Project "Thunderstruck" - KJWildman's never-ending V8 swap

BugginKJ · **Joined:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:35 pm **Posts:** 4576

Never a problem to help ya out Larry :JEEPIN:

It was a good time and we saw some sweet rides along the way! Too bad we didn't have enought time to hit the dunes while we were there :roll:

TAHOE · **Posted:** Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:09 am

Good deal. That tranny looks so small without the BH and TS.

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:11 am

when you get that gear drive in there just never open your hood... and let everyone think that whinning sound is a blower

KJWildman · **Posted:** Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:06 pm

So I started cutting on the cradle today! No turning back now! Got the Pass side factory mounts cut off and ground down and ran out of cutting wheels for the grinder!!! :roll:

I'm leaving the side locating bolts in for now. Mine came with them, I think '03 on up doesn't have these so don't really know how necessary they are. I won't be able to use them with the cradle drop anyway. They may come out before it's done, but for now I'll leave them alone.

Moved in to the garage and started mocking up the Novak motor mounts. I need to modify them too. They will only adjust in to 26" and our cradle is 24" . There is room on the mounts to narrow them 1-1/2" - 2" per side so I've got room to play a little.

evil libby · **Joined:** Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:41 am **Posts:** 296

looking good larry

KJWildman · **Posted:** Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:16 am

Just ordered these this morning from Novak Conversions. $307, except for the trans & transfer case the most expensive part so far.

This brings the total to $1588 so far. I could have saved some more money by fabbing my own motor mounts and maybe buying a less expensive brand of gauges.

GeekyJeep · **Posted:** Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:37 am

Wildman... when you told the wife you wanted to swap the engine in the libby.. i think she had this in mind..

http://www.youtube.com/v/te48ucoEvFI

BugginKJ · **Joined:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:35 pm **Posts:** 4576

Wildman gettin wild with the cuttin :BANANA:

KJWildman · **Posted:** Sat Aug 14, 2010 7:01 pm

Got some more cutting wheels for the Metabo to finish cutting out the DS motor mount, but when I got to the garage today I got sidetracked. I started the teardown and cleanup of the 302 today. Everything is looking really good and clean with no marks on the cylinder walls, the cam looks superclean with no marks whatsoever and other than actually checking the crank bearings, I'm happy! I measured the rods as best I could without pulling the crank and they look to measure out right at 4.00" . I'm not sure what that means, maybe someone else (Troy?) can tell me if they are not stock. I will go ahead and pull the heads and check them too, maybe check the top of the pistons and cylinder walls from the top. I know on my V6 the pistons are stamped +.060, maybe these will be marked. If not I'll throw a set of inside mics on the cylinders and check them. I am going to have to clean and run a thread chaser in all holes. I found 2 oil pan bolts, 1 intake bolt and a water pump bolt that were not the right thread. 1 of the oil pan bolts was actually a sheetmetal screw! :shock:

I am also going to need a new oil pan as you can see from the pictures below. It was cracked around the thread boss and someone just loaded it with RTV. I am taking quite a few of the pieces to work this week to be sandblasted and cleaned then the brackets and mountings will be powdercoated.

Staring the teardown and reassembly

Pile 'o Parts in the garage floor!

Oil pan that needs replaced.

I got the new Speedo this past week too, so I will get it mounted in the stock dash cluster with the rest of them tonight or tomorrow. My new headers will be here on Monday.

Things are progressing, :BANANA:

I just need to stay in the garage and off this d amn computer or I'll never have it running by ECS time!! :-)r

KJWildman · **Posted:** Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:05 pm

Got the speedometer mounted up in the dash cluster today. Now just need to decide how many and which of the warning and indicators I am going to use. I tried a small 12v 3/16" dia. push in lamp in the back of the dash and it works, I just need to figure out what colors and how many I need.
preliminary list:
---center of cluster -----
turn signals x2 = green
Hi beams x 1 = blue
low oil pressure x1 = red
trans temp x 1 = red
---left side of cluster---
roof lights x1 = orange
seat belts? naawwww
---right side of cluster---
4 lo indicator? -maybe- x1 = orange
fog lights x1 = orange
driving lights x1 =orange
lo battery? -maybe- x1 = red

Front, if you look close you can see which indicators are which.

