Galactica - 2018 JL

WNDR-XJ

Member 2024
Blue Ribbon Coalition
VA4WDA
After owning 4 Jeep Cherokee's (3 XJs and 1 KL) we finally decided to jump off the deep end and get our first Wrangler. Introducing Galactica - the 2018 JL.

We have been researching and planning out or JL build over the past year and were lucky enough to find a great deal on a used Sport S. Considering that we expect to replace most factory components we were focused on finding a Wrangler in good body and interior condition!
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Lets just say that things escalated rather quickly....
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We will be posting all about the first stage of our build shortly, and hope to be able to bring Galactica to the Show and Shine in a few weeks!
 
Wow, that was quick! I’ll definitely be watching this thread closely, excited to see what you’ve got planned


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
As the pictures above indicate, we're in deep space now!  This post is just an overview of our overall approach and build goals.  Without further ado...

Do it (right) the first time.  Our primary goal is to buy the right/best part now, rather than iteratively upgrade over the life of the Jeep.  Through our XJ ownership and build process (and by talking to many other Jeep owners), we well understand the cascading effect of minor changes and why Jeep can be the abbreviation for “Just empty every pocket.”  As a result, we saved up, so that we could build the Jeep the way we want it for the long-haul right from the start.  We know there will be breakages and minor upgrades along the way, but we are confident that we will save money overall by building it to spec now.  This is also why we pursued a lightly used Sport versus a new Jeep or new/used Rubicon.  Knowing that we would be upgrading quite literally every component meant that the advantages of the Rubicon were not present from a cost standpoint. 

Reliability.  Also very important to us is the ability to drive to the trail, wheel hard, and drive home.  This means that we are focusing on components that are more than capable of handling the most challenging trails we anticipate completing.  We are also building everything to handle the largest components we would anticipate ever putting on the Jeep.  For example, even if we don’t put 42’s on it now, we will be able to with little impact on other components later. 

We are starting this process with the powertrain.  We opted to replace the factory 3.6L V6 with the 6.2L LS3 from Bruiser Conversions.  Bruiser is the only company that has been able to fully integrate the LS3 platform with the Jeep body, engine, and transmission control modules.  So, with the ability to run a non-Chrysler engine with a Chrysler computer, we liked the LS3 over a hemi conversion for a few reasons.  First, there is a great degree of reliability in terms of aftermarket support for the LS3 platform, and it is generally a reliable engine (almost like the legendary 4.0L in-line 6).  Second, the overall packaging of the LS3 is quite compact, such that it fits even better in the Jeep than the stock engine.  Third, the serviceability is better/easier on the LS3 compared to the hemi (e.g., we have seen hemi conversions that require removing the whole front clip to change the serpentine belt). 

Our later posts as the next year goes on will discuss our other choices – stay tuned!

Installation and maintenance.  We enjoy tinkering, and we are YouTube-certified Jeep mechanics  Ability to both do the build and maintain all of components ourselves (i.e. reliability and build quality) is important to us.  In terms of the powertrain, Bruiser offers a great kit that is pretty much plug-and-play, with pre-fabbed wiring harnesses and all of the components you need to do the swap.  While the kit costs more than if we were to purchase a crate engine and piece together a swap ourselves, it was certainly far easier and quicker to get this kit (not to mention the computer programming aspects mentioned above).  Bruiser also offers great tech support during and after the install should issues arise, which we definitely took advantage of.  As we are one of the early adopters for the DIY swap on the JL (particularly the 2-door), Bruiser offered us a discount on our kit for documenting and reviewing our install experience.  Hopefully future DIY kit purchasers can benefit from our process, and we are certainly happy to assist any other NovaJeepers who might go this route.

As we move forward with other components, we will be selecting those that offer good serviceability, vendors with good reputations, and the ability to rebuild broken parts, rather than having to necessarily fully replace them (also a plus for the environment).

Weight.  One of the excellent things about the XJ is how light it is.  It can tackle obstacles seemingly improbable based on its equipment level simply because it is quite light compared to other similarly-equipped Wranglers.  One of our main goals is to therefore keep the sprung weight as light as possible.  This is among the reasons we selected a 2-door, and we will be using as many lightweight/aluminum components as possible.  As to the engine, the LS3 is a full aluminum block.  We weighed it coming off the pallet and compared it to the 3.6L Pentastar going onto the pallet for sale.  The LS3 – for two extra cylinders and almost double the displacement – is only 42 pounds heavier.  That’s a deal in our minds.  For the unsprung weight, we are also trying to strike a balance between light and strong, and it seems the options are only getting better.  Stay tuned! 

