Abu Dhabi Off-Road Club Forums

The louvers looked pretty Whether they did their intended job, I have no idea....

SSS wrote:and my wife is the DD (main user of the TJ) and not allowed/unwilling to drive a manual

Woh, Your wife drives the TJ !! ... and you are planning to make her drive a v8 monster as well ??!!!

SSS wrote: so now I have 2" OME HD lift plus 1.25 BL to run 33".

Now this is not as bad as you make it sounds. You might need the body lift to clear the transmission and personally I would still have 2" lift even with AEV kit. Besides you can always sell it for half the price. what about lost half of the price ? Well, Just think about how much fun you had with it until now !


Personally, I'm far from swapping my engine at this point. I tried RB out last weekend and I'm pretty satisfied with the power output. I'm going to work on developing other areas. Which includes ,of course, my noob driving skills!

But that doesn't prevent me from planning (or day dreaming) ahead of time !!

The main reason for me to think about getting a V8 is because of fuel consumption. RB "as is" consumes more fuel than my LX570 which has a 5.7 v8 with double the weight! Stroking the engine will give me more power but it won't solve the fuel consumption issue. in fact, it is just going to make it worse.

Now, People will say "get a yaris if you are thinking about fuel". But Yaris can't do 300 Km desert trip, or can it ? Well, Maybe if Khaiwi was driving !!

As I said before, I "almost" have a 2004 5.3 v8 vortec engine in my house right now. which is a good start!

I'm also planning to keep my manual transmission, transfercase, and 4.11 axle gear ratio. I will upgrade the tires to 33" and this will give me a sweet ride for both on and off road use with good fuel milage.

I will be getting a 2" lift with good shocks. AEV tummy tuck and higline kit is also in the list. After that, I'm getting a tire carrier,Bigger Fuel Tank, and a full repaint job !

I'm still trying to figure most o the other stuff out and trying to plan in advance as much as possible (so I don't fall in small naggy stuff). The biggest thing is mapping the new engine to the existing Gauge Cluster. But it will be an interesting project once started !

tillybean wrote:The louvers looked pretty Whether they did their intended job, I have no idea....

well ... for sure a LOT of hot air is escaping/vacuumed from underneath the hood:
1. the hood does not wiggle up and down anymore driving on the highway (I know : new hood latches are cheaper ... but just as a hint for the effectiveness)
2. I had the impression driving in 4hi does not heat up the engine as much as before ... louvers do not have a direct impact on engine temps since it is water/radiator cooled ... but indirectly: a higher underhood temp has impacts on the fuel rail, injectors and intake temps(!) ... the hotter the intake temps the leaner the fuel mixture. The leaner, the hotter the burn -> hotter engine temps.
3. for sure the paint on my hood is not going to fade more than it already had started to ...

so : In this climate I think they work! look at: http://www.oman4x4.com/hoodvents.htm#theory for the theory!

ossme wrote:

SSS wrote:and my wife is the DD (main user of the TJ) and not allowed/unwilling to drive a manual

Woh, Your wife drives the TJ !! ... and you are planning to make her drive a v8 monster as well ??!!!

SSS wrote: so now I have 2" OME HD lift plus 1.25 BL to run 33".

Now this is not as bad as you make it sounds. You might need the body lift to clear the transmission and personally I would still have 2" lift even with AEV kit. Besides you can always sell it for half the price. what about lost half of the price ? Well, Just think about how much fun you had with it until now !


Personally, I'm far from swapping my engine at this point. I tried RB out last weekend and I'm pretty satisfied with the power output. I'm going to work on developing other areas. Which includes ,of course, my noob driving skills!

But that doesn't prevent me from planning (or day dreaming) ahead of time !!

The main reason for me to think about getting a V8 is because of fuel consumption. RB "as is" consumes more fuel than my LX570 which has a 5.7 v8 with double the weight! Stroking the engine will give me more power but it won't solve the fuel consumption issue. in fact, it is just going to make it worse.

Now, People will say "get a yaris if you are thinking about fuel". But Yaris can't do 300 Km desert trip, or can it ? Well, Maybe if Khaiwi was driving !!

As I said before, I "almost" have a 2004 5.3 v8 vortec engine in my house right now. which is a good start!

I'm also planning to keep my manual transmission, transfercase, and 4.11 axle gear ratio. I will upgrade the tires to 33" and this will give me a sweet ride for both on and off road use with good fuel milage.

