Rebuilding an XJ 4.0--in Hemi Orange!

[BuckeyeBullet]

Gale Banks header install

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...

 

[jeepdreamer]

Bump..Bump...Bumpers!

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/merch...OD&Category_Code=XJB&Product_Code=DIY-XJ-F-WN

http://www.jcroffroad.com/mm5/merch...=PROD&Category_Code=XJB&Product_Code=DIY-XJ-R

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/exterior/bumpers/diy-mojave-rear-bumper-jeep-cherokee-xj-2/

http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/exterior/bumpers/diy-mojave-rear-bumper-jeep-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/camping_gear/xj-interior-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

 

[jeep-N-montero]

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.

 

[BuckeyeBullet]

Horn relocating

Well it's the end of the month so nothing new in the garage till next paycheck...but I have Weds-Thurs off every week so I still wanted to get something done on the Jeep. The horns were hanging too low for the bumper I'm going to build and I intend on keeping the corner braces for the fenders. So, I was able to bend the factory horn brackets with a pair of pliers (quick'n'dirty) and mount them to different holes. I did have to enlarge those new holes slightly but the horns fit with no problem and are tucked out of the way now. I did not have to extend the horn wiring at all, just bent the wire tab down a little on each horn so it wouldn't touch the frame. I also mounted the vacuum cannister from the factory bumper to the back side of the front frame crossmember on the driver's side. I used one existing hole and drilled a second. Piece of cake, it all fits like it was supposed to be there.

 

[jeepdreamer]

Pics of the canister?

 

[BuckeyeBullet]

Wow I haven't had a chance to get to the garage in a little while. As requested, here are some photos of the relocated vacuum cannister. The photo with the arrows show the screw holes I used. The green arrow points to an existing hole, the orange one I had to drill. You can also see the vacuum line I extended to get to the cannister's new location. It is zip-tied to the wiring harness that cuts across the front of that frame crossmember.

I also installed some new Jeep cylinder head dowels into the Clearwater head (which didn't come with them--had to order from the dealer $3 apiece) and put the intake on finger-tight (I don't have enough bolts for it yet) but I thought it looked better there than in the back seat. That intake is a new Jeep part sold by Hesco. The original one was fine but dirty. About 2 weeks after I removed it from the engine, I was working on something else in the garage and heard something fall to the floor. A corner of the original intake had broken and fell off the shelf it was sitting on. Not sure how that happened since I wasn't near it when it fell off. I don't weld aluminum so I had to buy a new intake manifold :-( The old one is for sale, I have the broken corner piece, probably going to put it on ebay if no one here is interested. I'm in northern UT, make an offer. It is a "swoopy" intake from 2001. I can clean it in a parts washer before shipping if desired.





Since I had the day off and it is the 4th of July I figured I'd get the welder and grinder out and make some noise and fire :luxhello: I've been wanting to relocate my truck's ('97 Ram 2wd) spare tire from under the bed for a while and finally got around to it. Here is the very simple bracket I made out of some scrap square tube. The washer is from a front shock on my '65 Coronet. When I get a chance I will replace the bolt with a piece of 3/8" threaded rod bent at 90 degrees. The bent end will fit into the bracket and prevent the rod from spinning when a lock nut is used. Much more practical that way. I like that I can get to the tire valve easily now, and I will probably get a vinyl cover for the tire to keep the sun off and from water from collecting in the rim. The wheel fits out of the way of the factory tie-down point, and the new bracket itself can be a tie-down point or stake pocket if needed.

 

[BuckeyeBullet]

As is the case in so many of these builds, I need more money ;-) Haven't done much in the past couple weeks but I did get the original exhaust reinstalled underneath (for now) and got a few other things taken case of like painting the valve cover. Finally got to order some more parts, hopefully next week I'll have more to report. Meantime I'm having to take my expo 2-wheeler (KLR650) on some trips. The weather has been nice so I'm not complaining too much! Was in Idaho riding some trails in the Malad Mtns yesterday and going to Nevada later this week for a few days.

I did the valve cover by spraying orange down on top first, then masking the orange and spraying black over the rest of the valve cover. Masking that orange off took some slow and steady work with a razor blade after laying down the tape. I did it all freehand, just following the contours of the ridges. Tricky parts were where the ribs transitioned to the raised holes for breathers and such. The tape did not want to lay down there so I got a little black overspray in a couple spots. Not bad, but enough that I want to touch it up. Here are pics:

 

[bldeagle10]

oh man, I need to get a new job and start saving up to FINALLY rebuild my 4.0. think I will go stroker but your build is making me consider a nice Hemi Orange paint job my engine is in desperate need of a rebuild though, 336,000 miles, everything is original on the drive train minus the front hubs. I know I'm having some valve seating issues though. need to just do what you are doing and tear everything out and throw new parts at it. I will be coming back here for advice when ever the time comes.

 

[BuckeyeBullet]

Your engine has 120k more than mine!! That's a lot of miles. A friend of mine sold his '80s XJ last year with over 400k on it-still running. I'll be glad to help where I can. I have many more photos than what I post. A digital camera is a great tool during disassembly--can't stress that enough especially on these modern engines with electronic stuff all over the place. It really helps to know where everything goes. Another great resource is the Naxja forum.

I did a little more research and found some alternative parts that are going to save me $800 or so. WHEN I get the money to order them, I'll be posting it here. One of the ones I did get but haven't installed yet was a $150 cold air system that pulls air from the cowl (Spectre). The much less complex CAI setups by the big brand name folks cost way too much for what they are (IMHO) and they can't be used with a snorkel. I've also seen DIY parts for the conventional-type CAI and a complete kit from an ebay dealer. Both would net a simple CAI for under $100. Spectre's DIY parts would be great for building an intake system with a reusable cone filter that would mate right up to any of the aftermarket snorkels out there--I've got something like that in mind right now.

 

[88Xj]

Look into a 4.2L mini stroker if you are rebuilding guys!

It will be the same as a 100% stock rebuild, except a 3.8L (199cu) crank and a correct pistons...they will be off the shelf, just need the ones with a 1.58X" pin hieght..this will give a zero deck, great efficiencey & more power. With a sock bore you will have a 4.05L, .030" overbore = 4.1L and a .060" overbore = 4.2L and the .060" over also unshrouds the exhaust valves which helps flow
Its literally almost no extra cost and you will gain quite a bit over a stock 4.0L..the milder version is rated around 250 horse power & somewhere around 290ftlbs I believe!

 

[Xtreme XJ]

Did I miss it or am I not seeing the location of the oil filter ? I finally remoted mine right behind the A/C comp. on a bracket I made... not much room in there.

Looks good by the way...

Curt

 

[jeepdreamer]

Did I miss it or am I not seeing the location of the oil filter ? I finally remoted mine right behind the A/C comp. on a bracket I made... not much room in there.

Looks good by the way...

Curt

Yup... you missed it. Now you have to go all the way back to page two! hahahahahahaha! He touches on it there but doesn't show the end home for the filter itself.

 

[BuckeyeBullet]

No, you didn't miss anything. There is no oil filter yet. Do you have photos of how you mounted yours behind the A/C comp and also of the way you plumbed it into the engine? I really don't like my setup that much, thinking about going to aircraft style hydraulic fittings to hopefully make it easier, better seal, and more clearance.