All that said, we’re excited to bring Galactica to the show & shine this weekend with the engine phase complete.  We’ll be posting our step-by-step build process for the engine here shortly as we write it up.  We’ll keep updating as we keep building the rest over the course of the year! 

So say we all.
 
General Tips For The DIY Installer

  1. Remove the computer right away and coordinate with Bruiser to send the computer the tuning Vendor ASAP. In our experience it took over a month from the time we sent the computer to when it was returned
  2. You will need access to a HP Tuner for the transmission tuning. These tuning devices are around $299 pre-credits, and may have limited use for the average consumer. ORI offered us access to their tuner, but we would need to trailer the Jeep to them to read the baseline tune, send the tune to Bruiser, and wait for them to modify it, send it back, then use the tuner to apply the tune. Considering we would need to rent a trailer, take at least one day (if not more) off work, etc we decided to buy a tuner. If anyone else is looking to do a DIY conversion we are happy to lend you ours.
  3. 2 Door installations are a bit more challenging than 4 door installs. Some considerations for 2 Door JLs are:
    1. Adjustable control arms may be required in the rear of the vehicle to achieve the desired pinion angle post swap due to the transmission being moved rearward.
    2. The exhaust provided in the swap kit will NOT fit a 2 Door JL and will require a custom solution / modification on the passenger side due to the gas tank being more forward on the vehicle.
  4. Stock installations have some additional considerations:
    1. Without a lift, the air conditioning compressor will impact the upper passenger side control arm mount on the front axle unless additional bump stops are installed on the front axle.
 
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AC Reclamation

The JL contains YF-1234 refrigerant and needs to be reclaimed appropriately before starting any work. As YF-1234 is flammable, special handing and tools are required to work with it, and not all shops have the required equipment. Sunset Hills Automotive in Reston charged $50 to reclaim the refrigerant (and lucky for them they get to resell it). Save the environment, and don’t blow yourself up - get it reclaimed appropriately.

Bumper and Grill Removal
We did not capture videos of the grill removal process but there are plenty of videos online showing how to do it, such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ILleBtsSjQ

Likewise the factory bumper removal may not have strictly been required, but due to the limited range of the 1 ton engine hoist we had, and the desire to make it easier on ourselves, we removed the factory bumper. Again plenty of videos online, such as this one here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsG-ochuNy4.

At this point you should end up with something that looks like this!
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Battery / Headlight Removal
At this point, we need to disconnect the battery.
Note: The JL has two batteries, you should disconnect the negative wire circled in the photo below from the wire terminal, and ensure it stays disconnected from the negative terminal for the remainder of the work.
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We then disconnected the headlights, labeling the wiring, and removed the headlight. Though removing the headlight completely may not be required for the install, we are upgrading them during this project and they needed to come out anyway
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Radiator Assembly Removal
We started by removing the electrical connection for the front fan, removing the push pins, labeling the connector, and setting it aside.
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The JL Sport, with a non-tow package comes with a 600W fan, whereas the Rubicon with the 4.10 rear axle, or Wranglers equipped with the tow package, come with a 850W fan. While the conversion kit claims that no additional cooling upgrades are required, we opted to purchase a Rubicon fan (part number 68282799AD) and the corresponding high amp z-fuse array (part number 68368854AA) to add additional cooling capacity over the stock Sport setup. Fortunately, I was able to verify that the gauge wire to the fan is the same between our Sport model and a colleague's JL with the factory tow package - so no upgrade to the wiring was required.
 
Front Clip Removal
Next we removed the front clip, which involved disconnecting a number of coolant hoses, wiring connectors, etc. Once again, label all the connectors so you know what they are used for later.

We started by draining the coolant system by using the peacock valve on the radiator, located in the lower driver side corner. The valve needs to be rotated about 720 degrees counter clockwise before coolant will be released.
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Disconnect the upper radiator and fill hoses
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Along with the lower radiator hose
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Using a pick, remove the retaining clips from the transmission cooler lines, and make sure to save these, as they will be reused later. At this point the radiators and fan can be removed.
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Disconnect the wiring harness
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Then remove the bolts holding on the front clip.
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Then you end up with something like this!
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Coolant Line Removal
At this point you need to start removing a number of cooling lines, anywhere that they attach to the frame / body. The cooling system on the 3.6L is…. extensive, for reference here is a diagram of the cooling system.
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We started by removing the coolant reservoir and disconnecting the associated hoses, the instructions don’t state that this is necessary but the extra clearance is nice to have.
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We removed the lower radiator hose mounting bracket from under the front frame bar.
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We then disconnected the heater core from the coolant system, the instructions say to disconnect it at the firewall, but I was unable to get the correct clearance to remove the spring clips, so I disconnected them from the engine and removed the hoses after the engine was out.
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Note: After getting the engine all the way out of the Jeep I discovered that there are actually retaining clips holding the hoses directly to the heater core - simply use a pick to remove the clips, and they pop off super easily.
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More to come tomorrow!
 
