The Life And Death Of An LS1 Powered Jeep Wrangler

Spending the time to complete an LS swap requires a lot of dedication, hard work and patience, but the end result is worth the effort. One Jeepforum.com member decided to perform an LS swap on his Wrangler, and the end result was pretty awesome and heart breaking at the same time. LS swaps are extremely popular because let’s face it – an LS1 powered TJ beats the crap out of the anemic 4.0L factory offering. Thanks to the forum member’s brother driving his ’00 SS Camaro through a flood, thereby activating his insurance, the formerly hydrolocked LS1 made its way into the Jeep after receiving new block and other goodies.

Photo: Jeep Forum

Of the course the transmission issue plagued the forum member for a while thanks to wide array of options from building up an AX-15, T-56 6-speed manual or even a 4l60E automatic. After much debate, ordering parts and returning parts, the transmission debacle was finally put to rest; the creature comforts of a 4l60E automatic transmission, as well as the low-end crawling capability won out. Of course the additional power mandated that the Dana 35 had to be removed and replaced with something stronger like an 8.8. Although there were requests for video documentation of the death of the Dana 35, the forum member behind the build wisely opted to play it safe and not destroy the factory equipment. In the end the 4l60E required a rebuild, but it proved to be a great learning experience in working on one’s own transmission.

Despite the potential challenges from existing sensors and trying to avoid having every idiot light known to mankind from illuminating the dash, the mastermind behind the LS1 Jeep managed to make everything functional. Although the check engine light was on and original tachometer was not working, an aftermarket tach and removing the bulb took care of the issues. According to the posting on Jeepforums.com, the overall experience was frustrating in the beginning, but after the four letter word utterances were over it proved to be fairly straight-forward thanks to an accurate wiring diagram.

Once the Jeep was running under GM power, a video recording one of the early test-drives documents the epic moment despite a minor issue. When the LS1 roars to life viewers are treated to audio delight, but once the driver manages to avoid the 4^th generation Camaro on jackstands and prepares to drive away, the throttle ends up stuck open. After seeing and hearing the Jeep drive away, all that can be said is that TJ has the potential to be a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, the LS1 powered Jeep was not long for this world; the forum member’s brother needed to borrow the Jeep for a job requiring a little offroading and the Jeep perished in an accident. Whether or not this is the same brother who flooded the ’00 SS remains unknown, but the loss of the Jeep provided a sad conclusion for this tale.