Anyone done a Hemi 6.4/392 Swap in California and passed the referee inspection?

[fjavier]

I am curious if anyone here has done a Hemi 6.4L/392 swap to their Jeep JL here in California and passed the initial smog check at a referee center and gotten a BAR referee label added to your jeep's engine compartment?

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[Frezski]

LOL! I would probably say its very unlikely in this state. But I agree I would love the details too.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Theoretically possible. But jesus, the amount of hours and money to do a conversion. Hours of your life you'll never get back. Dollars that would probably approach just buying one after selling what you have. If you ever wanted to sell it, it would be difficult to convince someone it's worth as much as a factory 392 JL.

 

[hardtop]

It would probably be easier to move out of state than it would be to do a swap in CA.

 

[2nd 392]

I am curious if anyone here has done a Hemi 6.4L/392 swap to their Jeep JL here in California and passed the initial smog check at a referee center and gotten a BAR referee label added to your jeep's engine compartment?

FWIW— did some research about 1 year ago and at that time a So Ca co that did swaps stated 392’s not compliant. Only 5.7 truck engine and I don’t think they had JL’s approved yet but maybe early ones. Sorry for my memory not being better.

 

[fjavier]

It sounds from the lack of success stories, that getting a 392 engine swap with a BAR referee label is not doable in California. I read the BAR's guide (https://bar.ca.gov/pdf/smog-check-reference-guide.pdf: APPENDIX D: STATE OF CALIFORNIA – ENGINE CHANGE GUIDELINES) which talks about engine changes and I do think the real deal breaker is that the Mopar's crate engine is not a California approved engine which is what @2nd 392 stated.

The reason I was considering an engine swap over purchasing a new 392 was because I already have 20K worth of upgrades and was planning on doing more like moving to 40s (currently on 37s and 5.13 gears) and upgrading to 1 ton axles. I figured that after those upgrades if the power was lacking for daily driving, then I could do an engine swap which would be the final stage of my build (in theory at least) Now the option of doing an engine swap is off the table so I have 2 options:
1) sell now, take a loss on my current upgrades, pay markup for a new 392, and start over on my build. This plan is not wife approved.
2) just keep building on my Jeep , enjoy it, and see where I am at a few years from now. Maybe being on 40's and 1 ton axles is not bad for daily driving and I never switch to a 392. However, I know it will never be as much fun to drive as a v8.

 

[bjm00se]

1) sell now, take a loss on my current upgrades, pay markup for a new 392, and start over on my build. This plan is not wife approved.
2) just keep building on my Jeep , enjoy it, and see where I am at a few years from now. Maybe being on 40's and 1 ton axles is not bad for daily driving and I never switch to a 392. However, I know it will never be as much fun to drive as a v8.

Realistically how much did you think a 392 swap was gonna cost, even if you do all the labor yourself? You need to upgrade to the 8hp75 transmission as well, no?

Not to mention all the radiators, ECUs, harnesses, hoses, etc...? those "nickels and dimes" add up real fast.

FCA set the price of 392 knowing full well it was cost-competitive with an engine swap.

There's an option 1.5:

Get a 392 new Jeep, and painstakingly transfer over all your existing mods to it, then sell that one as stock. Some won't work, e.g. shocks and springs are obviously totally different. Pre-fab undercarriage armor may have variations and require custom fabbing. But then, doing an engine swap, you were gonna have to modify all that stuff anyways. And those fabs are a drop-in-the-bucket compared to the work of an engine swap.

Alternatively, if you were planning on sticking to any kind of budget - e.g. sourcing junkyard axles and building them yourself instead of buying big-bucks crate axles, then sticking with the stock power train is probably the best option from the get go.

Just grab the keys to your 335 on days you wanna go fast.

Two cents of Internet Advice, adjusted for inflation. Our discussion may include predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment on what the future holds, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of the date of this presentation.

 

[Zandcwhite]

It sounds from the lack of success stories, that getting a 392 engine swap with a BAR referee label is not doable in California. I read the BAR's guide (https://bar.ca.gov/pdf/smog-check-reference-guide.pdf: APPENDIX D: STATE OF CALIFORNIA – ENGINE CHANGE GUIDELINES) which talks about engine changes and I do think the real deal breaker is that the Mopar's crate engine is not a California approved engine which is what @2nd 392 stated.

The reason I was considering an engine swap over purchasing a new 392 was because I already have 20K worth of upgrades and was planning on doing more like moving to 40s (currently on 37s and 5.13 gears) and upgrading to 1 ton axles. I figured that after those upgrades if the power was lacking for daily driving, then I could do an engine swap which would be the final stage of my build (in theory at least) Now the option of doing an engine swap is off the table so I have 2 options:
1) sell now, take a loss on my current upgrades, pay markup for a new 392, and start over on my build. This plan is not wife approved.
2) just keep building on my Jeep , enjoy it, and see where I am at a few years from now. Maybe being on 40's and 1 ton axles is not bad for daily driving and I never switch to a 392. However, I know it will never be as much fun to drive as a v8.

What is the current engine? While you’ll never get the v8 rumble or off idle torque of the v8, turning up the 2.0t via a JB4 >$700 or supercharging the v6 >$10k will get you a substantial increase in performance with far less work and cost than the 392 swap.

 

[2nd 392]

Realistically how much did you think a 392 swap was gonna cost, even if you do all the labor yourself? You need to upgrade to the 8hp75 transmission as well, no?

