Brutus 2.0

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BRUTUS
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Location: Fort Collins CO

Brutus 2.0

Post by BRUTUS »

I know I have been talking about this for quite a while now but after Ouray 2016, I have decided it is time to pull Brutus down for some upgrades in anticipation of future wheeling events. So here goes:

Interior changes:
Cab will be changed out for a raw (no top, no doors, no cage) M715 cab. I am going to tilt the windshield forward just so it doesn't look like ANY other 715 or J-truck!
Seats are getting re-upholstered currently with boat cover material and should be done and picked up this Thursday. Rim color is charcoal grey and interior panels are Brutus Blue (c). DONE 7/29/16
Cab currently has no gauges so I will get new gauges.
I am going to try and make all my dash panels on piano hinges for access to the backside.
I will add a couple of USB charging stations.
Ipad and Iphone hard mounts will be incorporated.
Stereo will use Iphone as source and have an amp and a couple of speakers (hopefully under the dash)
I am going to make a couple half doors out of Brutus 1.0's old doors. I have a couple other sets just in case I don't like how they turn out.
Custom sheet metal removable hard-top.
1.75" 0.120 wall DOM interior roll cage.
Cab interior will be black rhino lined or equivalent

Powertrain changes:
Taking the 42 year old AMC 360, T18 and D20 and hopefully finding a donor rig missing these items to flip and replacing it with a new (3 year warranty) 5.3L Vortec/ NV4500 transmission/ NP203 rangebox/ NP205 Tcase should give me 20 distinguishable forward gears and four reverse.
With the 5.3 comes the need for a radiator upgrade (which is good since mine has been running with scrambled eggs and pepper in the leaks since Moab '07) with a mechanical fan and a pusher fan.
Also with the 5.3 comes a need for a fuel pump upgrade so I am leaning toward the 22 gallon tank and Bosch fuel pump that Austin is using on the quad cab J-truck.
Front driveshaft will get an upgrade from a 1310 CV to a flanged 1350 CV at the transfer case. Hopefully I don't need any more slip (rangebox thickness) than the 11" that I built into my current front driveshaft.
I will most likely have to get a new rear driveshaft made with a 1410 joint at the transfer case.

Exterior changes:
Banged up front quarters, hood and core support will be replaced with new sheet metal (currently painted gold)
I will fabricate a new front bumper to house my M12000 Warn winch (debating on where to mount two batteries in parallel... any ideas?). As much as I would like to have a front clip that hinged forward, I don't think I will be able to pull it off with the bumper design I am thinking of.
I will fabricate a new rear bumper.
I will fabricate rock sliders.
I will most likely rattle can paint the truck all the same blue (or as close as I can get) to what it is now but I am considering adding some white stars and white stenciling (similar to the army olive drab M715's but an air force theme)

Misc other things:
Re-wire entire truck to new fuse block inside the cab.
Staun beadlocks and rock rings
Tubing bender parts cut and fabricated
Tubing roller parts cut and fabricated
Kirby air compressor and one or two small tanks to run ARB's and air shifted transfer cases.
Rear cutting brakes after rear calipers are rebuilt.
Fix all frame cracks that I can find.
Replace trans crossmember with one or two "over the top" crossmembers for easy access to transfer cases.
adding/milling weld beads to inner square tube front driveshaft to reduce slop.
Designing/ordering the correct hydro assist cylinder so my steering is no longer limited to one side.
Fix whatever is currently wrong with my front diff.
Get lots of engine wiring help from Ethan and/or Blake!

I am going to push hard for a 10 month turn around so I have the option to make it to Ouray '17. Major parts that I don't currently have are 5.3 (1 week turnaround from time of order), core engine return (anyone in CO have one they want to not have to step over anymore?), fuel pump, fuel tank, & air compressor. I know there is a lot listed but I figure that if I take one bite of the elephant every day... it won't take long as I can do most of this list in parallel processes and having this forum will keep me motivated much like Brutus 1.0 build thread on the other forum did.

Pic added for attention
Image
Last edited by BRUTUS on Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
'74 J30 with some upgrades

AwesomeJ10
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by AwesomeJ10 »

Why go with the little 5.3? why not the 6.0, 6.2 or the BIG BLOCK 8.1 ? :fsj:

what are you doing with the bed?

I have an HP tuner that we can use to program the PCM.

Lemme know if you need help....
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srobertsfsj
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by srobertsfsj »

I think you should shoot for Moab ;)
Scott R.

'86 Grand Wagoneer "Super Chief" 5.3L drivetrain/ WT conversion / TT's Fabworks SOA and SF / 37x12.5x17 BFG A/T KO3 http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 294&p=3364

"After years of being paranoid about my Jeep’s temp going towards that 220F mark, I’m realizing that if it was real problem, Jeep engineers would have painted that area RED." - FSJ Guy

Topic author
BRUTUS
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Location: Fort Collins CO

Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by BRUTUS »

Blake wrote:Why go with the little 5.3? why not the 6.0, 6.2 or the BIG BLOCK 8.1 ? :fsj:

what are you doing with the bed?

