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2000 Jeep TJ 5.7l Hemi Swap

56K views 62 replies 24 participants last post by  rollout1 
#1 ·
I have purchased a 2006 Grand Cherokee with a 5.7l Hemi 130k miles as a donor vehicle. I got it at a great price because it was in a small accident at the front. A few buddies and I are tackling this project in a 2 door garage. The hardest part of this project will be the wiring. You can have the wiring sent out to places and have them mate it to work with the TJ or you can do our method of labeling everything and getting correct pin outs to save about $1300. We may just have to send it out if stuff does not work out.

The GC comes with the 5.7l hemi, 545RFE transmission, Electronic Limited Slip Differentials ELSD (C213RE which is basically a beefed up 8.25 with an e-locker), computers, wiring, emission stuff, and even front black heated leather seats. Although it sounds like I have everything I need, it is not true.

Since my vehicle is a 2000, I need to get a gauge cluster with wiring from an '01 TJ/LJ or up and a fuel pump and tank and NVLD system from a '05 or '06 TJ/LJ. The NVLD system is there so I don't have to stare at a check engine light and pass inspection. The fuel pump from those years wranglers is sufficient to run with the Hemi. These items are all needed in order to mold the Hemi to the TJ. There is also rumors about needing at least a 1" body lift and 3" suspension lift in order for everything to fit. We are going to try without body lift and see how that plays out.

List of parts so far:
5.7l Hemi
545RFE Tranny
NP231 T-Case
'01+ TJ Gauge Cluster + wiring
'05-'06 TJ Fuel Pump, Tank, NVLD system
C213RE Rear end
Heated Leather Seats (Bonus if we can fabricate them to work)
Both vehicle wiring harnesses, fuse boxes, computers
5.7l motor mounts from advanced adapters
*Possibly new tranny mounts*
Shortened and fitted drive shafts
Wiring
Hemi capable radiator
GC gas pedal, wiring, and mounting bracket
*Rough Country Long Arm Upgrade Kit maybe?*
*1" body lift?*

This list and thread will change due to unpredictability of the project and progress made. The build will begin within a few weeks (mostly due to weather) and I will be updating pictures and information. Any advice and/or questions please post. My Instagram is listed with links below so you can see more progress of the swap.

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Automotive tire


Land vehicle Vehicle Car Jeep Automotive tire


Links to helpful websites:
http://www.hotwireauto.com/files/Install_TJ_Hemi_Conversion.pdf
Hemi Conversions, Parts, and Kits by JSS
https://instagram.com/matt_tj_mulle/ My instagram for more pictures of swap progress
 
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#6 ·
Purchased

Here's the parts list again with some additions. Being I have all the donor vehicles to pick from, I don't have to chase things like.... gas pedal, manifolds, fuel pump, NVLD system, O2 sensors, transmission cable brackets, shifter assembly, etc.

  • conversion motor mounts
  • transmission crossmember kit
  • radiator
  • electric fan and shroud kit
  • complete radiator and heater hose kit
  • steering shaft kit
  • body lift
  • 3/8 fuel line upgrade kit for 05-06 systems
  • all necessary harness modifications
  • ecu flash to eliminate security

    Above parts and services bundle approx $3175

  • external trans cooler kit for $250 which includes:
  • external dual pass cooler,
  • custom grille mounted cooler mounting bracket,
  • transmission adapter fittings,
  • radiator adapter fittings,
  • [6] 90* hose ends,
  • -6an rock loc hose to connect everything

    Extras I added on are:

  • 4wd cable shifter kit [545rfe] $180
  • power and ground cable kit [4g starter, 6g alternator, 6g PDC feed, 4g chassis ground, 4g engine ground] $80
  • cold air kit [3.5 aluminum tube (bent) intake coupler, 7" cone air filter, ring clamps] $95 ((being a GC based intake, might be able/better to use a pre fab ebay kit?? cheaper?))
  • thermostatic electric fan switch $40
  • grand cherokee pedal bracket $50

I ordered all the above except the wiring and CPU flash. I figured that would be best so once I get all the parts I just ordered then I can take the wiring and computer out of the donor Grand Cherokee and my TJ and ship them then receive the wiring once we build everything together. (Hopefully 2-3 weeks)

Any questions please ask!
 
