99 wj motor swap

mierdota

mierdota

Well-Known Member
So if I can swing it and talk the wife into it I'm going to try and pick up a 99 jeep grand cherokee with the 4.7 v8, the motor is blown and I don't really want to put a 4.7 back into it. So I have thought of putting a chevy 5.3 or 6.0 or going down to the jeep 4.0. Any one ever done a swap in one of these? Any other recommendations on a different motor? Any help is appreciated
 
I was thinking that same swap on Riley's WJ. I think that would be a killer rig. You'd have to watch the axles but a 5.3 would rock. I'd start by looking at Advanced Adapter's site.
 
call novak and talk to dave. i was talking to him about my swap, and i remember him mentioning something about grand swaps. they do have parts for them, but i don't think there is enough of a demand for them to always have them in stock. I'm sure they can integrate it the same as they would for a 5.3 in a JK, as the computer network in a JK is similar to a WJ i believe.

That would be a sweet swap, or, you could buy my 4.0 when it comes out of my Jeep ;).

But if you are going to go to the effort of replacing the 4.7, seriously i wouldn't waste your time with any thing than a GenIII or IV GM engine. best bang for the buck, and it will probably cost you the same no matter what motor you are adapting. Heck, for as much as the 4.7's cost, you can probably put in a 5.3 for the same as putting a 4.7 back in...you should call me later and we can talk.
 
I could be wrong (and probably am wrong), but won't one of the bigger Dodge Hemi engines like a 5.7 bolt up in place of the 4.7? I don't think it will be a direct swap, but probably less work than swapping in a GM engine.
 
rockchucker said:
call novak and talk to dave. i was talking to him about my swap, and i remember him mentioning something about grand swaps. they do have parts for them, but i don't think there is enough of a demand for them to always have them in stock. I'm sure they can integrate it the same as they would for a 5.3 in a JK, as the computer network in a JK is similar to a WJ i believe.

That would be a sweet swap, or, you could buy my 4.0 when it comes out of my Jeep ;).

But if you are going to go to the effort of replacing the 4.7, seriously i wouldn't waste your time with any thing than a GenIII or IV GM engine. best bang for the buck, and it will probably cost you the same no matter what motor you are adapting. Heck, for as much as the 4.7's cost, you can probably put in a 5.3 for the same as putting a 4.7 back in...you should call me later and we can talk.
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I'll call you in a bit, will a 4l80e bolt up to a 5.3?

Greg said:
I could be wrong (and probably am wrong), but won't one of the bigger Dodge Hemi engines like a 5.7 bolt up in place of the 4.7? I don't think it will be a direct swap, but probably less work than swapping in a GM engine.
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I thought of that same thing I was going to call my mechanic buddy today he would know its rileys jeep I'm trying to buy btw.
 
yes a 4l80e will bolt up to a 5.3, you will need to have the computer tuned appropriately though.

and, i believe a hemi swap would be easier when it comes to the electrical side of things. i think everything would talk to each other. but, hemi's are expensive. (though, it is cheaper to buy a hemi new from the dealer than a 4.7. go figure) you'll get waaaay better economy with a 5.3 or even a 6.0 than you would with a hemi too. i know this may not apply, but one of my coworker's brother in laws has a 4 door JK with a 5.7 hemi. he is getting 9-10 mpg around town. no bueno. but a 4 door is probably significantly heavier than a grand.
 
I drove a 98 ZJ with the 5.9 yesterday and it is all the engine you will ever need, it was a damn rocket! A real gas guzzler though and only runs on premium.
 
Unless you'd get hard core with WJ I'd stick with a 5.3 and 4L60e just for the cost and fuel economy. I don't know why I forget about Novak in Logan. They're good people up there.
 
Cool well I think I'll do a 5.3 so if anyone knows of a good place to find one let me know. I'll start collecting parts and then buy the jeep in a month or so if its still available
 
black_ZJ said:
I drove a 98 ZJ with the 5.9 yesterday and it is all the engine you will ever need, it was a damn rocket! A real gas guzzler though and only runs on premium.
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I rode in a Porche once, it had a little motor, but it was fast. Probably required premium too.
 
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