttle, followed by the remaining cars in the group. Entering turn 1, I was at 125 and accelerating. The car pushed HARD against the turn and we all banked down into the flat part of the track, giving you a slingshot approach. I held the peddle to the floor as long as possible before catching the group as they entered turn 2 and 3. As I pulled my foot off the peddle with the RPM's at about 5k in 5th gear, the car started to decelerate at a fast pace. At this point, all color in my wife’s face was gone! After ending session 2, my wife said “let's go again”! Unfortunately, time was up and we had to get on the road home. Next year we will plan to stay in Alabama, so we can stick around until the end and run a few more laps.

If you ever get a chance to get to this event, it is well worth it! Below are a few slideshows of the event (most pictures of cars and the track) (sorry about a few pictures taken on the cell phone). I will send a picture of my car on the track and sitting in Victory Lane once the event photographer posts them. I also have a very short video of the first two laps of session 1 that I will share once it loads.


Reception

http://s229.photobucket.com/user/awhe ... 3%20Talladega%20Reception

Museum

http://s229.photobucket.com/user/awhe ... 2013%20Talladega%20Museum

Track Day

http://s229.photobucket.com/user/awhe ... 20Talladega%20Track%20Day

Cool picture. Check these out. I have no idea how this is done.... Once you open the link, click and drag and you will see the pictures in 360 degrees, as well as up and down. Really wild photography!

http://www.utah3d.net/utah-travel/capitol-reef/sulphur-creek.html

http://www.utah3d.net/utah-travel/arches/double-arch.html

http://www.utah3d.net/utah-travel/was ... ntains/payson-canyon.html

http://www.utah3d.net/utah-travel/canyonlands/aztec-butte.html

http://www.utah3d.net/utah-travel/canyonlands/grand-view.html

Getting ready to attend the Vettes 4 Vets event at Talladega this May and was looking for the right trailer to haul the Vette down for the event. It will also serve to get my Jeep to the trails, so I don't have to worry about breaking it. I found a trailer that fit the bill! On the link, look at the trailer at the very bottom (not mine, but one just like it).

It is a Big Tex 70DM 18 foot trailer with diamond plate 1/8" steel floor, 3x2 square tube chassis, electric brakes, LED lights, diamond plate aluminum rock shield, removable diamond plate aluminum fenders, 5' ramps, and recessed "D" rings to tie down the vehicle.

Now for the hard part, anyone ever towed a C5 Z06? I'm looking at using "T" retainers. Anyone have experience using them? The Jeep will be easy, just strap the axles, but I'll need to plan a bit more for the Z.

http://benhurtrailers.com/Inventory/Open/Car.htm

Sorry about that, should have provided more info. It is May 24 and 25. The information is in the link below.



http://vettes4vets.org/

Anyone making the Vettes for Vets event in Pell City, AL (Talladega)? I'm headed down along with at least one other Vette owner, maybe two. Just wanted to see if anyone is making the trip!

Welcome Jerry, great introduction!

I have a stock oil pan that was removed from a 1996 LT4 Corvette.

Price is $100 plus shipping - OBO

I'll post pictures this evening.

Since I just traded the 96, I have a like new SLP CAI with filters (filters need to be "recharged"). The spacers, the rubber vent tube and connectors are included. The vent tube has a small crack at one end, but will not hurt performance, visual effect, or operation.

Price new is ~$350 ($329 + ~$21.50 for S&H)
http://www.slponline.com/view_produc...28&BIG=21028-2

Price is $225 + shipping - OBO.

I will get pictures posted this evening...

Thanks everyone. It is a fun car. The deal was fair and I got a good amount for my car, almost what I had it for sale in the classifieds.

Driving report, well, it doesn't have the guts that my 383 LT4 had in it, but it does have very nice, refined power. It also got a tick under 30 mpg, a number that the yellow C4 would never see. The Z will out handle the old car and the ride is a bit stiffer as well. Anyway, below is a list of Plus's and Delta's between the two.

Plus:

I can hear the radio.
Handling
MPG
Refinement

Deltas:

Less power
Not as comfy seats (although they are not bad)
Shifting (sounds strange, but I liked the ZF feel better)
Stiff suspension


Anyway, the C5Z is nice, but I wouldn't say better than a stock C4. They are just night and day different. If I had the garage space, I would have kept the C4 and added the Z. May regret not doing that, but no turning back now!

By the way, I'm going to place an SLP claw with 3 filter for sale tomorrow, after getting some pictures...

The 96 was traded for a 2003 Z06 with 28k miles on it today. I'm really enjoying the road manners of the Z, but will always miss the power of my ol' 96. My wife likes it because we can actually talk and hear each other in it.

And yes.... it is Atomic Orange....

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Matthew just for you I would sell it for $16k. . Thanks for the kind words all.

Seriously, it is priced to move, but I'm not giving it away. About 50/50 chance I will end up keeping it and add the C5. They are two very different feeling vehicles, one all motor and the other under forced induction.

Ah, come on, it would pass CARB!!

Thanks for fixing the links. I'm really torn on selling it because I've worked out the bugs over the first few years of ownership and now everything works, except cruise control. Even has ice cold AC!

I found a FRC C5 making over 800 rwhp that has my attention. The wife says keep the C4 and pick up the C5, but I'm a bit more fiscally conservative than she is. If it doesn't sell, I may end up with both.

