HESCO head and looking to build 4.6L - Need opinions

[SCRMBLDXJ]

Hello All,

I have a HESCO head that's been in storage for years; it was on an engine that failed for some cam related issue and was pulled for a LS swap ~15 years ago. (I will have it pressure tested and checked, but to my knowledge, it should have many hrs of life left in it.) I also have '95 4.0L & '98 4.0L engines on stands that both ran with a slight rocker tick or piston slap until they warmed up. I plan to buy a Clegg kit for this project. This will be my first stroker... I want to learn about strokers through this HESCO head 4.6L project.

This motor will be going in my '98 XJ daily driver, w an AW4 & NP231. I plan to build another stroker in the next 5 yrs for a '83 CJ-8 project that I'm mildly upgrading/modifying (why I want a Jeep I-6 for it). In the past, I've built two SBCs (355 & 383) ~25 yrs ago and I grew up around cars. My father was a dirt short-track stock car crew chief and I had a considerable amount of wrench time in my teens and early 20s, then I finished college, joined the Army, got deployed a few times, got married, house, family and etc. I've owned a Jeep since I was 17 and every vehicle we drive is a Jeep. I'm not specifically a Jeep fanatic, but I have knowledge of how to work on any part of a CJ, XJ, TJ or JK, multiples of spare parts and we love the capabilities & experience of driving a Jeep... so that's all we own.

The goal for this project is (1.) reliability/longevity, (2.) learning about the nuances of Jeep stroker motors and (3.) gaining some HP/torque over a 4.0L. I'm planning to run high octane pump gas, but I want to be able to limp it home on 87 octane if needed (when that's all that can be found). I'm leaning toward buying a Clegg Stage 2 kit for the lower end. I have a '99 XJ intake, 62mm TB, a spare wire harness & ECM. I also have '86 258 crank, but I'm leaning toward just getting a Clegg kit for this engine and using the 258 crank in the next stroker project.

I'm looking for recommendations for a HESCO head 4.6 build to fit the parameters above...

Would anyone recommend a Clegg kit? Which one?

Are there better options going all parts separate?

Recommended cam selections?

Thanks in advance for your help and recommendations!

V/R,
Scott

[Cheromaniac]

The Clegg kit looks good but I'd shave 0.010" from the block deck to bump the lowish 9.3 compression up a couple of tenths.
If your Hesco head is already assembled with upgraded valve springs, you could go for the Comp cams 68-301-5 camshaft. The shortish duration and higher valve lift should deliver plenty of torque.

[mpgMike]

A note on block selection; the '96 - '98 blocks are considered the best ones. They have the main girdle reinforcement plate, for one. When using one in a stroker, you will have to shim this plate away from the block slightly to clear the connecting rods. Not too much, as you won't be able to get the oil pan on. I used a '96 block for my 4.6 in my '95 ZJ.

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