Jeep Cherokee Gets Lexus V8, Drifts on Snow

We're talking about an XK-generation Cherokee, which ditched its 4.0-liter V8 for a Lexus 1UZ 4.0-liter V8. The engine, which comes from a totaled 1990 LS400 with 102,000 miles on the clock, was acquired for a mere $180. Long live the local junkyards.

With the owner taking advantage of the technical brotherhood involving the Jeep AW4 and the Toyota A340E automatics, the transmission department didn't raise any problems.

"Electronics were the easiest part, really. The 1UZ has its own separate sub-harness that plugs directly into the ECU. You only need to put power to about ~4 wires and it works. If you want the AW4 to shift automatically, you just need to connect the AW4 computer's throttle position signal wire up to the 1UZ's TPS signal wire - which is what we did," Redditor American_Locomotive explains.

Such contraptions are never stationary, even when they sit inside a garage. When you own such a vehicle, you always have something to work on, with future plans being mandatory.

Case in point, the Lexus-hearted Cherokee we have here. At the moment, the Jeep needs an exhaust, since it's running open headers, an air box, as well as a few adjustments to the oil pan that will allow the clearance required by the front differential.

Desired upgrades for this project? A supercharger is at the top of the list, which means the current 250 hp rating of the V8 will turn into a sweet number. Until stuff like that happens, you can check out the JeepLex (we've decided to label it this way) practicing winter sports in the video at the bottom of the page.