new to this "part" of JU... have some ZJ Q's

[Sir Flex Alot]

I am a avid YJ rock crawler, but recently my interested as pecked into buying a V8 ZJ and do some mods to it to tame the need for speed that cant be itched in my lifted YJ. 5.9s are few and far between around here, and when they are for sale they are worth a mint. But, I can find a lot of 5.2s… What kind of mods are available (and worth doing) for the 5.2? And have any of you ever swapped out a 5.2 for a 5.9? what kind of things did it involve? (Engine and computer sway, or did other major things need to be addressed?) That was my seconded idea, buying a 5.2, driving it until the power train was had, then swapping in the 5.9, but I didn’t know how feasible it was. (yeah I know, cheaper and easier in the long run to buy a 5.9, but I just want to know if its somewhat possible to do a swap with out killing yourself) Oh, and not like it matters that much, but what are you guys getting for MPG 5.2 and 5.9? Thanks guys

[UntameD]

if you HAVE to get the 5.2 and not the 5.9. a swap is easy. it just goes right in because the engine mounts are even in the same place. i would think that you also will need to upgrade your transmission to a 46re (that comes in the 5.9's stock...along with an electric fan).

for bolt ons, check out my mods in my siggy. i have the basic bolt ons. i could still get the 5.9 efan and install it into my 5.2. another bolt on i havnt done quite yet is the m1 intake manifold which would give me a nice 25hp above 3800rpms. with the mods i have so far, i should be hitting high 14's in the 1/4 mile in my 5.2 ...

however, i am having some problems with my mileage. i should be doing some 14-15mpg like most people with similar mods as mine do, but i calculated a 9.16mpg (freeway/street avg) which is TERRIBLE! as soon as i figure out my problem, i'll should be doing 14. also if you get a 5.2 MAKE SURE YOU DONT GET THE 97 model!!! get the 96 or 98 instead! the Mopar Performance computer was discontinued for the 97 model. this is also why i have the ASEchip instead of the Mopar ECU... to make thing MUCH easier check out Dino's HP gains thread (its a sticky in this forum) it'll give you estimated hp gains for mods and the bold ones are actual dyno proven numbers - useful stuff there. have fun my friend.

-UntameD

[Sir Flex Alot]

So the 97s are bad news? Right now I would be happy with something that had a nice V8 exhaust note and was somewhat “quick”. I have to finish college before I can even dream the idea of dumping to much money into a ZJ (my YJ was a money pit, the CJ I just got its going to be any different). So, as it is now, stay away from the 97’s, and 5.9 swap vary possible, am I right so far? Oh, and 9MPG makes me want to use a CJ with 38s as a DD…:woozy:

[UntameD]

LOL!

you're pretty close on the dot... 97 isnt BAD news, just that you cant buy the mopar ECU which is a key mod - it'll raise your rev limiter to 6000rpm and give you some 15hp to boot. the 6000rpm capability is the important thing because if you want to go fast in a zj you'll need to do a cam change. and basically a good cam will cause peak hp to be around 5500rpm (stock limit is 5250rpm) so the mopar ECU is an impoartant mod. and since it's discontinued on the 97 5.2... just get the 96 or 98 model instead... that is, if you're planning on doing anything lower than a 14.0 on the 1/4 mile strip

[UntameD]

oh and i got to say that i'm pretty much the only person on this forum who has a 9.16mpg zj... most of us do 14-15

[Sir Flex Alot]

Ok, ready for the retard question of the night… What dose your exhaust note sound like with a aftermarket pipe? (Great, good, so-so?) Dose anyone have a sound clip of there 5.2 or 5.9 with a after market exhaust? I miss that sound to hell, I had a 89 mustang I use to race the ¼ every chance I had, and even with the stock 5.0 I could listen to that thing all day and not get tired of that sound, but it sounded better with the stroker)

[UntameD]

IMO - it has the BEST muffled v8 sound

it's similar to the 5.0 mustang sound, but more unique in it's tone.

i made a couple vids of my zj a lil while ago. search by screen name for UntameD and check out the thread titled "my 318 - shift vids " or something like that. you can hear the exhaust in the back in the of the vids. one vid i'm doing 90mph to 130mph, and the other two are take offs. hope that helps...

