Building a stroker, a few questions

[broncocliff]

Hello all, this is my first post but have been reading posts on the site for about a month now. I have read so many forums it is crazy!! I'm going to start building my stroker motor and want to make sure that these are the best options for mine. The motor is going into a 1998 Cherokee and I live in Colorado around 5000 feet elevation. It's not my daily driver but I do drive it in the winter and go to the mountains a lot in the summer. I do moderate four wheeling and have a bunch of gear when I go camping so I need it to be reliable and not overheat or anything. So my elevation range would be from 4500 to 9000 roughly and pulling mountain roads.
Here is what I am thinking of doing:
4.2l crank (it's at the crankshaft shop now getting ground 0.010" and polished)
4.0L stock rods
KB IC944-030 or IC944-060 (haven't decided on that)
Decking the block to 0.000"
Head gasket with 0.043" quench height
Cylinder head with stock valves but porting and polishing chambers
24lb ford injectors, adjustable fpr
And the cam, oh how there are so many.
I think I am going to go with the Compcam 68-231-4
but am still not 100% on that

Now for the questions: Do you think I could bore 0.060" over without problems? Does that cam seem like a good fit or is there another one that would be better? And then after deciding on cam will I need new valve springs? I was going to get the mopar P5249464 springs but they are on back order so any other options on that? Will I have to get new pushrods with this setup also?
Is there anything else I'm forgetting?
Thanks for the help in advance.

[SilverXJ]

Now for the questions: Do you think I could bore 0.060" over without problems?

I wouldn't. If there is ever a problem with the bore you would possibly have not enough meat for another rebore. That and the gain from going .060" vs. .030" over is small. You aren't trying to create an all out engine. With .060" I would have teh cylinder walls sonic checked.

Does that cam seem like a good fit or is there another one that would be better? And then after deciding on cam will I need new valve springs? I was going to get the mopar P5249464 springs but they are on back order so any other options on that? Will I have to get new pushrods with this setup also?

There are a lot of cam options out there. Personally I would recommend talking to a few smaller companies about what you want out it and have a custom cam ground. You would need new springs. I recommend reading the faqs for some spring alternatives. You will most definitely need new pushrods. However I would recommend measuring after assembly (don't use a head gasket but add it to the push rod measurement).

Is there anything else I'm forgetting?

Read the faqs as there is alot of good info in them.

[broncocliff]

Thanks for the input. I think I will stick to the 30 overbore. What do you mean by talking to a few smaller companies? What companies would that be?
I have read every FAQ post and there is nothing other then the mopar springs listed in there. Is there not another company or spring I can use where I don't have to get the head machined out?

[akadeutsch]

From what I've read, it is very common to bore this block 60 over and more, with no problems. But Silver has a good point; With A 30 over bore you can afford to do it again. Check out Isky, Lunati or Crane for a cam. You can use the C/R calc. on this site to find what works for you. I am building the same motor in the same city. Im interested to see this build come together.

[RenoF250]

Thanks for the input. I think I will stick to the 30 overbore. What do you mean by talking to a few smaller companies? What companies would that be?
I have read every FAQ post and there is nothing other then the mopar springs listed in there. Is there not another company or spring I can use where I don't have to get the head machined out?

I used Crower, they have been very helpful. I used their level 1 BajaBeast, they also suggested a more aggressive cam and had springs for it. I used the old springs and they have plenty of travel for this cam. I also got their camsaver lifters. I like the idea of them spraying oil on the cam. The only other place the cam gets oil is from the crank.

[SilverXJ]

What do you mean by talking to a few smaller companies? What companies would that be?

Clay Smith Cams, Jones Cams, Bullet cams, Crower, Lunati, etc.

[broncocliff]

Ok cool I will look into those cams and see what they say. Sounds like Crower is used pretty regular on these builds. I like the idea of the lifters spraying oil on the cam, oil is a good thing.

I used Crower, they have been very helpful. I used their level 1 BajaBeast, they also suggested a more aggressive cam and had springs for it. I used the old springs and they have plenty of travel for this cam. I also got their camsaver lifters. I like the idea of them spraying oil on the cam. The only other place the cam gets oil is from the crank.

SO you didn't get there springs you just used your stock springs? Have you had any problems with them?