#10 ·
Parts

The parts are in!! 😄 Should start the disassemble process in a week! I bought all of these parts off of redrockwiring.com . The guy who helped me is James and he has a 2006 hemi swapped TJ himself and has done many others. He knows what hes doing and took care of me well. Once everything is pulled from both vehicles I will ship the wiring to James and he will create the hemi harness. After some research James found out that I need a 2005 hemi computer not the 2006 that I have from the donor vehicle. I need the 2005 to talk to the gauge cluster of my jeep properly so he got one for me for $100.
 

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#11 ·
I'll tell you one thing....you're gonna like it. Jim knows his business on the conversion so you are in good hands there for help. I have a build thread linked in my signature with lots of pics. I will say that the 1 in BL is pretty much a requirement due to clearances around the bell housing and giving the exhaust a little more room for routing. Good luck and keep updating the build.
 
#12 ·
How are those axles holding up? I am still deciding on what to go with. Either get a ford explorer 8.8 and just regear my D30 to match or go full out with 2 D60s. Of if you have any other suggestions for axles. Redrock did not give me positioning for the motor mounts to be welded on so how did you find out where to put them? I was gonna mount them on the engine then drop it into place and line it all up then weld them on.
 
#13 ·
The Advanced Adapters mounts have a "gauge" th a comes with them. I clamped it to the frame, skid the mount up to it, measured the distance between the mounts and welded them in. It was a perfect fit. I installed the motor one time only into the chassis. The axles are doing fine. I have had no issues with them. They do have good shafts and ARGs in them and I now have a 1410 series rear DL as it are the 1310 in 7k miles..Of you are gonna beat on the rocks, then maybe 60s are needed..I am mostly in the dunes and a few mountain trails.
 
#14 ·
Hemi Out

We pulled the Hemi out of the Grand Cherokee and cleaned it with engine degreaser and simple green. Looks brand new! Next step is to take the harness off of it and pull my TJ in the garage and pull all of its wiring out then ship it off to redrock for modification. They are also supplying the 2005 computer for $120 since my 2006 computer will not work.

I also picked up a built Ford 8.8 rear axle to replace that C213 that came with the GC. The axle has an Iron Rock truss, 4.56 gears, Solid diff cover, spool locker, c-clip eliminator kit and chromoly axle shafts with 0 miles on them. Not a fan of the spool but I guess I can deal with it. It is stock jeep length of 60.5 inches wide and configured to bolt up to a cherokee but I can not use those mounts so I have to buy a conversion kit from ballistic fabrications for about $160. The axle cost $650.
 

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#23 ·
We pulled the Hemi out of the Grand Cherokee and cleaned it with engine degreaser and simple green. Looks brand new! Next step is to take the harness off of it and pull my TJ in the garage and pull all of its wiring out then ship it off to redrock for modification. They are also supplying the 2005 computer for $120 since my 2006 computer will not work. I also picked up a built Ford 8.8 rear axle to replace that C213 that came with the GC. The axle has an Iron Rock truss, 4.56 gears, Solid diff cover, spool locker, c-clip eliminator kit and chromoly axle shafts with 0 miles on them. Not a fan of the spool but I guess I can deal with it. It is stock jeep length of 60.5 inches wide and configured to bolt up to a cherokee but I can not use those mounts so I have to buy a conversion kit from ballistic fabrications for about $160. The axle cost $650.
Where did you find that 8.8 for $650? That's an awesome deal!
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
The engine and transmission are in! Sounds harder than it was. The motor mounts came with an alignment tool. We just lined it up and welded them in and the engine sat perfectly in place.

It turns out the transmission tail adapter from the grand Cherokee does not support a 231 t case so I ordered the tail adapter from a dodge pickup that will accommodate both the tranny and 231 t case. It was $50 used from eBay. Both the 45 rfe and 545rfe use the same tail adapter.

