This Rear-Drive SJ Cherokee Is Getting A Turbocharged Modern Hemi And Six Speed – We Can’t Wait To See The Finished Product!


This Rear-Drive SJ Cherokee Is Getting A Turbocharged Modern Hemi And Six Speed – We Can’t Wait To See The Finished Product!

When you look at one of the full-sized Jeep SJ-platform SUVs, what do you think of first: mud truck, rock crawler, farm implement, prairie decoration or overstuffed yuppie wagon? The SJ, much like it’s J-truck sibling, are big, brutal and for the most part, spartan rigs that were designed for work. We will overlook the Grand Wagoneer variation, as that was simply an SJ with a ton of leather and wood paneling thrown at it. With stout engines, solid drivetrains, and a reputation for tolerating most anything that could be thrown at it. When AMC absorbed Kaiser-Jeep, they kept the FSJ line (truck, SJ SUVs, and M715 series) and sold them with AMC 401s as the top-of-the-line powertrain. Rated at 215 net horsepower, the 401 is still the biggest engine, by size, ever shoved into a Jeep product from the factory.

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But while the 401 has old glory, this particular 1983 Cherokee is going down one hell of a different path. The brainchild of International Full Size Jeep Association forum member “Ghinmi”, the Cherokee is going to be one wild creation when finished. The SJ chassis was ditched in favor of a 1971 Chevy C-10 frame with 10″ removed to facilitate rear-wheel drive and to bring in the stout suspension setup (and ease of finding good parts) to the SJ. Originally, the Cherokee was set up as a drag truck and it had a pretty stout kill list going, but late in 2012 he switched up the game plan and decided to go for an all-around build that could handle autocrossing, drag racing, and whatever else the Jeep could be thrown at. After toying with a 454ci AMC motor, a 5.7L Hemi and six-speed from a 2010 Challenger found their way into the front end, and it will be turbocharged. A very stout Moser 9″ floater axle out back will handle the power output. Currently the project is a roller, with work focusing on the engine and suspension. We’ve always liked seeing inappropriate vehicles doing the polar opposite of what they were meant to be doing, and seeing a monster Jeep Cherokee hang it out on a race track seems like the perfect amount of insanity to us!

CLICK HERE to check out the build thread of this wild Cherokee!

sj cherokee 3


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7 thoughts on “This Rear-Drive SJ Cherokee Is Getting A Turbocharged Modern Hemi And Six Speed – We Can’t Wait To See The Finished Product!

  1. mooseface

    Too cool!
    This is a nice outside-the-box build.
    My only gripe is that the power plant is EFI, which eliminates the possibility of a shaker scoop. I think an SJ with a shaker would be cool in a worlds colliding kind of way.

  2. richard ramsey

    I’m building a toyota landcruiser version of this. It is a 1984 fj60 with jaguar xjs suspension, c5 corvette wheels and a chevy small block

  3. BeaverMartin

    I love it! I have a great vehicle he can donate his stroker AMC to! The jeep will be a screamer with the Hemi. I can’t wait to see how he finishes it. I’m pulling for either a light blue factory style finish with chief stripes or red, white, and blue AMC racing livery.

  4. Threedoor

    Cool project and nicely done frame swap. Ive got a 70 waggy and a 68 M715 and those Jeep frames leave more than a little to be desired, thin and short.

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