Turning a rebuild into a stroker

[showtime3492]

Hey everyone!
New to the forum not to jeeps, my situation is I have a 2000 xj that I just swapped the whole drivetrain in from my old 98 that is gone now the motor has 176 k and once the swap was done shortly after developed a knock from the lower end. Long story short pulled the oil pan and its bearings. So i am at the rebuild stage. My goal is a basic stroker ideally 4.2 just because I can't see rebuilding and leaving it all stock. I have a brand new head for the motor and rebuilt the top end when the swap was done. So I have been reading on here a bit and there is so much info and I'm pretty noob to rebuild a lower end. The questions I have are can someone direct me to a thread or a few links that'll break a 4.2 Down and give me a better understanding of what parts I need to source and what ill be in for. Also any ideas or suggestions is awesome considered I have been pretty much jeepless since last Halloween and my mind is fried from thinking on this thing. Thanks in advance!

[showtime3492]

Sorry for the multi post did this from my phone and it posted too many.

[604rail_king]

http://www.jeep4.0performance.4mg.com/stroker.html

[Cheromaniac]

So i am at the rebuild stage. My goal is a basic stroker ideally 4.2 just because I can't see rebuilding and leaving it all stock. I have a brand new head for the motor and rebuilt the top end when the swap was done.

Since you already have a rebuilt complete head assembly with valves/valve springs already attached, I suggest you just rebuild the bottom end into a modified 4.6L poor man's stroker and reuse the stock cam. You could even reuse the lifters if you number them upon removal and make sure they go back into the same lifter bores that they came from.
The only parts you'd need to buy are:

258 crank
Keith Black IC944 pistons/rings set
Main/rod/cam bearings
OEM standard volume oil pump
Cloyes dual roller timing set
Freeze plugs
Upper/lower gasket sets
Accel 24lb injectors plus EV6 to EV1 adapter plugs

The minimum machine shop work required will be:

Hot tank block
Bore/hone cylinders
Press new cam bearings into block
Grind balance pads off 4.0 rod small ends to accept IC944 pistons
Press pistons onto rods
Replace freeze plugs
Check block deck for flatness

[showtime3492]

So i am at the rebuild stage. My goal is a basic stroker ideally 4.2 just because I can't see rebuilding and leaving it all stock. I have a brand new head for the motor and rebuilt the top end when the swap was done.

Since you already have a rebuilt complete head assembly with valves/valve springs already attached, I suggest you just rebuild the bottom end into a modified 4.6L poor man's stroker and reuse the stock cam. You could even reuse the lifters if you number them upon removal and make sure they go back into the same lifter bores that they came from.
The only parts you'd need to buy are:

258 crank
Keith Black IC944 pistons/rings set
Main/rod/cam bearings
OEM standard volume oil pump
Cloyes dual roller timing set
Freeze plugs
Upper/lower gasket sets
Accel 24lb injectors plus EV6 to EV1 adapter plugs

The minimum machine shop work required will be:

Hot tank block
Bore/hone cylinders
Press new cam bearings into block
Grind balance pads off 4.0 rod small ends to accept IC944 pistons
Press pistons onto rods
Replace freeze plugs
Check block deck for flatness

That's awesome thank you! I actually like that set up I've read about that a little. Now onto a scenario that presented itself today... Please excuse my noobness I talked to a local machine shop and was presented with this
258 crank
258 rods
New pistons
Boring block
All new everything internals he wants the block bare a head and the oil pan all parts and assembly for 1500.
Questions I have on this are what recipe is this 4.??? Also what are pros and cons of this?
*edit would this be a 4.5?

[Cheromaniac]

Which pistons is the machine shop going to provide? How far are they going to overbore the cylinders (this will determine displacement)? It sounds like you're going to end up with the traditional poor man's stroker similar to mine.
Ask the machine shop what exactly they're going to do for the $1500 that they've quoted you. Is it just for labor alone (machining work plus assembly) or does that price also include some parts?

[showtime3492]

Which pistons is the machine shop going to provide? How far are they going to overbore the cylinders (this will determine displacement)? It sounds like you're going to end up with the traditional poor man's stroker similar to mine.
Ask the machine shop what exactly they're going to do for the $1500 that they've quoted you. Is it just for labor alone (machining work plus assembly) or does that price also include some parts?

The owner of the shop said for parts and assembly of the stroker 1500 as long as I take him a bare block head and oil pan the rest of the engine is in that price. Pistons I'm not sure on I will find out tomorrow I had planned on asking that but I was ay work on lunch break when I was talking to him and my lunch made me forget

Assuming it is .030 over what would that turn it into?4.6?? I am also considering seeing if I can't upgrade the pistons depending on what they are planning on using. Is there any piston I should stay away from if they try to use???

[Cheromaniac]

The price sounds good but I think you should get a list of exactly which parts the machine shop guys plan to put into the engine. This isn't a place to cut corners and it's YOUR engine so you have a right to know.
A +0.030" overbored stroker will have a displacement of 4587cc or 4.6L.

[showtime3492]

The price sounds good but I think you should get a list of exactly which parts the machine shop guys plan to put into the engine. This isn't a place to cut corners and it's YOUR engine so you have a right to know.
A +0.030" overbored stroker will have a displacement of 4587cc or 4.6L.

Was thinking the exact same thing. I go on my lunch break in 2 hours so I'm going to call then and iron out the rest of it now that I understand what's going on more. thanks for the help so far!

[showtime3492]

update on the machine shop quote,
the only thing not included in the quote was the crank and the rods but i have already sourced them for 150 total
The bore will be .030 with matched pistions obviously
The dilema now is if i wanna just do this myself or not. My original reason for not wanting to was mostly just time since i am sick of seeing my jeep in my driveway motionless for the past 6 months. I havent ever rebuilt the bottom end of an engine but feel like its not too hard. Also have a good friend that builds engines and he is possibly going to do it for me but he is already extremely busy getting his drag truck back together.. Any opinions on this would be appreciated the only thing that are holding the process back are pulling the motor again and deciding if i wanna do it or have it done for me..

[Cheromaniac]

Your best option might be to pay the $1500 for the machine shop to do their work and assemble the engine for you. If anything does go wrong (God forbid) you can at least take the engine back to them so they can make it right. If they care about their reputation they'll do their best to make sure it's right the first time anyway.

[showtime3492]

Your best option might be to pay the $1500 for the machine shop to do their work and assemble the engine for you. If anything does go wrong (God forbid) you can at least take the engine back to them so they can make it right. If they care about their reputation they'll do their best to make sure it's right the first time anyway.

That was mostly what I was thinking also. I am in the process of trying to get the crank and rods. The friend I have that builds engines is suppose to let me know today what his schedule is gonna be like and if he could do it so I'm gonna see about that n go from there.

[showtime3492]

Finally after a whole day searching got a lock on a set of rods and crank but they are 4 hours away... Roadtrip!

[showtime3492]

Went up to new York today to pick up my 4.2 and came home with two! So now I have two cranks and two sets of rods!

[GoMopar440]

Be sure to bring both sets of rods to the machine shop when you're ready to get them reconditioned. Let them pick the best matches from all the available rods and you'll be able to end up with closer rod to rod center lengths throughout the entire new set. This will make the average deck heightmeasurement more consistent. The center to center length is something they can't really adjust easily like they can with the rod weights.