Faster Jeep

[TriZZle904]

I want to make my jeep faster and to improve the horse power of my jeep.. I have a 1995 Jeep Cherokee Sport... where do i start? I think stock hp is 190 which isnt too bad..

[juicexj24]

Faster or more power?
Cat Back Exhaust system, bored throttle body and spacer. High Alt. Crank Sensor, header, Open K&N Filter FIPK. Larger injectors, adjustable fuel pressurer reg, the right ring and pinion to match your tires if you have a lift will always help. Jet Chip, Python computer box. All of this cost money to do. So the most bang for the buck is a K&N filter and exhaust system to start. You should be able to get another 15-20hp with these mods, maybe more or less. Hope this helps. Juice

[TriZZle904]

thanx it helps a lot, i wuz thinking a both(power and speed)

[Eagle]

There is no high altitude CPS for the Chrysler years -- that's available only for the Renix models. The Jet chip is available and does about the same thing -- it advances ignition timing, as well as altering the fuel map slightly. The Jet chip will require that you run 93 octane fuel.

It really comes down to how much of an increase you want, and how much you want to spend. Are you really looking for "speed," or are you actually looking for "acceleration"? The stock XJ will go faster than any speed limit in the U.S., and faster than it is safe to drive it (especially considering the high center of gravity and the XJ's legendary crappy brakes), so I find it hard to believe that what you really want is "speed."

[btl_fed_xj]

Check out the list of mods on my XJ. It's quick enough to take care of a 2002 GTI off the line up to about 75 mph(and that was without nitrous). Got a few more tricks up my sleeve left before I finish this motor off. Give it a couple of years and this motor is going on the for sale forum and the LT1 motor will be going on the wanted forum.

Jamie

[CRASH]

This should make your rig faster. Let us know how the install goes!

http://www.mopartsracing.com/parts/blocks.html

HEMI
528" HEMI-610 horsepower V8 crate motor $14,995.00

Mopar performance has developed a king kong size 528 hemi crate motor which cranks out a whopping 610 horsepower and 650 ft.-lbs. of torque! Features include: Heavy-duty siamesed bore cast iron block with cross-bolted mains. Aluminum heads,stainless steel 2.25" intake valves and 1.94" exhaust valves. Heavy-duty single valve springs. premium material valve stem seals. A 292 degree- .524"/ .543" lift hydraulic cam. forged 10.25:1 compression ratio pistons- 4.500" bore. Aluminum dual plane M1 4 bbl intake manifold. Forged steel crankshaft-4.15" stroke. Precision double roller timing chain and sprockets. Spark plugs,wires,and breathers included. Heavy-duty engine stand and shipping crate included. the 610 horsepower Hemi comes with mopar performance parts cast aluminum valve covers and chrome front cover,as well as mopar's precise high performance electronic distributor. the motor comes with a basic 6 quart rear sump oil pan (1970-71 B/E-body style) mopar performance parts recommends that for maximum performance,a 850/900 cfm holley carburetor and 2 1/4" headers be used. ( NOT INCLUDED)

CRASH

[TOZOVR]

There are fast cars you make faster, and slow cars you make less slow....welcome to the world of less slow.

[TriZZle904]

i guess what im wanting is acceleration (faster quarter mile time) but i just get tired of seeing the speedometers top speed at 85mph so i do want speed to some extent... thank you everyone for your responses... CRASH... i wish i could afford that lol

[XJguy]

Go to Jeepsunlimited, then go to the Speedfreaks forum look for Dino Savaa, he has a page on what to do to maximize your XJ without opening it up.

IMHO, best thing you can do, is fabricate a supercharger system, most bang for the buck.

XJguy

[REDXJ4FUN]

OK fist off befor you add all sorts of things start with th basics. Get some good plugs and wires( i like the bosh +4s and get a good wire not the basic replacement) and make sure your fuel filter is in good shape. next step is a good muffler and tail pipe either get an after market one or find a good local shop to do a ssytem for you. for what you spend on a borla cat back oyou can get a high flow converter and muffler at a good loacal shop. Nxet chuck the stock air box and either make your self an in take or buy one( I know that I'm going to get flamed by some for saying that since "it will only get hot air and wount gain you any thing" but its not hard to prevent that by either useing a shielded filter and routing it up front or just makeing a shield like K&Ns FIPK. Nxt would be a larger TB And once again yuou can do it yourself, or have a machine shop bore it for about 40 bucks of go after market. next would be a header witch borla seems to be the best one for XJs. afyer all that you can start working with tuning the fuel system with adustable map sensor and injecters.
If thats not enough you caneither blow your money on forced in duction or go in to the motor and do a cam and valve train even a big valve head from Accurate or realy dig in to it and stroke it.

