Gone Postal : Mail Jeep Build

hey man, following your build and i love it!

i was surprised at the weight of the engines..

FYI...i have a 88 5.0 / nv 4500 in my cj, running 36 IROCS offroad and 4.56 gears..i love the combo. i'm not hard core off road, but it runs great on and off road.
it's plenty low for me with the D300 in it...
as a side bar, i use a stock CJ radiator in it too, which may save you some coin down the road..

good luck!

brian
 
As you guys know, my original plan of running a 4.0L jeep inline six has been thrown out the window. For the same cost, I could run a modern chevy v8 with better power and better fuel economy than the jeep engines, and a v8 is just damn cool in my book! So enough of the rambling...this decided to follow me home today. A 2000 GMC Sierra 5.3L V8 with wiring harness, computer and everything else to make it go vroom (except an alternator)! hopefully?! haha! I'm really starting to freak out since I'm to the stage where i am getting to the motor/drivetrain swap. I'm sure I'll be needing a lot of help from all you guys so get ready for some questions. i'm going to try to gut the factory wiring harness since i don't want to spend $700 for a new one from painless or holley or somewhere else. It looks like it will be a pain in my ass but i'm going to give it a valiant effort.

i'm ready for it to run. with 295hp and 335ft-lb of torque, I hope I don't twist up my frame like a pretzel. I guess I better get my welder out and start plating EVERYTHING!
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another pic.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_motor_pic2.jpg


My plan for transmissions is to find a SM465 granny 4spd and mate it to a dana 300 or whatever else I can find as far as t-cases go.

Thank you guys for all the input. There were some great choices brought up but this option ended up being the most cost effective for my build and I couldn't resist the price. Supposedly it "runs good" but i'll find out shortly i guess. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it.
 
i thought a D300 was pass drop, arent you running a ford d44?

engine looks beastly though, where did you snag it? the u-pull down there?
 
5.3?! AWESOME!!! Hey man, let me know if you ever need a hand. I just moved to south Charlotte, and have too much spare time on my hands.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
Could always do a rmvb in an auto & get both worlds
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That is a good idea. I still like working the clutch but it's a valid option for sure.

Cscotty89 said:
First post on the site. I read this whole post...I need more lol! Awesome build! I'm looking to start one myself in the near future.
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Thanks! I'm honored. I'm trying to get the progress coming. I'll be working on it all day tomorrow. I'm hoping to get alot done tomorrow.

freaknajeep said:
well i got DJ home today... its a 71 and has what appears to be a ford inline 6 even tho i was farily sure i thought the 232 was made by chevy but it definitly has a ford starter....since you have the lock down on the "Gone Postal" thing gonna have to come up with a catchy name/title for my build/toy...looking at what it looks like stock in my yard compared to where you are at now with your give me excitement as well as a twinge of disappointment at the same time...even tho it will be linked with a 60 rear and 44 front within 2 weeks i know i have a long long long way to go....but hey with a plasma and a welder all things are possible
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I saw your name...special delivery. i like it! good luck with the build. take it one project at a time. that is the thing that has helped keep me motivated and not so overwhelmed thus far.

viper red cj-7 said:
hey man, following your build and i love it!
i was surprised at the weight of the engines..
FYI...i have a 88 5.0 / nv 4500 in my cj, running 36 IROCS offroad and 4.56 gears..i love the combo. i'm not hard core off road, but it runs great on and off road.
it's plenty low for me with the D300 in it...
as a side bar, i use a stock CJ radiator in it too, which may save you some coin down the road..
good luck!
brian
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Thanks man. i'll have to remember the radiator idea. i love the old 5.0L. Maybe my next jeep with have one of those in it. Yep I said next jeep.:shaking:

88 BII said:
i thought a D300 was pass drop, arent you running a ford d44?
engine looks beastly though, where did you snag it? the u-pull down there?
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I found it on a site --www.car-part.com and picked it up from B&B auto sales in Charlotte. Seemed like good guys but you never know with used parts places. you know?!

BShore said:
5.3?! AWESOME!!! Hey man, let me know if you ever need a hand. I just moved to south Charlotte, and have too much spare time on my hands.
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I usually work on it every weekend. I could always use a hand. I'm definitely going to need some assistance figuring out how to get this wiring harness stripped to the bare essentials.

