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1. Level And since GM engines conveniently offer multiple ports for wa eter cable pass through if you re retaining your factory me ter temperature and oil pressure we will leave the Jeep ECT 4 and chanical speedometer Oil Pressure 3 sensors connected to the wiring harness and simply install them into the GM engine The remaining item from this list is the Tachometer GM tach out puts vary but none are compatible with the Jeep YJ factory gauge There are two ways to conquer this challenge First is to use a tachometer adapter module such as the Dakota Digital SGI 8 which can calibrate your factory tachometer to your GM 1 Input TYPE 2 Sensitivity TS 3 Gauge Oyi Beng 4 Gauge cy engine The second tachometer option is to AA CUAL wee te ees replace the tach or the entire gauge Note the location of the Jeep oil pressure sensor on this Gen IIl engine above and the water temperature sensor be is easily done as the YJ Wrangler uses low It may be necessary to drill and tap as per the threads in your factory or aftermarket sensor set with aftermarket gauges which fairly standard gauge sizes Jeep Transfer Cases This guide is based on the retention of the 231 transfer case in your Jeep They are extremely reliable very durable and easily and afford ably adapted to your conversion powertrain We do recommend the use of 2 with your NP231 for the sake of durability against your s2. 700R4 etc run a speed signal generator with a speedometer cable through option These senders generate enough of a signal to notify the PCM of driving speeds enough to put the engine into true closed loop 1992 1995 models use a Vehicle Speed Sensor VSS at the transfer case output This can be disconnected from the outgoing Jeep PCM and connected directly into the YJ s electronic speedom eter Just as above you need to get a speed signal to the GM PCM and the use of a speed signal splitter such as the Dakota Digital SGI 5 is recommended to get the engine to go into closed loop 2 Tachometer 1987 1990 Wranglers used a conventional distribu tor signal with the 258 engine to the tachometer and 1991 1995 Wranglers used a signal from the Mopar PCM to the tachometer 3 Oil Pressure provided by the Oil Pressure Sensor 4 Engine Temp provided by the Engine Coolant Temperature Sen sor ECT 5 Voltage provided by the 12v current going across the wire har ness 6 Fuel Level provided by the Fuel Level Sending Unit The strategy to keep a fully operational set of gauges is straightfor ward Most of our work here is already done for us since most of these sensors will remain connected to the Jeep gauges as per the factory This aftermarket variable reluctance speed signal genera including 1 the speedo cable or VSS 5 Voltage and 6 Fuel se ed pace spec be eon l l l i ransfer case speedometer gear while allowing for speedom
3. The Novak Guide to in YJ Wrangler Jeeps Introduction Individuals have been successfully installing popular Chev rolet and GM engines to Jeep vehicles since the 1960 s The Jeep YJ lends itself to even more successful swaps than their famous CJ predecessors Below is a summary of the information we ve gathered since our first YJ conver sions several years ago and includes the valuable insights CONVERSIONS gained by us and our customers Note to the Installer This document and the use of any Novak products assumes a safe and adequate working knowledge of the automotive systems involved We do not know and there is no way for Novak to determine the skill level of the customer and or the installer of Novak products or for Novak to publish all of the information on fundamentals that an individual should know before attempting these advanced procedures Vehicular conversion work can be among the most difficult of automotive mechanical and electrical tasks and it is upon the customer to ascertain whether they are working within their expertise or whether they should acquire as mes sistance This guide is not intended to replace the service manual specific to your vehicle It is not possible to document the wiring routing and specific system details of every Jeep and the installer should obtain use both their vehicle s manual and the engines donor vehicle s manual in conjunction with these instructions Novak p
4. ansfer case with the engine and transmission assembly as you thread them up and out of the engine bay However generally it is easy to remove the transfer case Disconnect the transmission shifter assembly from its housing This is typically done by removing its four bolts that se cure the shifter assembly to the top of the transmission Disconnect the hydraulic clutch release line Unbolt the factory engine mounts from the frame horns Safely se cure a lifting jig to your outgoing motor and carefully pull it from the bay Typically the transmission causes the powertrain to tilt back and allows it to feed out from the engine bay at the proper angle but having an assistant or two to guide it out is helpful Firewall Clearance Page 4 No firewall modifications are required Clearance with GM V8 s is excellent Engine Plate Installation In preparation for the installation mount the provided engine block mount plates onto the engine block bosses Insert the provided carriage bolt through the center hole of the block plate Notice that these engine plates are adjustable fore and aft with three conjoined holes We recommend you install them in the center hole loca tion at first and then adjust forward if you have sufficient fan radiator clearance Use the eight factory or he gt j 1 a Novak provided M10 Gen III or 3 8 Gen I II bolts We recom mend the installer use a drop of removable
