The duramax vans were rated lower, yes, but this is a moot point as you will have EFI Live and will be able to set the horsepower wherever you want it to be. The longblock is the same so you wont have a problem turning the power up if you use the engine out of a van. The use of a van as a donor would be mostly for the trans.
Dmax in a JK? Possible or dumb?
- Thread starter blackdmax15
- Start date
The duramax vans were rated lower, yes, but this is a moot point as you will have EFI Live and will be able to set the horsepower wherever you want it to be. The longblock is the same so you wont have a problem turning the power up if you use the engine out of a van. The use of a van as a donor would be mostly for the trans.
LBZ/ZF6 would be a sweet combo, unless you are going the buggy route. If you're going through the work of a dmax swap and are keeping most of the body you should at least keep heat...I kept the heat working in my Samurai diesel swap and would have kept the AC if the sammi and engine had it originally.
Thanks mike. Didn't know if it was for the tranny or maybe different packaging in the van. Under the van hoods it's kinda like an H1 hummer all cramped. Good to know it's just tuning that makes them different. Now only to find a van dmax lbz with less than 300k miles on it haha.
I may be able to keep both. The JK ac runs off a pump that is not connected to the engine. I agree with keeping the heat though. Just saying if it's no dmax or dmax with no heat...answer is simple haha. Plus i have half doors and soft top which is rarely on the jeep. In talking with jeep speed shop about doing an LS swap, he said that the engine does it's thing and all the jeep electronics do their thing. So you can wire them completely different which allows you to get rid of the damn wheel speed sensors in the jk and opens up the world of cheaper axles (14bolt or in my case 11.5).
There are a few things different in the packaging, like the intake, coolant outlet, small things like that, but they are all interchangeable within the same generation engine.
I said Van as that way there will be less messing with the harness as it comes with the 4L85E and also the parts are all put in a much smaller space so it may help with routing stuff in the JK.
last time i looked they were a belt driven compressor like almost all other cars
That's what i though too. Maybe i misunderstood what he said. The whole jeep canBus system is over my head honestly. That's why i want someone to do the swap for me haha.
And on another note Todd at JSS is an awesome guy who answers all questions. Just tough deciding what to do. The LS3 is 420ish HP and same TQ and dry weighs 435 pounds and we all know what an LBZ is but it's 835#s dry. Kinda hard to decide especially when i know the LS3 wouldn't be as expensive as the Prorocks going under the jeep. Just interested in what y'all think. LS3 or Dmax?
Dmax then once you are done I can learn from you for my own swap. Are you going to keep the 11.5 full size or get a custom one? What about putting the body on our frame? Would that even be an option?
I measured the frames on the jeep and the dmax before i sold it and they are actually really close. 93.5-95ish i can't remember but it was close. I really though about that because then i would just have to shorten the frame and i could still haul heavy loads if need be. The jeep wheelbase is 116 and a reg cab is 133.5. I could get a used LBZ and buy a wrecked salvage jeep and save some money. Still may be the way i go who knows. I'm sure i would still have to do some trimming to the trans tunnel but that's the kind of stuff you don't find out till you do it haha. The frame is the big thing. We all know the frame hangs down low and i do want to rock crawl some so the IFS may not be up to 40s even with a lighter body.
What's probably going to happen is i'm going to buy the axles and keep talking to people about the swap and see if someone will bite. And worse thing is i'll have a 1ton drivetrain being pushed by a V6 or LS3 or who knows maybe that new 6.4 hemi. I jsut don't want a hemi. And if someone does bite i'll have a shop do the swap. But have gotten a ton of ideas. Really liking the van duramax idea. With the 4l85e and wiring harness for it, that would make my life easier. Love the allison but it's heavy.
Gonna take a while for the prorocks though. They cost 2/3 the cost of the jeep haha. But it will be the low pinion pro60 rear full float and prorock 60 front both 8 lug, detroits and 5.38s (unless someone will do the dmax swap then 4.88s). And don't want to get them coming until i figure out the engine going in it. Just saving. Got money for the axles and half of what the hemi will be but again just want a diesel.
well reason i ask about using our frame is i thought i remember in DP mag seeing them do a JK swap with a cummins. so if it would work for that why not us? and i would so a SAS just for cool factor i think
Yeah I saw that and followed the whole buildup on Petersons magazine. Definitely the motivation for what I want to do but with a dmax since it's 320#s lighter than a cummins. Some headaches I want to avoid is wiring with the factory gauges. Once EJS is over and people get back to work I will give Burnsville a call and see what they think. I'm sure putting the jeep body on a dmax frame would be easier and like I said the width is very close. And I'm sure it would run fine with IFS for a while before I needed to SAS it. And already found multiple salvage yards for 4dr wranglers. I think if I bought a used reg cab and salvage wrangler I could come out of it for about 20k before a swap. Maybe recoup some cash by selling good body of the dmax. Gonna set up a spread sheet and see what works. Would definitely trip people out seeing a wrangler tow my 24ft car hauler down the road haha
There are a few issues with using the duramax frame though. Using 40 or 42's i would have to lift the front end to be able to have a descent bit of turn radius. The jeep frame is narrower in the front so on full width axles (68.5) you can turn big tires. Even with 42s you still have to clearance the front end on a jk. Also the steering on duramaxes (except the new LMLs) sucks when you get on the brakes and turn or hit bumps. Keeping the IFS would be temporary but have to add a D60 swap to the final cost.
Talkin' about dmax jeeps...
This is the powetrain for my Dura-Scrambler
LBZ/NV4500/NP205
Gonna need more info on this haha. And more pics.
That really doesn't have anything to with anything but the stock hydroboost pump.
The GM frame is going to weight a a lot more too.
But you would be replacing the IFS so the steering and brakes will all be upgraded if you want them to. Yea the frame will be heavier but its a better frame and will hold up to the power a lot better.