- Location
- Bakersfield, CA
It's the engine control system and TB that matters. The blocks all look the same and no one would know the difference. The only problem with the '89 engine is that your manifolds won't exactly line up with the Renix head ports. If you used a good '89 block and your heads it will work just fine and no smog tech would ever know or care. When looking for good blocks for rebuilds or strokers, not much attention is paid to what year the block is from. The only time the block matters is if you're building a Renix stroker, then you need a block with the port for the knock sensor.
As far as is it worth it to build a stroker, yes it is. But, you need to factor in the cost of new injectors, ect., on top of the cost of the rebuild. If money was a big issue, and you really need to rebuild your motor, by far the most economical thing to do is buy a good lower mileage used motor. Since all you need is a long block, the motor can come out of a newer TJ or newer XJ.
If I had the money and needed a new motor, and couldn't do the work myself, but didn't want to go the extra for a stroker, I'd strongly consider having the machine shop bore the stock block .060 over but don't stroke it. Surface the head to clean it up, which they would probably do anyway, use the thinner Mopar Performance head gasket to slightly raise the CR and get a little better quench height, and put a good cam in it. You'd have a motor that you should be very happy with.
One of our local engine machine shops has built a LOT of strokers. You might be surprised to find a shop in your area that is familiar with building them, just have to call around.
As far as is it worth it to build a stroker, yes it is. But, you need to factor in the cost of new injectors, ect., on top of the cost of the rebuild. If money was a big issue, and you really need to rebuild your motor, by far the most economical thing to do is buy a good lower mileage used motor. Since all you need is a long block, the motor can come out of a newer TJ or newer XJ.
If I had the money and needed a new motor, and couldn't do the work myself, but didn't want to go the extra for a stroker, I'd strongly consider having the machine shop bore the stock block .060 over but don't stroke it. Surface the head to clean it up, which they would probably do anyway, use the thinner Mopar Performance head gasket to slightly raise the CR and get a little better quench height, and put a good cam in it. You'd have a motor that you should be very happy with.
One of our local engine machine shops has built a LOT of strokers. You might be surprised to find a shop in your area that is familiar with building them, just have to call around.
