Jeep XJ project nears completion! (Plus an update on an old project) | Redline Update - Hagerty Media

The finish line is right there for the Jeep 4.6. Davin and crew have been working long and hard to get the stroked inline-six together and reinstalled, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been time to make some progress on a project many of you have been asking about while the Mini and Jeep have had the spotlight.

The Jeep mill is all back together and even in the chassis. Normally, these engines start first on a test stand, but Davin points out that with the emissions equipment and computer harness it would be more of a pain to pull everything needed to run the engine outside the bright red body. A fresh exhaust with high-flow catalytic converter is fitted, along with the Rock Auto-refreshed five-speed transmission, and the resealed but otherwise original transfer case. It all came together nicely, mainly because Davin doesn’t fight the parts. That’s his tip for assembly: Items like wires and hoses harden into a shape over years so pay attention to where they naturally want to go when assembling. If you are forcing something in a total opposite direction than it wants to go, you might be doing something wrong.

With the Jeep assembled, it’s worth taking a quick detour to the lift just 20 feet away to look at the ’37 Ford race car. Progress has been in fits and starts lately due to the focus on other projects. Regardless, the exhaust and front suspension have each made advancements. The Chrysler 440 now has big headers and wide-open side pipes, while the front suspension is all but finished with fabrication. Of course, there’s still mountains of work left, but seeing some progress on this dirt tracker is nice and keeps the torch lit for motivation.

To see the Jeep’s first startup and work on future projects, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss a new video.

— Kyle Smith

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