a different kind of MJ build

ECU Jeeper said:
I hope you get the sending unit figured out quick cause this thing is gonna be sick
!
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I got it figured out. I need a 91-92 MJ only sending unit to make the guage read properly. It still runs without an accurate gas gauge.

So i drove this thing about 125 miles since last night and after a little more tuning, this thing is quick!! I am chasing a slightly elevated high idle now (1100rpm) and the top end is a little noisy, im suspecting that the pushrods are a fuzz too short OR i heard that this particular cam is noisy. After some miles the noises are not any worse yet.:confused:

im thinking the urethane motor and tranny mounts were not such a good idea due to excessive vibes through the unibody at idle. everything is a little too tight in there. It was a PITA to use the larger mounts without putting everything in a slight bind.

AHHHh the joys of debugging a new build.
 
thx, Joel

Please keep in mind that some of the prices outlined are my costs and may not reflect average full retail prices. Also a few vendors donated their services like my line-x job and so on.
 
Cool build Greg! :beer:
 
unfortunately yes, I am getting about 12.5 mpg as of now with about 1/2 regular driving and 1/2 beating the tar out of it with a 4.10 gear. As of right now im putting in a 3.55 posi 8.8 and i hope it will get not only faster but much better MPG, if not im switching to a 3.27 gear.
 
yeah, bigger brakes would be sweet, just not in the budget. for now the 8.8s disc in back will have to be the upgrade. It stops pretty good with disc front and rear.

the 3.55 gear is noce and is allowing a better cruise RPM. Its a little slower out of the chute but midrange power is broader now.
 
thx Matt, whenever you want to set it up let me know. im looking to do white lights under the rails in the bed and not sure what else.
 
well i figure its time to update my build thread on here. After 1000 miles on this motor and various rear gear combinations, i managed to get about 15-17 mpg using the 3.55 gears. The power has been real good and the Gomanche will flat out scoot.

The down side is that the motor had a good tick in the valvetrain going on and after I tried everything to get rid of it I made the decision to pull the motor.
Upon tear down and closer inspection it was deemd that the valves were all machined at different heights in the head and the spring cups were not properly cut for the new SBC valves and springs. Soooooo i sent the head out to www.505performance.com for some top notch advice and machine work.

Zach, the owner of 505 was super cool and told me that the head actually had 2.02/1.60 SBC valves (bigger than the LS1 we were going to use) installed and substantial port work already done to the head. He found some other "tricks" he could do to boost the power even more. We are going to a roller setup with roller rockers and all new top end. he is going to do some more port matching and polishing.

I expect to have the rest of the motor stuff in about 10 days and i will be getting this thing back together pretty quickly. I sure miss driving it!!!

Zach estimates power to be around 325-350hp at the flywheel with around 10.2-10.8 compression. we could have gone more radical but i wanted a combination that would provide good power with good drivability, longevity, and decent fuel economy on premium of course.
 
Just curious, what roller rockers are going with? I've been on the fence about whether or not go with roller rockers in my 4.7L build.
 
hey greg

hey man I don't know if you were the one that worked on my Red 91 xj a couple of months ago that had the broken hazards switch on the steering column. but I wanted to show you my camping trip after 4wheel parts fixed my problem so i could pass inspection.
ai961.photobucket.com_albums_ae91_Littleurb3_DSC_2210.jpg

Also wanted to know if you have your plans ready for the construction of the Gasbike. (the beach cruiser turned into a moped)
 
woodkrawler said:
Just curious, what roller rockers are going with? I've been on the fence about whether or not go with roller rockers in my 4.7L build.
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I am going with everythign that 505 has to offer for this build, doing exactly what Zach says and spending where he says. I want this motor to run perfect and not have any issues. these are his house brand?? roller rockers. he also makes valve covers, killer headers, roller cams, turbo kits and more.

i told him what i wanted and he said do this....i got a pretty good deal on all the parts from tip to toe including gaskets that are cut to port match. He has been very honest with me from the beginning, I sent him a head to have big valves put in, it already had even bigger previously installed, i never paid attention to it, he could have hosed me and did not.