[broncocliff]

Ok I talked to a few cam companies and they gave me there idea on the cam that I should use. Of course all of them were a bit different but they couldn't really tell me what they would do for my motor setup. So when using the C/R calculator with the comp cam 68-23-4 I get 8.84 static compression, 7.58 dynamic compression. Can you tell me if these numbers are still good for mid grade gas and won't ping? I just don't get all the cam numbers and what is good compression for a mild stroker.
The lunati would give me 8.84 dc, 7.53 static not that much different but what would be better?

[6TIME]

I went from Comp 232-4 to Lunati 63500 and will never go back. The Lunati runs quiet and is waay easier on the valvetrain. It has great off idle torque for towing and good rpm range. I have my low compression head on it now and I'm at about 8.6:1 static and 7.5ish DCR. Don't get too caught up in the numbers.. The Comp grinds have aggressive lobes that will make noise. Lunati's are aggressive but right below the threshold of being noisy. Excess noise equates to more wear down the road. I doubt there's a big difference between the two power wise..

[SilverXJ]

Many cams will have a noisy valve train due to the lift intensity. Comp's cams are like that as well as some of Lunati's grinds. My Jones Cam is like this too. The extra noise, especially with roller rockers is just something to get use to. Due to our larger lifter the valve can be opened quicker vs other flat tappet engines. Yes, it will have a detriment on valve train life, but I don't know of any figures to quantify this. I'm not particularly interested in Comp. Their grinds for our engines haven't changed in 20 years or so, their tech support doesn't really seem receptive to our engines nor can you get the same answer twice, their 231 is still listed as not working with EFI, and they still sell their kit with valve springs as working with the 4.0L head. While many people run their cams to me they are like the Walmart of cams.

Ok I talked to a few cam companies and they gave me there idea on the cam that I should use. Of course all of them were a bit different but they couldn't really tell me what they would do for my motor setup.

When requesting a custom grind have all your info handy... static compression ratio, head flow (just get close), valve size, rod length, quench, axle gear ratio, transmission gear ratios, tire size, etc. And most importantly what you want from the engine. Driving style, more torque vs. high rpm power, smooth idle. If the company doesn't ask for enough of that information find another company to deal with.

So when using the C/R calculator with the comp cam 68-23-4 I get 8.84 static compression, 7.58 dynamic compression. Can you tell me if these numbers are still good for mid grade gas and won't ping? I just don't get all the cam numbers and what is good compression for a mild stroker.
The lunati would give me 8.84 dc, 7.53 static not that much different but what would be better?

As to what fuel you can run I can't make any guarantees. From personal experience I run a 9.54:1 static and 7.93:1 Dynamic. I can squeak by on midgrade with a slightly rich tune. As far as pump gas goes I wouldn't really worry about midgrade vs. premium. I do recommend you stay under 8.5:1 DCR for premium pump gas.

[broncocliff]

Thanks for the help guys. 6Time I think I'm going to go with the Lunati cam that you suggested. That is the same one that they suggested when I called them. They also recommended using some new springs and gave me Hughes engines number. I have been replying to the other forum on here about the springs that they suggested I use.
The specs of them are:
Installed Height/Pressure: 1.660"--120#
Pressure @ .450" lift: 280#
Pressure @ .500" lift: 300#
Pressure @ .550" lift: 310#
Coil Bind: .620" lift
Outer Spring ID/OD: 1.033"/1.440"
Type of Spring:Single w/ damper
Do you think that these springs will work? The other guy on the forum said they are a little stronger then the mopar springs. Will this be to much?

When requesting a custom grind have all your info handy... static compression ratio, head flow (just get close), valve size, rod length, quench, axle gear ratio, transmission gear ratios, tire size, etc. And most importantly what you want from the engine. Driving style, more torque vs. high rpm power, smooth idle. If the company doesn't ask for enough of that information find another company to deal with.

The problem with this is that my jeep isn't all finished I will be doing gears and lockers at some time and upgrading more. I want a smooth idle with more torque then rpm power. Here is the Lunati cam specs:
Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 250/256
Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 208/213
Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .484/.484
LSA/ICL: 112/108
Valve Lash (Int/Exh): Hyd/Hyd
RPM Range: 1000-5200
Includes: Cam & Lifters (#71077PR-16)
The guy who talked to me seem to think this one would work the best? What do you think about it?
The problem with me is that I do a ton of research and check out reviews and spend probably to much time on stuff before I buy it, but I want it to be the best buy I can get.