That was a GM v6, this AMC 4.0 liter was a true and tried real Jeep engine, it one of the main reasons the XJ is what it came to be, if it kept the 2.8 it would have floundered much earlier in it's lifetime.

 

The engine is the heart/mind of our cars.... Suspension is like ligaments.... If a loved one had an amputation and replacement, then we wouldn't care, what matters is they still are the same person.

 

Straight from the Novak website, and I agree 100%. Swapping a v8 or different manufacturer engine does not make a Jeep any less of a Jeep. I plan to swap a 4bt Cummins in a Jeep Comanche when I get the chance, and that MJ will still proudly sport the Jeep badges.

 

Well then taking the straight six out of a Supra and swapping in a v6 or 4 cylinder engine does not make a Supra any less of a Supra.

Well then taking the straight six out of a R34 Skyline and swapping in a v6 or 4 cylinder engine does not make a Skyline any less of a Skyline.

Well then taking the V8 out of a Mustang GT and swapping in a 4 cylinder engine does not make a Mustang any less of a Mustang. -WHICH was proven WRONG by the Mustang II

Well then taking the pushrod V8 out of a Corvette and swapping in a 4 cylinder engine does not make a Corvette any less of a Corvette.

Well then taking the V12 out of a Ferrari and swapping in a small block V8 does not make a Ferrari any less of a Ferrari.

Well then making BMW's fwd does not make them any less of a BMW.



Well then making the Jeep Wrangler fwd only with IFS and a turbo Fiat 3 cylinder doesn't make it any less of a Jeep.


-The Inline 6 is a Jeep Cherokee hallmark, it's part of what makes the whole Jeep(XJ) experience unique and unlike any other SUV. It's like how VTEC makes Honda's special in their own way.

 

I'm not gonna continue trying to prove a point here. Go ahead and ask all of the guys who have swapped v8's into their XJ's if their experience was lacking in anyway. Ask a bunch of those guys on NAXJA. The XJ experience seems to only get BETTER with the use of a V8, or even a stroker. None of those guys sits in their XJ and says "Well this lost it's luster." And btw, in regards to your examples above, those are all DOWNGRADES (and ignorant ones at that if anyone were to actually do them [hence why the Mustang II was a failure]), which would ruin the experience and pure essence of ANY vehicle.

 

I claim to be no expert, but feel free to try me.

 

The biggest concern I have is height. I know guys who run the 5.3L vortecs must have cowl hoods for clearance of the intake and accesories. Since the 5.7 Vortec L31 shares it's basic design with the Gen I SBC, is it safe to say the intake and accesories aren't as tall as the 5.3 setup?

 

Hence why I was backing up the stroker choice. I plan on doing 4.9 stroker while my buddy plans on doing 302 swap and I have to prove that I made the better choice now, haha.... it was all for fun.

 

LOL, well I can say with all honesty that I don't know. I drive mostly mid 80's and earlier junk and I don't usually mess with newer stuff (I guess 'newer' is relative). I know that the 5.3s have those notoriously tall accessory brackets. I can't say if the overall height is taller or not from Gen I to the 5.7. I'd imagine you could look into swapping brackets to something off a Vette or Camaro? I'm sure it's not as simple as that, because it usually never is.

 

Vortec V8

 

Haha, Frank I can honestly say I've been waiting for your input in this thread.

 

I voted for keeping the 4.0 or doing a 4.0l based motor. Honestly one of the biggest reasons I bought a Cherokee is the fact that it has a 4.0 in it . If anything I would do something like a 4bt Cummings . A Cummings cherokee would be bad ***

 

I already took all the Jeep badges off. So I guess mine isn't a Jeep anymore anyway. It's more like taking the heart out of someone you like, and putting in a much better heart out of someone you love.
You didn't make the better choice. Not even remotely close. Sorry.

 

i've said it before...

I wasted copious amounts on building a bomb-proof stroker, and I sated even more money rebuilding it multiple times.

Building a stroker for HP and Tq is a great plan, but don't be surprised if reliablity is sorely lacking.

A Vortec motor was the perfect swap for me.
Tons of aftermarket support.
Proven reliability.
Incredible gains in HP with a simple re-tune of the PCM (not possible with a Jeep PCM).
A very meager 10 pound weight increase.

 

the other two toys I play with....
Vortec 7.4 (454ci):

383ci stroker:

guess my vote lol