[TOZOVR]

Originally posted by XJguy
Go to Jeepsunlimited, then go to the Speedfreaks forum look for Dino Savaa, he has a page on what to do to maximize your XJ without opening it up.

IMHO, best thing you can do, is fabricate a supercharger system, most bang for the buck.

XJguy

I agree...positive manifold displacement is you're only "bolt on" option.

Dino has some good common sense mods but his numbers are obtained with a handheld stopwatch...and thus his HP numbers are ballpark at best.

I'm not trying to slam Dino...he's approach is valid...his numbers just shouldn't be considered "Emporical Data"

[Eagle]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
i guess what im wanting is acceleration (faster quarter mile time)

So you want "quicker," not "faster." That's what I thought.

Gears. More gear will give you better acceleration even with no changes to the engine. Do the math for acceleration-to-distance and you'll see that in a drag race the vehicle that spools up quicker off the line is the one that covers the quarter mile in the shortest time, even if the other guy ends up turning more MPH crossing the line.

[TriZZle904]

i have an automatic so what can i do to change the gear ratio... i guess.... ill want to do that soon since i wont have enough money to do most of the other stuff until later

[Ted Z]

Lift it 8" put 35"s on it and have some real fun with it.....

[WrenchMonkey]

Lift it 8" put 35"s on it and have some real fun with it.....

Yeah, THAT'll make it quicker! :wierd:

[Eagle]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
i have an automatic so what can i do to change the gear ratio... i guess.... ill want to do that soon since i wont have enough money to do most of the other stuff until later

Transmission doesn't matter -- you're not changing tranny gears. You replace the ring and pinion in the axles. But it isn't cheap -- assuming you have 4WD, you have to do both axles, or you can't use the 4WD. The cheapest way to do it is actually to find a pair of axles out of a 4-cyl that has 3.73 or 4.10 gears, and swap over the entire axle assemblies.

[TriZZle904]

so if i have RWD i only have to do the back axle?

[bozinater]

what about turbo charging it

[TriZZle904]

i was going to do most of the suggestions... including finding out about how to buy or getting shop to make me a custom one but just not in th near future... i just wanted something somewhat "cheap" to do now unil i start the other stuff in november... im still spending money on the exterior.. and then im going to interior

[btl_fed_xj]

I can't even imagine how expensive it would be to install that 528 Hemi into a XJ! Even if you were given the motor I am sure it would cost about the cost of the motor again to put it in. I think I am going to have to wait until I get out of college at least before I have the $$$ to drop in one of those, of course not having a girlfriend/wife saves a lot of cash!!!

[TriZZle904]

i had the same reaction when i saw that hemi post...maybe if i won some money or robbed a bank..lol

[Eagle]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
so if i have RWD i only have to do the back axle?

Correct

[Ed A. Stevens]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
i was going to do most of the suggestions... including finding out about how to buy or getting shop to make me a custom one but just not in th near future... i just wanted something somewhat "cheap" to do now unil i start the other stuff in november... im still spending money on the exterior.. and then im going to interior

How fast do you want to go?

What kind of competition: 1/4 mile ET, or top speed, or what kind of car do you want to beat (and in what kind of race)? Is the priority a fast car, or a cool car (with custom interior, paint, and sound system)?

What do you consider "cheap"? What is the budget?

Fast is not "cheap." It's easy to forget this when discussions begin, and when you spend a few hundred dollars (here and there) months apart, but if you truly want to go fast do not spend (waste) any money until you have a complete plan. Keep the vehicle engine stock until you have the cash to make the modifications you want (this is very important if the XJ is a daily driver).

The two things mentioned that provide the most street performance enhancement are lower ratio axle gears and forced induction (supercharger or turbocharger).

If your XJ is 2WD and you do not drive long trips the gear change can be done anytime and will only reduce the fuel mileage as the tradeoff for quicker acceleration. This is the cheapest results for dollar spent modification you can make (~$500 for more than a second off the 1/4 mile ET).

