Panda (Meep) [6spd Manual Swapped]

hharkins17 · Apr 12, 2023

Username: hharkins17
Year: 2012
Make: Jeep
Model: Patriot
Trim: Sport
Color: White

Mods: Project Meep
Disclaimer: I've had a few people reach out to me about this and I wanted to address it here to clear up any confusion for anyone else that comes across this page. This project started life as a 2.0L FWD CVT. Naturally, a lot of the components and electronics ultimately needed to be swapped simply because the OEM computer software can only do so much in terms of something of this scale. We were able to get the car to crank and drive with it's original harness configuration (CVT harness); however, the ECM was missing critical CAN information from the TCM (being disconnected), which resulted in the engine rpms being limited and in a "limp" state. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram (@hharkins17), I love answering everyone's questions and interacting with you guys!
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Interior:

- Kenwood Touch Radio (OEM+)

- Caliber SRT4 Shifter Assembly

- OEM Harness Swap

- Stock Interior

_
Exterior:

- Euro Front Bumper Conversion [68091528AA]

- Rotiform LAS-R 18x9.5 +25mm

- Angry Eyes? lol

_
Suspension & Tires:

- General Tire RS5 245/45

- ISC Stage 1 Coilovers for 2012 Mitsubishi Ralliart

- Whiteline Adjustable Sway Bar End Links (Front and Rear)

- SPC Rear Lateral/Camber Arms

- SPC Front Camber Bolts

- Evo X Front Sway bar

- Ralliart Rear Sway Bar

- Ralliart Rear Control Arm

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Performance:

- Getrag DMT6 (6-Speed Manual) Swap

- ACT Stage II Clutch Flywheel Kit

- ARP Flywheel Bolts

- Caliber SRT4 Knuckles, Rotors, and Calipers

- Caliber SRT4 Axles

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In Progress:

Getrag 6spd Transmission (from SRT4 Caliber) [Completed]
~~2006 Cadillac Front (Brembo) Brake Caliper Conversion [Upcoming]~~
~~2008 Infiniti Front Rotor Conversion [Upcoming]~~
2008 - 2015 Evo X Engine Swap [Once I finish college and have monies lol]

If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask. I've been meaning to post this for a while now. I took a lot of inspiration from Creation's build back in the day and have been learning a lot over the years with this car. I've got the current build thread linked for the transmission conversion.

CaraH1993 · Apr 27, 2023

Do you have any more info on how your brake conversion will be done? I've been looking for a big brake setup for a while now.

Ignatz · Apr 28, 2023

I was going to say "Welcome" but I see you've been on there for awhile. Sorry, I hadn't noticed. I'm curious how the Getrag conversion comes out. Also the engine conversion. I wonder if the electronics will be compatible? While you're in college, maybe take a few classes in electrical engineering! Please keep us posted.

hharkins17 · Jul 16, 2023

Ignatz said:
I was going to say "Welcome" but I see you've been on there for awhile. Sorry, I hadn't noticed. I'm curious how the Getrag conversion comes out. Also the engine conversion. I wonder if the electronics will be compatible? While you're in college, maybe take a few classes in electrical engineering! Please keep us posted.

As far as the electronics surrounding the motor, they are sorta similar in a sense that although sensors will share the same locations, they don't necessarily have the same pin configurations or circuit layouts. One of the big things that I have yet to figure out is the charging system; while the Jeep externally regulates its voltage (i.e. at the computer), the Evo regulates its voltage at the alternator (like every other normal auto manufacturer). So as you can imagine, both have a cascading effect on the amount of systems and controllers that this effects.

As for college, I'm in my senior year and will be (hopefully) wrapping up my mechanical engineering degree in the spring. I've got a few friends that are more electrical oriented and I will translate any information that I get/learn and try to share with you guys.

Wish me luck!

hharkins17 · Jul 16, 2023

CaraH1993 said:
Do you have any more info on how your brake conversion will be done? I've been looking for a big brake setup for a while now.

My current focus is on the transmission swap, I haven't had too much time to continue to dive into the engineering/machining required for this to work seemlessly. Once I get the transmission converted, that will more than likely be my next thing on the list.

hharkins17 · Sep 3, 2023

Hey guys, just wanted to give a heads up over here. I was able to swap the DMT6 into the Patriot but still have a few hurdles to get over, but all in all; it's coming together.
Here is the link to the caliber page where I am posting each update for those who are still interested.

Here are some of the pictures that I took along the way

hharkins17 · Nov 10, 2023

Hey guys, for those still interested/ following along; Panda lives on! The DMT6 swap is complete, and she rips! Here is a link to the caliber forum page where I mention all the stuff I had to do to get it to work.

Also, the main harness is literally one conglomeration of wires and connectors connected to the BCM, so you could imagine how fun it was to remove and then re-install through the driver fender.

On another weird note, everyone that I had talked to specifically mentioned that swapping ECUs with nonmatching BCMs would not allow the car to crank. What I mean is that I had both ECUs and their corresponding keys with SKIM modules; my factory SKIM (w/ key) and ECU were plugged into the car with all of the electronics swapped (from the manual) and my car still somehow was able to crank... So I don't know if that means that we could have left the electronics alone and only need to swap those components, but I wasn't about to take anything up to chance regardless.

