From what I've been told by a friend of mine the biggest motor that could fit under the hood without removing the inner fenders and some majorly extensive modification would be a 400. I had been thinking of dropping a 454 in my '88, but was told it would never work. Is my friend just bull of BS?
There's maybe two 454 XJs on NAXJA. Wouldn't be worth the effort if the main goal is wheeling.
The 455 is an Olds engine, not a Chevy, so it's dimensions are different. I'm pretty into fab work though (as long as it's not on a DD, in which case I get angry), so running hoodless or fabbing up frame rails sounds like fun to me. As well, who truthfully wants a straight axle 2wd?