Forced induction will result in the greatest power increase, but it is not something to install on an incremental basis. There are many reasons for this: a normal header will not fit a custom turbo, you may not need a larger TB with a blower (redundant), the best echaust for a blower system is larger than the ideal for natural aspiration (why buy exhaust twice), injectors may be different from that needed for a supercharger or turbocharger (do you plan for an injector collection), a performance chip may not work with a blower (more to throw away), the accessories on the engine change with each modification, and if the current engine has significant mileage you will want to rebuild it during the process (this takes the vehicle out if action for a week even if you have a plan).

You can spend a large quantity of your money in little steps, very quickly, and have to spend even more dollars trading up to get what you really want (if you catch the speed-racer bug). This process may seem cheap, with only a few dollars spent each month, but over a year it's more expensive for the performance improvement.

The alternative is to plan and have the money set aside to do the mechanical improvements in one big step, and go race the stock vehicle in the short term (to acquire the driving skills needed to match the power increase you plan to install). This also provides you time to decide if the long-term goal is "fast" or "cool." This may seem to be a strange question (fast is cool, right), one that makes more sense as you find what you want to accomplish.

What is your priority list? What do you want the XJ to look like (in two months, and in two years)? How fast do you want to go? What is the budget?

[MudDawg]

Nitrous is a possibility...if all you want to do is blast past somebody on the street...but you would need some engine mods for it to stay together, and a very good controller, and a fuel cell for the gas you would need to use with the nitrous. Hmmmmm...no easy answers or cheap ones. There are a lot of good suggestion above that will give you more power.Besides, XJ's were never intended to go fast...but i like the turbo idea..

[mattk]

Try a '99 up intake. Rumor has it that they're good for 15-20 hp above 2000 rpm. I hear that they can be had for around 200$. Ten bucks per horsepower is hard to come by these days.
mattk

[TriZZle904]

Eagle, right now my priority is exterior... rims, bodykit, grill, paint etc... il be finished with the exterior by september then i start on interior and sound system and ill be done w/ that by march... from then on out it will be primarily performance, power, speed, etc... i dont have a set budget so i wuz just looking for some prices to be thrown out to be not cheap but lower prices than normal for certain upgrades... "most cluck for my buck"... mainly i just want to be able to beat my friends... stock 93 mazda mx6, and stock 92 honda civic... other than that im not really sure... what kindof plan would you suggest for a 1995 Cherokee sport rwd 150,000 miles.?? I know several things in the engine have already been replaces but id have to ask my dad for specifics... the way u explain the money situation i figure itz best to save my money when im finished "cool" until the end of next summer and start then...

[REDXJ4FUN]

s i posted before You can't beat simple basic hot rodding it woun't hurt you motor in any was and it basicaly improvesif you can controll the urge it will save you fuel. But brfoe you try adding evry gaget under the sun that has alsorts of claims make sure what you have is running its best to begin with. Just like people saying that "these splitfire plugs made a huge diffrnce its un realy how much power they added to my motor" well what kinda shape were the plugs they had in it to begin with.the things like a larger TB and intake are simple thigns that even when your done with them you can sell them.I've only been messing with xjs for about 8 years now and i am on my forth one and have tried alsorts of diffrent mods and still have more to go. I ought a g-tech meter so i can start with a stock xj and have real numbers to see what realy works and what dosent. There are somany diffrent thigns that affect performance that if you don't get diffrent mods to work together there not doing you any good. as soon as i get some time to figure that dang little meter thing out i'll post some numbers on diffrent mods. I know it sounds like i'm ranting but I grew up working on cars and i have spend alot of time and money finding out how to make them faster and better and when i hear some people talk about all of these snake oil products that claim this and that it wears on me. and I just want to help peopl from making missakes since I've made my fair share of them. I broke many parts and wasted plenty of money on things that just don't work like claimed. One of those things is a jacobs ignition for my 1 ton chevy. biggest waste of money yet. i got better milage out of the stock coil with thier wires than with thier spark control box and coil figure that out for me. ok i'm done than you and good night.

[TriZZle904]

thanx... please let me know what works together and what doesnt work with what.. ive only been into XJs for maybe a month or 2 so i know about the least anyone could possibly know about them

[Eagle]

TriZZle --

I've been away from racing so long that I don't pay any attention to "cars" any longer, so I honestly have no idea at all how fast a Mazda MX6 might be -- nor do I know if your pal has modified his to make it faster than a stock vehicle.