I have an HP tuner that we can use to program the PCM.

Lemme know if you need help....
From what I can tell, 6.0, 6.2 and 8.1 come with more pricetag, more horsepower and less mileage. I don't intend to tow much of anything (maybe a pop-up camper) and with a 176:1 crawl ratio, I don't need the extra horsepower/torque for wheeling. The only time that I would possibly need the extra horsepower/torque would be in the sand or mud and they would only increase the fun factor as the 5.3 should be able to do everything I want or need to do in the sand or mud anyways.

No changes to the bed at this time.

I know you have the tuner and I will let you know when I need some help... probably a while out.
srobertsfsj wrote:I think you should shoot for Moab ;)
I would like to make Moab, but I have to be realistic with timelines... there is a lot of stuff to do on there and with a second child on the way, I am going to be working nights on Brutus anyways!
'74 J30 with some upgrades

AwesomeJ10
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by AwesomeJ10 »

Sweet man!

well lemme know when you get an engine. try to get one with the stock wiring harness on it. if you can get a good stock harness and bring it down to me, I will thin out the harness with only the bare minimum to run right.

GaJeep94YJ
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by GaJeep94YJ »

My 5.3 gets me 18.6 mpg with a stock ride 79 chief.

16.1 mpg towing a 3100# pop-up.

The 5.3L with no emissions and free flow intake/exhaust makes plenty of power.

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surfwagoneer
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by surfwagoneer »

I'll be watching for updates.....any pictures to start?


GaJeep are you running a 2.5 or 3" exhaust
89 GW- Rebuilt 360 w RV camshaft, 4 inch Rustys spring lift, 1" body lift, dana 44HD front, 14 bolt rear 3.73's.
78 Cherokee Chief- work in progress
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j20brett
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by j20brett »

I can personally guarantee that a 5.3 with a good tune (150tunes.com) will make you plenty of power. Its way faster than it should be. I would try to find an 02 to 05 motor with dbw pedal. I think the cylinder deactivation stuff came out not long after then, and is best to delete it. if that's the motor you end up with.
"Kaiser" - 1981 J20 115" WB - 5.3l/4l60E/np241c/3-link hp60 spooled/Leafs 14-bolt detroit/5.13's/40's

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Austin4x4
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by Austin4x4 »

My 5.3 make plenty of power and i got 16mpg to ouray and back, fully loaded with the dirtbike trailer. I am running 3" exaust, no emissions. I got a cable operated throttle body and a lokar cable it hooked right up to the stock pedal.

GaJeep94YJ
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by GaJeep94YJ »

Mine is dbw. Running 2.5 into a Y pipe with 3" behind that.

No cat and the quietest " stock" muffler the shop had.

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srobertsfsj
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by srobertsfsj »

I like my DBC 5.3L. The lokar cable that Austin mentioned hooks right up to the stock pedal. Blake got me looking to disabling or toning down the stock torque management settings. I looked into it a little and people are reporting a huge improvement in power by adjusting those settings.
Scott R.

'86 Grand Wagoneer "Super Chief" 5.3L drivetrain/ WT conversion / TT's Fabworks SOA and SF / 37x12.5x17 BFG A/T KO3 http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 294&p=3364

"After years of being paranoid about my Jeep’s temp going towards that 220F mark, I’m realizing that if it was real problem, Jeep engineers would have painted that area RED." - FSJ Guy

Topic author
BRUTUS
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:36 pm
Location: Fort Collins CO

Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by BRUTUS »

I am definitely going to delete the cylinder management system no matter what year I get. A good friend of mine (non-FSJ) told me that there is a plug under the intake manifold that controls the cylinder management system. It will be getting unplugged.

As far as mileage goes... I know it will be outstanding because I get better than 10mpg now and that is with a leaky fuel filler neck and a 42 year old engine with a carb and points ignition! When I add fuel injection with a smaller more efficient motor with overdrive... SHEEEET will be all good in my hood!

Definitely looking for cable operated throttle... not only so it hooks into the stock pedal but also so that I can run my hand throttle. Scott, your second 5.3 did or did not come with the throttle body? Or is this something I need to source when finding/buying the front bracketry/accessories?

I will have to see what my options are after everything is installed as far as getting ANY exhaust by the NP205... it was tight enough with the D20! Might have to do a crossover pipe, dump it at the front wheelwells or maybe straight vertical through the hood! Take that emissions guys! Through the hood would have to clear the windshield being down though!

Here is the picture of the new covers/old seats:
Image

Apparently the new covers were a ***** to get on according to the upholsterer since the "boat canopy" material does not stretch at all! I had a good chuckle. Fully UV resistant and water resistant. I'm excited! Before anyone says anything... I took them out of my car and set them in the truck more so they were no longer in my car more than anything. They are NOT mounted in this picture! Also, the ripples will go away in due time as well.
Last edited by BRUTUS on Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
'74 J30 with some upgrades
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j20brett
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by j20brett »

Exhaust, take a look at my build thread for routing. 2.5" into 3" single past the tcase. Plenty of room. Looking forward to seeing the changes!
"Kaiser" - 1981 J20 115" WB - 5.3l/4l60E/np241c/3-link hp60 spooled/Leafs 14-bolt detroit/5.13's/40's

Fight Crime...Shoot Back.

