BLOCK # 53010341

[Plechtan]

Nice pictures, looks like the holes are in the right place for the motor mounts but the height of the bosses are different. It also looks like the wJ has extra holes and a couple that aare missing. At least the bosses are there if you wanted to drill the missing holes. I like the additional holes near the motor mount on the drivers side. Ykou could make a killer motor mount bracket to bolt on.

[tirod]

I was at the salvage yard today for other parts, and found they had a 12 counterweight crank for $50, and a '01 Grand Cherokee 4.0 for $500. I can get the crank, it's supposedly already machined but has no lube and light surface rust. Still, cores are $35 and it could clean up.

My question about '01 blocks from GC's is the same - what changes, as I have heard the later drive mounts must be used, motor mounts are different, and my concern, is the distributor drive boss compatible. Now I see an different oil filter boss - ! - and wonder about that.

Going in a 90 Renix, on a budget, lots of changes don't help out if they get involve. Still, curious people want to know.

[Bodo]

Oil filter on the GC block may interfere with the motor mounts on an earlier model XJ. I was planning on using a remote filter.

Motor mounts also will be an issue. Your XJ mounts won't bolt right up. You have two options. You can machine the block and make spacers to take the XJ brackets.
Plechtan pointed me to another solution: http://browndogindustries.com/b2883-pen ... ir40l.aspx
He informs me that they bolt up to the WJ block. Don't know if they attach to the mounts on the vehicle or not.

[Plechtan]

The mounts do bolt up, but Brown Dog supplied 3/8" bolts, Turns out that the WJ block has 10mm tapped holes in it. Since 10mm is a little bigger than3/8 the bolts do go in, but then start to strip. I will be putting the engine into the Comanche tomorrow and I will take some pictures.

I have a remote oil pump and filter, so my bloxk only has the adapter on it to bring the oil in, so I will knot know about any oil filter problems.

[tirod]

Bolts aren't a major problem - knowing what thread they actually are sometimes is. If the picture shows what I think is going on, the WJ block has a flatter oil filter mount? I'm going to speculate the original XJ filter adapter should work even better. It would be further away from the unibody frame rail. Pics of that in the Comanche could confirm it, even with an adapter.

Give the after market a year, XJ conversion motor mounts will pop up. I hope.

That leaves the distributor drive. I speculate again the block machining may not have been changed at all, and the cam position senson just uses the original hole. It would be nice to see that confirmed.

I'm passing on the parts right now - no money, no room, too many other repairs, etc. The biggest deal killer on the crank is the surface rust and complete lack of proper storage. $50 plus machining, if needed, plus bearings, and rods, still comes out to what I can order from work complete, clean, and ready to go. Why buy a headache.

[Plechtan]

Got the motor into the Comanche this morning, the Brown Dog mounts worked out OK, but it was a bitch finding grade 8 metric bolts. He are some pictures.

drivers-motor-mount1.gif

[Bodo]

looking good! Glad that there is a viable solution that allows us to put a late model WJ block into an XJ.

[gradon]

Man that header and mount wanna kiss. . .