The Polar Bear - NP241 Upgrade

[downtowncb]

Dude. E-knucks. You are doing some damn clean work.

Thank you guys very much.

What are you doing for a transmission cooler?

I have a big cooler that I got off a turbo diesel in the wrecking yards I am going to try and make work.

[ATL ZJ]

Better hurry up so you can say the swap took you less than a year!

Actually it's only been ~9-10 months if you start counting on the day you pulled the old motor. But I'm sure you're dying to hear that thing scream after having it sitting for a year. Pulled the plugs to oil prime it yet?

Props for disciplining yourself. I wouldn't know, but I've heard that good work takes time... and that everything goes to shit when you rush to make any kind of deadline.

[downtowncb]

Better hurry up so you can say the swap took you less than a year!

Actually it's only been ~9-10 months if you start counting on the day you pulled the old motor. But I'm sure you're dying to hear that thing scream after having it sitting for a year. Pulled the plugs to oil prime it yet?

Props for disciplining yourself. I wouldn't know, but I've heard that good work takes time... and that everything goes to shit when you rush to make any kind of deadline.

Haha I am painfully aware that it has been 10 months because I have been without a car (just the motorcycle) for the last 5 after the shitty 42re went out in my other Jeep. The biggest reason it has taken me so long is because of how much time I put into the details and obsess over small shit. That and there are about 10 additional upgrades that made it in that weren't in the initial list . At some point I just had to say enough is enough, just get the damn thing on the road.

I pulled the plugs because I bought a new set. How do you oil prime? Just run the starter?

On another note my family and I are going to GSW this year finally! I talked my dad into letting me use his Silverado 2500 to tow the Jeep out to Utah incase I break something I'm not stranded out there. I think we have decided to stay in Sand Flats campground.

[BigDaveZJ]

On another note my family and I are going to GSW this year finally! I talked my dad into letting me use his Silverado 2500 to tow the Jeep out to Utah incase I break something I'm not stranded out there. I think we have decided to stay in Sand Flats campground.

Nice! Be cool to check this thing out in person.

[ATL ZJ]

Ha I was trying to say that having the motor laying around doesn't count, not just telling you facts about your own build.

I pulled my plugs and squirted a very small amount of oil into each cylinder. And yes I turned it over a LOT of times before starting it... mainly due to my TPS being wired backwards but that's another story altogether. Most people will tell you to oil prime it with a squirt of oil in each cylinder and turn it over with the ignition disconnected until it builds some oil pressure (mine never did though) and then you are OK to fire it. Somebody correct me if I am wrong, I'm still learning this stuff.

[downtowncb]

Nice! Be cool to check this thing out in person.

I've wanted to go since I joined this forum but it just never worked out with school, but now that I've graduated I'm free. The parents are going to rent an RV and come out with my girlfriend and I. Another friend of mine is bringing his family out with us too but he has a 4Runner so we're going to do some things with the group and some on our own. I don't want to bail on him just because he doesn't have a grand haha.

Ha I was trying to say that having the motor laying around doesn't count, not just telling you facts about your own build.

I pulled my plugs and squirted a very small amount of oil into each cylinder. And yes I turned it over a LOT of times before starting it... mainly due to my TPS being wired backwards but that's another story altogether. Most people will tell you to oil prime it with a squirt of oil in each cylinder and turn it over with the ignition disconnected until it builds some oil pressure (mine never did though) and then you are OK to fire it. Somebody correct me if I am wrong, I'm still learning this stuff.

No worries, I was just agreeing with you

That sounds about like I've heard in the past. Makes sense because this baby has been sitting without oil flowing through it for quite a while and could use a little circulation before it fires up.

[paulkeith]

i dont know what i'd do if you couldn't just run the pump with a drill down the distributor shaft.....stupid LS engines....

edit: can you store nitrogen tanks on their side? i thought one of the gasses you couldn't. can't remember which. i r enginur.

[ATL ZJ]

i dont know what i'd do if you couldn't just run the pump with a drill down the distributor shaft.....stupid LS engines....

the easy way is just to install an accumulator, although that involves precautions of its own. Not to mention it won't be needed since he kept the truck pan.

[Jeeptech01]

When I prime one thats what I do. Pull plugs, fill crankcase, put batt charger on, run starter with no plugs in motor, stop every 15 seconds or so for 5-10 sec, and you'll get oil pressure. Im lovin that you kept the vortec bonnet. Plus the truck intakes are just hideous.

[downtowncb]

edit: can you store nitrogen tanks on their side? i thought one of the gasses you couldn't. can't remember which. i r enginur.

