I would love to see this happen...please help

Tranny upgrade, TC upgrade. Definitly Axle upgrades. Driveshaft upgrades. Steering upgrades. Chassis upgrades. Frame stiffners. Springs to handle the added weight. The list goes on and on.

It would be perty hard to shoehorn a BBC into an XJ. I suppose it could be done, but a well built 383 or 406 should do the job just fine.

markmn123 said:

Well i have a problem...and that is that im utterly obsessed with power so when it comes to my jeep having the I-6 pretty much doesnt cut it. but when i heard of people putting v-8s into jeeps i became highly interested. only problem is that for my model (a 2001 xj )there isnt much i can do so i must ask you wonderful people what i can do to put a nice v-8 into my xj...but wait theres more! many people go with the 350 or a nice 351 and put it in their jeep but of coarse with me thats just not good enough and wanted to go just that little bit more and see if ther is in fact ANY possible way i could get maybe a gm performance zz454 in that guy? i know it sounds like a crazy idea but i am able to get a hold of the motor and even many perfornamce parts for it to make it push oh around 500 hp with torque to back it up. keeping in mind that i still want to be able to offroad i would just like to get a rough idea of some of the things i will have to deal with. thank you very much.

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Buy a K5 Blazer and save yourself the time and STUPID amount of money and effort it would require...just to build a nose-heavy, likely useless Cherokee. There are already plenty of K5's like that out there...you'd fit right in.

-----Matt-----

Oh. And Take it off BOLD.

at least one has done it, saw pictures of it somewhere on here(maybe not naxja) but dont have the link. do some looking around and you might be able to find it.

It is possable to get those kind of hp#s out of the I6 (the Jeep Speed racers do it). However it would be not be practial in anything but a race moter. Your best bet is going to stroke your current 4.0ltr to a 4.6ltr, or 4.7ltr, run a good header, and use a shot of nitrous. It should be very easy to get 3/350hp out of it, and keep it reliable enough to drive it daily. The xj is farly light compaired to other vehicles so a lot of hp is not needed to make it fast. If you where to just run lower gears on the stock size tires your going to find just hooking up will be a nucence. I know your wanting a V8, but I think if you just do some research on hopping up the 4.0lter I6 you may find you like the idea more, and more.

I have a 1986 Jeep Cherokee with a Chevy 454, turbo 350 trans, and 231HD transfer case. I have been running this combination for about 5 years. Runs well, LOTS of power.

Mike

BIGBLOCKXJ said:

I have a 1986 Jeep Cherokee with a Chevy 454, turbo 350 trans, and 231HD transfer case. I have been running this combination for about 5 years. Runs well, LOTS of power.

Mike

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mind sharing some pros/cons, and maybe a couple pics???

The pros are the attention it gets. The power when you hammer the pedal, etc.

The cons were building and construction. It took a long time and energy to fit and refit the engine. Now that it is done, the next time around it will go a lot easier.

If someone can tell me how to post pictures, I have a couple on my computer.

Mike

Email me the pictures, [email protected] I can host and post them for you.

You dont need a big block to get those kind of numbers either. Theres a white XJ floating around Yuciapa with a 6.0 litre Vortec Escalade motor putting down about 450 ponies. I rode in it and I have to tell you, It made me want one real bad. I dont think anything more then that was necessary nor safe. We were getting rubber in 3rd and 4th gear and the Cherokee wanted to turn hard when it shifted. For wheeling a mild F.I. 350 would do nicely!

You dont need big tires to go wheeling either. You dont need a lot of things in life. I just thought it would be fun to have the power. And in the sand and mud, and on the pavement, it is a lot of fun.

Mike

BIGBLOCKXJ said:

You dont need big tires to go wheeling either. You dont need a lot of things in life. I just thought it would be fun to have the power. And in the sand and mud, and on the pavement, it is a lot of fun.

Mike

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I'd also love to see pictures, you can host them with www.photobucket.com for free, or send them to me and I can post them.

[email protected]

500+ hp in a cherokee? won't it "trist"? seriously...i cant see it handling it very well. the 454 is such a common "want" to put in a vehicle, and definately wont be the first in a cherokee. why not throw a 5.9 cummins in there and turn it up to 1200 ft lbs of torque and over 500 hp? havn't seen that yet. just keep in mind that your 2001 cherokee will not be anything close to a reliable vehicle with 500 hp. sure it will be loads of fun from 0-90 but anything over that and you'll wet your pants unless you are planning to put a wing on the hatch to keep it on the ground.
The only stock parts you will be able to keep will be body (some of it...) and interior...not my idea of a fun project. i'd rather have a nimble 250 hp off road vehicle and a 500 hp street pounder that can actually handle the power and keep itself on the road. but hey, to each his own

I vote build the 6.

or if you are crazy and lots of $, then maybe a hopped up 5.0 out of a stang, stick a blower on it, easy 500hp AND it will be lighter and reliable!