Sandstone · Nov 10, 2023

Congrats and thanks for the update!

It's kind of amazing how something like this ends up being that complicated.

hharkins17 · Nov 20, 2023

Sandstone said:
Congrats and thanks for the update!

It's kind of amazing how something like this ends up being that complicated.

Of course! I wanted to have this posted here to show progress and give insight to anyone else that is interested in doing similar swaps.

You're not kidding lol; some would argue that it's not worth the trouble; but I defiantly wouldn't have learned the stuff that I know now had I not gotten my hands dirty. I've got a few maintenance things that I'm planning on doing and I'll continue to post them here and on the Caliber Page.

Eibon · Dec 10, 2023

hharkins17 said:
Username: hharkins17
Year: 2012
Make: Jeep
Model: Patriot
Trim: Sport
Color: White

Mods: Project Meep
Interior:

- Bluetooth module integration into the stock radio
- Stock Interior
_
Exterior:

- Euro Front Bumper Conversion [68091528AA]
- Rotiform LAS-R 18x9.5 +25mm
- Angry Eyes? lol
_
Suspension & Tires:

- General Tire RS5 245/45
- ISC Stage 1 Coilovers for 2012 Mitsubishi Ralliart
- Whiteline Adjustable Sway Bar End Links (Front and Rear)
- SPC Rear Lateral/Camber Arms
- SPC Front Camber Bolts
- Evo X Front Sway bar
- Ralliart Rear Sway Bar
- Ralliart Rear Control Arm
_
Performance:

- Nothing, still very slow lol
_
In Progress:

Getrag 6spd Transmission (from SRT4 Caliber) [In Progress]

2006 Cadillac Front (Brembo) Brake Caliper Conversion [Upcoming]

2008 Infiniti Front Rotor Conversion [Upcoming]

2008 - 2015 Evo X Engine Swap [Once I finish college and have monies lol]

If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask. I've been meaning to post this for a while now. I took a lot of inspiration from Creation's build back in the day and have been learning a lot over the years with this car. I've got the current build thread linked for the transmission conversion. View attachment 98634 View attachment 98635

Can you go more into detail on the suspension aspect. I have a 2008 manual, I am trying to learn driving techniques but I feel I've hit a wall in where the car is willing to preform. I need less roll and whatnot. I don't want to slam it but make it a little lower. Also does anyone do anything about the rear drums? I would so love to swap them to pads and rotors. Thank this looks sick and its crazy how much work you put in.

hharkins17 · Dec 10, 2023

Eibon said:
Can you go more into detail on the suspension aspect. I have a 2008 manual, I am trying to learn driving techniques but I feel I've hit a wall in where the car is willing to preform. I need less roll and whatnot. I don't want to slam it but make it a little lower. Also does anyone do anything about the rear drums? I would so love to swap them to pads and rotors. Thank this looks sick and its crazy how much work you put in.

Thanks for the love man, greatly appreciated! To be honest, although mine looks "slammed" I lowered it to a height that is practical for the roads around me (aka not great lol). This in addition to getting a grippy tire setup, far exponentiates this car's handling characteristics. Another detail that not a lot of people consider is the diameter of the rear sway bars. In the rear, Jeep made these cars with two different sized rear sway bars. I believe the smaller one went on the 4x4's, and the larger one is on the FWD cars. This may be an option that you could try looking into. Originally, mine had the smaller option (14mm if I recall correctly), but now it has a 24mm diameter from Whiteline performance. In my experience, that got rid of a lot of body roll for me, but may be too aggressive for something that you may be looking for.

Now if you're not planning on doing anything too crazy; it might be worth finding some Caliber SRT4 struts, as they are the same. This would give you better drivability without compromising too much.

As for converting the rear drums, here are the part numbers for the mounting plates;
Left: 5191219AA
Right: 5191220AA
Additionally, here is a website that gives you all of the part numbers for the other stuff. You might have to remove the weird space in some of them to correctly find them on the internet.

Eibon · Dec 10, 2023

Wow thanks. You really did your thing with this build. One more question, did you do anything about the seats? The body role plus no bolstering has me flying around in my pat. Would greatly appreciate if you have a suggestion.

hharkins17 · Dec 10, 2023

Eibon said:
Wow thanks. You really did your thing with this build. One more question, did you do anything about the seats? The body role plus no bolstering has me flying around in my pat. Would greatly appreciate if you have a suggestion.

Thanks again man! A lot of people really sleep on these cars, that was the motivation behind making something cool out of something that most people didn't realize had potential to be cool. I haven't done much to the interior in terms of upgrading it. I plan on getting MOMO bucket seats and harness once we put in a half cage. However, I believe that the CSRT4 seats should bolt in. I'm trying to find Evo X Recaro's but I cant find any that crazy expensive. I'm also on instagram, I've got more pictures over there. @hharkins17

Eibon · Dec 10, 2023

Oh nice I'll look into the csrt4 and your insta. I'd love to stay updated on your build.

hharkins17 · Dec 10, 2023

Eibon said:
Oh nice I'll look into the csrt4 and your insta. I'd love to stay updated on your build.

For sure man, I appreciate it!

Panda (Meep) [6spd Manual Swapped]

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CaraH1993

Ignatz

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Sandstone

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Eibon

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