The best I can offer is send you back to read Ed Stevens' post again -- several times. To that, let me add a basic fact: A stock XK weighs about 3400 pounds empty. Add a driver, some accessories, and whatever you normally carry, and you're pushing close to 4,000 pounds. Your friends rice rockets must weight about half that, plus they are considerably more aerodynamic.

Next point: the rice rockets have short-stroke, high RPM engines. The XJ is an engine designed in the mid-60s. Yes, the computer and fuel injection are newer, but the basic engine is a 40-year old design. It's a long stroke engine -- it makes torque, not horsepower. It's reliable as all get out, and it pulls stumps, but it does not rev up quickly like you'd want a drag racert to do. What I'm getting at here is that you don't have a very ideal platform for drag racing.

I'm also hesitant to suggest improvments that will help some, because I don't know where you plan to take on your buddies. Are you going to a sanctioned drag strip to face off, or are you planning on going at it on a city street some Saturday night? Did you read about the recent trial of two dudes in California who were street racing and killed somebody who happened to be driving in the neighborhood they were racing through? I believe they were originally charged with murder and wound up being convicted of vehicular manslaughter. They'll probably do hard time.

If your goal is to beat your pals, the best way we can help you is if you tell us what they turn in a quarter mile drag, then we can advise you if it's possible to beat that with an XJ and, if so, how to do it. However ...


i wuz just looking for some prices to be thrown out to be not cheap but lower prices than normal for certain upgrades...

There's no such thing as "lower prices than normal for certain upgrades." Things cost what things cost. Sure, if you price a particular part or accessory at 5 shops you'll get some range in prices, but as an order of magnatude they'll all be in the same ball park. Replacing or rebuilding an engine isn't cheap -- you really can't afford to cut corners when you start modifying for speed.

Like Rich Pierson says in his sig line, "Fast, good, cheap -- pick any two. Anything else is a waste of my time and your money."

[TriZZle904]

there is a highway that is deserted past 1130... there is a portion of it unfinished that is supposed to go somwhere else some time in the future but it measures about a mile and a half of "closed" road.... for some reason the road has a spray paint start and finish ....thatz where we were gonna race.... their car are stock for sure.. the honda has a muffle but only 102 hp(not including whateve the muffler did) the mazda is at 164 hp... and im at 190 hp assuming the specs on these cars are accurate(edmunds.com) considering what u said about the weight they might not be accurate cause it said he curb weight of the jeep was 2932 lbs...

[M. Lake]

If you want real cheap, go find an old chevy with a 350 and carb. The only wires that go to the motor are starter and coil hot wire. Find a wrecked truck with a good motor and put the whole driveline in the XJ.

Then do the body and suspension kit. It would suck to do body first and then add about 200 lb to the front and drop you down to low. Then you can redo front suspension.

[1986xj]

At 150k a 4.0 really should be in decent shape still.... but it might be a bit tired. If you've got the budget for a rebuild then stroke it, it won't really add much cost to the rebuild and will really give you substantial power gains.
For details join here -
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/strokers/
and just lurk there for a while.
Mike B.

[Eagle]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
and im at 190 hp assuming the specs on these cars are accurate(edmunds.com) considering what u said about the weight they might not be accurate cause it said he curb weight of the jeep was 2932 lbs...

The 190 HP is correct, but the weight probably isn't. I confess I forgot you have a 2WD, but it's still heavier. The oldest factory literature I have is for 1999. 2-door, 4.0L, 2WD weighs 3,177 lbs with an automatic. 4-door weighs 3,218 lbs.

That's all I'm going to say. Your chosen drag strip is not a legal or a safe place for you to race and in good conscience I can't encourage you to kill yourself -- or your friends.

[dan f.]

have you raced the civic at all? i raced my buddy's '02 civic and beat it without any problem and with no engine mods. if all you want to do is beat them for fun, try it first as you are. if you win, you can say you beat the ricers w/ a stock jeep, and if you lose just tell them you're driving a stock jeep...of course you lost.

[Bones]

1986xj, "If you've got the budget for a rebuild then stroke it, it won't really add much cost to the rebuild and will really give you substantial power gains."

Mike,
First of all this isn't meant to pick on you so don't take it that way. I just want to clear up a common misconception (having had it myself until experience slapped me in the face :eek: ).

While I agree that a stroker will give "substantial power gains" it is not just a little more than a standard engine rebuild!

