head, cam, lifter ?'s

[jakes01234]

I was thinking of trying to get a few more ponies out of my jeep lately and i was thinking of doing a slightly larger cam and to port and polish the head..
I would like some long term owners reviews and opinions on a few options i was considering.
was looking for 20 to 30 HP with better mid range

I was considering the aluminium head that hesco offers with a slightly larger cam or i was going to port and polish the stock head and possibly machine it to accommodate the larger springs required for the cam.

I do not want to change out the stock fuel injection system but larger injectors i can do if necessary, i understand there may be some supporting mods to do such as TB and exhaust.
opinions? other options?

One major concern is that it revs from 3k to 3.5k on the highway at 65 to 70 (3 speed and 4:56's w/ 35's) so it needs to be safe to stay at these rpms for hours..

Thanks for your help.
Jake

[Cheromaniac]

What's your current set-up?

[jakes01234]

its all stock motor..

[SilverXJ]

You won't need larger injectors until you go to a stroker. A larger cam will most likely require different valve springs, retainers and locks. Might as well get a valve job done on the head while you are at it. The Hesco head is nice, but you would need to increase your compression to take full advantage of it. Instead of the head I would do a larger throttle body(http://www.strokedjeep.com/), the late model intake manifold (don't know what year yours is), header, and cold air intake. The RPM you run won't be an issue.

[Cheromaniac]

its all stock motor..

Then I suggest you do some simple bolt-on upgrades first i.e. cold air intake, 62mm TB, '99+ intake manifold, header, 2.5" S-pipe, high flow cat, 2.5" exhaust. Porting the head is a worthwhile exercise and you can also have it milled to raise the CR. You might find the info. on this site useful:

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

[jakes01234]

oo sorry its a 2000... i put all my info in when signing up but im not sure where it went yet hahaha..
thanks for your help.. im also happy to hear my rpm isnt an issue some have said its to high for long distance travel..
what are you guys running for 2.5" exhaust? custom bend or is there one online that size? like banks?
thanks for the help
Jake

[jakes01234]

and one thing on the cold air intake..
I have a highlined hood and the fenders are raised up as well, which caused me to rearrange some items such as the fuse box, evap canister, and more importantly the intake...
it not longer has any room in the stock location so its spun towards the firewall and only has the top box of the intake with the filter secured to it..

So if i take some larger less restricted tubing and get a smaller intake box to fit in anywhere under my hood then put the tubing through the firewall to make the hummer type intake would this have any performance gains? will it be to little of air flow to help make a difference and accommodate for the more air that will be required?
If not then its back to the drawing board for a different type of intake that will work with my setup..
Thanks
Jake

[SilverXJ]

On the cold air intake make sure it is getting cold outside air, not under hood hot air.

Since you have a 2000 do you still have the stock 0331 head? If you are doing any head work I would replace it with either a 03+ used head or a Alabama cylinder head 0331.

[jakes01234]

yea i still have the stock 0331, i was going to buy the better casting head to do the work to anyways so i can still drive and have plenty of time to build it..

[Cheromaniac]

oo sorry its a 2000... i put all my info in when signing up but im not sure where it went yet hahaha..
thanks for your help.. im also happy to hear my rpm isnt an issue some have said its to high for long distance travel..
what are you guys running for 2.5" exhaust? custom bend or is there one online that size? like banks?
thanks for the help
Jake

x2 on what SilverXJ said about a head swap. Since you already have a dual outlet header and 2-into-1 downpipe, I'd just keep the stock header and enlarge the downstream part of the downpipe after the Y to 2.5".