Stroker thoughts

Darky

Darky

NAXJA Forum User
Location
29 Palms, CA
Anyone know anything about this kit from RPM Machine? Seems reasonably priced.
http://www.rpmmachine.com/amc-stroker-kit-4l.shtml

I know many will say just to make your own kit, but I'm lazy. I already bought a full gasket kit plus the bottom end gaskets from Quadratec and got to thinking that if we're pulling the engine and taking it apart to do the gaskets, might as well do a rebuild, and if I'm doing a rebuild, might as well do a stroker. :D
 
If you're going to rebuild your existing engine into a stroker, you won't need all of the parts in the RPM kit and you can save yourself a lot of $$$ by putting together your own. It's not that hard to do and I can guide you through it. You can buy most of the parts you'll need from Summit Racing but your first task should be to check ebay for 258 cranks.
 
Personally, i would not bother with a used crank when you can buy a 258 crank kit for around $300 including bearings. A used crank will need to be ran past a machine shop anyway.

That being said, the RPM kit does not have a Cam in the kit and you will definitely want to replace the cam and lifters. Part of any engine rebuild.

Con rods run around $30 each at quadratec. Shop around, you can most likely beat the prices.

Dr. Dyno (Dino Savva) is possibly the World's foremost authority on Strokers. We traded a couple of emails during my Jeeps Unlimited Forum days and had comments on my 68mm Throttle Body refit on my stroker. He used a TB from a Ford and I used one from the WJ 4.7L V8 just to Keep the Heep all Jeep! This was back in, I think 2002 or 2003ish. A while ago at any rate...

You should listen... Go to http://www.jeepstrokers.com/forum/ and take a look around. Go to Dino's site http://www.jeep4.0performance.4mg.com/stroker.html and take a look there.

Take your time and do the job right. Due diligence is needed. A stroker will run every bit as long as a stock 4.0. Why shouldn't it? It has mostly all stock (or stock replacement) components in it. As long as the assembly is done correctly, everything will be well.
 
I think you need to talk to Russ Pottenger.. once you finish the missing parts, and add machine work to the block and head, that kit is costing you as much or more than a complete built engine.
 
I've talked to Russ and he is definitely an option I am keeping open. I was just looking around and had the thought of possibly doing it myself since my brother in law can do everything but bore the cylinders. However, down time is a thing. I can drive my truck around but it only gets 9 mpg...
 
o-gauge-steamer said:
Dr. Dyno (Dino Savva) is possibly the World's foremost authority on Strokers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment but you're far too generous. I think that title goes to the guys at Hesco.

Darky said:
down time is a thing. I can drive my truck around but it only gets 9 mpg...
Click to expand...

If you can afford to buy a complete junkyard 4.0 engine that was running before the Jeep it was in was scrapped, I suggest you use that as a core for your stroker build. During the time that you're tearing it down, cleaning/prepping the parts that you're going to reuse, and scrapping the parts that you're not, you can start gathering the parts that you'll need for the rebuild.
When the stroker build is finished you can remove the old engine, install the new one, and keep downtime to a minimum. That's how I did mine, and I sold my old 4.0 on to another Jeeper who also rebuilt it into a 4.6 stroker.
 
Russ built my stroker recently, and I am completely delighted with it. I had the advantage of time, so it could be completed with some flexibility. The block was .030 over, so it's a 4.6 L. The cam was selected specifically for very low end torque, so it doesn't rev to 6,000 rpm, but that is not my purpose - I'm not a JeepSpeed kind of guy. But it is a pretty amazing piece of machinery.

Darky, I do still have my running-when-pulled motor that came out of my Jeep. It's a '95, with a 7120 head that 2000 miles ago was hot tanked, magnafluxed, checked for flatness, valve job, etc. Let me know if you would be interested. I'm sure I could trade you for a bumper :D

David Bricker / SYR
 
David_Bricker said:
Russ built my stroker recently, and I am completely delighted with it. I had the advantage of time, so it could be completed with some flexibility. The block was .030 over, so it's a 4.6 L. The cam was selected specifically for very low end torque, so it doesn't rev to 6,000 rpm, but that is not my purpose - I'm not a JeepSpeed kind of guy. But it is a pretty amazing piece of machinery.

Darky, I do still have my running-when-pulled motor that came out of my Jeep. It's a '95, with a 7120 head that 2000 miles ago was hot tanked, magnafluxed, checked for flatness, valve job, etc. Let me know if you would be interested. I'm sure I could trade you for a bumper :D

David Bricker / SYR
Click to expand...
Ah, a wise guy, eh? :D

I'll have to check and see if I can put a 95 in mine and be smog legal still. Mine's a 96. I don't know if there was a change between them, not sure when OBDII started.
 
Darky: My 4.6l stroker is a '94 block that I had bored .030" over with the matching 7120 head that I spent 20+ hours porting and polishing and installed in my 1/96 obd2 jeep(the stock '96 66K 4.0 was barely broken in). No check engine lights. All I can say is you will be happy with what a $2K rebuild-into-a-stroker will do for your Jeep.
 
I've been out of Cali too long to know for sure on smog, but I think the blocks and heads were the same for 95 and 96. OBDII started in 96. My 95 is an OBDI. However, I think all those changes are external to the block and head.

I'm not sure that there are any date stampings on the castings - just the version numbers. HO vs. Renix, and so forth.

David Bricker / SYR
 
Darky said:
Ah, a wise guy, eh? :D

I'll have to check and see if I can put a 95 in mine and be smog legal still. Mine's a 96. I don't know if there was a change between them, not sure when OBDII started.
Click to expand...


No one checks the block. The important thing is all of the engine control stuff, which you're keeping, so it only matters if you swap the complete engine, not just the long block. OBDII started in '96.
 
Goatman said:
No one checks the block. The important thing is all of the engine control stuff, which you're keeping, so it only matters if you swap the complete engine, not just the long block. OBDII started in '96.
Click to expand...
That's what I was kind of thinking. As long as the OBDII plugs in then I'm not worried, not like it needs to go to a referee station when modifying an engine that was stock in the vehicle.
 
Bricker, if you don't mind me asking, what was the total cost of your motor. I too, am in the market for a drop-in solution for a little more power. I'd love to start a build in the garage, but man I just don't have the time to research, source, machine, and put together an engine these days.
 
When you do a stroker are there any known issues that need to be addressed in the late model jeeps? If I build a stroker will I also have to change out a bunch of stuff like the fuel regulator and the map sensor and other stuff?
 
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