To build a good long rod stroker motor you need a good base to work with. Checking the soundness of the block adds cost to the block prep. Then there is the proper decking of the block to ensure proper quench which adds even more cost over a stock rebuild because of the frequent mocking up. This all changes the valve train geometry so add custom length push rods. Now since you are building this thing for power how about those bigger valves or SS valves with back cut stems and a ported head to feed in more air for the added cyl volume(more $$$ over stock). Don't forget custom forged pistons ($600 +) where Silvolites would probably be <$150. Oh and then there is the stronger rod bolts in the prepped rods and the balancing of rods and slugs. Wouldn’t it be nice to add (or keep) that main cap girdle? Add a set of custom machined spacers for it to work (though Mike now lists them mine were the custom set that started their production). Now with the added seat pressure of those larger valve springs to close those bigger valves you really should go to a double true roller timing chain to turn that higher dollar big bumpstick. Crap, now it sounds like you are going to run lean with those tiny stock injectors. Gotta get those big Ford SVO 30lb injectors (another couple hundred). OK we have to get the spent gas out with a a Borla header (it's how much?:eek: ) because it’s the only one that can be wrapped for decreased under hood temps without voiding the warranty. Don't forget new bomb proof motor mounts to hold down the increased torque. Now we have to keep it cool. FlowKooler crap or HESCO rape, you chose, but figure another 100-200 clams PLUS a new radiator cause that stock one core isn't going to cut it. Oh, don’t forget the bored throttle body and open element filter set up (more money gone)….. The list goes on, and on, and on.

I admit I sold my wife on the idea that since I had to replace a crank and at least one rod anyway it “wouldn’t be that much more to do a stroker”. I actually believed that at the time. What a rude slap in the face! When all the post build problems are worked out (I will admit I have had more than the average post build problems), and my wants and needs for my vision are fulfilled, I figure I will have nearly $4.5K in my motor when the receipts are totaled. I could have dropped in a re-built long block for about $675 + s&h after core return.

Now if only I could afford that blower:rolleyes:….

Bones :anon:

[bchulett]

Originally posted by Eagle
TriZZle --

To that, let me add a basic fact: A stock XK weighs about 3400 pounds empty. Add a driver, some accessories, and whatever you normally carry, and you're pushing close to 4,000 pounds. Your friends rice rockets must weight about half that, plus they are considerably more aerodynamic.

If your goal is to beat your pals, the best way we can help you is if you tell us what they turn in a quarter mile drag, then we can advise you if it's possible to beat that with an XJ and, if so, how to do it.

"There's no satisfactory substitute for cubic inches"

A 3,400 pound XJ and 528ci Hemi with 610hp will get ya down the 1/4 mile somewhere in the mid 11's @120 mph---that's assuming you have the right stuff and whevos to stay on the motor through the traps. Personally, I wouldn't waste the time or money making an XJ faster or quicker than anything else other than another XJ..... wouldn't be the most popular ride at the drags... not to mention they don't stop at speeds above 60 mph.

I say drop it.... make it a pro solo ride. Ya know, they used to run a Jeep truck class in SCCA years back.... they're pretty fast around corners.

[KarmirXJ]

dont want to sound like a d|ck but...
If you want a faster more powerful car, ditch the XJ and buy a sports car.
I wounder how many times your going to be going over 75mph with your XJ... and who ever does is a fool because its going to get you in trouble quick, both with the cops and your health

just my .02

[TriZZle904]

so im lookin at $4.5k for the stroker rebuild but how much is that 4.5k gonna help?

[1986xj]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
so im lookin at $4.5k for the stroker rebuild but how much is that 4.5k gonna help?

His engine is way overbuilt, sounds like it was built for running in a JEEPSPEED race series XJ. Nothing wrong at all with that, he's just spent a lot more so he'll be able to squeeze those last few ponies out of his (those last few HP are always the expensive ones ;) )
I've never built one myself but a basic stroker is just a mix of 4.0 and 4.2 parts, from my best estimate $1,500 -$2,000 should easily build one.... actually much less if you can find a good junkyard 258 core that doesn't require any or much machine work.
Mike B.

[TriZZle904]

so after i get a stroker and fix what needs to be fixed replacements etc. this is what i plan to do ... let me know whats wrong with it or what should i change or get rid of...

Cold Air Intake
Gibson Cat Back Exhaust
Gibson Shorty Headers
Helix Throttle Body Spacer
MSD Ignition
8mm Plug Wires
Bosche Platinum Series spark plugs
Upgraded Fuel Pump & Lines

[Ed A. Stevens]

Originally posted by TriZZle904
so after i get a stroker and fix what needs to be fixed replacements etc. this is what i plan to do ... let me know whats wrong with it or what should i change or get rid of...

