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MancheKid86's HillBilly Deluxe 1989 jeep comanche 4x4 Engine: 1993 4.5L HO stroker - built by robert bryce Crane cam shaft 1977 4.2 crankshaft 5.0L Ford Mustang fuel inectors 49 PSI fuel pressure regulator Ported and polished thermostat housing performance 190 F theromostat Flow Kooler water pump Converted open cooling system Aux Fan Transmission/Transfercase Assembly: External Slave AX-15 from 1990 YJ to achieve a flatbelly via transfer case clock angle NP231 Doubler NP241 internals and output inside a NP231 case for the second transfercase Front Axle: Spicer 44 out of a 1979 international scout II re-tubed and sleeved to obtain drivers pumpkin. all new brackets welded on 2.5" raised coil spring buckets (built in spacers) Detroit locker 4.88 gears RCV axles Warn Premium locking hubs 1/4" thick walled front drive shaft Rear Axle Spicer 44 out of a 1979 international scout II Detroit locker 4.88 gears Spring Over Axle Relocated shock mounts TSM MFG gm metric disc conversion with drilled and slotted rotors and Cadillac Eldorado e-brake calipers Chromoly axle shafts Suspension Front 10" short arm lift 7.5 lift coils, 2.5" built into axle custom lower control arms with dodge one ton bushings custom upper control arms Rear 3/4 eliptical 10" lift Spring over axle 2011 chevy colorado shackles Steering and linkages Stock steering box Full one ton over knuckle steering Iron Man 4x4 Fab steering box brace with sector shaft support Iron Man 4x4 Fab track bar and bracket with frame brace Tires and rims 39.5x15x15 Grooved Bias super swamper tsl's 1977 ford bronco rims with weld on bead locks MISC warn 9000 XDI front winch Black Diamond Synthetic winch line warn 8000 VR rear winch Onboard air regulated to 155 psi relocated battery train horn 138:1 crawl ratio

Picked up a 1992 Briarwood. Its in rough shape but should be a fun restore. I’m excited to get started on this rebuild. I’ve got a few ideas for mods on this one so I won't go back to stock like my other restores.

Well its good to be back in an MJ. MY previous account would not let me back in (19674x4) I used to have a 88 2wd Sporttruck. Sold it to find a new truck. Here recently i had a 99 XJ that i built up extensively Link here: http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/project-blueberry-211258/ Just traded the XJ for a 90 Eliminator...will continue with the build thread as more things come up. I spend most of my time over on Cherokee Forum, so check there for most up to date build progress. Here is my MJ build thread: http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/project-patience-90-mj-dd-trail-sleeper-231553/

Hi all! I wanted to start a build thread for the 4.0 stroker build that I've started to get input and advice as I'm going along. I'm learning as I go and it would make me feel a lot more comfortable if people with more experience looked through what I'm doin. My intended use for the truck is a dd, something with more power and just to make it really really cool. So getting into it.... Starting with a 1989 MJ with a tired 4.0 with a blown head gasket and high oil pressure. 5 speed to a ford 8.8 in back. The motor is completely ready to come out at the moment, gonna pull it in a few days. Right now I'm thinking ill do away with the whole old motor completely and get a HO head and an NVH block (plenty of XJs in nearby junkyards to look through). HO head over edlebrock because of the price. For the stroker part of it I'm gonna do the 4.2L crank and rod swap. I'm aware that ill need dished pistons with a different pin height for this setup. Probably gonna bore it to 30 or 40 over. Gonna need my engineering school friends to help me with compression ratio maths lol. Valvetrain/airflow: I'm gonna have my head ported and MAYBE do some LS valves to let it breathe, and a cam to make it breathe. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about cams but that sh*t is sooo confusing so any advise on resources to help pick a cam would be much appreciated. Ill do hydraulic lifters with the little oil hole in them and roller rockers. Port matched HO intake with a bigger throttle body and 1 inch spacer under the TB. 24# injectors. As for wiring and electrics I think I'm leaning towards replacing the whole Renix harness with the HO harness instead of getting my current wiring to work. If I'm gonna put this much into the performance of my motor I want the best wiring I can to use all its available potential. Something I am curious about is whether I should stick with the distributor or go with the coils from the early 2000s XJs, any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Other miscellaneous things: -high flow water pump with high flow thermostat and housing -high flow oil pump with a oil warmer/cooler box from Hesco Other things I'm thinking about: -could I get any more performance with a custom intake manifold or is the stock HO intake that's been port matched pretty optimal? -electric vacuum pump to tidy things up in the engine bay and not have to worry about low pressure at idle? -is a cold air intake a good idea or is that stupid? -oil catch can? Ill be posting more updates as I figure more stuff out and progress in the build. IMG_0239.HEIC IMG_0241.HEIC

​I just recently completed swapping out my old 4.0L with a 4.6L Stroker from ATK and I could not be more happy with the results. Prior to purchasing the Engine, I pinged the forums and probed the interwebs for a reputable reman company... all I found were bad reviews and horror stories... It made me feel uneasy but I went with ATK anyway. I figured I would post my experience. Prior to the Swap I had a 1987 4.0L with about 160K on it. The engine was still firing up and running but I felt it was time for a swap. ​The price was / is awesome. I paid 2900 for the stroker. It did not come with a valve cover but all of the gaskets were included. For the swap I also decided to put it a higher flow water pump, a new starter, plugs , wires, CPS, Thermostat, and a flex plate. Once the parts arrived I dropped the manche off at the shop and waiting for the motor to go in. I am told the install was simple... fit as expected ... no issues. HOWEVER.... as soon as the mechanic fired up the engine ... she leaked oil like a bastard! To be sure it was not the oil pan... I put a new oil pan in and replaced the gasket and sure enough it still leaked..... It was obvious it was the Rear Main Seal but we wanted to be sure.... I called ATK prior to authorizing work... and a little up set I explained the situation. Sight Unseen ATK authorized the mechanic to fix the problem and paid for both the parts and the labor. It took a few weeks for the check to finally arrive but never the less it did. It is worth noting that it if you purchase from autozone, the labor is covered by their warranty .... and the parts are paid for by ATK. Now not to throw any stones but the mechanic said the RMS was installed backwards :doh:​ With that said the RMS was replaced and the engine fired up with no leaks!... BUUUUUUT It was running sluggish.... I panicked thinking the engine was truly a dud and I would join the few folks on the internet in bashing ATK... but it turns out I did not upgrade the injectors to 24psi ( which most stroker forums recommend) .. ATK states that it can use the stock stuff... but it just does not run right. I also bought an adjustable fuel pressure regulator as well to dial in the power... it was not necessary but it helps. After all this... the MANCHE is more powerful than ever and runs very strong.. While I was a little disappointed with the quality control of ATK, they came through immediately with a fix.. at no cost to me. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions... I hope this helps some folks on the fence about REMANS...