I had a takeoff from a 2012 JK with the pentastar that just fit. Was a little shorter than the 2011 one and worked until I could get the D60 in and a new 1350 driveshaft made for it.

 

FWIW, I run a MoTech 6.0L (L96) with 6L80e that they installed for me. It's run great for several years. I'm a fan of the LS installs only because of the programmability support for both the engine and the transmission. (this is likely just because I'm more familiar with the GM programming)

More importantly, I'm pretty sure that the Hemi problems are a thing of the past. (so I understand anyway). An acquaintance has one of the early installs and he had trouble getting the engine to stay cool and it would overheat often. He now has a different radiator and, I believe, cooling fan system and does not have this trouble anymore. To my knowledge, that's the only troubles he's had with his conversion.

Really, at this point, I think you can't go wrong with either platform. I do still think that GM has the edge on conversions, especially when you are looking at using a GEN V LS.

 

It's really all about the transmission , drive them both , then make the decision .

LS-3 with a 6L80E is by far a better choice in my humble opinion , the Hemi is just not the issue it's the transmission is not as friendly in a body shaped like a brick .
I drove a few different Hemi swapped JK's and a few LS swapped ones , the LS just stood out as better .
It didn't hunt gears nearly the way the Mopar transmission did in all of them . Found it annoying , step on the gas and it would drop two and sometimes more gears and rev wildly , just a more controllable trans in the LS .
Maybe the tune was not there , don't know .
Took me months of reading and begging to drive other people's Jeeps before I pulled the trigger , most people would without too much concern will probably allow you a supervised visit with their Jeep , but some were like " No F-N way" .
Robbie @ MoTech will let you take one of his for a spin if you ask nicely . He's in Vegas if your in the neighborhood .

But before you do anything , read everything you can about the subject . Get yourself informed about this decision , it's not cheap or something you want to do over again .

 

+100,000 The 6L80E is awesome!!!

 

I see in your signature that you have 4.88 gears. My next mod will likely be in re-gearing where I've been debating between 4.56 or 4.88. For my current needs, 4.88 will likely be best but the reason I've been considering 4.56 is because I'ld like to only have to re-gear once and have read that when you go with a Hemi or LS V8 swap that 4.10 or 4.56 are preferred gears.

How do those 4.88 gears feel for you with the 6L80E trans? Do you feel you would prefer another size instead? You currently have 37 or 40in tires?

 

Running 40" tires and the 4.88 with the 6L80E is spot on. 70mph I'm cruising at 1875 rpm

 

This is a subject that will also require more reading and considerations , the 6L80E in my JK will net you in 4HI a first gear in the neighborhood of 4:1 , so with the 241 TC I have not needed to use LR , tried it once and , too low .
I'm now in process of re-gearing to 4:30's in 60's .
There are tons (pun intended) of information available on the subject . A lot of it is subjective , but for me 4:10's were too high and 4:88's were relatively close to where I was at with my current gear ratio at 5:13's , is it the wrong ratio for a LS , YES .
I had considered 4:10's , but still wanted a little a more lively hot rod gear than a gear that would be a fuel saver or too conservative , so I hit the middle .
LS's like to rev a little , but will feel right and comfortable at about 1.7k-2k , once you drive one you'll know .
There is a lot of information out there , talk to the companies that do these swaps , make some phone calls , get a feel for them , then go for it . read every thing you can , make your eyes bleed .
It will be the best decision you make in regards to performance , and the worst for your wallet .

 

Thanks for the insight! I've done some reading but definitely need to do more. I plan on sticking with 35in tires. I believe Robbie from Mo-tech recommended 4.56 gears for their LS conversions and running 35s. Also, given Riptide is happy with 4.88 gears and running 40's, 4.56 gears with my 35s will likely be closer to a happy medium for myself in an effort to avoid the necessity for another re-gear once I reach the LS conversion stage.

I would love to get the kit like Riptide did to make life easier on myself but I'm trying to budget <$10K for an LS swap. I'm thinking if I get the engine and trans myself via a totaled car auction or junk yard, then I may be able to save some $ going that route, at the cost of more time/effort. That's the reason I need to do my homework to be able to figure out which GM vehicle with an LS engine/trans combo donor will work best for me. Is it an LS from a pickup, or a corvette, impala, Cadillac? That currently has me scratching my head.

 

I am pretty sure that your life time warrant is only good if you don't lift or modify your Jeep. At least that is what I have been reading in the forums.

 

I am still not sure. I will have to talk to a couple of shops and listen to what they say. I do not have knowledge or tools to do the swap myself, but that engine looked amazing.

As it stands, I am going to take my Jeep to the shop and if it is just the WCM or something simple, then I am going to fix it. If not, then I am going to proceed forward with the engine swap.

Thanks everyone.