5. ck edge of the round tube on the YJ frame to the front leg s edge of the engine mount bracket hole This measurement corresponding with A in the diagram above is 29 1 8 We ve found this to be the ideal position for the widest variety of Generation Page 5 II conversion circumstances While we have determined the engine location based on a variety of installation scenarios you may wish to temporarily tack weld the brackets e to the frame rails and do a test installation of your own V8 engine and verify any particulars to your installation such as transmission fit radiator fit accessories cooling system etc Once you re content with it all lay MIG or stick welds along the entire edge of the brack ets for a maximum strength connection to the Jeep frame Allow your frame and bracket to air cool Do not accelerate the cooling process with compressed air or water We suggest you follow up by wire brushing and coating the brackets with primer and enamel as per your preference Install the Powertrain Its now time to finally low er your motor into the Jeep engine bay if you haven t al ready done so Very carefully and with as sistance lower your pow ertrain into the engine bay You can thread your trans fer case into the Jeep tunnel with someone guiding it Lower in your new engine Install the underside isolator mounts and install the provided TopLock nuts under the isolator b
6. e Novak policies and liability limitations found at fhttp www novak adapt om about policies ht Conclusion q 5 A We strongly suggest that you keep these instructions for future reference For questions concerning your conversion contact us We ll be pleased to answer your questions There is no final word to our instruction packages We update them often and invite our customers to offer any suggestions images or questions they may have that can make the process easier for any to follow Note our contact information below Page 11
7. find anyone who cares more about good work than they do We ve seen some terrific and solid work come out of owners installers and also their hired mechanics We ve also seen or heard of projects go badly and unneccessarily and too often because the profes sionals well aren t This ranges from bad technical advice to doing just plain shoddy work The pretense of adequate knowledge by installers or mechanics can kill an otherwise great project Wisely choose what assistance you may need Be skeptical of any who claim of great conversion and wiring work without seeing a portfolio or references from a technician s customers for whom they ve done similar custom work We cannot stress enough that a good powertrain repair technician may not necessar ily be a good engine conversion technician The owner installer may choose based on their own skills and project preferences to delineate the scope of their work versus the assistance they hire e g me chanical installation versus electrical etc Lastly it s also good policy to limit the scope of work being performed Draw a line in the sand and try limit the conversion to itself keeping body chassis inte rior and other restoration and upgrade projects sepa rate until the powertrain swap is successfully done Failure to plan and execute the project correctly can add great and wasted expense and give unsatisfactory results Contrary to conversion mythology i
8. o achieve the greatest ease of installation without compromising engineer ing Strength The Novak mounts feature a thick 3 16 steel construction and a welded box design for the maximum strength available They employ the best engineer ing and geometry to assure that they ll survive even the wildest of engines Placement We have predetermined engine placement for the installer There is a very fine window in which these GM engines can properly fit into a YJ Jeep and we ve done this design legwork already Compactness The mounts will clear the blockhuggers we recommend and clearance from all other retained factory components is also excellent Note that sagging factory springs and or modified axle bump stops com bined with mounting the engine too far forward could allow for axle interfer ence with the engine oil pan It is the responsibility of the installer to verify a safe and non interfering installation Vibration Isolation Each mount kit comes with our high grade isolators that are gauged well for that ideal balance of isolation and firmness The large graded 5 8 bolts and all associated hardware are included Additionally Novak will always be here to inexpensively provide replacement isolator bushings if needed years down the road Preliminaries Body amp Suspension Lifts A Project Strategy Warning Conversions have most commonly been best per formed by the Jeep owner and enthusiast as it s rare to
