Popping my stroker cherry

[SlapChop]

Greetings you stroker geniuses. I have a 2000 TJ that has a 4.0 with 190k on the clock and the "tick" finally turned into a cracked piston skirt on #2.
I pulled the engine with intentions to do a full rebuild, and now that I have it out and fully disassembled I feel just keeping it at 4.0L would be a huge missed opportunity.
The reason I am here is for a set checklist on what I need to have the machine shop do to the block besides just bore it .030 over and hone it. They are going to hot tank it as it is filthy. What else do I need to have them do?
Can I just purchase the Clegg Stage 2 Jeep Stroker Kit 4.6 Liter / Compression Ratio = 9.3:1 and drop it in? I plan to add the 24lb fuel injectors to that kit. What camshaft should I add to this kit?
My other concern is my head assembly. I'm 95% sure it's not cracked yet, but it is the 0331 casting from the notorious 00-01 runs. Should I risk having a valve train job done on this head or just replace it with a remanufactured complete head?
Any other information or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
Alan

[Randy Bobandi]

I feel just keeping it at 4.0L would be a huge missed opportunity.

In some cases, the stroker is a waste of time and $.
Depends on the application and the power goal. What kind of power are you trying to make? Also, what ECU will you be using and how will it be tuned?

Should I risk having a valve train job done on this head (0331) or just replace it with a remanufactured complete head?

The 0331 head has to go to the scrap heap. The decision is easy due to how inexpensive and readily available the TUPY heads are.

[Cheromaniac]

I suggest you reach out to our resident guru Russ Pottenger for most of the parts e.g. Scat 4.2 crank, 4.0L rods, Russ' custom pistons, and timing set. I'd suggest you opt for the CompCams 163-201-5 camshaft. It's tailor made for 99-06 blocks, will provide a nice torque increase, and will work with the stock valve springs.
Randy's right about the head. Sell it for scrap and buy a good used 02-06 TUPY 0331 head instead. You could then send it to Russ and have it ported.
Wait until you've decided which parts you're going to use in the engine before ordering injectors. I've no doubt you'll be reusing the stock ECU so you'll need to have it remapped to optimize the ignition advance and fuel curves for best performance. That'll come later on after you fire up the engine and break in the new camshaft.
Keep in mind that you'll need other supporting mods such as a larger bore throttle body, port-matching of the intake manifold, and a 2.5" exhaust.

[SlapChop]

Thanks for the info so far! I've dropped the block off to the machine shop to have them clean it, bore it .030 over, hone it, and verify there is no cracks.
I also went ahead and purchased a remanufactured 0331 TUPY head complete with valves and springs.
I sent an email via the forum to Russ advising I'd like some information from him along with my budget. I'm waiting to hear back from him. Should I just email him directly via his Yahoo account?

This Jeep is not going to be a daily driver, but I would like a bit more power/torque out of the engine vs the stock setup as I'm running 33's on 3.73 gears currently w/ a 5 speed NV3550. I did not have any plans to change the ECU, but I do plan to add a 62mm throttle body to the intake.

[Cheromaniac]

Thanks for the info so far! I've dropped the block off to the machine shop to have them clean it, bore it .030 over, hone it, and verify there is no cracks.

You should wait until you have the pistons in hand and take them to the machine shop BEFORE they bore/hone the cylinders.

[SlapChop]

You should wait until you have the pistons in hand and take them to the machine shop BEFORE they bore/hone the cylinders.

Would tolerances be that far off that pistons/rings wouldn't batch the same bore diameter? I was planning to test fit the rings with feeler gauge and shave any off if needed.

[SlapChop]

Match, not batch

[Cheromaniac]

It's better if the machine shop has the pistons in hand so they can finish the bores with the correct piston-to-bore clearance. They'll need to know what material is used in the pistons (cast or forged aluminium alloy) since different alloys will require a different PTB clearance.

[SlapChop]

OK, so let's assume I'll go through Russ for the parts I need for this kit, does he only deal with one type of piston or does he use multiple variations of steel/aluminum?
I had planned on having my machine shop pin the new pistons to my rods. One thing I was curious of is if I should have new bolts installed on the rods if I do reuse my old 4.0 rods

[SlapChop]

I think I have that backwards, I think I need 4.0 pistons, and 4.2 rods

[Cheromaniac]

I'd advise that you use your 4.0L rods with new ARP 112-6001 rod bolts and Russ' custom pistons. I believe he also stocks hypereutectic as well as forged aluminium pistons.
If the machine shop is happy to rebore the cylinders without having the pistons in hand, run away and find another machine shop!

[IH 392]

A rough bore can be done to see what the block needs to over bored to?, if they say they can hone it without the pistons, as Dino said find a competent machine shop!
And I also agree that you should use you 4.0 rods and get long rod 4.6/7 pistons.

[Russ Pottenger]

Hi Alan,

Trying to do a follow up with you and not sure if I have received an email from you yet.

Could you please shoot me an email over to [email protected] so I can get some info out to ya.

Thanks!
Russ