Rebuilding an XJ 4.0--in Hemi Orange!

[BuckeyeBullet]

Looking good so far. What cam did you choose?

It is a Crane cam #753901T, grind #H-260-2. The specs at .050 are 107/204 deg (intake) and 117/216 deg (exhaust), max lift/duration. Comparing the figures to the stock cam the Crane should give slightly better low-midrange torque but basically it is close to stock. With the headers and a good intake filter system it should go pretty well even after I put 31" tires on it. I want this to be a dependable wintertime driver with weekend trail use so I didn't want to put a radical cam in it.

[BuckeyeBullet]

Thanks for all the compliments guys (and/or gals)! I don't know about a bright orange expo rig...then I'd have to get my RTT in a Confederate flag fabric or something. I got a few more parts put on yesterday, cleaned a locomotive boiler today, and I should be back on the Jeep tomorrow on my days off. Most of the right side of the engine is done now, I just need to buy spark plugs and assess the original starter. I cleaned the grime off the starter today but I want to open it up and see if it looks like it just needs a couple replacement parts or if I should get a new one.

The remote oil filter setup was a little bit of an issue to get plumbed, and it's still not that great. I think it'll be ok but we'll have to see. I would have run one of the hoses down under the engine mount but I noticed the suspension link has previously come up and hit the oil pan. The brass pipe fitting would have been directly in the path of that, so I decided to run both hoses up and over which called for a very close fit on the clean oil side. If the suspension was lifted a little that wouldn't be a problem...

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[Eaglefreek]

It is a Crane cam #753901T, grind #H-260-2. The specs at .050 are 107/204 deg (intake) and 117/216 deg (exhaust), max lift/duration. Comparing the figures to the stock cam the Crane should give slightly better low-midrange torque but basically it is close to stock. With the headers and a good intake filter system it should go pretty well even after I put 31" tires on it. I want this to be a dependable wintertime driver with weekend trail use so I didn't want to put a radical cam in it.

That cam should work great. Somewhat similar to mine. Did you use different springs? I've got the Comp Cams 68-232-4 in my Eagle and it is supposedly right at the edge of the stock springs limits for lift.

[BuckeyeBullet]

I'm assuming they are stock springs, but they are definitely new. I'd never re-use old springs that are "used to" a particular cam grind. The springs came with the cylinder head pre-assembled from Clearwater. If they break...fix it faster right?

[jeepdreamer]

Lookin' good! I gotta say that after today I envy you your oil filter adapter!!!! My 02 XJs was leaking and I tried to pull it off to check the O rings etc... Took me over 3 hours just to get it off and I ended up having to make a tool just to break the stupid bolt loose!I Sooooooo didn't want to put the old one back on!

[BuckeyeBullet]

Oh yeah I remember what a pain that was trying to get the 90 degree oil adapter off--and that was with the engine strapped to a pallet about to go to the machine shop. I thought I was going to shatter it before it broke free. That's gotta suck trying to remove it with the engine in the vehicle. I'm still trying to work out how I'm going to mount the filter because the rad fan shroud comes down about where I was going to put the oil filter. It will probably still go up front there, but a little lower so I might have to weld up a special guard to keep the rocks off.

Also did a little thinking about where to put the spare tire. I like the looks of the swing-out rear carriers but that is a lot of weight hanging behind the rear axle, a lot less visibility out the back at all times, and a lot of work to build plus the tire has to sit in the sun all the time which isn't the best thing. I don't believe in spending $1000 for a bumper so I'm going to be making my own either way. Current plans are to put the spare in the cargo area with a carpet-covered wooden shelf built above the spare and behind the back seat. Yes that will decrease interior space but the amount of stuff I take on a camping trip would easily fit especially with a RTT up top. There would still be room next to the tire for tools and some other heavy stuff. Only issue I can think of with that arrangement is having enough strength to carry gear on the shelf since there won't be a center support (wheel will be in the way). Anyone have experience with that setup? Is there a good way to keep the wheel from moving around but still slide out fairly easily? I'm also thinking of building the shelf out of aluminum angle with a plywood deck, at least I could have decent cross bracing under the deck that way.

I got the exhaust pretty much in today. That is a Gale Banks Torque Tube header which I'm impressed with. I've installed headers before and this one went right in with no trouble. Didn't have to clearance anything, and there is plenty of space around it. Quality TIG welds and quality hardware. So far it truly is a bolt-on product. I've kinda decided not to wrap it at this point but I do need some kind of insulation between the header and the intake manifold, and by where the PS pump goes. The factory insulation pad was all shredded up and not big enough anyway. It remains to be seen how easily I can get to those lower manifold bolts...