9. ooler any winches etc Now remove the grille from the fenders and front crossmember It is not necessary to remove the hood as it may be tilted fully out of the way against the windshield frame p train R l Preparation Details TO PELEAN eee Make sure that all A C It is usually recommended to remove not just the engine but the transmission and transfer case and heater circuits are even if you are retaining both of them in your conversion such as with the AXI 5 anual transmis Plugged off to prevent in l N gress of contaminants sions Because the GM engine will relocate the geartrain forward by about 2 1 2 to 3 forward removal and assembly to your new engine outside of the Jeep is generally helpful and not difficult Few things will add to your enjoyment of the 0 ae x project as much as a Drop the crossmember skidpan assembly supporting the transmission and transfer case with jack good pressure washing of stands Disconnect the front and rear driveshafts and set them out of the way the engine bay while it is open If your NP231 does not have anBYE kit installed or if you have an NP231 with SYE transfer case whose fluid is due for change drain the transfer case fluid You may wish to do the same for the transmission Disconnect the transfer case shifter and speedometer connection Remove the transfer case from the factory transmission adapt er and set it aside Note here that it is possible to remove the tr
10. ous engine bay but there are still space limitations As such we generally recommend af termarket headers for compatibility as well as performance We recommend our for Gen IJI en gines and our erg for Chevro let Small Block V8 s for opti mal layout Run the drivers side down and in front of the oil pan over to the passenger s side Merge it and the passenger bank into a Y pipe and send it out as a single circuit down the passen ger side up over the axle out exiting at the rear Fuel System It is not only possible but advantageous to use the factory Jeep glers is capable of natively producing 100 PSI For a little history and context the 1991 1995 Jeep engine fuel rail featured a regulator These systems have two connections a high pressure supply connection and a low pressure return con nection that feeds the bled fuel overage back into the fuel tank via a return line This fuel supply is regulated down at the Jeep engine fuel rail Removing the factory fuel system therefore removes the regulator GM multipoint fuel injection engines typically require between 45 58 PSI of fuel pressure Gen III engines require 58 PSI To facilitate this Novak offers a fuel regulator kit that fits onto the Jeep fuel send ing unit This fuel regulator will supply the prop er pressure for the GM Gen III application The regulator can be installed in proximity to the Note that earlier Gen III motors were regula
11. roducts and procedures are intended and recommended for off road use only Chevy amp GM Eng Your Local Legal Requirements This guide is not meant to explain interpret or notify the installer of local or national laws T concerning vehicle changes engine conversions and the emissions systems surround ing them It is the installer s responsibility to know and understand their local legal require UNEI ments and regulations and to make their instal lation conform to demands of the jurisdictions in which they live Novak does not recommend _ a J y nor condone the disabling or modification of the vehicle or any system within it that could render it out of conformance with any laws in which the vehicle may be licensed or operate Neither Novak Conversions nor its directors principles or employees are responsible for any changes made to your vehicle We recommend you consult and know your own m i city county state or countries laws If your ve hicle requires referee inspection you may wish to gne f Y g establish a rapport with a referee and discuss your American Made plans and seek advice and approval from them ww About Your Engine Mounts Novak s weld in engine mounts for the Jeep YJ Wranglers provide immense strength and a rapid and precise GM Gen III V8 engine installa tion Ease of Installation Page 1 With the engine mounts discussed in this instruction guide we have sought t
12. s and V6 s have adequate clearance to the Jeep hood and good clearance between the axle and suspension components Generation II LS engines with their shorter intakes and shallower oil pans also have excellent suspension and hood clearance Generation III truck engines however are somewhat taller giv en their high rise torque increasing intake manifolds In order to Page 10 SE A i sogi Th Lo A eT a gt achieve maximum clearance at the bottom of the engine we have engineered the mounts to put the engine higher towards the hood This will probably necessitate the re moval of the decorative Vortec manifold covers This will gain the installer a needed about 1 1 2 To mitigate this problem and keep your conversion engine beautiful un der your YJ hood Novak offers its decorative engine top cover in brushed black anodized aluminum and engraved with the Novak logo as shown in the adjacent image paronit SS 38 Olesens ivers Disclaimer amp Liability Limitations The information contained in these instructions is for guidance only and does not guarantee or constitute a warranty of fitness applicability or compatibility with the customer s particular proj ect Suitability of parts or information for an application is fully the responsibility of the reader or buyer These instructions and the products and procedure described herein are offered only in accordance with th
