Does swapping to a V8 affect anything else drivetrain related? I'm getting ready to go to 35's & 5.13's, and may one day decide to replace my 3.8 (auto) with an LS swap. With the LS swap do they usually install the 5 speed auto as well? Would I need to regear and pull out the 5.13's?

 

It depends on the model you get. With the 6.0 and bigger you will be using a 6 speed auto. The 4.6 and 5.3 have options for manual or automatics. Plan on drive shafts as well. It will really depend on your entire set up as far as gearing goes and if you are dropping one of the bigger motors in it you will likely be doing a rear axle swap to handle the extra hp.

 

Just another note, it is illegal to swap and LS into a Jeep in Nevada. The only engine swaps allowed are from the same manufacturer and must same year or newer then the vehicle they are going in.

 

Thanks for the reply Dirtman. That's interesting because MoTech is located here in Vegas. They advertise all kinds of engine swaps

 

They do and that is the frustrating part about it. We have a business in Nevada that does a huge business in engine swaps and we also have a huge off road communitly with lots of racing but can't legally swap an engine from another manufacturer that has a lot of aftermarket support. If it were not for the smog test in Clark and Washoe counties it would not be an issue. I am considering buying some land in the boonies so I can register the jeep there and do a swap without worrying about being able to smog it. I don't know any politicians here but I may make an effort to meet with my reps to try and get this line in the law removed as it makes no sense.

 

We are in California and we have done over 20 LS swaps, gearing for a V8 is way different than it is for a V6. The V8 has a lot more torque than the V6.

We have our own kit and we reuse the GM accessory drive and we use the Gen 4 engines from 2007-2014 and the 6L80 trans.

Our wiring is all new and we do not need your old wiring, we can use the Truck and Camaro engines, 5.3L, 6.0L, 6.2L.

 

This is not accurate, I am an emissions inspector for 18 years in Nevada and work closely with the lab. Recently Nevada wanted to interpret some obscure CARB regs but got a lot of heat over the interpretation. Cross manufacturer swaps were not in question and a popular myth. It had to do with engines not originally equipped as a factory option.

I recently got a visit from the guys in Carson City as they use us for referencey for Hemi swaps too. Hemi's were not installed in a JK from Jeep so they would have been victim too. They said they are dropping this obscure interpretation and the reality is most of the guys at the lab do not know what the NRS states without ambiguity.

Since then we certified an LS and a Hemi in Nevada. As long as the vehicle meets USEPA regs you should be okay.

 

From people I have talked to up here in Washoe county they are interpreting that differently and are not allowing swaps. In my conversations with you, you stated it would be a crap shoot and depend on the inspector. Has this changed in the last couple of weeks?

 

We have many Hemi swaps in Reno, that are legal their. I do not know about LS swaps in the Reno area, but my understanding is the same year or newer law, also it has to be a light duty engine.

Now in California, the law is same year or newer, light duty engines and the trans is part of the smog Equipment. Also the federal law is that the Jeep has to be out of emissions warranty and that is 8 years or 80,000 miles, so we can get a new emissions label.

We have passed many LS Jeeps in Cal.

We are tiring to make our LS kit easier and faster to install, with a high quality in our parts!

 

What's a crap shoot across the country is the lab, DMV or who you talk to regarding the swap. We build our swap to be USEPA complaint, we know guys are going to drive our swaps on the street so we do our best to help. Stating "for offroad use only" is somewhat of a cop out. This does not mean everyone of our swaps in every jurisdiction is legal; however, we have over 20 LS JK's certified in CA now.

Having decades of emissions experience helps our customers. Each jurisdiction must comply to USEPA regs and has the right too add their own. California and Denver are tough. Rules oike the age of the vehicle or milage we cannot control.

I have had labs in Utah, Colorado and others tell my customers "no". They are trained to say no, if they are not sure of the answer, no. You must be prepared and educated to respond. In the end we got the vehicles certified. By approaching the lab before the swap, doing the swap correctly with all proper equipment and software the results are good. Doing a hack swap with monitors not set, no donor engine information, no CEL, etc. makes them work hard and document the deficiencies and you lost them.

I met with a high up at the Washoe lab along with a politician about a month ago, they said the rules were not changing. It's still a crapshoot who you talk to and their interpretation; but do your diligence and you should be fine.