[UntameD]

eh, im bored enough tonight... i found the links for ya

http://hs.riverdale.k12.or.us/~robertk/HWYfloor1.mpg
http://hs.riverdale.k12.or.us/~robe...erBreak1900.mpg
http://hs.riverdale.k12.or.us/~robe...elfBadShift.mpg

enjoy

[Sir Flex Alot]

Other then staying away from the 97’s, are all the models made for and after that made “equal”? Or is one model year a must have over another?
Nice vids, thanks. How much did that exhaust run you, and is that ram air set up home made? Dose anyone else use a different exhaust? 40 series maybe, or another brand? I have always liked flow master, so that will probably be the road I take, but I would be interested to know what other exhaust systems gave out a good note.

EDIT: What was the TSI trim package ZJ, what sets it apart from the Laredo?

[NXtremeJeep]

Damn Sarkis, I never knew they didn't make a performance pcm for thr 97's. Ur missin out.

I am drving proof of what you can do to a 96 5.2. I have the entire 5.9 drivtrain built to handle my 600+hp 800lb/ft.

later

[UntameD]

yeah Maaz... it SUCKS. but honestly im happy with ASE. judging from my trap speed (90mph) it's working as well as the mopar ECU should... except i dont have a raised rev limiter to 6000rpm. but its OK when i do my stroker i'm going to go with a standalone like the FAST system, and i'll be able to raise my rev limiter to whatever i want but for now ASE is good enough.

Flex - if you're going with the 5.2 make sure to go for the 96+ models. they have improved tq. pre-96 the 5.2 made 220hp and 285tq and 96+ they make 220hp and 300tq. it's just a slightly different cam is all.

the exhaust that i have isnt necesarily flowmaster. we call it the "Kolak Cat n' Back Exhaust" because we get it through Kolak. i have Mike Leach (or Positive Performance) headers along with the Mike Leach tailpipe. the entire setup is 3" and i also have the Carsound hi-flow cat and the flowmaster 50. this setup has proven to be arguably the best for our v8's... and most of us have this setup. you can get it through Kolak@aol.com he's the main man when it comes to performance parts. his name is Nick and he'll be happy to help you out. he's not just a vendor he'll give you all the advice and help you need. all you have to do is tell him how fast you want your jeep to go

the 97 model is great the trim is slightly different from the 96 but is basically the same jeep. as i said before the ONLY reason you shouldnt get it is because Chrysler discontinued the Mopar ECU for the 97 5.2 zj's.

yes, the ram air is a homebrew deal (for now). it's in the works of getting more "polished" and more sell-able. i'm going to open up my own performance shop (SS Tunning) and i'll sell my ram air along with my twin turbo kit (as soon as i finish making it) for the ZJ. my ram-air is actually track proven... if you do a search you should find my post of my before/after times

Sarkis

[Sir Flex Alot]

-=- originally posted by NXtremeJeep -=-
Damn Sarkis, I never knew they didn't make a performance pcm for thr 97's. Ur missin out.

I am drving proof of what you can do to a 96 5.2. I have the entire 5.9 drivtrain built to handle my 600+hp 800lb/ft.

later

So you started out as a 96 5.2? Do you have a web page or something showing the transformation?

UntameD: So the exhaust kit from Kolak is all of what you listed (besides the headers). Is it possible to turn it into a duel pipe set up? How where putting the headers on? Pain in the ass, or not to bad?