13. t is not necessary to install a body lift when installing a Chevrolet Small Block or GM Gen II engine in a YJ Wrangler It is also not necessary to install a suspension lift or extended suspension snubbers for the purpose of the conversion A GM V6 amp V8 can be installed in a factory YJ Jeep so long as factory springs are not excessively fatigued or collapsed Air Conditioning The YJ Wrangler frame is quite wide allowing for the retention of all known Gen I II A C compressors The A C circuits will plug into the existing YJ or aftermarket cooling system You may seek the assistance of your cooling specialty shop to make the connections as required If you are wishing to run an onboard air compressor without losing A C we recommend that you install our Relocation kit which provides a new compressor and mounts it up at the passenger side head location on Gen II engines Factory Gauges All of the OEM YJ gauges can function very well with the GM engine There are six major points of data that the gauges need to operate 1 Speed 1987 1991 Wranglers used a cable speedometer from the Jeep 231 transfer case If you are doing an electronically controlled automatic installation such as with the 4LGOE very common with Gen II en gines Novak s transfer case adapter assembly features an independant speed signal for the GM PCM to propery operate Page 2 If you are utilizing a manual transmission or classic automatic TH350 TH400
14. ted at the fuel rail Starting in about 2002 GM started regulating fuel pressure at the fuel tank or elsewhere on the circuit as described above For a fast connection between the Jeep supply circuit to the GM engine use a Dorman 800 058 fuel line quick connect as supplied in the above Novak kit Page 8 If you have a 1987 1990 YJ Wrangler you can remove the old factory fuel module and replace it with the newer version available at Novak as shown in the adjacent image Throttle Linkage If your engine has a cable throttle linkage you can connect your Jeep pedal to the GM throttle body However the majority of GM engines now feature a throttle by wire or electronic throttle assembly For these systems you will need to install the GM electronic pedal assembly and its associated Throt tle Actuator Control TAC module if required Note that most Gen IV engines do not use a separate TAC module as this function is integrated into the Gen IV powertrain computer itself Transfer Case Linkage We cannot stress enough the advantages of replacing your Jeep s shifter with the This shifter kit has become very popular for both the conversion and non conversion crowds simply because of its vast improvement over the factory linkage Its added benefit is that it makes the conversion process and typical transfer case relocation go much more smoothly It is a very affordable upgrade and highly adjustable to your installation
15. thread locking compound on these threads such as Loctite Blue upon final installation and torque to 35 ft lbs Slide the upper isolator onto the carriage bolt with the radiused cup side towards the engine block Note that the engine plate hole is radiused to allow the carriage bolt to droop downward This will ease your installa tion as the engine is lowered into the mounts At this point we recom mend that you temporarily wrap the carriage bolt threads with two or three wraps of vinyl tape This will help keep the upper isolator from sliding off during assembly Frame Preparation These mounts are a purely weld in design when replacing either of the factory YJ engines They require the complete removal of the factory frame horns and will be replaced by the serie ftame brackets as provided in the Novak kit Total removal of the factory I4 or I6 frame horns and steering shaft support bracket is required We recom mend a reciprocating saw with appropriate speed and blade or a plasma cutter Follow up with a clean grind or disking of the frame Install the Engine Mounts Your Novak engine mounts predetermine the location of your GM engine for height left right offset and longitu dinal position You ll notice that one mount is wider than another This is the driver s side mount You ll also notice the mounts are cut to match the wall and contour of the Jeep Wrangler frame Position the mounts on the frame and measure from the ba
