Engine swap options.

[Dustinyork]

Buick turbo V6 , the same as they ran in the Buick nationals . Lighter , more comact and can make just as much power as a 360 and more. There easy to adapt into other projects and the aftermarkets huge for them.Everything from painless wiring kits to bigger turbos , blowers nitrouns set ups and good gas mileage. Also on the turbo carb note , Pontiac produced alot of turbo trans ams without a problem in the early 80s they are 301 v8s with a q-jet carb .

 

[JJacobs]

on the turbo/ carb thing- blow through is fine. Draw through is dangerous. Draw through setups have a foot or two of tubing full of air/fuel mixture at several psi, fun for backfires.
Leaving the carb on the manifold and adding an inlet elbow works best and it's every bit as safe as an EFI turbo.

 

[wheelchairman]

ls1 ls1 ls1 dont you like the sound of that

 

[klonestar]

Im a Mopar lover so I vote the 360! You will have ample room for bolt on growth and everything is available and relatively inexpensive for it. I've seen guys running up to 7-800 hp reliably with a 360. Its a small block so much lighter than a big block to.

My Coronets 360 is pushing 400hp and only has added mild heads, mild race cam, flat top pistons (9.5-1), headers, and an Edelbrock 650 4bbl. A new set of heads alone will push it up to 550hp. I had it built w/future upgrades in mind. It would still be a reliable DD and runs on pump gas 93.

Id be intrested to know what it would take to put my 360 in the Cherokee? Ah never mind I cant afford the drivetrain upgrades! lol

 

[krakhedd]

Find yourself a light V6 or V8. Carb it for simplicity of electronics. Blow or turbo. Reinforce frame rails. Remove the transfer case and put a solid, non-driving front axle in. Find yourself a mechanically-locking Dana 60 rear. Custom aluminum driveshaft. Vacuum-actuated tranny. That'll put you into upper 12s so long as the motor's putting out 450-500HP.

 

[Tom in KY]

A naturally-aspirated 4.6 stroker with manual tranny will get you to low/mid-14's. Add a supercharger and you're in low 13's territory. To get into the 12's, you'd also need to add nitrous.
If you're serious about getting 12's, I suggest you start with a bigger displacement engine, preferably one that's lighter than the 4.0. That means Chevy LS1/LS2/LS6/LS7 with anything from 320hp to 500hp stock, and even more HP to gain from performance mods.

Wouldn't a Buick 3.8 V6 work in the small engine compartment of an XJ?

I have always wanted to do this swap myself. There are so many parts available for that engine that I see it as a contender.

Not to mention, I have a Buick Riviera with the 3.8 and the factory supercharger. I FREAKIN' LOVE THAT CAR!!! Supercharger whine is cooler than V8 rumble when you're the one buying the gas.

 

[Tom in KY]

Advance adapters 4.3V6 or small block Chevy bellhousing and adapters $563.00. That little 2.8 may not be so bad,,

 

[Dr. Dyno]

Wouldn't a Buick 3.8 V6 work in the small engine compartment of an XJ?

It probably would but it doesn't have enough displacement to make it a serious contender. I'd still go for a Chevy LS series all-aluminium V8.

 

[Benzilla]

Just turbo the 4.0
Click

 

[ChicksDigWagons]

Im a Mopar lover so I vote the 360! You will have ample room for bolt on growth and everything is available and relatively inexpensive for it. I've seen guys running up to 7-800 hp reliably with a 360. Its a small block so much lighter than a big block to.

My Coronets 360 is pushing 400hp and only has added mild heads, mild race cam, flat top pistons (9.5-1), headers, and an Edelbrock 650 4bbl. A new set of heads alone will push it up to 550hp. I had it built w/future upgrades in mind. It would still be a reliable DD and runs on pump gas 93.

Id be intrested to know what it would take to put my 360 in the Cherokee? Ah never mind I cant afford the drivetrain upgrades! lol

I'm sure he's talking about an AMC 360, not the mopar 360. Sorry to spoil your fun :spin1:

My vote is the 360. Its a strong engine, plenty of aftermarket for it, you still have the option to turbo it if you can find room for the turbo. The enclosed carb blow-through systems don't require a special carb because they surround the carb with boost pressure which keeps the floatbowls from emptying. There are kits availible for the centrifigal superchargers, though they are little more than a sheetmetal box to put the carb in. Something you should be able to make pretty easily.

 

[krakhedd]

Just dump a Viper V-10 in. Tear out the back seats, take a 6-speed transaxle out of a C6 Corvette (I wanna say the same one is in the Viper, but can't remember for sure), which is an integrated tranny/differential. Ladder the frame rails to help with the monstrous torque from the V-10. Twin turbos, custom rear coil-over 4-point with wheely bars, racing slicks rear and weenie tires front. That'll get you deep into the 12s, if not upper 11s, if you do a great job with the suspension.

Come to think of it, that would be hella f'ing gnarly......shit.....

 

[klonestar]

Just dump a Viper V-10 in. Tear out the back seats, take a 6-speed transaxle out of a C6 Corvette (I wanna say the same one is in the Viper, but can't remember for sure), which is an integrated tranny/differential. Ladder the frame rails to help with the monstrous torque from the V-10. Twin turbos, custom rear coil-over 4-point with wheely bars, racing slicks rear and weenie tires front. That'll get you deep into the 12s, if not upper 11s, if you do a great job with the suspension.

Come to think of it, that would be hella f'ing gnarly......shit.....

Then go ahead a slap the vette body on and paint on the side: My other car is a Jeep!:confused1

 

[Wiley Coyote]

My XJ likes to get hot with just the 4.0L in it. I can only imagine the engine temps with a 360 shoe horned into that tiny engine bay.

 

[Cjmartz2k]

Just dump a Viper V-10 in. Tear out the back seats, take a 6-speed transaxle out of a C6 Corvette (I wanna say the same one is in the Viper, but can't remember for sure), which is an integrated tranny/differential. Ladder the frame rails to help with the monstrous torque from the V-10. Twin turbos, custom rear coil-over 4-point with wheely bars, racing slicks rear and weenie tires front. That'll get you deep into the 12s, if not upper 11s, if you do a great job with the suspension.

Come to think of it, that would be hella f'ing gnarly......shit.....

You think a TT viper v-10 with a custom suspension in a jeep would only yield high 11's!?!? Try easy 10's. That's such a bastardized vehicle though. That sounds kinda pipe dreamish to me. I think most people would rather spend the money somewhere else.

 

[JJacobs]

My XJ likes to get hot with just the 4.0L in it. I can only imagine the engine temps with a 360 shoe horned into that tiny engine bay.

Would you believe me if I told you an 11:1 401 in an MJ with a stock 96 4.0 radiator doesn't overheat on the street?

It'd get up to 220 in traffic on a 105 degree day, though.

 

[zerocoolok]

How about swapping in one of the Jeep turbo diesels from the canadian cherokees? It should be really easy considering the motor is from a cherokee.

 

[2001XJeep]

My XJ likes to get hot with just the 4.0L in it. I can only imagine the engine temps with a 360 shoe horned into that tiny engine bay.

I think hood vents and an upgraded radiator would be mandatory. If the 98ZJ can run it I think a properly sorted XJ should be able to as well. But careful planning and execution would be critical.

 

[CW]

I think the srt10 is a little out of my budget. And the idea that the cooling system isn't even adaquete for the 4.0L is wrong. If you are having trouble with over heating you have a problem with the system. My stroker stays almost too cold with just a well mantained stock setup. I'm actually looking at diesel swaps now possibly a cummins 4bt turbo, propane, and maybe nos.