Cold Air Intake
Gibson Cat Back Exhaust
Gibson Shorty Headers
Helix Throttle Body Spacer
MSD Ignition
8mm Plug Wires
Bosche Platinum Series spark plugs
Upgraded Fuel Pump & Lines


Start with what will work with the stock 4.0L or the stroker:

Cold Air intake with high flow filter == OK

Gibson Cat back == OK, but find a good muffler shop and get a quote for a 2.5 pipe from the header to the Cat, a 2.5" cat-converter, a 2.5 muffler (your choice) and 2.5" or 3" pipe out to the rear bumper (there is no magic to the Gibson name or product that cannot be improved upon by a good muffler shop).

Gibson header == OK, but almost everyone trades up to a Borla or Kolak header (a header is good, just buy it only once).

TB Spacer == I believe it's snake oil (it's your money, better spent on a larger TB).

MSD Ignition == The XJ ignition is as good (save your money -- and I have MSD's on all my older cars because MSD equipment is great, but not needed on an XJ).

8mm wires == Yes, Yes, Get a quality brand (Magnacore, Sorenson, MSD, Moroso, even Splitfire).

Bosche Platinum Plugs == Yes, just not +4's, Get regular style platinum plugs (the platnium is for wear resistance, learn about plug heat ranges to select a good plug for the conditions you drive, because getting the correct plug heat range is more important than the style of plug or platnium).

Fuel Pump & Lines == save your money, because the factory pump and fuel system can easily 30#/hr injectors and it is very unlikely you will ever exceed it's capacity.

The little needs of a stroker (the process posted by Bones) is what to expect for any high performance build up. The costs exceed the budget, the little tasks & items end up costing more than the simple machine work and basic assembly (injectors, pushrods, port matching, valve springs & retainers, cam indexing, balancing the assembly, adjustable MAP & fuel pressure regulator, and custom accessories and mounts, etc.).

The needs of a mild 4.0L build up are similar to the stroker, or any engine build-up, it's just that most engine builders do not have AMC I6 performance experience and know about the little details that will end up costing you more than expected (my mildly built 4.0L in my 88 has all but a few of the mentioned modifications needed for the stroker).

I would make an effort to ask around to identify a real drag strip in the area? The BS stops when the track timers start, and there is no better way to compare not only who won, but by how much (and where on the track the winner had an advantage: start reaction, 60 foot, 1/8th mile or 1/4 mile top-end). The cost to run is cheap, and it's legal, and safe (and girls dig :) real race drivers who prove it on the track). Get some Steam for that Bling and be a Champion.

[Eagle]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/19/ctv.drag.race.trial/index.html

As Ed Stevens wrote -- go to a legal drag strip.

[MudDawg]

I very strongly agree with the GO TO THE DRAGSTRIP!!!! idea...at the track, the clocks tell the true story. And if you test (at the track) you will finds out how well your tuning skills are progressing. I have been dragracing for over 30 years, mainly on Motorcycles with ET and MPH in the high 7 zone at 160+...I know or knew 9 people who over the years bit the big one racing on the street. Some ride bikes, but most drove cars or trucks.

As for myself, I have discovered the pleasure of going slow and getting muddy

[XJguy]

Another tip....the day you do race, gut your interior. Take everything you can take out of the inside while still allowing the Jeep to function right, including the carpet, this will save you at least 200lbs. Also do as I did, fabricate a smooth whole body under tray, make sure the materials you select are not flamable, much aerodynamics can be achieved with a slick underbelley. Also remove the wiper arms and your rear view mirrors, less wind resistance. As far as weight and aerodynamics there is mcuh tah can be done, just remeber if it does not make the engine go faster, make you safer, or help cut the wind..then its not needed. If you have tinted windows your buddies wont even know what you did on the inside, just dont let them take a peek. A conservative shot of nitrous would not injure your engine and would give you that last bit of HP that may mean a win or lose.

But back to what I posted the other day, a blower is the best bang for the buck, and you can always resell it or transfer it to another car should you want to. Turbos are better for top end than a 1/4 mile drag strip. They are also more expensive due to all the custom exhaust work they necessitate. Personally I would not stroke the 4.0, high revs are better suited for shorter stoke; forced induction is the way to go. Stroking is ideal for offroaders, not if you want to rev things up on a drag strip.