Thats a vendor that gets my business. As long as the work is good than so far im super pleased with their outfit.


Littleburb, that was me who helped you. that camper is pimp!!
 
FedEx just dropped off my first package and the parts look seriously PIMP, unfortunately the cylinder head is MISSING in action. UGH!!!!!!!!!

hopefully 505 performance will fight with FedEx and my head will surface soon. Thats a lotta custom head work that they are going to have to replace.
 
Great to hear you finally figured that "tick" out....

Sucks to hear about the head tho... that lil truck would screeeaaamm .. so I cant wait to see what it will do with the new head work ... .:)
 
well good news is that the cylinder head just mysteriously showed up today from the FedEx guy. unfortunately 505s shipping guy should be strung up by the short and curlies. The head was poorly packaged just like the rest of the shipment. The custom port matched gasket set was completely destroyed in shipping and the first package is missing a few parts including the lifters for the cam. Oh well, I guess i will be waiting another week or so to put together my motor.

On the plus side the machine work on the head appears to be top notch. He did some MAJOR porting and bowl blending as well as a 5 angle valve job among other things. It looks sick!!!!

pics to come tomorrow evening after i start assembly of the short block, again.....
 
update:

I got the motor together and hung on Sunday evening after the Farm event. I had some small issues to work out but all in all it went together pretty smoothly. I found that i needed a thermostat housing spacer due to the increased height of the valve cover to accomodate the new roller rockers.

A quick call to Hesco performance and i was in business.

I realized that the timing chain had stretched out pretty good in the old motor due to the chain guide not being installed by the original owner of the motor.

on with some pics of the head work
dcp_1187.jpg

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dcp_1189.jpg
 
more
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better pic of the headwork....see the 2.02/1.60 valves......
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the nice adjustable roller rockers

dcp_1192.jpg
 
attempt to show the lack of clearance at the thermostat housing
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pics of the final product again :huggy:
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dcp_1210.jpg
 
I have put about 175 miles on it since monday, driving it back and forth to work and running errands. I got 16.7 mpg beating the ever loving tar out of it everywhere i went!
Once I get past the "honeymoon phase" with the motor I may actually see some decent MPG numbers with a new target of 20anything.

The motor runs very strong from 3000-6000 rpms and pulls hard from 30-135 MPH (ahem, on a track of course). Its a little slow out of the chute but after all its still a naturally aspirated inline 6 with a 3.55 gear.

The truck is too loud now but sounds stupid nasty and cams very hard. I have never heard a 6cyl cam like this. It sounds like a stroked SBC beating the ground. Either way i gotta quiet this thing down a little for DD use.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to pull up next to a Mustang Gt on the way home today. It didnt appear to be stock and after he heard the truck he said the same thing, so we figured GAME ON! We battled a few lights trading wins and then got to hit the highway....both of us got a surprise as I slowly started pulling away around the top of third and straight up left him when it hit OD.
The trans will slip going into second gear now as a result of the increased power. I have a good one for a spare so I am going to do a full rebuild with an aftermarket shift kit and tackle the F1 shifters at that time. This will probably be my winter project for the Gomanche.

I pulled all the eurothane mounts of it this time and went back to stock style rubber jobbies. The unibody rattled and shook badly with the upgrade mounts and I would not recommend them on a XJ or MJ.

All in all I am pretty happy with the combo and after i give it a once over this weekend and run the valves again, its back in use as my driver.....now to recharge the A/C and sell off my Rubiclone TJ driver. check the FOr SALe section for details.
 
snappy said:
Whats up with the fag colored rockers???
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dayum, somebody got a wrench up their arse today?


I think the anodized purple is cool but dont worry, you cant see them under the valve cover anyway.:shaking:
 
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