I have a 4.0 2wd 1996 Cherokee in need of a new motor. I’m very green when it comes to doing any kind of engine swap or dealing with engines at this level of depth (would have more knowledgeable help) but wanted to see what was needed to possibly put a Ford V8 powerplant in it. Not against anything at this point though. I’ve looked and haven’t seen anything about a 302 swap or 351 swap in an xj in close to a decade on here. Any help would be appreciated

 

Not for amateurs.

 

I am somewhat capable in a garage and recently pulled a 4.0 from a write off xj. The plan is to rebuild it and drop it in my current xj. I figure this should be a realistic but still ambitious project. Don’t let the guys on YouTube lead you to believe you can do crazy stuff like they do. Remember, the fact you watched them build a crazy v8 swap means they are making money form their build. You and me are not making money. A stroker would be more realistic.

 

I probably wouldn’t be doing it myself. I’d probably find someone. But that’s not even part of what I’m asking. What MOTOR is a good fit if I did a V8 swap? That’s what I want to know. It’s been done but I don’t know what options there are.

 

some info here;

https://overlandterrain.com/jeep-xj-...everyday%20use.

most common thing I have seen is an LS swap. still cost thousands unless you do every thing yourself on the cheap

personally I would just get a used or junkyard XJ engine, preferably with under 200k miles, a few hundred bucks, and slip it in yours

I have a complete one I got for $300, a '96 same as mine, if my present engine croaks, I could have that one in it in a few days, just having spare sensors is worth that

 

thanks for the link. i’ve seen mostly LS swaps as well. but i’ve been quoted thousands of dollars for someone to put a jasper 4.0 in it anyways so i figured it might be worth putting something else in it if i didn’t do it. bc while i could put another 4.0 in it myself most likely, i don’t have the equipment (or really the time) for it at the moment

 

For the love of God, do NOT put a Jasper in there lol

 

what’s the reasoning behind not putting a jasper in it? i’m genuinely curious. if not jasper where else would i go to get an almost new motor?

 

Local machine shop is the only way to go. New motor? These companies that sell "remans", take rusty old cores off of the shelf, clean them up a little bit, dingleberry hone the cylinders, throw some new rings on the old pistons and hit it with a rattle can spray paint job. You would be paying big money and they would, under no circumstance, warranty the longevity of the engine. If it fails quickly, or should I say, when it fails quickly, they have every loophole at their disposal to deem the buyer accountable for failure.

A V8 swap into a 4.0L Jeep doesn't make much sense. It would only make sense if you were a fanboy of a particular V8 engine platform, you knew the platform front to back, you had 20 grand to burn, you live in Florida and you have a Holley dominator ECU with various fuel system components sitting on a shelf. A properly built and tuned Jeep straight 6 can make 5X the power than the Cherokee transmission, chassis and drivetrain can handle. It sounds like you have all of these parts. Your best bet is to take the engine to your local machine shop. They can do all of the machining and they can even source the parts that need to be replaced like valve springs, bearings, pistons and rings. Machine shop guys love the Jeep engine. It's easy work for them. Inexpensive and as bulletproof as it gets. You will support your local business which is as important now as it's ever been. You will also make a new friend who's forgotten more about engines than most will ever know.