XJguy

[TriZZle904]

aight so ill try to find a drag strip somwhere near town... cause i would be interested in accurate times... so what next... who likes the above plan.. what needs to be changed... ???

[Bones]

1986xj, "His engine is way overbuilt, sounds like it was built for running in a JEEPSPEED race series XJ. Nothing wrong at all with that, he's just spent a lot more so he'll be able to squeeze those last few ponies out of his (those last few HP are always the expensive ones )"

Mike,
This is what I mean by a misconception about a stroker build. My engine is not overbuilt. Yes, I did add some things to try to make it more reliable, but I didn't do anything to squeeze out a few more HP. Actually I didn't even look at HP #'s while building it.

Granted you don't have to have SS valves but they were only a few $ more. I didn't need ported heads, but the porting I had done was very minor and aimed at efficiency not at top end. In all the porting was less than $200. A stock grind cam will cause pinging issues so the longer duration, bigger overlap cams are needed. In fact, I am going to a bigger cam right now because I had some ping with my torque cam I used at the rebuild. As for my remarks on the valve springs, retainers, and keepers, the valve train was one of the problems we had in my rebuild. It probably took 3-4 weeks to come up with a set of springs and related stuff that would work with the stock stem sized Mopar valves I wanted to run. I went with the stock sized valves to cut machine time but I may have been better off to have the head cut for the 2.02 valves and used Chevy parts. Yes, “stock” sometimes costs more.

As for pistons, if you are going to build a stroker for torque then you want to stay with the 4.0 rods. While people are experimenting with altering some cast pistons I think the only way to keep reliability is to use a custom set for the stroker set up. They only come forged and the cheapest I found was $600. While you can go the shorter 4.2 rods and off the shelf slugs there are quench height and compression issues related to them. Trying to work through the pinging this can cause could end up costing more than the forged custom pistons. If you don’t believe me, check out the cost of an adjustable MAP sensor from TurboCity and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator from HESCO. With the short rod stroker you will usually have to run premium fuel, which also has to be figured into the mix.

Though I didn’t need Total Seal piston rings, I was tired of blow by causing an oil slick in my air filter so I waited over a month for them to come off backorder.

The custom milling of the block and head is going to have to be done for either method of stroker build. In fact, it may be even more critical in the “budget stroker”.

The one thing I put in that wasn’t really necessary was the stud girdle. Again, I did it to help strengthen the motor and make it more reliable in the long run.

New injectors are a given. You have more CI’s to feed so you will need a bigger injector or you will run lean. It’s the same for either stroker build.

The cooling system on a XJ is already marginal. Now you are adding ponies and therefore more heat. It’s going to take a bigger radiator to keep things cool unless you are really lucky. This isn’t an optional thing for most and though it is not part of the stroker build it has to be figured into the overall cost of the package. I didn't need a $200 HESCO water pump, I could have use a $100 FlowKooler one and already had to replace it ( I was the first on the board to try one, it lasted less than one year and FlowKooler would not honor their warranty. I won’t by any more of their crap). The header wrap was done to try to decrease the workload on the cooling system, again, because of its marginal capacity. Borla is the only header manufacturer that will honor their warranty if you wrap it. I also got lucky and picked a new one up for about half the cost of retail.
What I didn’t say is that I already had a 2.5” cat and cat back set up so I didn’t figure that into the mix and as yet I have not added a larger throttle body but I think it would help (what’s another $300 bucks right?).

I’m not trying to talk anyone out of a stroker. I love the power of the motor. Ask Goatman how it did in CO last July. He was running with his foot to the floor coming up a pass while I hadn’t noticed we were climbing at the rate we were. I was running the AC, pulling my loaded pack trailer in overdrive, and was still pulling away from him.
What I am trying to do is give everyone a clear understanding of the “hidden” costs of a build and a reality check before they start tearing into their motors with visions of cheap stroker power.

Ed A. Stevens, “The little needs of a stroker (the process posted by Bones) is what to expect for any high performance build up. The costs exceed the budget, the little tasks & items end up costing more than the simple machine work and basic assembly (injectors, pushrods, port matching, valve springs & retainers, cam indexing, balancing the assembly, adjustable MAP & fuel pressure regulator, and custom accessories and mounts, etc.).
The needs of a mild 4.0L build up are similar to the stroker, or any engine build-up, it's just that most engine builders do not have AMC I6 performance experience and know about the little details that will end up costing you more than expected...