The more I think about it, the more I think that K-5 idea was good for U.

Whats wrong with a big block in the Cherokee. It does not twist, although I have broken the right rear spring. As for the handling, it has a 51/49 front to back weight ratio, brakes from a Ford F-150, stops well. I can run 75 down the highway, it tracks straight and true, and will hang you from the seat belts when you hit the brakes.

Why it does not twist....The same reason Camaros dont twist with more power than the factory ever planned. A full roll cage from bumper to bumper.

As for it being the first, I dont care if it was first or not. FYI, I had it running for Camp Jeep in August 2001.

As for being nimble...it did a nice job of rock crawling in Canada with the Great Lakes 4 Wheel Drive Association two Octobers ago (have to admit that rock crawling is not my thing). I will bet my Cherokee can trail ride with any Jeep out there. But when it comes time to open it up for the Dunes or the Mud, it leaves the rest behind.

Lastly I agree that there are many ways to achieve 500 Horsepower, as many ways as there are engine builders. The motor I currently have in the Jeep pushes closer to 650 Horsepower, and that is before usine the Big Shot NOS kit.

Thanks for your interest,

Mike

by roll cage do you mean an exo cage? or an internal cage that goes thru the fire wall? or are you calling the unibody a cage? cuz i've never seen a comarro with an exo cage, or a unibody, or a cage that connects to the front and rear bumpers. but all of those require tons of fab work just so you can have a big heavy breathing v-8 under your hood. don't get me wrong i believe it is great fun but why 650 hp for off roading? how much time do you spend tweaking things and fixing things in comparason to how much time you drive/wheel it? the thing i love and would not trade about my jeep is that it starts every time and has never left me hanging. i wouldnt swap that for 3 times the hp any day. its peppy anyway. if i want to beat a comarro i'll roll my 54 ford f100 street truck out of the shop when its finished.

I won't start on the rest of that post...
Mike,

BIGBLOCKXJ said:

.....Lastly I agree that there are many ways to achieve 500 Horsepower, as many ways as there are engine builders.
The motor I currently have in the Jeep pushes closer to 650 Horsepower, and that is before usine the Big Shot NOS kit.

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Sniff Sniff....

BULL $hit



You sound like you did it, but you don't quite have all of your facts in line... I am going to need some pictures before i smell anything other than barnyard breze comming from your direction... Sorry man. the NOS shot just put you right over the top of BS alley.

Hmm... there's a Yahoo! group dedicated to wedging V8's into XJ's and MJ's - http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/v8cherokeexjowners2/ Try having a shufty there.

Could a SBChevvy be wedged in there? You can wedge a Mouse pretty much anywhere. Can a BBC go in? A Rat takes much more work.

Either one will likely be difficult for you, since you're subject to the Air Nazis (I get so tired of those guys.)

Second option? Stroker. Searching for "stroker" here will give you some ideas. Also, search for "Dr. Dyno" here, and go to his homepage. And, go to groups.yahoo.com/group/strokers for more info. AND, I cover stroker mods in my own book - click the link in my sig for more information.

The advantage of a stroker is simple - camouflage. Not only does it (also) made a ridiculous amount of low-end torque, but the external appearance of the engine does not change, which makes it easier to pass the Air Nazis... There are several on the strokers board who have had their stroker engines pass emissions testing without having to get a referee sign-off or anything like that - just like if you had a 350, punched it out .030", and put a 400 crank in it to get 383cid.

5-90

dannnnng...sorry i havnet looked at my post in a while but BIGBLOCKXJ you are my hero..i would love to see your jeep if you could email me those pics to [email protected] and now am looking for what i can do pretty much do what you did

markmn123 said:

Well i have a problem...and that is that im utterly obsessed with power so when it comes to my jeep having the I-6 pretty much doesnt cut it. but when i heard of people putting v-8s into jeeps i became highly interested. only problem is that for my model (a 2001 xj )there isnt much i can do so i must ask you wonderful people what i can do to put a nice v-8 into my xj...but wait theres more! many people go with the 350 or a nice 351 and put it in their jeep but of coarse with me thats just not good enough and wanted to go just that little bit more and see if ther is in fact ANY possible way i could get maybe a gm performance zz454 in that guy? i know it sounds like a crazy idea but i am able to get a hold of the motor and even many perfornamce parts for it to make it push oh around 500 hp with torque to back it up. keeping in mind that i still want to be able to offroad i would just like to get a rough idea of some of the things i will have to deal with. thank you very much.

Click to expand...

Sell it and buy a 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9