Muad'Dib thinks he found his start to a Stroker Build!

[Muad'Dib]

There was a lady on craigslist giving away a 4.2 for free. I called and was the first one When i came to look at it, she said sooooo many people called her after me that she should have put it on there for money lol!

Anyway, she said it was from a late 70's early 80's CJ. It was in her possession because her boyfriend was going to use it to replace their current engine, but it turned out that the reason they thought they needed a replacement engine was actually something minor...

I just couldn't pass it up so i took it home. Here are some pics:











Now my questions .. please bare with me. I'm sure there will be many more to come as i have never built an engine before.

BTW the intake and exhaust are there to just not bolted on anymore. Nothing special it seems there though... i think they were all carbureted right?

Now from the information i have given you, and from the pictures is there a way to tell that what i have will work? I'm not sure when i will have a chance to actually tear it apart.. so maybe i could save some work if its obvious it doesn't contain what I'm looking for. (proper crank and rods)

Again as i said I'm a total noob... so expect many many more questions in the future as i continue in this build process.

Thanks!

[Muad'Dib]

I guess i should have searched the web a little bit

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ENGINE DAY BUILD CODE. This is located on the passenger side of the block just below and between #3 and #2 spark plugs holes. It's a flat plate and has this format:

The Engine Day Build Code consists of six characters:

1. Year built code
2. & 3. Number of the month
4. Engine size/type code
5 & 6. Day built

So in my case:

306C09

Probably 1983 On June 9th.

Serial number is the other long number on the block:

In my case:

EF3235444

This site also has good info:

http://www.geocities.com/cantwait_forvi ... ingnumbers

So it appears that i will probably have crank casting #3235477 which is close to exactly what i wanted to have! a 4cw but i will still have to cut the snout or go with a spacer... (im gonna get it cut).

[IH 392]

That's about all the more I would have payed for that engine too, that's the price I've had to pay for the last 3 or 4 12cw 258's I've gotten, in fact the last one was loaded on my truck when I wasn't looking!, it should yield an acceptable crank and rods for a stroker.

[SilverXJ]

Ohhh... now I see where the freeze plug kit I got goes ... That explains those two smaller plugs and the lack of larger plugs... even though it is listed as a 4.0L plug kit.

[Muad'Dib]

That's about all the more I would have payed for that engine too, that's the price I've had to pay for the last 3 or 4 12cw 258's I've gotten, in fact the last one was loaded on my truck when I wasn't looking!, it should yield an acceptable crank and rods for a stroker.

Seems to be the consensious around this forum. Unfortunately i live in what i would like to call a "up and up" town. Nothing is free around here. Hell the cheapest would have been at a u-pull-it 20 miles from here. They usually have a decent selection of Cherokee's from 84-93 so thats where i usually get my dealer only replacement parts. They would have sold me an engine for about $120, but i would have had to pull it out of the engine bay (in gravel) and try to get it to my vehicle. For the longest time, they haven't had a 4.2.. so this find was more than a gem to me! 4.2's are hard to find around here... i probably would have paid $200 for this block if i had to.

[IH 392]

I'd think that there would be all kinds of good stuff up there over the mountains, stuff doesn't rot as fast over there as it does down here in the valley!

[Muad'Dib]

Everything is usually in good shape... your right about that. We also dont use salt on the roads for the winter snow... so i hardly see rust either. Hard to find is more of the problem

Anyway, i got the crank pulled today... it is the 3235477. Rods are 352 (probably not going to use).

This is going to be a slow build for me. Whats going to be the best way to store the crank? Standing up on the flywheel side? Any other storage secrets?

Im also a very "one thing at a time" type of person. Now that i have the crank out what should i consider getting done to it? My build is at least going to be a 4.8 ... I wont mind running premium.. but i have to be able to use pump gas. Im not sure if that makes a 4.9 out of the question. Plus with a 4.9 i think that puts me up into an custom programming... and im not sure how well that will fly with a RENIX system which this build is going into.

[1bolt]

Welcome to the free 4.2 club Chris, I've got three or four for free myself.

Well if you can afford the slightly larger storage package leave everything in the block with the head on and keep it out of direct sunlight (which helps avoid internal condensation from temp changes).

I refer to a 4.2 block as a stroker crank storage container... They aren't much use for anything else except a few bucks for scrap iron. Not long ago a 4.2 block was worth more for scrap than trying to sell it to someone.

The next best way is to put the crank on end or hang it, you can use a junk flywheel/flexplate as a impromptu stand. Then take the old bearings, hit them with a good coating of assembly lube (GREASE not liquid) and put them all in place and use some tape or string to keep the halves from falling away from the journal.

If its in a garage and it needs to be turned anyway and it's not overly damp the flash rust will clean up. If it's flawless though absolutely keep them sealed with the bearings either in the block or not. If you've thrown out the bearings... well then it's time for grease and plastic wrap or tape. even grease will allow rust if it sags off an area for long enough for the oil to dry off. That's why the plastic wrap or tape.

Works the same for cam shafts...

[Muad'Dib]

If it just stands on end does it need to be attached to a flexplate? I Still have the bearings, so ill use some assembly lube and then tape them on.

What about the other questions i had? What should i consider doing to the crank at this point? Do i take it to a machine shop and get it checked? Get it coated? Is it a completly bad way of thinking to do things one step at a time? For example doing whatever needs to be done to the crank (like cutting the snout etc) setting it aside and then moving on to the next step whatever that may be. (again please remember im a total noob! Im good with step by step!)

Am i wrong by thinking a 4.8 stroker build is feasable given my paramaters? What would be next? Obtaining a 4.0 block?

[IH 392]

Getting the crank magged is a good idea, they should do it when you have it ground, if it needs it?, there is a remote possibility that it'll polish @ what ever size it is, STD .010 ???
the machining should all be done at the same time, if you have some done in the winter and some done in the summer you WILL have minor clearance issues!
Stand that crank on the flywheel flange in a corner, don't lay it down!it'll bend, you can get spray cosmoline in a rattle can to goop stuff up for long term storage too.