ShodMermaid336

Hey guys, Im new here, and I have a couple questions. Im looking to buy my first real car that actually mine. I work with a contractor so I needed space for tools, and I also wanted space for an audio system (subs, mids, etc). This would be my daily driver, and i plan on having it a long time. Id like a first gen Cherokee XJ, and I want to outfit for being fast/general purpose.

My question is, if i swap the engine with a 302 or 350, what else should I upgrade first? I know the obvious like trans, computer, Also whats the best year to do these mods on?
It also has to be automatic, and have the basic amenities such as power steering, AC, heat. I don't know about ABS, is that really necessary?

Essentially, I want a cool a** car for commutes, that can small stuff, tools, and i can take to the drag strip/ beat the ridiculous amount of mustangs in my area (I live next to UCF, giant college, with a bunch rich kids)
I also plan on probably reupholstering the inside

Im doing all the work myself, and funding it myself, I realize this will take a long time.
Thank you for reading if you got this far haha, Im gonna be here a lot I reckon.

andrewmp6

So you want a drag car but yet want to add 200 or more lbs of weight to it ?Only engine swap worth it to me is a ls v8 with a 4l60e auto.A lq4 6.0 from a pickup will be cheap and fast enough,Heat will be easy,a/c will take custom lines made but do able.Abs is for people that can't drive,And only abs rear end is a dana 35 thats the weakest factory rear end in a xj.

s346k

my suggestion: pick a different platform to fulfill your wants. or concede to the 200hp monster residing in the engine bay of a 6 cyl xj. v8 swaps aren’t cheap or easy. i agree 100% with andrew on the lsx. problem is the new mustangs run high 11s @ 117+. getting your xj to do that will take even more money and work.

robertj

Since you're obviously on a budget and need a daily driver, I would leave the swap to people with more money and time. Instead, consider a Grand Cherokee ZJ with a 5.2 liter (Dodge 318) which will give you considerable more power and torque (you might surprise an older stock Mustang) than an XJ and still give you the cargo space you need. The 318s have tons of upgrade parts available, and you can add things here and there as you can afford it while still driving the Jeep. ZJs ('93-'98) are cheap and plentiful and pretty robust if the transmission has been taken care of. I had a '94 with the 5.2, and it was one of the best Jeeps I ever owned.

andrewmp6

As someone who has had drag cars before,Daily driving the mustang i have would be a nightmare.My f250 4x4 gets better gas mileage then a 600hp small block mustang with a aode lol.With drag racing weight can be a big factor,Dropping just a 100lbs on the car can make it run 1 one thousands of a second faster.That tiny time frame can make you win or lose.Other things are racing classes.Or like you can only run water for coolant at a race track.So if you daily drive a car in the cold weather youll have to change that over a lot.Honestly its best to have 2 cars really.One to daily drive and one to race.Trying to have both its either gonna suck as a race car or suck as a daily driver you really cant have both.