mekanic

so i love my 4.0L and ill run it till it dies. but i dont know whether i want to do a 4.7L stroker when that happens or drop in a different motor. i was thinking that a 6.1L hemi would be a blast. aside from the obvious cost of the motor and the amount of fab work i would have to do i dont know which would be more fun. and i do plan on swapping out most of the drivetrain for beefier parts down the line anyways. any suggestions

SeriousOffroad

Lot's of threads on this subject.
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/search...archid=3096817

austinjoe13

I myself would do the stroker. When you get the motor done you can use the existing driveline until you can afford better, though stock is pretty good.

cmarr6

I did the swap. It is a sbc350/th350 combo in an 85. I had a POS 2.8L in it when I bought it. Had a 350 sitting in the garage so I decided to do it. I love the swap but now I also have a 91 with the 4.0 HO motor in it. If I would have had the 4.0 before, I would not have done the swap. The 4.0 is a hell of a motor. The thing feels more torquey stock than my modified 350. I would do the stroker. Much easier. You can use all the existing wiring, tranny, mounts etc. And would probably give you as much if not more power. I can't believe I am saying this, since I am a true blue SBC fanatic. But since I bought the 91 with the 4.0, I,m pretty impressed with it. Just my 2c's.

Power73

I would look into swapping a chevy ls motor in. They can be found for pretty cheap and make good power stock and can make more hp pretty easily. I plan on doing the swap when funds are available. Look at serious offroads build, he's done it

SeriousOffroad

89ChereOkie

what about the legal side of things? i know that a motor swap is only legal if you use a stock motor of that car (found that out the hard way when we swapped in a ford crate racing motor into our bronco). But i also read that if you use the same trans and case from the donor car of the motor it is legal? I want to know because i found a lsx 5.3 with 60,000 o CL for $500 and was thinking about a swap

SeriousOffroad

You'll need to check with the local agencies to determine what will be required.

skeeter06

what does the rest of the swap drivetrain look like?? I have a sbc and th350sitting around, and I have been looking to upgrade axles in my suburban. If I decide to do this, I am thinking that all drivetrain will be gm when done. Just a thought. 383 stroker, th350, np208, gm 10bolt/ 12bolt axles. that should make a nice rig.

mekanic

i definitely agree that the legal side of it for most states is a motor that was available stock in that model year. still i think the 4.7L stroker would be the most fun. not to mention that there would be alot less modification in the engine compartment. either way it should be fun.

ehracing67

Hence the stroked 4.0 in mine. In PA things can get pretty stupid with the vehicle inspections and all. So I stuck with the 4.0 and kept things "looking" stock as much as possible. Another option is a Hesco head. http://www.hesco.us/ they are expensive. But how much do you save in fab work and other drivetrain mods? we've got ours out to around a 4.8-4.9 and other than a zz383, the amount of torque this puts out is amazing. Not to mention stock driveline is holding up well too.