5 Best Motors to Swap into a Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is the ultimate off-road vehicle, but the recent factory engine options have been lackluster. Pull out the cherry picker and the wrenches and almost anything can be swapped into your Jeep. Here are some favorite options.
1. That Thing Got a Hemi?
Since Jeep has been owned by mother Mopar since the 1980s, you have to wonder why they don't do this swap themselves and offer it to power mad Wrangler buyers. The Hemi you can buy in the Grand Cherokee has more than 350hp and nearly 400lb-ft of torque, plenty to get you up and over any trail. Plenty of companies offer swap kits or even will do the swap for you, but it typically requires a donor wrecked Jeep Commander or Grand Cherokee. The great thing about a Hemi swapped into a 2007-present Jeep is that all the fancy computer stuff is plug and play (with the right kit).
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2. LS Swap Everything
The GM LS family of V8 engines is probably the most popular swap option no matter what you are swapping it into. They range from 4.8 liters to 6.2 liters from the factory and have been in use since 1997, so there are plenty in the junkyard today. Find a 6.2 liter from a Cadillac Escalade and you have an easy 400hp and almost 420lb-ft of torque, but even the 4.8 liters from the base model trucks have more than 250hp and nearly 300lb-ft of torque. Available kits make this a practical plug and play swap.
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3. Cummins and Goings
The Cummins diesel engine in the Ram truck is known to be a torque monster, and it is also a heavy pig that would make your Wrangler flip over frontwards in a panic stop. However, the smaller 4BT Cummins 4 cylinder turbo diesel still makes plenty of power. The 3.9 liter 4 cylinder Cummins motor weighs in at 800lbs, so you can imagine what the 6 cylinder is, and the 16v post-1998 put out 170hp and a whopping 420lb-ft of torque! The earlier 8 valve motor may be easier to find, but only put out 295lb-ft. These motors were in all sorts of commercial trucks and vans, plus stationary equipment like generators, cement mixers, and wood chippers.
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4. Jeep Goes Italian Diesel
In 2005 and 2006 Jeep offered the Liberty with a VM Motori turbo diesel motor making 163hp and 295lb-ft or torque, and the Wrangler got it too, just not for the American market. If you are looking for a diesel engine to swap in, this one is the easiest one to use, though finding one is the hard part. Shipping may be the most expensive part, but find a used parts dealer in Canada or Mexico, and you may be able to buy a whole diesel Wrangler powertrain.
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5. Why not a Ford EcoBoost V6?
Ford has been selling F-150 trucks with the EcoBoost V6 in them since 2011, so there should be plenty out there now as drivetrain donors, so why hasn't anyone done this swap? The new EcoBoost Raptor is making headlines, but wouldn't that motor be even better with 2,000lbs less to haul around? The smaller 2.7 liter in the 2015 and up F-150 puts out 325hp and 375lb-ft of torque, and normal 3.5 liters has put out 365hp and 420lb-ft of torque since 2011. You are on your own for this one, but how hard could it be?
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For help keeping your JK Wrangler rolling free, check out the how to sections of JK-Forum.com