O2 Sensors
Take off the inner fender liners to get easiest access to the O2 sensors.

Driver Side
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Passenger Side
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Diagram for reference
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Removing the Exhaust
This was actually one of the more frustrating parts of the entire removal process, the exhaust headers are held on by four bolts, two of which have very limited access, with one of them being behind the catalytic converter. Fortunately the lower bolts just need to be loosened and then the headers will slide out if you lift them up.

The image below shows the headers removed, but note how the clips hold the headers on.
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We then removed the Y pipe, and the rest of the exhaust back to the factory connection point just before the exhaust extension pipe (everything from the line in the picture to the engine shown in the picture below)
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Remove the Front and Rear Drive Shaft
Before removing the drive shafts, ensure that the vehicle is secured so it does not roll once the driveshafts are removed. The driveshafts are secured with a Torx style bolt but come off pretty easily.
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Removing the Gas Tank
Modifications to the fuel sending unit are required to support the additional fuel requirements of the new engine.

We started by removing the fuel lines from the engine by disconnecting them from under the passenger footwell and drained the fuel into a fuel safe container.
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Then we unplugged the fuel evap system quick disconnect lines and fuel filler clamp at the rear of the tank. (note the fuel filler line is not disconnected in the image below)
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Using a floor jack, we supported the fuel skid and removed all seven bolts holding the skid in place. Note: there is one bolt that is longer than the others, take note as to where this one came from for re-installation. This also required removing the transmission crossmember, so we supported the transmission and transfer case with jack stands.

We then started dropping the tank and disconnected the appropriate lines atop the tank that became accessible once the tank was lowered a few inches.

Once the tank was fully removed, we used a vacuum, compressed air, and a hose to clean-up the dirt and debris that had accumulated atop the fuel tank. This ensured that when we removed the fuel sending unit we would not contaminate the fuel tank.

Using a flat head punch we removed the retaining ring holding the fuel sending unit by tapping it counter clockwise around the entire ring to get it to come off. We then removed the sending unit and cleaned up the gasket mating surfaces.
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To remove the sending unit from the tank we slowly lifted the sending unit while removing the quick disconnect hoses within the tank . The sending unit has a fuel gauge float attached to it so we had to make sure not to damage that during removal. There is a third quick disconnect that you have to also remove that is only accessible after the majority of the unit is removed from the tank.

We then had to disassemble the fuel sending unit by disconnecting two electrical connections, and a "c" retaining clip, and then use a screw driver to carefully separate the bucket from the rest of the sending unit.
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We then removed a white plastic cover which covered the fuel pressure regulator. Then using a 6mm allen key and a pair of pliers, we backed out the regulator screw until it was flush with the bottom of the outer barrel. This sets the fuel pressure correctly for the new engine.
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We then reassembled everything, making sure to reconnect all the electrical and quick disconnect fittings, and cleaning the green fuel tank O-ring to ensure a tight seal.
 
Transmission Linkage Removal
We then removed the remaining transmission and transfer case linkages
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The transfer case linkage was interesting to remove, I could not find the correct procedures to remove the linkages, so I ended up just prying the linkage off, and out of concern that I damaged it during the removal process I went ahead and ordered a new linkage (68295710AB) to replace the existing one.
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Then I removed the transfer case linkages
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Engine Removal
Now with everything detached it is time to double check for any wiring harnesses, grounds, wires, etc. connecting the engine to the frame. In order to best support the transmission without damaging the many, many lines on the engine, I ran the chain through square tube steel and placed that under the bellhousing. The steel tube pushed the chain out away from the sides of the drivetrain so as to not interact with the wiring and cables.

Then it is time to remove the engine! Sorry for the very lame copyright free music that just repeats... better than listening to the wife and I banter on
https://youtu.be/-qLgTRZhfuM

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More to come!
 
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