Jporter100

Can someone tell me what the difference between a 1995 xj and a 1995 zj. I am trying to find a conversion motor mount to install an Ls1. Anybody know of anything

Rooch1008

XJ is the Cherokee and the ZJ is the Grand Cherokee

andrewmp6

Short answer every single thing but the name jeep on them is different.Why do a ls when you can buy a zj with a 5.2 or a 5.9 in 98.

dave1123

Are you looking to build a street rod or an off-road beast? There's way more involved than just swapping motors.

Fred/N0AZZ

Dave's right the LS1 would be best for a street/strip setup, can be made very fast.

KarenS

I have a 1996 Jeep Cherokee sport. What makes it a sport? Its not 4 wheel drive....

dave1123

It's as simple as the high-backed bucket seats and the airbag steering wheel from the Grand Cherokee. These add a little class to the basic Cherokee. Plus the choice of the 242 transfer case.

The..The...That's all folks!

Jporter100

I guess what I should be asking is there a difference in the unibody's. I purchased a 95 zj for cheap to build, I have a tube chassis buggy that I want strip all of the parts off of and build the zj. The zj currently has the inline 6. My buggy was built with an LS1. Will aftermarket XJ products work on the ZJ??

dave1123

Maybe I can clarify this a little. The basic unibodys are the same, but the ZJ uses rear coil springs and the XJ uses leaf springs so the frame brackets to mount the rear sections are different. The rear axles themselves are different for the same reason; spring mounts. All the front end parts are the same on both. I believe 95 was the change-over year where the ZJ began using the 42re transmission instead of the AW4 in the XJ.

SatiricalHen

they only used the aw4 for the first half year of production.

andrewmp6

The aw4 was 93 only if i remember right,The front suspension is the same but the axles are different the grands was low pinion only while the xj was high pinion tell 00.The motor mounts are way different same thing with the body side of them,To do a ls swap on a zj your making your own motor mounts and a lot of small parts.

dave1123

The whole point here is if you stick an LS1 in front of a 42re, don't expect it to last long, or the D35 either. The 4.0 is designed for low rpm torque, which is exactly what is needed for off-road.

Again, will this vehicle be used for the street or off-road only? For street use, it must meet all necessary emission regulations. If you're looking for a fire-breathing street machine, there's a lot of work ahead. In NY, you can build what you want for the street as long as it meets equipment and emission standards of the year of manufacture OF THE CHASSIS! If you don't use an original chassis, you just about have to jump thru hoops to get it to pass state inspection by proving it roadworthy.

SatiricalHen

here you can drive a box with lights down the road no problem. No inspections. There's some really sketchy stuff around.

dave1123

Cool! Go for it! You could just cut down your tube frame and stick the ZJ body over it! There's a guy near me who has a Bronco chassis with a Camaro body on it. He was pissed because he had to register it as a FORD!

Seriously, I'd stick with a GM powertrain and mount it in the ZJ. If you want to stay 4x4, you can get adapters to put the jeep t/case on your GM transmission. The front shaft comes out the opposite side from the NP/NV t/cases used in GM products. You will, of course, need the electronics package for the LS1.

Jporter100

Oh I am sticking withe chevy drive train and I would love to be able to put my Rockwells under as well. That is really the biggest part of my question that I need help with. Essentially offroad builds a great looking triangulated 4 link bracket for the XJ but they were not sure if it would work on ZJ. The motor mounts I can get around but the 4 link will be a challenge for the Rockwells. Unless you guys have any other good ideas. Let me know I am all ears.