Need a new 4.0, have a few ?'s

I recently picked up a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport. It has a 4.0 I6, Aw4 auto trans, and np231 tcase. The motor was blown up and I picked up the jeep for 900 dollars, it is pretty clean and in good shape. I plan on making it a 75 percent dd rig, and 25 percent mild wheeler. I plan on building my own winch bumper, roof rack, rear bumper, getting the rough country 3" lift with control arms and full rear springs, and some 31" m/ts. The previous owner dropped the block and head off to a machine shop to have rebuilt but lost his job so he sold the jeep to get some money to get by. I do not have the block nor the head, but have everything else off of the motor. What year motors should I look for to replace my motor. Do I have to use a 2000 head or can I use any of the non renix motors head since I have all of my own brackets and intake and what not. What years should I look for, thanks!

2000 and up....... the 99 and back dont have the mounting for the coil rail on the head.

You should be able to use a motor from a 97-up. I personally would shoot for that anyways an stay with the 0630 head. You would have to get the distributor plug deal that replaces the distributor and you can always Fab something up for the coil rail. Plenty on here have.

X2 -- Don't use the 2000/2001 head. What motors to use is fairly complicated on the late models. Search for threads. Talyn has posted links to articles that go over this. Motor mounts and accessory mounts seem to be the main consideration. The coil mounting bosses amount to nothing important. A couple of sheet metal pieces from Home Depot fix that.

And you can use the cam sensor unit from your seized motor in the distributor hole from an older model.

You will need all the late model sensors and flex plate. The intake will bolt up but if the 2000 has the 3 cat system your may need to maintain it inorder to keep the computer happy. There is ways around that but that's a bit over my head.
I still say if a head hasn't cracked by 60-80k it's most likely not going to. To that point I have reused a few heads with no problems. The only real down side to that head is it's tiny poop ports but on a stock engine running sub 6K RPM it makes little difference in HP.
Also depending on you state missing with the cat system to get an early head to work could get you in deep dodo.

you should track down the shop thats rebuilding it and continue it...

I really don't want to get into rebuilding it. I never have done one before as far as rebuilding it, and I don't want to pay a ton of money at a machine shop to have everything gone over and assembled, by the time i get done with that I could have a decent low mileage one and throw new gaskets in her and clean her up or save a little bit more and get a reman one. Are the blocks all the same? I don't have the head or the block but I have everything else. making a mounting bracket isn't going to be a problem what so ever though if I can use an older one.

the WJ mounting is different as well as the water pump mounting... not sure about a TJ... look for one on www.car-part.com

I guess you didn't search yet.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1023512&highlight=motor+swap