Stroked 4.0 vs Vortec 350

[SethHereford]

I love the idea of a stroker, but for my CJ7 it would be just as much work and money to buy a SBC. Can someone list the pros and cons of each. My jeep is a ''79 CJ with 258, t150, dana 20 t-case on 31" tires. I want the jeep to be fun to drive(which includes starting every day and getting decent mileage >10). This question has been answered on other forums many times but I want to hear what this community has to say.

Also, what would be a cool build up of the above 258 for a scrambler?

[dwg86]

If you don't have to worry about emissions and your not computer controlled, I would go with a V8...any V8. An amc V8 is a bolt in (no mods or adapter plates. You would need factory Jeep v8 mounts).

[Cheromaniac]

An amc V8 is a bolt in

That's true but they're becoming about as common as hen's teeth. A Chevy LS1 would be a better bet as those engines are abundant, cheap, powerful, and lightweight.

[IH 392]

An amc V8 is a bolt in

That's true but they're becoming about as common as hen's teeth.

hhmmm??, I've got a 304, 343, two 360's and a 401 in my garage.

[brielly]

If youre going through the trouble of a chevy v8 why not go with the 5.3. Its has more hp, gets better mileage and doesn't suffer from the notorious intake gasket leaks of the 350. If I went that route I'd find a donor and swap the whole drive train. I'm not knocking the 350 I had one in my tahoe and it had loads of power but the general consensus among the chevy crowd is the 5.3 is the better engine.

[IH 392]

If youre going through the trouble of a chevy v8 why not go with the 5.3. Its has more hp, gets better mileage and doesn't suffer from the notorious intake gasket leaks of the 350. If I went that route I'd find a donor and swap the whole drive train. I'm not knocking the 350 I had one in my tahoe and it had loads of power but the general consensus among the chevy crowd is the 5.3 is the better engine.

HHmmm??. this is the first I've heard of the "notorious" intake leaks of the 350!??????, I think you have it backwards, them 5.3's have the plastic intakes that leak!, and if you think a 5.3 has more power than a 350 you've only seen the last of them from the late 80's!

[Cheromaniac]

hhmmm??, I've got a 304, 343, two 360's and a 401 in my garage.

Those will become valuable engines, especially the 401.

[shawnxj]

i've had a vortec 350, a 5.3 and a 6.0. out of the 3 i'd take a 350 hands down. way more power then the 5.3 with the same or better mileage and it's not the gas hog that the 6.0 is. i have a 6.0 in the garage but i've been thinking about selling it and just building another vortec 350 with an external fuel rail instead of that injection spider. i can build more power in a 350 for half the price of a 6.0. the 1 thing i would change is the electronics though. the 5.3 and 6.0 have superior electronics and you only have to change a few pins to make it work in my 96 gmc body

[SilverXJ]

Meh.. screw a V8... try an LS12 http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-h ... build.html

If I had to do it again I would probably go with a fuel injected LS, but then I would need to figure out how to keep the stock gauges and all since they are driven by the PCM on my 2000.

[brielly]

HHmmm??. this is the first I've heard of the "notorious" intake leaks of the 350!??????, I think you have it backwards, them 5.3's have the plastic intakes that leak!, and if you think a 5.3 has more power than a 350 you've only seen the last of them from the late 80's!

The vortec 350 from 96-2000 had an intake that would fail and allow coolant to get into the engine. Many were ruined this way.This was due to the design of the original gasket. The 5.3 has a plastic intake but no coolant flows through it. They may leak too but at least it doesn't ruin the engine. From what I recall the 5.3 has more hp but the 350 has the better torque at lower rpm so it is best if you re looking to spend more time offroad or towing than daily driving. Either engine will be fine but as i said be careful of the 5.7 intake (mine was bad after 30,000 miles and started leaking again at 80k. The 5.3 is also a newer engine utilizing newer technologies and does get better mpg's. Really just find the best engine you can for the best price and you wont go wrong. Personally I like the cool factor of an inline six especially a stroked one!

[shawnxj]

ok people keep saying the ls engine are newer tech but where is this newer tech? it's still a pushrod engine and until you get into the 6.2's for the vvt they're all basically air pumps. so where is this new tech everybody brags about? and i'm not talking about the computer

[racing89]

More power, better fuel economy, and bullit-proof bottom end are reasons enough to pick ANY of the newer gm engines over the "antique" central port injected ( proper term for 96-00 engine)5.0l or 5.7l. If its not gonna be a jeep engine , you cant go wrong with a 4.8l 5.3l or 6.0l. Most , "modern" chevy racers are using 6.0l technology, but in a daily driver a 285 h.p. 4.8l will provide plenty of torque and excellent fuel economy.

[grainofsalt]

Go with something different, A small block ford or any V10!!

[Torqsplit]

Honestly not real familiar with how Strokers do with a carburetor. Seems like it should offer more options, and more tuning ability than an OBD1 setup? Just depends on what you want from it and how you intend to use it. Plenty of kits out there to put whatever you want in a CJ these days so motor mounts, adapters and wiring are all readily available if you have the $$ and the time. For a clean sheet motor swap, my cost-no-option dream right now would be an early 5.9 Cummins in a Jeep! Plenty of room under that CJ hood!

[shawnxj]

you sure a 6bt would fit? i know lots have done the 4 bt swap but never heard of a 6bt in a cj...that's 1 heavy beast