16. tronger motor and better driveshaft angles Page 3 Your Powertrain Assembl If you have purchased a Novak Turn Key powertrain you can skip the following preliminary step It is recommended that you pre assemble your powertrain outside of the Jeep Follow the instructions provided with your Novak adapter kit to assemble your chosen gearboxes behind your GM engine You should assemble the powertrain as completely as pos sible including the headers wiring accessories belts clutch re leases air intakes etc At Novak we actually pre assemble and test run our powertrains prior to installing them into the Jeep If you assemble as much as the powertrain as you can and follow this same para digm asking the question Given battery fuel and coolant could I run this engine on a stand you will be well on your way Because of superior access to things and for organizational purposes you will enjoy the work more and take a few hours off of your project This section precedes the others in that it is a very good idea to have the powertrain assembled to the fullest extent possible prior to disabling your Jeep for the conversion process Begin the Conversion As with all other Jeeps we ll begin by disconnecting the negative battery cable and by then disconnecting the coolant fuel air vacuum exhaust and electrical circuits into the engine Once the coolant is drained remove the radiator A C condenser transmission c
17. ushings Do not squish the bush ings Tighten them only to where they just start to deform Overly tight bushings can cause excessive engine vibra tions through the Jeep and will cause premature bushing cracking and failure Steering The GM power steering pump will drive the Jeep power steering gear perfectly well You may need to have a hydraulic shop or parts house make you a high pressure line that matches the YJ power steering gear and the GM power steering pump Page 6 The return line is simply low pres sure 3 8 hose as is available from your local parts house If you re feel ing creative you can even run this line through an external cooler to add to the life of your pump and gear in hard service situations Brakes You can retain you factory braking system all together No changes are necessary from the standpoint of the conversion itself The GM engine provides vacuum at the rear of the manifold whether it be a Small Block Chevy or a GM Gen III It may be necessary to tap for a simple barbed brass fitting on some manifolds that had the Hydroboost brakes The ABS computer is separate from all systems and runs independently No me age ae als T gt a a el E have seen success with the following coolant hoses Lower may be Napa 7473 or try a Gates 20842 or 21706 For the upper try a Gates 21833 We have also used Gates hoses 22438 and 22437 chanical fan and the
18. whether using manual or automatic transmissions Detailed instructions are supplied with this shifter kit If you must use the factory shifter assembly you will need to lengthen or shorten linkage rods and relocate pivot and anchor points taking into consideration the geometry required to actuate the New Process transfer case shifter plate Transmission Shifter If you re retaining your factory manual transmission you will also re tain your factory shifter cane and assembly Instructions on how to best do this are included with your Novak engine to transmission adapter kit Instructions for GM automatic transmission shifters are included with your transfer case adapter assembly Because the transmission tunnel shifters may be relocated and because the factory tunnel cover may look like it s been through more wars than a Willys MB that will give you a fresh start After market shifter boots for both the transmission and transfer case shifters are also available Air Intake Conversion air intakes have really evolved nicely Typically install a 4 90 deg elbow at the throttle body and point it towards the passenger side of the Jeep You can then use a length of pipe such as extruded aluminum and then a cou pler to the Mass Airflow Sensor which then connects to a cold air style air filter assembly See the Novak hir intake components pagq for assistance here Engine Height amp Top Covers Classic Small Block V8
19. y al most always have plenty of pulling power Electric fans are becoming more of the norm We recommend our aggressive electric fan with integrated shroud assembly These fans are controlled by any GM computer equipped with a circuit to trigger a fan re lay Alternatively you can install a fan control mod ule and install it to our fan chanical wiring or hy Cooling System The Novak Rad lock Radiatog is a tough and very efficient radiator It is a cross flow design and it bolts onto the Wran gler grille without mods With it we It is possible to run a me Page 7 draulic changes need occur here Z nOr E T a ae fa T iv a rrr oe ol A fay et Paf ay fT F The Jeep radiator will be both inadequate poorly configured for a GM engine and has a reputation for a lack of durability R i a i PF Perr se Pa Pa Ar F j ze motor per the manufacturer s recommendations Exhaust While not necessary for a successful conversion some individuals will install fuel cells as part of a broader project which may include an internal or an external electric fuel pump in the scenario fuel injection pump should a future replacement ever be required The Jeep fuel pump in 1991 1995 Wran fuel tank so that a long return line is unnecessary YJ Jeep exhaust systems are not difficult to run at all It might be possible to use some factory manifolds with your conver sion engine The YJ has a gener
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