Sounds better than my previous experiences with Jasper motors at the same low break in mileage. That price you've got there is *very* doable and if it's putting out more power them I'd be a very happy camper.

How long did it take you- start to finish? Goodbye savings account

 

Well , mine was longer than it should have been . I removed and bagged and tagged every piece , bolt nut . and laid it all out on a couple tables as it was disassembled . and I done it all myself , no help during this process. My son did come by one day and help me pull the engine and get it on a pallet. I shipped it to 505 and got it back in about 2 weeks. (probably down about 3 weeks total) A very fast turnaround , just as Zach had told me he would do. when I got it back , it took me about a day to get the oil pump , water pump and a couple other pieces back on the front cover and that mounted back on the block and ready to drop back in the hole. Son came by again and a couple hours later I was ready to start reassembling the rest of the motor. Another day of reassembling and getting ready to start up.
all in all , not such a bad job to do on your on . (if you have a good place to work and the tools and equipment) I have another truck to drive , so I was not pushed for time, so I took my time paying close attention to the details. I did buy a Chrysler/Jeep Service manual set. I done this to get the disassemble and reassembly steps in the right order.
a couple hints for you ,
1)the 2 top bolts that hold the engine to bell housing are a bear to get to. to do this : hook the engine to the hoist and pull the motor mounts and lower the engine a little bit to give you some room between the back of the motor and the fire wall. after you get these 2 bolts out,lift the engine a little and put a block under the transmission to hold the transmission in place while the motor is out.
2)when putting the starter back on , be very carefull with the metal shim that goes between the starter and the bell housing. Some how I bent mine just enough to hit the flex plate , so when I first started the motor , it sounded like a thashing machine. I just knew I had screwed up something. had to pull the starter and straighten out the shim plate and put it back together . The starter is a real pain in the neck to take off and put back.
3)I had a couple of oil leaks as well. a pretty good puddle after running a few minutes. one was a valve cover gasket and the other was the "o" ring seal on the filler cap. Zach told me that I would have considerably more oil flow and better oil pressure in this engine than the factory. and he was right .

hope this helps . just ask if you have any more questions.....

 

Thanks for sharing your experience guys.
I've had good luck with my stock 3.8 on 35s for 70k miles and know I'm going to have to look at engine options eventual.

Would you say the power gains with the 505 3.8 build are noticeable?

 

Well , less than 1000 miles on the new engine , and got the ole "Misfire on cyl 5" code ......
changed everything that makes fire , no difference ,
very frustrating !

 

We'll trade motors- I've got no cylinder misfire issues, no consumption.......and not much power

Hopefully it's a quick/ easy fix like a cracked plug. I had that straight out of the factory and the dealer told me "misfires are normal, that's part of the break in".

 

pushrod on cyl 5 poped out from under the rocker ?
jow does that happen ?

 

Sounds like improper lash adjustment.

 

got it going. running good. finally satisfied. and back on the road again............ :-)