I may have found another Vette to pick up and I am thinking about selling my 1996 Competition Yellow LT4 (one of 103 produced http://www.wright.edu/~mathews.5/) with many modifications. I have put between 9 and 10k miles on it over the past 4 – 5 years and it runs very well. Driving manners are much like a stock LT4 until you push on the go pedal, and then hang on! Since I have owned it, it lives more of a garage queen life making it’s way to occasional car shows. The car is in great condition and I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Feel free to PM me if you need additional information. Price is $14,950 obo.

Here is the add from when I purchased it:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-f ... 4-corvette-23k-miles.html

I have not had the motor opened up, so the list of mods are based on previous owner.

383 Done by Doug Rippie
Forged
Crane Gold Rockers
Crane Pushrods
Crane Cam
Ported LT4 heads
Ported LT4 Intake
58mm Holley throttle body
MSD Distributor
Accel Coil
Dig 6 MSD Box (controls timing and dual state rev limiter)
Line Lock
NX MAF Nitrous Kit (various jets)
FJO Progressive controller
Centerforce Clutch
Melrose LT Headers
Full 3” Exhaust
Random Cats
Power Effects Mufflers
Hurst Shifter
Shift Light in the AC Vent
Autometer gages
Bottle warmer
Fuel Pressure Safety Switch
SLP Claw CAI
Canton 7qt pan
Meziere Heavy Duty Electric Water Pump
Grand Sport Wheels
285 GSC’s up front
315 Yokahama AVS in rear
Both Tops (Yellow hard and black smoked glass top which is in near perfect condition)
Powdercoated LT4 intake to match the car
And much, much more

Here is what the car sounds like at idle:

Idle Sound





































This is a night time drive and at the end, you can see what it behaves like sliding into the throttle. Very fun car to drive!!

Night Driving

That's interesting. I didn't know that OEM motors could be tracked on the later model vehicles. Learn something every day.

It rained a little the day before, so the trails were slick as whale snot! Levels 1 - 5 are at this park and everything scored one level higher. We mostly stayed on level 2 / 3, with a short level 4 run. Level 5 was reserved for the insane! Great day overall.

Took over 70 pictures. The original post is a slide show, may not be working. If it doesn't work, click on the link at the end of this message to see more. Below is a picture of a very built Jeep that was fun to watch. Some kind of mega-block motor with front and rear Rockwells.




A couple of my favorite of the day











Here is the link to all of the pictuers...

http://s229.photobucket.com/albums/ee ... %20SMORR/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ20

I had a chance to get out with a few buddies and enjoy one last trail run of the season. This was at Southern Missouri Off Road Ranch. Hope you enjoy!

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Not yet, the guy that told me about the LS6 has not come through, which really didn't suprise me much. Picking up a 5.3 or 6.0 is very easy and a dime a dozen, so it really gets down to when I can make the time...

I'm heading to SMORR on Friday, you want to go? It would be an entire day event.

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Cool, I've purchased a few things from them. Do you have a good, inexpensive front sway bar quick disconnect for a 4-5 inch lift? I'm getting sick of cutting bolts off!!

I'm headed to Southwest Missouri Off Road Ranch this Friday while the wife is out fighting the crowds. It is just under 1k acres with many, many trails, up to level 5. Should be a great day. I'll certainly keep you in mind if anything breaks!

A few years. I'm into rock crawling more than the bogging. It is a blast and amazing where Jeeps can go, especially with lockers. If you have never tried this, you gotta at least ride along. Most thrilling time driving under 5 mph!

DB, I may have found a LS6, very cheap. Want to guess where I'm headed with this.....

I thought ya'll would like to see some off roading fun that I got to enjoy over the weekend. The steel blue TJ is mine, the green JK is a friends. My mods are 4.5 inch lift, 33's, Aussie locker's, Ford 8.8 rear axle (trashed the D35), Artec 8.8 truss system, disc brake swap (was drums), and 4.10's.

By they way, DB had a hand in the Ford 8.8 swap. Anyway, I'm happy with the results and not having to worry about breaking the rear.

Andy, my largest complaint against Jeeps is all of the torx bolts. Man, I hate them. As I remove one, I replace them.

Oh, the thermostat housing is also annoying. They like to get hairline cracks in them, causing coolant leaks that are near impossible to find. I just went through that whole problem.

Hey, bailing wire, duct tape, zip ties, and JB weld are necessities with a Jeep...

Cool, where is it? I thought it was the old Wentzville Track, but by the miles, it can't be.... It would be cool to have a track less than an hour away! My ol' yellow bomb needs to stretch its legs!!

Hey, what is that thing doing on the ground!!

Looks good and can't wait to see it in May.

After spending some time testing, I noticed the digital coolant gage was reading 193 and would not increase, while the analogue gage showed 215. Right after turning the car off, the analogue would remain constant and within 10 seconds, the digital gage dropped below 100. Then, the hard start returned. After some investigation, the PCM uses the same sensor as the dig gage. So, it thought the car was cold, when it was actually hot, causing it to dump waaay to much fuel down the motor. Well, I'm embarrassed to say it was disconnected! I had the exact same issue as Gas Junkie did and after taking things apart so much, the sensor connections were completely shot, but the sensor is still good. I was able to connect it back and the car started immediately every time. To test, I disconnected and it began the hard start again (woofing sound and all). Connected it back and started immediately every time again.

WOW, I didn't realize something this small could cause so many problems! Anyway, I'm going to get a new sender and connector.

Thanks to everyone for all of the help!!