4.0L Stroker help?

CherokeeRick2 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 07:50 PM

im looking into putting a stroker kit in my 96 cherokee sport with the 4.0L. any help with what id be getting into and where to find a good kit would be great!

Bounty__Hunter · #2 (**permalink**) 05-10-2009, 08:48 PM

Welcome to the Z.

Hesco Inc. - High Performance Engine Service
Jeep Stroker Motor Information

mrmopar02 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-12-2009, 05:56 PM

I did a turbo for a friend with the Hesco 4.7 stroker. Before I did the install, I took it for a ride. The 4.7 makes some serious power. I was very impressed.

GaryMB · #4 (**permalink**) 05-12-2009, 10:43 PM

I installed a 4.6l stroker in my cj7 and am working on the wiring harness right now. What I did was build my own stroker with a 4.2L crank, 4.2 rods, dished 4.0 pistons, and decked and bored 4.0 block. It ended up being quite a bit more expensive than a regular rebuild, in retrospect I would either have gone with a budget build up like this From Junker to Stroker or save myself the labor and buy an already built stroker like the ones offered by Titan Engines and other companies. The Hesco kit is also good but expensive. Stroked 4.0L engines are supposed to have great power, more than a lot of stock V8's. I'm hoping mine will pass CA emissions, I have an adjustable MAP sensor which should allow me to adjust the air/fuel ratio and the higher compression ratio and newer style intake manifold would theoretically make the engine more efficient. Also, the fact that a stroker would wire into your stock wiring harness would make the swap more reasonable IMO.
This website has a lot of good info on Jeep strokers. Stroker

CherokeeRick2 · #5 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 07:34 PM

Thanks guys. im not shure how big im gona go yet

Keith__C · #6 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 10:03 PM

I have built 2 strokers built on the 4.0 platform. Stroker kits for the 4.0 are the MOST overpriced stroker kits you can buy, especially for what you get. The kit includes a crankshaft for a 90 Wrangler 258, Rods from a 258 new 4.0 pistons that are bored over .030 rings and bearings. You can put together your own kit for 1/5th of what they want for a stroker kit. You have to use a crank for 90/91 258 because of the snout length. The earlier models use V-belts and will move the harmonic balancer out so that nothing lines up. the 90 uses a Serpentine system and has the damper in the proper location. The damper from the 258 is the SAME as the Damper for the 4.0 so you can re-use it. You can also re-use your 4.0 pistons if you want to they fit perfect on the 4.2 rods. This gives you a 4.6 stroker because you aren't boring the cylinders out any. The second 4.6 I built ended up costing about $500 total. (complete re-build into a 4.6 stroker for 1/5th the price of hesco's kit) We simply found a guy with a 90 wrangler who wanted to do a V8 conversion paid him $100 for the motor and left with a smile. We pulled the 4.0 from the 91 Cherokee tore it down hot tanked the block and had it checked out, re-honed the cylinders and put in new piston rings on the original 4.0 pistons. The 4.2 donated the crank and rods for which we simply had the crank turned and got a .010/.010 bearing set (4.0 bearings-oil hole needs to be in the proper location as the 4.2 has it in the wrong spot) put it back together with all new gaskets and did a valve job to the head. We used injectors from a 5.0 mustang and put it all back in, fired right up and ran perfect gobs of power and no WAY overpriced kit. Of course HESCREW does NOT want you to know this as the kit they sale is $2500. You can buy ALL the parts you need individually brand new for less than $1000 instead of sourcing a 90 Wrangler motor (if you have a competent machinist any 4.2 crank will work, they will just need to machine the snout on the 4.2 crank to match the 4.0 crank snout. I priced out on Autozones website just about everything you would need just for giggles:
Crank Kit 90 Wrangler 4.2 $233.99--scrap the main bearings from this kit, you can use the rod bearings
4.0 Main Bearings--$96.99
4.0 Head Gasket set--$72.99
4.0 Conversion Set--$25.99 (these 2 together make a full gasket set)
4.0L pistons--$179.99--re-use your originals if you want
piston rings--$77.99
Timing set--$38.99
$726.93

They don't offer cam bearings or rods but e-bay provides those as well as a set of rebuilt 5.0 fuel injectors for failry cheap. Also a good RV cam to go with it. Could easily be done with a killer motor machine work included for $1500 (still $1000 less than hesco's kit that is nothing more than a 4.2 crank/rods and 4.0 pistons with new bearings and rings and an rv cam kit)

Bounty__Hunter · #7 (**permalink**) 05-27-2009, 10:10 PM

One of my fellow club members built a stroker relatively cheap and did a write-up with all the costs, parts and machine work. Good reading. http://sija.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8050

blown XJ · #8 (**permalink**) 06-02-2009, 06:25 PM

lets us kno how it turns out.. my 4.0 is in need of a rebuild here soon. i may do a stroker kit just so i can smoke all my friends worse then i already do

Joopin · #9 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 09:05 AM

I'm actually looking into doing this soon myself. Started collecting parts recently... I came across a crank from a wagoneer, but he doesn't know what year its from... 88-90 is what the seller thinks.

I would like to get it so I don't have to alter the crank like Keith_C was saying (from a 90 yj) Does anyone know the length of that crank so I can have the guy measure it?

GaryMB · #10 (**permalink**) 06-09-2009, 11:07 PM

I believe the snout is 2" on the serpentine-style crankshafts

Keith__C · #11 (**permalink**) 06-10-2009, 04:41 PM

There is a forum dedicated just to Jeep strokers Jeep Strokers • Homepage since all these guys are "supposed" to be is talk about the stroker motors I don't feel to bad posting a link to another forum. The longer crank snouts are 2.5197" and the shorter snout that is required is 2.126"'s If you do get the longer crank it requires milling off 10MM EXACT.--Have fun Strokin :) I've just about got my Stroker for my 79 done. Although instead of the 4.6 Stroker I'm building a 6.4 Stroker 393 cubes of small block Ford--this is just as easy of a stroker as the 4.6.
1-351W Block (Preferably 93 or newer as they are Roller motors)
1-Forged 3.85 stroker Crank E-bay for $180 all day long
1-Set of 8 LOW compression pistons from a 302
1-set of Pro-Comp aluminum heads-larger chambers--larger chambers and the low compression pistons keep the compression # in pump gas range.--You can end up with 12 or 13:1 rather easily if you're nto careful which would be just fine if you are going to run Propane :)

Joopin · #12 (**permalink**) 06-10-2009, 06:41 PM

Just bought my 4.2 crank and pushrods from a guy on craigslist... I offered him 50 bucks for everything... he took it!
Nice info Keith!

CherokeeRick2 · #13 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 06:30 PM

sorry i havent been updating u guys on this but i just ran into a problem with my fan but its fixed now so im gona start workin on tryin to find a good stroker kit again.

sledd · #14 (**permalink**) 06-21-2009, 01:48 PM

Does anyone know of the strokers done by golen engines?

ATK1 · #15 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 10:57 AM

I can help some of you guys out if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive 4.7 longblock (it will cut down your downtime and get you back up and running, usually in a weekend if you are mechanically inclinded and/or have a good mechanic/shop)...feel free to pm me directly