typo :-)

 

cant compare the I-6 to a V-8, apples and oranges

BUT, all else being equal bigger displacement will always make more power, and a lightly tuned 350 will have a higher efficiency than a heavily modded 4.0

Not to mention the 350 is WAY cheaper to maintain and buy parts for, it has a lot bigger aftermarket, and most design flaws have been mitigated over the years, its the beauty of having a mature design

 

I guess you all would just need to drive my XJ with the stroker , it produces more power than really is even needed , not to mention it's much easier with NO modifications to install . I've ran this 4.7 against a built 350 in a Z71 4x4 , and pulling heavy equipment trailers through the West Virgina mountains tells you what it has so to pass info on to poeple that a stroker is'nt that efficent and low on power is wrong . Don't know what stroker you all have ran but mine gets it done and gets Great Fuel Milage

 

4k pound jeep vs. a 8k truck....anyone notice a little bit of a weight difference here?

 

ahhhh, put a hemi in it!

 

i think i agree with everybody here... hemi, stroker, gm v8, vortec.... don't down each others' builds. a stock cherokee is not a power machine, but jeep's idea of a compact SUV. although i think it's an insult to call my HULK an SUV.
On that note, build it to suit you. i wanna keep my I6 because I wanna have all jeep vehicle. i might consider a hemi, but i'm already starting that swap in my 04 dakota and it's a pain.
if you just wanna use your XJ just for a hunk of metal to put a 350 in, there's nothing wrong with that. it will make an excellent trail rig.
i'm almost positive that no matter what way you go, your gas mileage will stay around 16 mpg. anything better than that is on the driver. anything worse than that is on who??? the driver.
i can take anybody's v8 and make it tap, leak, whistle and cry. just as well i can take anybody's i6 and do the same.
I would do a stroker because it's jeep. at most a Mopar. but a V8 is the easiest way to get power even into a civic.

 

I agree,do what suits you-- I've been a chevy guy my whlole life, so putting in a chevy sb was a no brainer for me... but I really do appreciate the strengths of a stroker. either way, expect somewhere around $5k for the build... maybe more for the sb transplant if you're not a good fabricator.

 

Go with 4.7 stroker, stick with a real Jeep engine. Bolts in don't have to mess with drivetrian swaps. I get 18 city/22 highway MPG, 225k on the clock on my 4.0 and with one of the heaviest right foot around. I'm building my stroker now, I just completed the machine work in class the other day, using the four counter weight crank, 6.123" rods (stock 4.0L) that I side polished and will have bushed since I don't have access to a boring fixture, and to cap it off a nice set of forged slugs. When I get it painted will post pics. And buy the way this is getting nice dose of giggle juice hahaha.

 

you take that offroad?

 

the stroker is for my tough truck/race jeep whatever you want to call it. Its a 90 four door, yea I take every Jeep we have off road. From my nearly stock Cherokee to my lifted Comanche, to the tough truck to my dad's 92 on 35's and 4.5'' of lift. All I really deal with are Jeeps. Started with my Comanche at age 11 man. Here is a picture of the tough truck as it sits now. Its getting a cage by May along with the stroker.





The last one is me riding around the local civic center before the race.

The next set of mods will be putting in a cage, door skins on the back doors, tube doors up front, and to get it NMRO and EC4WDA legal so that my father, one of our friends and I can do some more racing.

 

ok I guess I will be the idiot here. Sorry I'm not fully Jeep mechanic savy, but I didn't know you could drop a chevy in a Jeep. I always thought that to put a diff brand motor into a diff make car you had to do SERIOUS mods to the chassis, crossmember, etc.

Can someone put what you need to do in a nutshell for me?

Also, I enjoy my 4.0 how it is, and I dont think it could really take on any of the good ol 350's. Unless your throwin some serious $$$ like FrankZ said, I would doubt it. But hey, I could be wrong.

 

A V8 is really not as easy or cheap as people seem to make it. Using a used engine to save money is a gamble the same goes for the required transmission. If you decide on a new crate motor or rebuilt trans there goes the initial cost through the roof. If you use a modern fuel injected engine you have to deal with the engine control system and the transmission control unit for modern automatics. You also have to deal with a different transfer case or the required adapter to use your current transfer case. Then any drive shaft modifications that will be needed. You could use a carburetor to ease in installation, but why go back 40 years as technology goes and lose the driveability of fuel injection. As for your Average Joe goes it doesn't make sense. Unless you can do all the work yourself and do it safely and correct I wouldn't recommend it.

Also if your 4.OL is tired and need to be rebuilt, you can do the "poor man's" stroker. Uses 258 crank and rods with a 4.0L piston, to give you a 4.5L with a factory cylinder of 3.8759". You can get a re-manufactured crankshaft and rods for around 300 to 400 dollars.

A lot of the old timers I've talked to said that some of the fastest vehicles they've rode or driven were inline powered....Especially the old Chevy inlines...

 

inline has 6 rod journals vs v8's 4 journals. Nissan RB26, BMW i6. these are one of the best motors out there and are preferred over v8's. i can't call all of those people crazy. they must know something.
i would love to stroke mine, but the problem is with 157k miles on it, runs like new. i wouldn't have the heart to even put a socket on that motor mount.

 

I've been a GM guy my WHOLE life...this is my first Jeep, and I love it. The LS Series V8's from GM are awesome motors; they are efficient, quiet, powerful, and easily maintained. However, in my opinion, I would keep a Jeep motor. My stock 4.0L is enough power/torque for me, but if I was going to upgrade with bolt ons, I would start with exhaust including header, spark plugs, injector upgrade, and a cold air intake. Pretty much what everyone is saying on here. I've got 68,000 miles on my motor and it runs great, so for me, a stroker upgrade wouldn't be a good idea, let alone feasible at this point because I don't have the cash flow for it. The bottom line is this: Unless you spend MAJOR cash, you will not have a 500 hp, 500 lb ft torque motor. Who needs that much power anyway??? LOL I would probably end my driving career because I would get pulled over...a lot....Take care.

 

another question is.. why do you want more power? do you want better acceleration?
If so, you should think about taller gears-- I have 4.10s, and they worked wonders when I had the stock 4.0l in the jeep.

And like everyone else said-- for anything under $5k, you'll be llooking at a cold air intake, maybe a header + exhaust,