Engine replacement

with the old engine knocking in our '92 with a rod knock, I have decided to swap in a 4.0 HO with 130k out of a '93 my daughter wrecked last year.

will replace:
rear main seal
oil pan gasket
timing chain and gasket
thermostat
water pump gasket
valve cover gasket
motor mounts
Before putting the engine back in.
I am leaning towards pulling the motor with manifold and transmission as an assembly to make reinstallation easier. on the donor XJ I just raised the hood straight up to its highest position and the hood is completely out of the way.

Anything I am missing or should attend to? Any Pointers?

Thanks

I'd pay some attention to the freeze plugs....make sure they're in decent shape as they're tough to get to after the engine is installed.

Good luck,
Jay in MA

When I did my engine replacement I left the engine, trans and transfer case bolted together and it came out no problem with the hood still attached to the jeep. Just remove the radiator and front grill support. If you have 4 wheel drive just be careful and watch the transfer case linkage as it will try and get caught on the transmission tunnel on the way out.

If you replace the timing chain, replace the entire set including gears..the old gears will prematurely wear the new chain if you do chain only. The old gears are by now worn to a wider pitch...it dont take much.

If you are replacing the pan gasket anyway, I'd consider replacing the oil pump at the same time.

Don't forget to take off the crank-position sensor before you pull the motor.It's pretty sensitive.
When I did a motor swap on my 91 I had to take off the header panel to get the engine back in,but I left the tranny in the vehicle.If I knew I was going to have to pull the header panel I would have left it attatched,and pulled the whole assembly it would have made it a lot easier.