GPappy

I bought a 2008 JKU that I knew would need some work but I got it a price that I figured I would modify it anyway so wasn't too worried about what I might find. I bought it at an auction and did not have a lot of time to look it over but when I got it home I found that the front drive shaft was missing.

I knew that the U-Joints were shot and thought maybe that the driveshaft had been removed to keep them from breaking. Turned out that the drivers side axle shaft was broken so I bought a new one with all new u-joints. Unfortunately the axle shaft would not go into the differential. Further investigation uncovered that the front Dana 30 axle tube was bent back enough that the shaft would not line up with the carrier. It appears that the PO must have hit the wheel pretty hard. No obvious damage to the frame or body panels, just the axle tube.

I found a fair deal on a set of Rubicon Axles which came with a Super Lift 4" lift on it. I am cleaning them up and will paint them and install new bushings before installing.

I was planning on finding a factory take off prior to getting the axles but I have been told that I need an aftermarket driveshaft due to the 4" lift.

Here is the question. If I get an Adams or Woods driveshaft that will fit the stock drivetrain with lift, will I need a different drive shaft when I eventually do an LS Swap? That is the long term plan and I would hate to buy an expensive shaft and then later need to purchase a different one. If that is the case I might be better off trying to find a take off to limp by on until I do the engine? The previous owner was using a stock driveshaft with this lift.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

TheDirtman

I would not use the super lift and would look for something else. They are pretty much a crap lift like rough county, rubicon express, rock krawler, teraflex. You can use a factory take off driveshaft but they have a relatively short lifespan. If you were to buy an aftermarket shaft and change the motor you can always have the shaft shortened at your local drive line shop for around $150. You are better off to find a LS swapped jeep that is already done instead of having one installed as they are running $20-30K if you want it done right and everything to work. You have not mentioned tire size you are going to run or if you are going to be running the factory axles or not on the final build. Something like 37"+ with a V8 swap will need tons if you want a reliable vehicle. This will affect what you will want in terms of a driveshaft. What u joints?, flange vs yoke, double Cardon or single U joint.

resharp001

How far down the line do you envision the engine swap? With that lift height and a factory DS, what happens is that the boot at the TC-side CV joint rips and spews the grease out due to the angle....leading to premature failure with a dry joint. That is really hit and miss on timing. Some folks make it a good while, some folks it happens almost immediately. The only thing for certain is it will eventually happen. If pavement only life is probably a bit longer, but I've seen it happen on a jeep with a 2.5" budget boost that never left the pavement too. If you could find a factory takeoff for $50 or whatnot I'd probably try to limp along with it till the jeep is set up how you really wanted it and then deal with driveline. Just my opinion though. I can't help with actual LS/driveline compatibility. Not a lot of LS swap guys around recently but maybe someone with firsthand experience will chime in.

GPappy

Thank you for the thoughts.

The engine will probably be within the next year and I will be doing it myself. No way I could justify $20K+ for an engine swap and half the fun is doing it myself. I have not done an engine swap on a vehicle this integrated but did do a 4.6L Cobra swap into a 1967 Mustang. The mechanics are easy. I am an Electrical Engineer with some experience with CAN Bus experience when I worked for GM until about 6 years ago. My plan is to reverse engineer the Jeep PCM Messages from the JK and create an interface module for the GM PCM to Jeep electronics before I pull the motor. I know that it has been done but I would rather have the fun and experience of doing it myself over paying someone else $3K for the same thing.

I know that the PO had run the lift about 20K miles on the factory driveshaft and I would have purchased it with the axles if it had not been damaged by the fire. The jeep had a fire that toasted everything from the back of the engine to the back seats. The axles were in good shape including all of the connectors so I know they did not get hot.

Since I have all of the components to the lift with all brackets already attached to the axles, I thought that I would put it on and see just how bad it is. I can always upgrade later if it doesn't work out. This is not my daily driver so playing around with it is not an issue.

goalie94

Looking forward to seeing your build!

im in Grand Rapids also, Pretty sure you grabbed those axles right before I could, haha.

I am wanting to LS swap my jeep but it'll be a little bit still.

GPappy

Could be, I bought them up in Sand Lake area. I picked up an L83 last weekend. I will need to go through it, do a DOD delete, find a 6 or 8 speed auto, get an ECM and harness, etc etc. Nothing is ever easy.

Sixty4x4

L83? Is that the direct injected LT or LS with external fuel rails?

GPappy

Gen 5 direct injection 5.3 out of a 2016 GMC Pickup. I wasnt aware that there was an LS motor with the same designation.

Sixty4x4

Awesome. That is same year as mine and same engine. For an 8 or 10 speed you need the external T87 ECU and for the engine you need an ECU E93. For a 6 speed there will be an internal ECU for the tranny. (Note: 8 speed is way better with alll the gears in between 1 & 8) One word of advice from the learned of the hard way - your harness for an L83 has to match the ECU. I have a 2017/18 ECU that I would donate to you but you need to get the corresponding harness year that matches the year for an L83. So what that means is it is immaterial that you have a 2016 motor if you have a 2017 ECU then you need a 2017 harness. I tried starting mine with a 2017 ECU with a 2016 motor and harness. Popped and banged for weeks while I was trying to figure it out. Even had Motech stumped until he decided to send me a 2016 ECU. Plugged that in and voila away she went like a factory vehicle. You will need HP Tuners with credits on both the Jeep side and the Chev side - $299 (I think) for HPT box and 4 credits (2 per vehicle) x $50 = $200. Best to try and source the interface module through Robbie at Motech. All the other Chev converters get the box from him. You tap into the CANBus between the instrument cluster and the TIPM - that one. If you PM me I think I can help you and mine is same year so I can send you the entire programs you need including fuel efficient LT trims for the engine etc and for what you need to turn off in the Jeep side. Get the transmission before getting the harness.