Generally speaking, I could basically plug in all the wiring and disable all of the security and emissions info on the computer and it should run. Then I could use a pin out to strip the extra wires. sounds easy but it will be much more complicated then that. haha!
 
criket said:
Flip it good.
Awesome on the 5.3. Should be a very reliable motor. Now this jeep even has more sex appeal than before!
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I like sex appeal!

TheWarBeast said:
Goopd to see your aren't putting Ferd Turd in this awesome build. Let me know when you need the hoist again.
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Haha! I'm glad you like the engine choice. I'll be needing that hoist in the next week or so. whenever you're in my area, you can drop it off. Again, I really appreciate you letting me use your hoist and for picking up all my scrap metal from this build. :beer:
 
When I did my motor swap, I grabbed a Factory Service Manual for the car that the motor came from. It showed the wiring for the computer and told me everything I needed to know to mate it to the Jeep's harness. The cool thing about the Chevy is if you can get the power to the fuse block under the hood, throw a little fuel into the cylinders, then it should run. Of course there is some more to that but thats the basic part of it. You might want to check out PCM4less.com as they can do wonders for a chevy powerplant with the computer tune. And they are very quick to turn it around for you as well.
 
If u thin the harness or want to know what u can cut out, give Aaron at trudyno sports in conover a call. He's tuned a number of lsx in buggys.

I have a Saginaw side shift 4spd w/ np208 combo if your interested.
 
Newtaco said:
hey still have the stock motor and trans?
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Nope. I scrapped it.

bigblueyj said:
When I did my motor swap, I grabbed a Factory Service Manual for the car that the motor came from. It showed the wiring for the computer and told me everything I needed to know to mate it to the Jeep's harness. The cool thing about the Chevy is if you can get the power to the fuse block under the hood, throw a little fuel into the cylinders, then it should run. Of course there is some more to that but thats the basic part of it. You might want to check out PCM4less.com as they can do wonders for a chevy powerplant with the computer tune. And they are very quick to turn it around for you as well.
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Thanks man! I'll check out that site. I have to get a basic chassis harness so I'll have to rewire everything.

paradisePWoffrd said:
If u thin the harness or want to know what u can cut out, give Aaron at trudyno sports in conover a call. He's tuned a number of lsx in buggys.

I have a Saginaw side shift 4spd w/ np208 combo if your interested.
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Shoot me a PM on that transmission. I don't know anything about that model. Do you know if it would bolt up to the 5.3?
 
I got quite a bit of work done over the weekend. I'm trying to prep the frame and get the body setup so I can get the motor in it.

painted up TIG'd tie rod.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2419.jpg


ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2429.jpg


the frame plating that I made. This is the sharpie'd up metal. It's 1/8" plate.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2418.jpg


frame prepped before welding the plate on.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2421.jpg


welded up.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2422.jpg


upclose.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2423.jpg


another angle.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2424.jpg
 
I also started adding supports to the cowl/firewall area. You can also see the passenger side framerail painted up.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2426.jpg


I also drilled and welded in nuts on the new firewall/cowl area where the new tube fenders will bolt up.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2427.jpg


Opposite side more complete.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2428.jpg


I also fab'd and welded up the front rollcage floor plates. Thanks to Chris at MarsFab for giving me some valuable pointers yesterday at his welding class. It's making my welds look better and better. :beer:
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2425.jpg
 
88 BII said:
those welds do look good. what kind are you using? i'm laying flux core now, but i want to get gas one day
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Thanks man! I'm using .035 wire with gas. My machine is a Miller Millermatic 185 and I couldn't be happier with it.
 
With today's shitty weather, I couldn't get much done so I built the motor mounts in the garage. I didn't want to pay for pre-made ones so this is what I dreamed up.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2433.jpg


another angle. The wavy pieces will be welded and bolted to the frame.
ai1024.photobucket.com_albums_y309_95builtjeep_gone_20postal_DSCN2434.jpg
 
Is there anyone in the Matthews area that would be willing to swing by my house to help me unload a transmission out of my car tonight? It won't take 5 minutes...this transmission is just too damn heavy to unload by myself. :shaking:
 
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