Keep in mind that apparently the stroker 4L lack the longevity of the stock motor. I was seriously considering it, even bought a used crank, then I was told to expect about 50k km out of the motor before it needs a rebuild... Back to wanting a blower.
—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
So, yeah, that's why that Golen one is double the price. 271 at the wheels is absolutely insane for one of these engines. That's why the price is nearly double.
I've been pretty impressed with my little 2.5L. I'm still surprised at the stuff it will climb. With the right gears and a front locker it goes everywhere my buddy's 4dr Rubicon goes...especially since he is not pushing it and doesn't want to scratch it...hahahah.
As others have already said you need to use light weight parts first off. If you don't need the rear seat remove it. And then gearing is a HUGE part. You really don't want to go larger than a 33" tire and you should be using 4.88 or 5.13 gears. It is a good engine and it works fine off-road it just isn't a speed demon on the freeway.
If you're going to swap engines then swap to a V-8 as it's about the same amount of work to swap in the 4.0.