New potential 4.6 build

[Brushedred]

What's up jeepstrokers I been creeping on you for awhile lol and finally got things going in motion so here I am. So I am a noob to building engines. I built a lawnmower engine once so yea... however I'm not mechanicaly retarded and really interested in putting together one of these beasts. The project is a 1999 jeep Cherokee Xj. The engine is running pretty decent however I know it wasn't maintained properly (know previous owner) however bulletproof a 4.0 may be I need a reliable vehicle as I am planning a move to Colorado . A rebuild is going to happen regardless so I'm trying to wrap my head around the total cost of this. List parts range from basic to Flux capacitor. I don't mind spending money for reliablitly and horses but I also would like to save money as well where I can I don't mind putting 89 in it 91 octane could get a little pricey for a dd. Sorry if I seem lazy but with pulling the engine, restoring the jeep and working this is a lot to chew as it is. If I'm missing anything and I mean anything necessary feel free to add to the list as well as take away from it and make suggestions on better/cheaper parts ways to go. I appreciate all your help.

Aiming for a 4.6 modified
Pistons... 505 maybe kb ?. Not sure which dish etc
Stock 4.0 rods- peened
Scat 258 crankshaft-unless I find another soon
Sealed power 7211m main bearings?
Sealed power cp series rod bearings? Hard a time finding bearings specifically listed for 99
Sealed power cam bearings ?
Valve springs
Valve retainers
Valve keepers
Replace all belts or eyeball them?
Port and polish head- 1.91 / 1.50 ?
Accel 30lb injectors
Oil pump high flow necessary?
Water pump high flow neccesary?
Cold air intake? Fab or buy heard bad reviews for most
Timing set . Roller ,double ,non roller ?
Camshaft stock- refurbished
New spring pin washer for cam?
Gaskets... best way to buy and which specific ones for compression etc.
Sealed power freeze plugs
Arp rod bolts
Arp head bolts
Motor mounts
Thermostat
Headers?
Exhausts . Banks, maybe local shop

I plan on removing engine myself and wondering about trying to build it minus the machine/balance work. Only shop i have been able to contact quoted me at 1600-1900
to rebuild with stock parts and mild port work ... if anyone knows any good east Maryland or Delaware maybe even south PA shops let a brotha know.

[BADASYJ]

1) Forget the 30lbs injectors, to much. 24s r all you need.

2) Go with a Mopar cam, if you go new. Its the only aftermarket cam I've found that has the Chrysler style wide lobes. ( its an older style cam with spring pin)

3) Get brass freeze plugs

4) Brown dog motor mounts.

You could go n kick tires at the Cecil county drag strip n talk with the local racers about the machine shops they use. Good luck.

Oh and BTW get a new belt n keep your old one as a spare.

[Russ Pottenger]

1) Forget the 30lbs injectors, to much. 24s r all you need.

2) Go with a Mopar cam, if you go new. Its the only aftermarket cam I've found that has the Chrysler style wide lobes. ( its an older style cam with spring pin)

3) Get brass freeze plugs

4) Brown dog motor mounts.

You could go n kick tires at the Cecil county drag strip n talk with the local racers about the machine shops they use. Good luck.

Oh and BTW get a new belt n keep your old one as a spare.

I agree with everything other than the Mopar camshaft.

There are better cam profile choices. If your picking the Mopar cam because of the wide lobe thinking it will help you from losing a lobe, you can get the cam nitrided.
There's a big misconception of people thinking camshafts going flat has something to do with the width of the lobe.

If you shoot me an email I'd be happy to share some information and pricing on my custom Pistons and engine kits.

Thanks,
Russ
Bishop-Buehl Racing Engines
531 N. Lyall Avenue
West Covina, California 91790
(626) 673-2203
Email/PayPal: [email protected]

[gradon]

I'm using the no-longer-available Mopar P4529230AB cam, which has been problem free for 8 years of hard use. Unless you plan to use 1.7RRs, the Mopar 28 and the 29 cams aren't gonna let your stroker breathe enough(mine could benefit from 1.7s too). Listen to Russ.