[UntameD]

kolak also sells a dual pipe exhaust. it'll be 2.5" though. and it's not necessarily going to improve performance. drop him an email and he'll give you all the info.

the headers were a B!TCH to install. but i did most of it myself at a friend's shop. basically you'll have to disconnect everything on the passengers side of the engine.. and maybe even have to raise the engine up a couple inches. but once theyre in it's a PERFECT fit. they're worth it 100% the best ones you can get in the market IMO. oh and it took some 8 hours JUST for the headers. the rest of the exhaust took like 2 hours lol

[Sir Flex Alot]

I just like the way dual pipes look... but if its not going to do anything for me whats the point? they dont make a dual set up with 3"? Ill have to shoot him an e-mail when I can.

[GreenJeeper]

-=- originally posted by Sir Flex Alot -=-
I just like the way dual pipes look... but if its not going to do anything for me whats the point? they dont make a dual set up with 3"? Ill have to shoot him an e-mail when I can.

dual setup with 3" = complete loss of performance. waayyy to big and youd have abosolutely no back pressure. Dual 2.5 = better but still a waste of time. A single 3" exhaust will give you the biggest performance gains along with being lighter and cheaper. Ive only seen 2 cars with dual 3" (and this is a true dual 3", you cant have true duals on a ZJ period) that actually gained performance. And thats cause one of them is a blown 351W foxbody and the other is a blown 454 chevy. To my knowledge you wouldnt want dual 3" on anything less then 500hp.

Flowmaster w/ the 318 v8 sound GREAT! They do indeed, like Untamed said, sounds quite a bit like 5.0 Mustangs. Especially with the 50 series (best one). I run a 40 series and it is loooud and rough. Ill be getting a 50 soon enough. Its great to see people looking around all confused trying to find out where that big v8 sound is coming from, completely ignoring your Jeep. I love it.

[Sir Flex Alot]

Ok, you have talked me out of duel exhaust. So you don’t like the 40 series flowmaster? Dose it really sound that bad, or is it just a little to load? (And are we talking 5.0 mustang with stock exhaust sound or 5.0 with after market pipes?)

[UntameD]

with headers it sounds like a straight piped 5.0 and IMO - even better. dont doubt our v8's so much. get the exhaust system and see how it is. many people have commented on my exhaust... the ML headers/y-pipe combo will HELP not just with sound but in terms of performance also!

[NXtremeJeep]

I have true duals with 2.5" pipes. I know i did lose some low end torque with them, but picked up some horsepower higher up.

I plan on redoing my exhuast with 2" pipes and a quieter muffler. Trying to further the sleeper effect.

[UntameD]

-=- originally posted by NXtremeJeep -=-
I plan on redoing my exhuast with 2" pipes and a quieter muffler. Trying to further the sleeper effect.

i plan to do the same when i get my 408

[GreenJeeper]

-=- originally posted by Sir Flex Alot -=-
Ok, you have talked me out of duel exhaust. So you don’t like the 40 series flowmaster? Dose it really sound that bad, or is it just a little to load? (And are we talking 5.0 mustang with stock exhaust sound or 5.0 with after market pipes?)

whoa, dont underestimate your jeep's v8! My 5.2L with the 40 series was right on par with my friends '92 foxbody 5.0 with 40 series, although he had 2 mufflers so it put it a little more deep resonance then mine. I got the 40 series cause im 19 and im an obnoxious teenager and I love when people pull over out of my way after a couple taps of the skinny pedal/ Im glad I got it, its fun, but I think the 50 series provides most of Wide Open Throttle sound a 40 does, with less uncivilized roughness in the lower revs. There is this one place in the powerband, usually around 1300rpm where the 40 series just puts out this suuuuper deep rumble. Loves to set off car alarms. Then at about 3000rpm it really kicks in again and sets off alarms. Sounds like a true muscle car. Unfortunetly, my friend with the foxbody moved up to a 351w and a dual 3" system with 40 series. I thought it was loud before.... now its way to much and you can barely even hear my Jeep next to his Ford.

If your into foxbody 5.0s and the whole American Thunder thing, get the 40 series. Its a blast. People hear it and look around for the big musclecar and get confused.