The wiring is now up on the board and being made as I speak. It is expected to be 2 weeks until it is completed and sent back.

The next step is to set up the fuel tank, pump, and install the tranny adapter when it arrives. Also we have to fabricate the rear axle and bolt in my new D30 HP axle from a 96 Cherokee along with regear to 4.56. Depending on the labor cost of the harness, I might throw in an Aussie locker in the front. A custom driveshaft and sye kit will also need to be taken care of.

Red rock also recommends I get an 03-06 Tj tranny shifter and not use my 00 due to linkage setup. I will look into that more.

Stay tuned! More to come!! 😁
 

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#16 ·
I am doing an engine swap too, but just found out I am moving. So everything gets boxed up and shipped to be unboxed so I can start all over again. In the meantime I will be enjoying your thread. Good luck blazing the trail and be sure to include posts on all the unexpected things that crop up for the rest of us!
 
#18 ·
The transmission and transfer case and been mated successfully with the advanced adapter 3/4 inch atlas spacer. The stock studs were not long enough to reach through the transmission and lock on a nut so we bought a bolt that has the same thread as the transfer case threads and cut them to the proper length. It took some heating with a torch around the transfer case studs to twist them off with 2 nuts locked together on them. The transfer case fit perfectly on the transmission however now my drive-shaft is going to be even smaller with that 3/4 inch spacer on there. The "Hack and Tap" SYE kit will cut the transfer case output shaft back 1 1/4 inches so it should balance out again.

We also bolted up the transmission cross-member to the frame and attached the transmission to it. Since my frame is rebuilt due to rot, the cross-member mount pieces had to be re-drilled to fit the cross-member perfectly. I had to pick up a chevy transmission mount isolator from autozone to bolt onto the adapter plate that bolts onto the bottom of the tranny. I was suppose to receive it with the kit i ordered but they said they forgot and refunded me the cost of the part.($18)

We were able to bolt the Grand Cherokee exhaust right up to the headers and it sat underneath the Jeep like it was factory.(picture) There is not much room left for much exhaust routing so I will see what I have to work with at the end.

We have recently started working on the cooling system, power steering, and A/C. The tranny cooler was mounted easily on the "V" in the TJ grille. The fan mount that goes onto the radiator needed to be cut slightly to fit properly in place. The kit included new tranny and fuel lines and adapters. We got the tranny lines all hooked up to the radiator and tranny cooler successfully with some minor modifications.(pictures to come)

The harness is estimated to be done sometime next week and our goal is to be ready to plug it all up and fire the tubes not too long after.
 

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#21 ·
Very sweet. In an ideal world I'd do this but don't have the means.
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
The wiring harness came in about a week and a half ago but we decided it was a break time. So now that break time is over, the harness has been started to go in. We were able to connect all the engine wires and connect the gauge cluster in an hour. The bill for the computer flash and the harness was higher than expected but that's due to broken connectors and special additions. Total was 2770 for the harness, new connectors, computer, flash, and both shifters. :jawdrop:

Now that that's done with, we need to change out the fuel tank to the new one from an 06 TJ that can hold the 06 fuel pump that I have. Also we need to find a place to hook up the NVLD system in the rear wheel well. Also, Jim from Redrockindustries said we need to change the oil pressure sending unit switch (advanced auto number BWD # S4188) and the ambient air temp sender switch (advanced auto number BWD # WT3200) in order for everything to plug in and function properly.

Also I decided to buy the automatic shifter kit and 4WD kit from Jim which will connect directly to the tranny and transfer case properly with little adjustments. The 4WD kit is adjustable in many spots to fit the stock lever perfectly. The current auto shifter is going to be replaced with a 2004 TJ shifter because it has better connection points to fit the hemi tranny.

We have also noticed that the power steering pump from a Grand cherokee also powers a hydraulic fan so the power steering pump tank has lines that run to it. We do not need those lines so we need to get a power steering pump off a dodge hemi that has a built in tank so it will work better.