I will be getting a 2" lift with good shocks. AEV tummy tuck and higline kit is also in the list. After that, I'm getting a tire carrier,Bigger Fuel Tank, and a full repaint job !

I'm still trying to figure most o the other stuff out and trying to plan in advance as much as possible (so I don't fall in small naggy stuff). The biggest thing is mapping the new engine to the existing Gauge Cluster. But it will be an interesting project once started !

I am not saying I am unhappy with my set up. In the opposite ... it was the only way to phase it out without pouring the full amount at once. ... and it performs VERY well.
But still my dream Jeep is a street legal low center of gravity "juggy" (not buggy) ... with as low as possible driveline angle changes and king shocks ... same clearance but can go faaaast and WILD and stable in off camber situations
2" lift and AEV highline (3.5" higher fenders) is good for 35" tires ... plan/dream for some big brakes already

And my wife driving the V8 ... no problem, since it is only a 2km and back school trip. (she will love it btw )
And as you said as well : preparation and planning is the key ... so instead of stroking this month and swapping in a V8 plus tranny next year I would rather stick with what I have and start collecting information, parts and the needed cash .
If I know my tranny is not going to make it, there is no point in doing "half" work.

SSS wrote:2" lift and AEV highline (3.5" higher fenders) is good for 35" tires ... plan/dream for some big brakes already

SHESHESHE !! Well, I'm planning for a front and rear brake upgrade. But I'm also planning to keep my 15" Rims!
I love to see some space between my fender and my tires! Besides, I'm planning to install a bigger fuel tank, winch, and many other accessories. So I will end up with only 1" of lift (or less) by the time I finish adding them up !

BTW, Why you are not planning for a hemi ? vortec 5.3s are not that cheap around here unless you found some one who don't want it.

ossme wrote:

SSS wrote:2" lift and AEV highline (3.5" higher fenders) is good for 35" tires ... plan/dream for some big brakes already

SHESHESHE !! Well, I'm planning for a front and rear brake upgrade. But I'm also planning to keep my 15" Rims!
I love to see some space between my fender and my tires! Besides, I'm planning to install a bigger fuel tank, winch, and many other accessories. So I will end up with only 1" of lift (or less) by the time I finish adding them up !

BTW, Why you are not planning for a hemi ? vortec 5.3s are not that cheap around here unless you found some one who don't want it.

big brakes and 15" ... you should look into these:
http://shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/Jeep-TJ_c32.htm
or better : Vanco conversion for 15"
http://shop.savvyoffroad.com/product.sc ... egoryId=15

I might go HEMI : Backwoods offroad is urgently recommending this! (because my TJ is 2006 ... they discouraged me from the Magnum 5.9 e.g.)

To stroker or not to stroker that is the question.
The knowledge available here is amazing. Thumbs up for AD4X4

Mpenzi wrote:To stroker or not to stroker that is the question.
The knowledge available here is amazing. Thumbs up for AD4X4

STROKER if your tranny is up to it ... if not and you need a tranny conversion ... then a V8 swap WITH the right tranny is in reach

I'm going to have the 6l80e. 6 Gears with quickshift is reasonable i think. Transfercase will get some reinforcements later on As well. What are you planning to do about your transfercase, driveshafts and diffs?


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.159252,14.986031

MalteJK wrote:I'm going to have the 6l80e. 6 Gears with quickshift is reasonable i think. Transfercase will get some reinforcements later on As well. What are you planning to do about your transfercase, driveshafts and diffs?


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.159252,14.986031

the 6l80e is GREAT!
Transfercase : the 231 was/is used in MANY Chrysler 4x4s and as well in many Chevy 4x4s behind V8s ... should be ok.
(except the crappy shifter cable in JKs ... replace it with THIS http://www.advanceadapters.com/products/pn-715596/ )
Driveshafts : in the front I will stay stock ... it is already double cardan CV style in TJs!
in the rear I already have a Tom Wood's double cardan CV style DS with SYE and a D44
Diffs: front and rear regeared to 4.88 (rear Richmond, front Alloy ... front Richmonds I had were for another D30 )
front and rear I have Detroit TrueTrac full case limited slip differentials (torsen type, gear driven) ... much friendlier to the axles than locker ... but still fxxxx awesome in the sand and no brainer : no manual interaction needed.
Axles: My new f+r chromoly G2 axles which I got with 20% off (summer sales) from 4wd with BIG spicer u-joints are waiting to get installed ... soon i hope