5.2 Magnum Swap Part 18: Starting Final Assembly

by ThreeThirdsFab
October 27, 2015
In The Shop
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Welcome to part 18 of our 5.2 magnum swap, follow along as we swap a 5.2 Magnum from a 1993 ZJ into our 2004 4.0 TTB WJ. This week we started final assembly! With everything coming together we broke out the paint, heat shielding and bolted the motor in place for the last time.

Read The Rest
Part 1: It’s Finally Happening
Part 2: Out With the Old
Part 3: The Last of the Stock Components
Part 4: All About Brakes
Part 5: Pulling the 5.2 (time lapse)
Part 6: The Test Fit
Part 7: Cutting and (not) Fitting
Part 8: Broken and Upgraded Parts
Part 9: Leaky Plenum Gasket
Part 10: Side Projects and Summer Fun
Part 11: Setting the Motor
Part 12: Custom Exhaust & Driveline
Part 13: Cutting and Rebuilding
Part 14: Giant Radiator in a Little Jeep
Part 15: Custom Tube Bumper
Part 16: Driveshafts
Part 17: A Real Firewall
Part 18: Starting Final Assembly
Part 19: Extending The Engine Cage
Part 20: Still Assembling
Part 21: It Lives!
Part 22: Brakes and Wiring

Starting Final Assembly

Our initial plan was to finish the radiator mounts then install the motor but we thought it best to work from back to front and bolt in the motor first. Before the motor could go in we wanted to clean up the engine bay a little.

After adding new down bars connecting the engine cage to the frame, we sealed all of the small cracks left in the firewall after the plating last week. To save time we reused the gas pedal and cable from the ZJ.

Next was a fresh coat of primer and paint for the whole engine bay and finally we covered the firewall with heat shielding.

Next, we bolted up the headers from Summit Racing and set our new 5.2 Magnum in the TTB WJ for the last time. Because of the countless hours of test fitting, cutting and custom fabrication it fit like a glove.

Motor and Transmission Mounts

Since we needed to build new motor and transmission mounts we wanted to make them as strong as possible. On the motor side we used 3/16″ plate, 0.120 DOM tubing, and 1-3/4″ rubber bushings. The transmission mount is made from the same plate, tube and bushing, but it is reinforced with 10 gauge gussets. On the frame side we used 3/16 plates boxed to the frame plates. They might look a little rough around the edges, but we are happy with how sturdy they came out.

What’s Next

We are continuing to slowly put the pieces back together. By next week we are hoping to have the motor plumbed and wired. Our goal is to start it up for the first time on Saturday, but we don’t want to jump the gun, so we are taking our time and double checking everything. We are also still working on squeezing in our massive radiator. It is in the Jeep, but now we need to extend the engine cage around it for protection.