[BADASYJ]

Yeah I threw a couple of rods out of the block so I'm pretty sure my trusty ol' 30AB cam is gone along with everything else. It was one of the last three cams Mopar had when I bought it. Man does it hurt.......
I like the wide lobes because its Mopar and that's what our motor was designed to run, and for obvious reasons as we've all seen how the narrow Chevy profile lobes work out with our .904 Mopar lifter design. Chevy lifters are .820 diameter and there for much lighter. It might not seem like much but with the combination of low zinc and heavy lifters moving up n down 20 times a second the chevy cams just cant handle it, for long. I don't recall ever hearing of a mopar cam losing lobes for no apparent reason. Ive never ran a zinc additive or nitrided the Mopar cam and never had an issue in the ten years or so I ran it.
With that being said, short of grinding a billet stick it now looks like I'm unfortunatly stuck running the Chevy width lobes. Oh well, just means a few more tear downs for inspection are in my future.
Ill be talking to ya soon Russ, thank you.

[Cheromaniac]

Or just run a stock cam that we know will last up to 1/2 a million miles with careful break-in and maintenance. Not the best cam for a stroker performance-wise but it's dead nuts reliable.

[SkylinesSuck]

My original 4.0 ate the stock cam (then a Crane cam). Just throwing out there that the stick ones fail also.

[SkylinesSuck]

*I wasn't running any kind of higher zddp oil though.

[Cheromaniac]

I run a 10W-40 SL-rated semi-synthetic.

[jsawduste]

I run a 10W-40 SL-rated semi-synthetic.

But not 9.6 years ago when the cam and lifters became friends.

Talking about cam failure without including the spring pressures, lifter quality, break in, oil and lube...to name a few factors....is like saying all apples taste the same.

[Russ Pottenger]

I run a 10W-40 SL-rated semi-synthetic.

But not 9.6 years ago when the cam and lifters became friends.

Talking about cam failure without including the spring pressures, lifter quality, break in, oil and lube...to name a few factors....is like saying all apples taste the same.

John is spot on.

Oil's that are on the shelves at nationwide chain auto parts stores isn't the same oil of just a few years ago.
I was told just last week when one of my customers went into one of our local auto parts stores looking to buy Valvoline racing oil.
Seeing it was completely gone from the shelf he asked one of the counterman and was told it was pulled from the shelf because of the additives. I'm in California, so all the bad stuff starts here but it is an indication of where things are going.

It looks like now I'm gonna have to start stocking engine oil. It's a sad fact that we may have to start buying oil through dealers and distributors now to get the good stuff.
As Dino mentioned a few post earlier I think the trend is going towards a synthetic petroleum based blend that has all of the additives included.
So I'm guess I'm in the oil business now. The good news is at $7.50 a qt isn't a bad deal for ready to drop in oil

[jsawduste]

Thanks Russ,

BP or JG ?

[Cheromaniac]

But not 9.6 years ago when the cam and lifters became friends.

Talking about cam failure without including the spring pressures, lifter quality, break in, oil and lube...to name a few factors....is like saying all apples taste the same.

Actually it was also 9.6 years ago when I threw my stock cam back into the engine with new lifters and stock valve springs when the Crane 753905 cam bit the dust after 34k miles, and I've been running SL-rated oil ever since to avoid another cam failure. I was running 0W-40 Mobil 1 full synthetic before the Crane cam failure but I think it was a defective Crane lifter rather than the oil that was to blame. The cam still had 11 perfectly good lobes and only the 12th lobe was flattened.
You're right to mention all the other factors but the reason why I insist on using SL-rated oil is because it has a higher ZDDP content to protect the flat tappet cam/lifters. Unfortunately in some parts of the world, finding engine oil with the required additives is becoming quite a challenge simply 'cause modern engines no longer have flat tappet cams and don't need ZDDP that can contaminate catalytic converters. My Jeep is catless so that isn't an issue for me.

[jsawduste]

Dino, you got me on that one.

Had to look up when SAE SL came available......2001.......I am wrong as to the year that classification standard was implemented.

SM late 2004 and SN in late 2010.

Honestly surprised that the UAE uses a SAE standard. Thought it would be a different model such as ACEA.

Thanks for the boot.

[Cheromaniac]

Thanks for the boot.

You're welcome. Which foot do you prefer?