The goal is set to fire the engine in 2 weeks from today. The long term goal is to have the Jeep drive-able with new axles and all done in 1.5 months maximum.
 

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#26 ·
The wiring harness came in about a week and a half ago but we decided it was a break time. So now that break time is over, the harness has been started to go in. We were able to connect all the engine wires and connect the gauge cluster in an hour. The bill for the computer flash and the harness was higher than expected but that's due to broken connectors and special additions. Total was 2770 for the harness, new connectors, computer, flash, and both shifters. :jawdrop:

Now that that's done with, we need to change out the fuel tank to the new one from an 06 TJ that can hold the 06 fuel pump that I have. Also we need to find a place to hook up the NVLD system in the rear wheel well. Also, Jim from Redrockindustries said we need to change the oil pressure sending unit switch (advanced auto number BWD # S4188) and the ambient air temp sender switch (advanced auto number BWD # WT3200) in order for everything to plug in and function properly.

Also I decided to buy the automatic shifter kit and 4WD kit from Jim which will connect directly to the tranny and transfer case properly with little adjustments. The 4WD kit is adjustable in many spots to fit the stock lever perfectly. The current auto shifter is going to be replaced with a 2004 TJ shifter because it has better connection points to fit the hemi tranny.

We have also noticed that the power steering pump from a Grand cherokee also powers a hydraulic fan so the power steering pump tank has lines that run to it. We do not need those lines so we need to get a power steering pump off a dodge hemi that has a built in tank so it will work better.

The goal is set to fire the engine in 2 weeks from today. The long term goal is to have the Jeep drive-able with new axles and all done in 1.5 months maximum.
WTF OVER? THAT SEEMS VERY EXPENSIVE.


Can you elaborate for those of us that may be entertaining this and how we can avoid this or are we just caught? Thanks


Looks good so far....keep up the info as we are watching this!
 
#27 ·
That's over a grand more than I paid for my complete harness and ECM..Dayum..

Find an NVLD from an 05-06. It'll fit on a shelf in the passenger rear fenderwell behind the plastic liner. You want to copy the 05-06 OEM placement.
 
#29 ·
Man, this makes me want to do this!! Guess having an 05 LJ makes it cheaper but damn looking 10k easy for this... Well worth it Im sure for those who have it
 
#34 ·
Today we were able to finish the dash wiring and hook up the auto shifter and transfer case shifter. Everything shifts perfectly.

I got a 04 TJ auto shifter assembly and cable which matched perfectly from the shifter to the transmission connection. The auto shifter was different than the one in my 2000 TJ so we had to modify the bolt down pattern and trim down a bit on the center console up under the dash. (Black shifter in picture is the new one).

The transfer case kit I purchased from red rock fit perfectly and was easily adjustable to work properly in all modes.

The lockout cable that prevents shifting when the key is not turned is not long enough so we are not able to enable that feature. The only problem is now I can shift the tranny even when the key is not there. As we stand we do not think it is that important and will ignore that issue. I asked Jim from red rock if a new cable for that was suppose to come with the kit so I will post if I get an answer back.

I ordered a full 6 inch rough country long arm kit to replace my 5 year old 4 inch lift. I got it for a great deal and could not turn it down. I will put it in after the swap is complete and it drives on the 4 inch lift for awhile. The rough country non adjustable arms on this 4 inch lift are making the front bump stops touch the coils so I figured the best way to fix that was long arms. :atomic:

Next step is fuel system. Need to test the fuel pump I bought off a totaled 06 LJ and run the new 3/8 lines.
 

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#36 ·
Looking good man! Cant wait to see how this turns out... Itll be a beast in those NY snow storms! Sometimes miss driving in that stuff but dont miss the salt!! Are you changing your axles at all?
 
#37 ·
Oh yeah I can't wait for the snow! Yes I have a 31 spline Ford 8.8 rear with chromoly shafts, c clip elim kit, solid diff cover, 4.56 gears, iron rock truss, and a ford racing limited slip. For the front is a High pinion Dana 30 with 4.56, diff guard, and a detroit trutrac limited slip.
 
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