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Engine Swap

Josh

NAXJA Forum User
Location
TN
I am looking to put a V8 in my 88 xj w/ manual tranny to replace the stock 4.0. Has anyone ever done this, or does anyone have any ideas to help me get started. I am expecting to have to replace the tranny too, but I would like to still use my NP 231 t-case. I am naturally wanting to stay as cheap and simple with this as possible. Thanks alot.
 
Something to think about. The XJ doesn't have your typical ladder frame, it's got a unibody. A V8 will put considerable stress on it with all that extra torque and power. A V8 would require some strengthening of the unibody by welding/bolting in some renforcements. It would be alot cheaper to build up the I6.

If you want to swap because you want bigger tires:

My XJ has a 3 inch lift and I run 31's on it with no real power loss. You go bigger than that (33's, 35's, ect) and you really need to be thinking about getting lower gears. That's going to be a lot cheaper than the V8 swap.
 
Another urban myth.

The XJ unibody is plenty strong enough to handle a small V-8. Remember, the XJ was designed by AMC, and AMC had been building unibody cars since the mid-50s. The super 2-seat AMX, with its 390 c.i.d. V-8 that would turn mid-13 quarter miles in stock trim, was essentially the same unibody as a Rambler American or a (Gasp!) Gremlin. The XJ unibody isn't that different from a ZJ, and they stuffed a 5.9L V-8 into that.

The V-8 conversion has been done. The most popular seems to be the small block Chevy, although I see a lot of people "thinking" about a 5L Mustang engine (haven't heard of anyone actually doing that one, but it must have been done somewhere by now).

Check Advance Adapters' web site.
 
i'm sorry, flame as you must but everytime i see a post like this i just can't help but wonder, why why why????? that I6 motor in there is what the jeep is all about, that is the heart of it, once ya take it away your not left with a jeep no more
 
errrr,flame we must,..eric91xj,..and Hawaiian Style,..have you performed this engine swap or have experience to speak with some authority on the merits or demerits of useing the V-8 ?...eric91xj ,what does or does not constitutes a XJ ? For example I am along with many other intelligent XJ members at the present moment are engaged in the time consumeing and laborious process of modifying/re-engineering our respective Jeeps with various parts and pieces from different manufacturers,..do we,.."no longer own a Jeep" ?
Josh, to answer your orginal question, yes, many here at NAXJA and others have performed the V-8 engine swap with varying degress or success.If you prefer,. Send me a email and I can send you some of the information on the V-8 engine swap via the "back-channel"( email) to save some bandwidth here at the NAXJA forum .
BILLXJ
 
eric91xj said:
i'm sorry, flame as you must but everytime i see a post like this i just can't help but wonder, why why why????? that I6 motor in there is what the jeep is all about, that is the heart of it, once ya take it away your not left with a jeep no more

By "The Jeep" do you mean XJ? I would say that for most of Jeep's history the 4.0 I-6 was not in existance.
 
eric91xj said:
i'm sorry, flame as you must but everytime i see a post like this i just can't help but wonder, why why why????? that I6 motor in there is what the jeep is all about, that is the heart of it, once ya take it away your not left with a jeep no more


I'm glad I intrigued you, but I really am not concerned whether you like what I am doing or not. If you don't have any constructive information on the topic, there is no need for a reply.
 
I'm currently working on a project where I'm putting a LQ9 6.0 liter engine out of a Cadillac Escalade EXT. Big job! Should be done in the next 3-4 months. Good sturdy bumpers, well designed motor mounts, crossmember, etc. should be more than adequate for stiffening the unibody for some good torque numbers. The average V8 that people swap into XJs probably don't much more if any torque than the stroked 4.0s that are all the rage.

HTH, Dan
 
"I am naturally wanting to stay as cheap and simple with this as possible."

I simply pointed out that he could coax a couple more horses out of the six and run different gears for a lot less than a swap-that's simple and cheap. (I assume he's going to be doing some kind of a build up and add a lift and larger tires) I looked into the swap before I had the 4.0 rebuilt.

North Florida Offroad advised me that I should consider beefing up the "frame" and upgrading some of the drivetrain if I wanted to do it. I opted not to.

As for V8's? BILLXJ, I have one in my Grand and am still tying to figure out which eight will be going in my YJ (thinking about the 5.2--suggestions encouraged) so where you get this notion that I don't like the 8 is beyond me. Just trying to point out that a swap is more than just popping open the hood and tossing a new engine in... I just thought my experience of not doing the swap after considering the costs might be helpfull too.
 
Changed my mind

I have decided to buy a wrecked jeep of a newer model year and swap everything over into my 88. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which year would be the best and why. I think I remember hearing that the 95s seemed to produce more power than other years.
 
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