I could be WAY off on this but I think that's CO2 you're talking about because of the phase change. I'm sure I will be corrected

[ATL ZJ]

I could be WAY off on this but I think that's CO2 you're talking about because of the phase change. I'm sure I will be corrected

Yeah that is just for CO2. Nitrogen tanks deplete a lot quicker than CO2 tanks of the same capacity because the tanks are full of a gas rather than a liquid. I can still get a bunch of shock charges and even trailer tire fills out of mine though.

[paulkeith]

that's true, i guess to get nitrogen to liquid it needs to be cooled or under serious pressure.

whaddaya know.

[IndyZJ]

So... is it running yet?

[downtowncb]

I tried to talk the guy down to $40 from $65 for the exhaust flanges but he wouldn't budge so I bought a piece of 3/8" steel for $7 and am going to make my own today. I'll put up a video when it starts.

[downtowncb]

Here is a shot of the completed coolers. The junkyard transmission cooler I had was way too thick to fit in there so I ended up getting the biggest one they had at Napa. It is currently plumbed to be the only cooler, i.e. it doesn’t run through the radiator. Does this seem like a bad idea? I have a temp gauge on it so I guess I can just modify if necessary.



The gasket between the adapter and transfer case that AA provided wasn’t working very well so I dropped the t-case, pulled the gasket out and just sealed it with RTV. Let it sit over night and put it back in this morning, so far no leaks. Here is a shot of the belly clearance. I took the Clayton cross member and rotated it up, gained about 2” of clearance there.



Finally since that guy was a douche and wanted $65 for two little pieces of metal, I bought a piece of 3/8” steel for $7 and 2 hours in the machine shop later I made my own. I started on the exhaust routing tonight but I ran out of light. It is going to be VERY tricky fitting it around the front drive shaft, especially with upstream cats!

[Jeeptech01]

I ran a single cooler that size on my built and stalled th400 without issue. I was NOT nice to it and never had issues. FWIW

[IndyZJ]

It's probably nothing to worry about with a cooler that size, but more cooling isn't really a bad thing for a transmission (to an extent). On the other hand, you don't want to have an AP scenario and waste the trans if the radiator goes bad and the two fluids end up mixing. I'd run it and see what the temps look like.

You've got to be going crazy with it being this close to ready to fire lol.

[AgitatedPancake]

Technically not running your ATF through the radiator should keep the coolant temps down a little bit too

I was fully prepared to run the auto with just the aftermarket cooler, before I went with the manual

[Jeeptech01]

What is wrong with the lubricity of ethylene glycol? I use it on my slip and slide without issue every summer...











Yes, I've been drinking

[downtowncb]

You've got to be going crazy with it being this close to ready to fire lol.

I'm nuttier than a god damn fruit cake right now.

What is wrong with the lubricity of ethylene glycol? I use it on my slip and slide without issue every summer...

Yes, I've been drinking

Drinking and web wheeling eh?!...

Anyways I tried for several hours to cobble together a y-pipe that would include both upstream cats so I can remain smog legal and there was no way in hell I could make it work. So I went to three different exhaust shops this afternoon; the first two all but told me to fuck off but the third was very nice and said he would gladly help me on monday. So I'm going to finish up everything I can this weekend and have it towed to him. I was really hoping to be able to complete this whole project on my own but routing this exhaust is proving to be very difficult without a bender.



Oh and the bumper is getting some love too as soon as it's running; right now it doesn't protect shit.

[IndyZJ]

Oh and the bumper is getting some love too as soon as it's running; right now it looks like shit.

fixed

Judging by the rest of your work, I expect better from you

Projects like this have got me bustin ass on my shit - thanks for posting everything. But, now I want to get another LS motor to throw in the ZJ.

yup, I've been drinkin, too

[downtowncb]

Haha I know it looks like shit. The Jeep came with it. After the work I put in under the hood where very few people will see, I'm not about to let an ugly ass redneck fab bumper ruin it. It has the receiver hitch for the winch so you can also use the winch in the rear. I'm going to see if I can make a trick bumper where you can still take the winch out and use it from the rear if needed but it will blend in a lot better with the front.

As far as the exhaust goes, I've realized I just had a day of weakness. I can build that shit myself! I'm going to find the smallest god damn precats I can, pick up some bends from the muffler shop and just do the damn thing.

[Jeeptech01]

HaHa yea that bumper makes me want to club a baby seal LOL

[downtowncb]

Got the shifter done today. I looked on ebay for a shifter from a Camaro, Blazer etc... but decided I could make the stock one work. So after a couple of hours with the welder and dremel I modified the gating on my shifter to work with the 4L60E.

Here is the modified gating. I also had to extend the mount for the cable holder to work with the truck cable.



Here it is painted and installed.



Finally can't remember if I posted this but this is how I mounted the drive by wire pedal.



Now I'm just waiting for my order of exhaust parts to get here from Summit Racing so I can start this baby up.

[AgitatedPancake]

Lookin good man, but one thing I noticed




It looks like your engine has a problem