OK, I've finally made enough progress and taken enough pictures to get started on my build thread.


Engines coming home. There are not one, but TWO complete 4.3L V6 Oldsmobile diesels in the back of this Jeep - note how low the rear is squatting compared to the front.


The 84 Cherokee Chief as it was the day I brought it home. Soon to be a diesel XJ!



Original engine - the mighty Hurricane 2.5 liter I-4


Pulled the entire front end (bumper, header panel, radiator, etc.)


Engine, tranny, and T-case came out as one unit





Fabbed and installed an engine support bar to suspend the engine in place with short lengths of chain. The 700R4 tranny is bolted to the engine and sitting on the stock crossmember to support the rear of the engine.

 

Modified the oil pan to clear the front axle and the soon to be installed crossmember. Note the notched corner of the sump to clear the front differential.



Fabricated and installed reinforcement plates for the uniframe rails. This will make them strong enough to support the engine and crossmember mounts without collapsing




Fabricated a custom engine cradle / crossmember



Fabricated a couple of crossmember mounts using UCA bushings


Fabricated a replacement trackbar bracket to incorporate a crossmember mount

 

Crossmember mount inside trackbar bracket



Fabricated the pieces to make a set of block-hugger exhaust manifolds...



...and welded them together to make a (mostly) finished manifold.

That's where its at as of this afternoon. More to come...

 

like the pics looks like your well on your way and looks like there has been some serious fabricating and work involved

 

Great pics man and fab work .

 

Looking good!!!!!!

 

Looks great!! Excellent job with all the fab work! Looks like you have a hole stable of cherokees. That motor is huge! How much does it weigh? It takes up more room than I expected. How did you get your pics to load big?, mine only come up as thumbnails. I think you are farther along than me, awesome job keep-em comming!

 

Thanks guys. Yeah the fab work has been a bit more extensive than I originally anticipated - but isn't that always how it goes?

I do have a stable of Jeeps - 3 Cherokees and one Grand Cherokee (wife's DD). What can I say? I love 'em...

Not sure exactly how much the 4.3 V6 weighs, but it is definitely more than the 2.5 I-4 I pulled out, and probably a little more than the 4.0 I-6 that is in most Cherokees. I'd estimate the 4.3 V6 somewhere in the neighborhood of 750 lbs - give or take around 50 lbs. The 4.0 I-6 weighs in at around 500-600.

It's quite a bit bigger than the 2.8 V6 that they put in some of these early Cherokees, too. That engine is a low-decked (short stroke) 60* V6, whereas the 4.3 is a high-decked (long stroke) 90* V6...

 

Yea it's about time you get your build thread going. Just kidding. I like the manifolds though. I think I'm going to do mine a little differently. Good job on the fab work. Be interesting to see what it's like when it's done!

 

What are you planing to use for ft springs Do you think the v8 grand cherokee spring is stiff enough? I thought about them cause some guys use them for 1 1/2- 2in lift but say they are a little stiff. Just trying to figure which way to go. My motor is sitting way to low for the stock springs!