V-8 swap

[Dominic240]

I have a 88 wagoneer limited(cherokee) 4x4
I was wandering what the difficulty level would be on doing a motor swap
with a 350. It has the I-6 in it now.
Im sure the tranny will have to be swapped also to fit the 4-8.
I was wandering about the 4 wheel drive. If the Transfer case location has to be moved back and Having to get a shorter drive shaft for the rear and a longer one for the front if the transfer case has to be pushed back a little. Also about the rear end , if it needs to changed out also.

[JDusen4211]

a swap like this is going to change everything and is going to cost... i would consider this difficult if it is the first time you have done something like this simply because there is going to be alot going on. but it can be done and it can be done right. the 350 is going to give alot of power that your jeep doesn't currently have and therefore the rest of the drive line is going to be the weak point. so if you are going to do this, then transmission, transfer case, drive sharts, differentials and the whole nine are going to need to be replaced. if you are just looking for more power, then there is pleanty of performance add ons that would be easier than an entire swap out. but you would still have to bulk up the rest of the drive line if you are wanting to do any serious off roading.... hope this helps.

[myjeepsux420]

Why not drop a 5.2l dodge engine in it? They came from the factory with that engine in the early 90's. That would be a lot more practical

[Ace$nyper]

I would say if your looking for more power stuffing a motor in a car that wasn't meant for is a bitch i've done it.

I would look into a 4.6 stroker kit for the already awesome jeep inline 6 motor.

if not enough KB blower and tada power enough to tow your house.

I've seen a swap kit on ebay for a chevy 350 so i'm sure digging more info is out there.

I would say 4L work is your best bet unless your dead set on a swap.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by myjeepsux420

Why not drop a 5.2l dodge engine in it? They came from the factory with that engine in the early 90's. That would be a lot more practical

I think that was the Grand Cherokee, which was a different vehicle than the Cherokee in question.

[tblack]

[quote=Dominic240]I have a 88 wagoneer limited(cherokee) 4x4

If I am not mistaken, you are saying your '88 body is the newer Cherokee design that is of unibodied construction that first came out in '84, not the older and larger design that came out in the early 60s.

If it is the older one the swap is straight-forward. If it is the newer design I would not attempt this swap at all. The I6 is plenty powerfull enough for the newer XJ and stuffing a big V8 in it is not a good idea.

There is no frame. Well, I mean not in the classic sense. The body is the frame and you should not go hacking away at the engine compartment to shoe-horn in the desired upgraded you speak of.

If you need a 360V8 You would save money and heartache by just selling the XJ and buying the older version JEEP Cherokee that came factory equippped with the larger 360 V8.

tb

[neon_rt]

If you want more power, trade up to a '97 or newer XJ (190 hp stock). You can add as little or as much performance parts as you want then.
IE 4.5-4.7l stroker kits, Aluminum Heads, Porting, Turbo kit (Hesco I think), ecu upgrade, electric fans, cold air kit, headers, exhaust.
The 4.0 i-6 with the right equipment will put you in the 300+ HP club. Keeping a 300HP XJ on the road might be a problem, these Bricks aren't built for the speedway.