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[jeepdreamer]

I've just been ramping up to build my own bumpers as well. I'm frugal (ok, Cheap) and so I fully understand not wanting to spend 1K on them. There are a few very reasonable options out there... more so if you can weld and fab yourself which I'm pretty sure you can do.
Take a look at these DIY bumper ideas and maybe your creative juices will start to flow.

http://www.jcroffroad.com/mm5/mercha...de=DIY-XJ-F-WN

http://www.jcroffroad.com/mm5/mercha..._Code=DIY-XJ-R

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/exte...cherokee-xj-2/

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/exte...p-cherokee-xj/

of those two I think the Dirtbound one actually looks better but the JCR one seems to lend itself to a swing out tire carrier modification a little easier. There are a LOT of posts/information on home brew XJ bumpers and they run the gamut from scary back woods to really nice fabrication. Spend a little time on the Cherokee forum or NAXJA and gather your ideas. The building isn't that difficult but the proper reinforcement and maximizing the amount of bolt holes used is. Lots of small builder parts out there to help as well. Not sure how big you plan the tires to go but even a stock size tire needs some decent strength to support it correctly. My suggestion is use a quality spindle assembly and build off there. That way if you ever decide to go bigger down the road you won't have any worries. Not to mention it will last a LOT longer and always be serviceable due to bearings.
Keeping the spare inside pretty much negates why we like our XJs... room! Yeah, you can build a shelf to store stuff over it but I've always found that to be a hindrance. Whenever you get tapped to help someone move something or find a great score at a garage sale or whatever...that dang tire is in the way! But for ease of construction you may want to look at something like this if thats the way you want to go...

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/camp...r-cargo-shelf/

[BuckeyeBullet]

Thanks for the links, I always like seeing what other people or pros did and then taking the best ideas and combining them along with a few of my own. Yes I know my way around a welder, that's one of the things I do at work and have been professionally trained. As far as room inside the XJ, not a big deal to me (everyone is different) since I don't intend on driving this thing around the world. I have 4 other vehicles, one of which is a full size pickup for those heavy cargo runs. I can usually fit whatever I need for work or for an overnight trip on my dual-sport motorcycle so I know it'll fit in a Jeep

[Black_ZJ]

If you don't mind, what is the cost breakdown at this point and who did your machining? I may be looking into this in the near future.

[BuckeyeBullet]

I had Baker Machine in Logan, UT do the machine work. I wasn't going on any recommendations, that shop just happened to be the closest one to me. Their machine work seems good and they were friendly but I was disappointed with how they cleaned the block. It looks like they just pressure washed it quickly. Most of the paint was still on it when I got it back and I found out later there's still a lot of crud in the cooling jacket. They also charged me for a couple weird things like removing the crankshaft which I brought to them in the block but the mains were loose. All they had to do was lift the main caps off and lift the crank...no different than if they picked it up out of the bed of my truck. They also forgot (?) to remove one of the freeze plugs. It seemed like the machinist knew what he was doing but the others didn't care. There were several Jeep 4.0's and AMC 6-cyls in there when I picked my engine up so they are familiar with them. Here is an approximate price breakdown so far:

Machine work: $1100 ("clean" block and oil pan, bore .030, mill the deck, replace pistons on reconditioned stock rods, R&R cam bearings, polish crank, and includes cast pistons, gasket set, bearing set, freeze plug set)
New cylinder head: $550
Other engine parts: $1200 (alternator, header, water pump, cam set, remote oil filter kit, etc)
Still needed: approx $1500 (radiator, starter, injectors, intake system, etc)

Total spent so far: ~$3000

So it isn't cheap. The grand total will hopefully be under $5k, which is far more than a stock '01 XJ with 216k on it is worth. I'm doing it right though and replacing everything, in part because it has so many miles on it and also because I don't know what worked and what didn't. If I'd driven the Jeep for a little bit beforehand, I probably would have replaced a lot less, but it was already blown up when I bought it. If I had to do it again and was going to spend the same amount of money, I would surely have built a stroker. Cost about the same and you get so much more out of it. Otherwise I'd just get a lower-mileage 4.0 runner, replace the bearings and seals, swap it in and go. Much faster and cheaper and used 4.0s are easy to come by.