Back, Yes, all electric gauges. The small holes are where the indicator lamps will go

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:04 am

do over brotha

ya tach is crooked

I'll be up in a few weeks to 2 months, expect a visit

KJWildman · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:43 pm

Got my headers in today! :BANANA:

I was watchin' for that UPS guy all day ... didn't come till 3:30. I was beginning to wonder! Got 'em home and test fitted, woohoo, lookin' good! Also got the drivers side motor mount cut off the cradle and ground down. Threw a quick coat of flat black on it for now. I'll have to grind/sand it back off for welding but didn't want the rust to get ahead of me! Pulled the harmonic balancer off the motor and got the timing cover pulled off. I'll take it in and sandblast it too. It's aluminum so maybe I'll even polish it when I get it cleaned up! Sandblasted a couple brackets during my lunch break at work today too. Started inspecting the intake and found a crack in one of the bracket bosses. Looks like someone tried to force the wrong size bolt in and split it. Y'all saw what that looked like to start anyway. May have to get a new intake now! I can't weld aluminum! :roll:

Well, have to see how much more I can get tomorrow now!

Another day .... another piece of the puzzle!!!!! :jester:

Oh Ya, Jeepin, I'll straighten up that tach! Just for you!!!!!!! :ROTFL:

KJWildman · **Posted:** Wed Aug 18, 2010 10:31 pm

Sorry, no pics today ........ but it really did happen, trust me! :ROTFL:

Got the rest of the brackets for the alt. and power steering pump sandblasted today and primed. Then I took a 1/4" die grinder to the aluminum timing cover and ground off all the casting flash and sandblasted it to blend all the grind marks, turned it over and ground off the tab on the inside to make room for the gear drive timing set. Got the pulleys all sandblasted and primed. Then all the steel pieces except the pulleys got a coat of Ford blue. The pulleys will get powder coated black. The timing gear cover, intake manifold and all aluminum brackets will get clear coated. Also started pulling the heads. Got the Pass side pulled. Piston tops look slightly carboned up, but not bad. Cylinder walls look excellent! Going to pull the other head tomorrow and check the cylinder condition on that side too.
Pistons are .... +.060 over! :BANANA:

4.00" H beam (some kind of alloy) connecting rods :BANANA:

351 heads w/ 2.02 ex. valves! :BANANA:

I don't really want to disturb the cam, but I might go ahead and pull the soft plug in the back and see if I can get any #'s off that too.

A little here and a little there and this thing just might run some day!!!
Going to shoot for setting the motor mounts up and doing some welding the weekend of the 28th!

daltonamorph · **Posted:** Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:44 am

This is great! I love watching builds as they progress, keep up the good work :BANANA:

KJWildman · **Posted:** Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:42 pm

Pulled the other head tonight. Started cleaning head surfaces, getting old gasket material off. Got 1 side of the block done, I'll do the other tomorrow.

Piston tops marked .060

Also loading the heads in the car and I'll take them to work where there is a parts washer and air tools. Thinking I'll smooth the outside of the heads of all casting flash with a die grinder while I got the chance. I'll work on the heads at work tomorrow and Monday and get the block all cleaned up, prepped and painted over the weekend. Hopefully Tuesday I should be reassembling the engine so it will be ready to hang and locate motor mounts on the 28th/29th.

Parking is at a premium at my house. There is only parking on 1 side of a narrow street and I share a driveway with the next door neighbor. There is plenty of parking 100yds down the street at Willys Park

, Hart said maybe we can run a shuttle :ROTFL:

. Saying that, anyone wanting to come by and help wrench is welcome that day. I have plenty of Brats ( are 2 bags of 25 enough?)

KJWildman · **Posted:** Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:21 pm

Cleaned the block

And Painted the block

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics! :oops:

Heads go back on tomorrow!

BugginKJ · **Joined:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:35 pm **Posts:** 4576

Find them NEW head bolts? :SOMBRERO:

KJWildman · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:57 pm

Actually yes! They're not high dollar but I did stop by Vato Zone and get new ones, along with a new tube of RTV for the gaskets.

So ..... Stopped by Auto Zone and picked up a few things, stopped and picked up my trainee/muscle/copilot/18YO nephew Justin. Spent a little while tonight adding a couple 4' flourescent lights in the garage ( while he was finishing up cleaning the heads up for me :seuss:

). Double checked and wiped everything down 1 more time and set/torqued down the heads. Touched up some paint. Set the intake, headers and carb up for a photo op, then removed. Took an inventory of bolts for reassembly. I'm going to pick up new allen bolts tomorrow for everything.
more crappy cell phone pics

BugginKJ · **Joined:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:35 pm **Posts:** 4576

Glad to hear ya decided to go new with them there head bolts :lol:

Looking good, can't wait to get it all dirty :ROTFL:

edit: why are the gauges off center in the pic? I don't remember them being off like that :shock:

1996xj · **Posted:** Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:35 pm

Look's good Wildman !!

Project "Thunderstruck" - KJWildman's never-ending V8 swap

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