Ed, I couldn't agree more!

Bones

[REDXJ4FUN]

Ok lrts did in to this some more. For the most part evryone has been giving great infoand as always there is a diverse and very knolaged group of XJers here. I've been reserching turbos and home grown set up for about a year now and some of the things i've seen are impresive. and if you can do any work your self you can get alot of bang for the buck using junk yard pats but for most people that just doesent work. another junk yad option that i have seen is using a super charger off of a toyota MR2. Also building a stroker for so drag raceing isn't that bad. People have been drag raceing 4.2 l for years the main thing to think about is matching your gears to your motor. if you motor builds a bunch of low end use higher (low #s) so that your using what you have and not just turning the snot out of a motor that doesn't want to. Thers many way to to make things quicker but it deffinatly helps to have guidence from those of us who have been there broke tha and blew the money to see what can happen.

[TriZZle904]

very true and thanx everyone for your input

[cjharr]

Mike,
While you can go the shorter 4.2 rods and off the shelf slugs there are quench height and compression issues related to them. Trying to work through the pinging this can cause could end up costing more than the forged custom pistons. If you don’t believe me, check out the cost of an adjustable MAP sensor from TurboCity and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator from HESCO. With the short rod stroker you will usually have to run premium fuel, which also has to be figured into the mix.

While quite true there are alternatives. After I bought a '87 Comanche 4WD with a 5 speed at what I thought was a very good price of $450.00, the engined died 2 days later. After doing a lot of research and pestering people with tons of questions, I opted for buying a 4.6 stroker (found out after I got to Texas it was a 4.7) from Groom's Engine in Nashville,TN. The engine, additional parts (ie: motor mounts, shocks, brakes, full tuneup, Python Racing Injectors, instrument cluster with gauges instead of idiot lights, and quite of few other parts), lifetime warranty on the engine, and mechanic's labor for replacing the engine (he also replaced the clutch slave cylinder and did some other work) set me back for $4200.00 for everything (which included the purchase of the MJ and registration). The engine itself (a long block) was ~$1600.00 and $200.00 for the lifetime warranty. The stock 4.0L long block was running at $1100 at Autozone. Due to time constraints of moving, I had to buy an assembled engine. I am running 87 Octane driving it gently and 89 octane for towing and having fun. As it is, I am trying to learn how to drive the sucker without chirping the tires too much :-). On wet roads I can forget using 1st gear and have to be extremely gentle starting and accelerating in 2nd gear. I have met a few honda's and mazda's that were disgusted at losing to a Jeep truck. The guy riding with me was shocked that I had only used 2nd and 3rd gear to do this. Since this is my type of driving during the day to safely merge with highway traffic, I do not see this as really racing. We did do the speed on a freeway late at night and only raced up to the 70 MPH speed limit. I also strongly endorse, as mentioned earlier in this thread, doing any racing in controlled areas like a track. It sounds like this is what he is looking for more than anything else after all is said and done.

[Dr. Dyno]

Dino has some good common sense mods but his numbers are obtained with a handheld stopwatch...and thus his HP numbers are ballpark at best.
I'm not trying to slam Dino...he's approach is valid...his numbers just shouldn't be considered "Emporical Data"

True enough. Without actual dyno numbers, my HP numbers are at best a good estimate but the performance numbers I took are valid though. I repeated them several times to make sure of that.
After I finished doing all the external bolt-on performance mods, ported the head, and raised the CR to 9.1:1, I was still craving for more performance so I satisfied it by building a 4.6 stroker (ooooooh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah!)
_____________________________
Dino's "Mean Green Machine"
1992 XJ Laredo 4-dr - 193k miles - 19k miles on 4.6L HO Stroker
AX15 (http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/trans/ax15.html), NP231 (http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/xfer/np231.html), D35c (http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/axle/d35c.html), D30 (http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/axle/d30.html)
http://www.dragtruk.com/PICS/small.A9DFB5LA1GZW1.jpg
265hp@4900/325lbft@3500, 1/4 mile = 14.35@95.0, 0-60 = 5.6secs :D
Websites - Jeep 4.0 Performance (http://www.jeep4.0performance.4mg.com), 4.6L Stroker Build-Up (http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/stroker.html), Dino's Jeep Tricks (http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/)

Forever in the s__t. It's only the depth that varies!