Jeepster Roller, Part 7

Making stuff fit together...

New Exhaust Manifolds

I bought a set of C6 Corvette LS2-LS3 exhaust manifolds off of Craigslist 💰.  A previous Jeepster LS swap had successfully used them, and they looked promising.  

The manifolds that I had previously tried to use were off of a ~2010 Camaro LS3, and are known to be good for LS swaps.  Probably better for YJs, TJs, Wagoneers, etc,  with wider frame rails.  


The outlet also angles outwards a few degrees, which will help me route the exhaust outside of the frame rails:

I also bought some new gaskets, of course.  💰

Passenger Installation:

Before:


The extra clearance looks good - the passenger side has a lot of clearance now.  

Driver Installation


The motor is sitting about 1/2" low on the Driver's Side, so there's a little more clearance than what you see here:

Even with an extra 1/2", it's still pretty tight on the driver side!  But I think I can make it work.

Bonus O2 Port

These manifolds have the O2 sensor ports integrated into the exhaust manifold.  It'll make the exhaust slightly easier later.  

Motor Mounts

Passenger Side

I started on the passenger side since it was a little more open and easy to work on.  I had the notch out the Advanced Adapter mount to clear the new exhaust manifold:



I also had to shorten one of the screws to get it past the exhaust manifold and into position.  


Passenger Side Mocked Up...compressor, motor mount and exhaust manifold will all fit.  The engine is set over to the passenger side about 1/2" or so.  



I held the motor mount in place with a large C-clamp.  It's surprisingly secure, and would actually support the weight of the motor.  

AC Compressor

I also installed the AC Compressor to check clearance, and it is good.  


Driver's Side

I did the same process on the driver's side motor mount - it was notched for clearance around the exhaust manifold and then clamped in place

Before clamping, angles were checked...sitting level side to side:

Perfect!


Tilted 2 degrees down:

The motor mount is pretty tight on the steering shaft, so I'll remove the corner of that bracket when convenient:



Another view of the Driver's Side:

Transmission

Here it is:

It's not in perfect position yet:


Upper Link Mod Needed

The upper link on the axle needs to be moved in as shown.  Luckily, I have enough room between the block and motor mount.


Firewall Mod Needed

I'm going to modify the firewall for clearance in one small area near the passenger side cylinder head.  This area needs a little more clearance:


Next Steps

  • Triple check the engine location and then tack in the motor mounts
  • Make some real DOM links (+1" longer for new axle location!)
  • Move the axle forward along with the shock hoops and track bar mount.  UPS should deliver the new shock towers tomorrow.
  • Make a new Transmission Crossmember or modify and use the stock crossmember