Not to mention all the radiators, ECUs, harnesses, hoses, etc...? those "nickels and dimes" add up real fast.

FCA set the price of 392 knowing full well it was cost-competitive with an engine swap.

There's an option 1.5:

Get a 392 new Jeep, and painstakingly transfer over all your existing mods to it, then sell that one as stock. Some won't work, e.g. shocks and springs are obviously totally different. Pre-fab undercarriage armor may have variations and require custom fabbing. But then, doing an engine swap, you were gonna have to modify all that stuff anyways. And those fabs are a drop-in-the-bucket compared to the work of an engine swap.

Alternatively, if you were planning on sticking to any kind of budget - e.g. sourcing junkyard axles and building them yourself instead of buying big-bucks crate axles, then sticking with the stock power train is probably the best option from the get go.

Just grab the keys to your 335 on days you wanna go fast.

Two cents of Internet Advice, adjusted for inflation. Our discussion may include predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment on what the future holds, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of the date of this presentation.

Congratulations on the last paragraph, but entire post correct. Even ~ 45 years ago swapping the engine/Muncie from a wrecked vette into CJ5 required boxing frame, HD Willys (Wagon-truck) TC, adapters requiring box mods, extensive diff/axle upgrades, driveshafts, building shifter box (floorboard mods), radiator, mounts, cutting fender wells for custom headers, larger fuel lines and now add computers, sensors, wire looms for them and hope you Get Smog Approval, not worth it IMO unless you can afford a turn key shop to do it.

 

[Frezski]

It sounds from the lack of success stories, that getting a 392 engine swap with a BAR referee label is not doable in California. I read the BAR's guide (https://bar.ca.gov/pdf/smog-check-reference-guide.pdf: APPENDIX D: STATE OF CALIFORNIA – ENGINE CHANGE GUIDELINES) which talks about engine changes and I do think the real deal breaker is that the Mopar's crate engine is not a California approved engine which is what @2nd 392 stated.

The reason I was considering an engine swap over purchasing a new 392 was because I already have 20K worth of upgrades and was planning on doing more like moving to 40s (currently on 37s and 5.13 gears) and upgrading to 1 ton axles. I figured that after those upgrades if the power was lacking for daily driving, then I could do an engine swap which would be the final stage of my build (in theory at least) Now the option of doing an engine swap is off the table so I have 2 options:
1) sell now, take a loss on my current upgrades, pay markup for a new 392, and start over on my build. This plan is not wife approved.
2) just keep building on my Jeep , enjoy it, and see where I am at a few years from now. Maybe being on 40's and 1 ton axles is not bad for daily driving and I never switch to a 392. However, I know it will never be as much fun to drive as a v8.

I read into it a long time ago too. Things could be a little different now that Jeep makes a 392 version that is legal to purchase in the state. Could it be possible if say you purchased a wrecked 392 JLUR and used it as a parts donor? I wish I could answer that for you. If possible that would potentially be your best bet over an AMW swap or Dakota Customs. Unfortunately this state has a lot of red tape regardless of how hard you try to be legal. But remember this state now has 8 year smog abatement.. so you have a few years left before you're due for smog.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

I'm not sure about California smog spec, so I can't speak to the legality of it. I assume they're worse than my state (NY).

But based on my own research about a year and a half ago, and some PM's with Forum users who have done the Hemi Swap into JKUR's, it's not worth it anymore. Sad truth, but Jeep knew what they were doing when they priced the 392. I can't fault them for it, but at the same time- it makes me sad I can't get my hands on one (along with many others who would love one).

Given your options? if you're that hellbent on v8 power: sell/ trade your current and buy a Factory 392, maybe swap over as many mods as you possibly can. Different animal, but i did this with my TJ's and saved probably $2k; If I went full part out on my old one (thanks, frame rot) I probably could have saved more and basically picked up where I left off when it came to my build. If I had to start over with my JLUR (and as much as I love my big orange Jeep, believe me, I've thought about
it with the diesel, 4xe, AND 392 as options) that is exactly what I would do.

Honestly? Just see how your current JL handles 40's. You don't need to preemptively do anything. I wouldn't bother introducing more complexity with a turbo or a super charger on your current engine either. Cost does not outweigh the gains. Just my opinion. But I'm running 37's on 4.10 gears on a daily driven 3.6L 6 spd. YMMV

 

[AnnDee4444]

which talks about engine changes and I do think the real deal breaker is that the Mopar's crate engine is not a California approved engine

Start with a 392 engine/transmission take-out instead, since they're already approved by CARB. Or better yet, make it a Hellcat/Trackhawk takeout. Use as many stock or OEM parts as possible.

As long as you get a motor from the same year or newer and retain all it's original emissions equipment, the BAR has no reason to deny an engine change (referring to it as an engine change puts it in their terms).

Once you pass the BAR referee inspection, the smog check process is just like every other vehicle: once every two years, OBDII check, no roller/sniffer test.

Get a 392 new Jeep, and painstakingly transfer over all your existing mods to it

This is the best way in my opinion, unless you have a 2-door.

 

[70sKid]

I am curious if anyone here has done a Hemi 6.4L/392 swap to their Jeep JL here in California and passed the initial smog check at a referee center and gotten a BAR referee label added to your jeep's engine compartment?

Hi
Check out
https://www.amw4x4.com/
I bet these guys can do a smog legal build, but be prepared to open your wallet.

Best
Dan

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