I have a 2000 Chevy Astro van AWD which I purchased new. It currently has 130,000 odd miles and has become a third vehicle with some body rust. I'm thinking about two options. 1. Just outright selling the Astro and be done with it. 2. I have considered transplanting the Astro 4.3L V6 engine and transmission into my XJ. Nothing wrong with either of the engines or transmissions in either vehicle, I'm just thinking out loud and I'm curious if people think such a swap would hurt the XJ's value.

 

If you already have a 4.0, the swap to a 4.3 won't be worth the amount of cost and effort, especially if you consider doing a 4.6 stroker that will bolt right in and have more power than either. If the XJ is a 4 cylinder, the 4.3 is a decent upgrade but I still wouldn't do it. Swapping a 4.3 in takes a lot of customization, including dealing with the tall intake manifold with a modified hood. If you want to do that much work, a V8 swap is no more difficult, costs about the same, but it gives you much better results. If you want a 6 cylinder in place of a 4 banger, a 4.0 (or 4.6) is way easier to swap with cheaper OEM parts that bolt in and it will give you similar results to the 4.3.


The 4.3 is a good engine, don't get me wrong. But so is the 4.0. And if I was staying with a 6 cylinder in that size range, I'd go with a (modified) factory engine over swapping brands.

Still, if it's something you really want to do, there's no reason not to. Fabricating stuff is fun. And if you just want it because it's different and you feel like doing it, go for it. It won't give you a huge difference in performance but it would be a fun project to work on for the sake of having a fun project.

 

A Jeep 4.0 l6 is superior to a GM 4.3 V6 swapping them would be a step backwards.