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Topic author
BRUTUS
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Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:36 pm
Location: Fort Collins CO

Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by BRUTUS »

Thanks Brett.. I will check that out. On this site or the other one?

Didn't get a whole lot done this weekend but did make some small progress. The seat adjusters had not worked very well since I got the Besttop seats a while back. So bad that in order for Erica to drive Brutus, I had to put a 5qt oil jug behind her lower back so she could reach the pedals as the seat adjuster was zip tied closed so that the seat would not slide at an inopportune moment when I was wheeling cuz that sucks!

Anyways, the seat adjuster would hang up on the neoprene seat covers on the original seats and things didn't look promising on this round of seats either. Solution was to make some 3/8" thick donuts to weld to the seat frame to space the seat off the slider. This netted me plenty of room for the adjuster to adjust and as an ancillary benefit, it is a little more comfortable for me to sit in the higher seat.

Lathed spacers:
Image

Three out of four installed:
Image
Notice that I had to get a little creative with my ground strap as the foam on the seat is pretty tight.

I was browsing through American Vintage 4x4's facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AmericanVintage4x4/ feed and saw a gauge that I really like so I went to their webpage (http://www.speedhut.com/gauges/Speedome ... 32|f8|f297) and played around with the design and came up with this (still not completely satisfied but I am getting close)
ImageImage

Finally, I went in to Vatozone and had them print out the information that they have on the Surefire 5.3L crate motor. Wow was I surprised to find out how much stuff I need to provide! Intake, throttle body, oil pan, ECU, headers, wiring harness and even valve covers! The core charge is $335 so my goal now is to find a really cheap 5.3L with a ton of miles and low ball the seller based on the miles to see if I can get the core AND all the other parts that need for the new engine in the same stroke. Most likely, I will start calling around to the salvage yards and asking what the engine would cost with specific accessories attached vs just getting the accessories with the possibility that the core engine exceeds the core charge and I just pay the core charge and move on with my life... only time will tell.
Last edited by BRUTUS on Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
'74 J30 with some upgrades

GaJeep94YJ
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by GaJeep94YJ »

Did you get those gauges ?

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BRUTUS
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by BRUTUS »

GaJeep94YJ wrote:Did you get those gauges?
I haven't yet but I intend to. I am hoping that American Vintage 4x4 becomes a distributor of these gauges so I can support Kevin's (BigJ200) company when I make the purchase.

Also, it is only one gauge but I gave the color schemes for day and night for comparison.
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j20brett
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by j20brett »

"Kaiser" - 1981 J20 115" WB - 5.3l/4l60E/np241c/3-link hp60 spooled/Leafs 14-bolt detroit/5.13's/40's

Fight Crime...Shoot Back.

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Topic author
BRUTUS
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by BRUTUS »

Thanks Brett but I still am not 100% sure if that will work since I have a manual trans and a passenger drop 205. I will have to just see what I get when I get there as I would still like to have true duals!

Update from this weekend:
I found a couple of good candidates for the motor core on Craigslist when I searched "parted chevy" and I even got a hit from one of my replies. A guy in Colorado Springs will sell me a long block 5.3 with intake, oil pan, water pump and throttle body for the $300 and he is going to individually price the other components. I figure the alternator, valve covers, injectors, ECM, PS pump and starter could all be obtained easily enough from Autozone or at a junkyard fairy easily.

As far as physical progress on the Jeep, I didn't work on Brutus this weekend as I installed the bumper that I won in Ouray on my wife's '87 waggy.

The only other progress that was made is that I have started my mortgage re-finance so I should have the funds here shortly to start getting the larger components on order.

EDIT: almost forgot... I picked up an 8' J-truck bed that I will make into my personal version of a "pop-up camper" (used very loosly) this weekend from a guy on facebook that lives less than a mile from my house! That will be another side project though that is not necessarily in conjunction with this project unless there are parts that will overlap.

Getting excited!
'74 J30 with some upgrades
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j20brett
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by j20brett »

I would not buy the 5.3 in pieces, personally. You can pick up a full takeout for $500 to 600 with ecm, harness and all. The small parts add up quick.
"Kaiser" - 1981 J20 115" WB - 5.3l/4l60E/np241c/3-link hp60 spooled/Leafs 14-bolt detroit/5.13's/40's

Fight Crime...Shoot Back.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
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Stuka
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Re: Brutus 2.0

Post by Stuka »

BRUTUS wrote:Here is the picture of the new covers/old seats:
Image
What kind of seats are these? custom seat mounts or original?
2017 JKU Rubicon
Pevious Jeeps: 1981 J10, 1975 Cherokee, 2008 JK, 2005 KJ, 1989 XJ
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