Kelley's Works in Progress
The AMC/Jeep I6 Power Manual
Since Swappology just got its own page, we thought we should do one for the Power Manual while we were about it. It's only fair, no?
So, here's a synopsis of (I hope) the first and most comprehensive book on performance mods for the AMC inline six. These could, by extension, be applied to other inline engines as well - but the main focus here is the 199/232/242/258 engines used in Jeeps. But, don't let that stop you from doing anything else.
This book, like our others, is also a "work in progress" - which is why we print and publish it ourselves. This allows us to maintain full creative control over the work and format, and to issue the book in a format which is amenable to updates and changes later (after all, we don't see any reason to make you buy a whole new book when we just added a chapter and fixed a few grammatical errors, right?) It - and other WiP books - comes in a three-ring binder to allow you to do just that - and to give you a place to put notes on your own projects as well.
Also, note that there are some computer data files that can be used with this book. They used to ship on CD with the book - but we decided to put them up in our JeepPower Yahoo! Group for free download to make things simpler all around. Grab the ones you want. They include camshaft profile data for every camshaft we've been able to find for the AMC inline six, some calculators written in MSExcel that we used to automate some maths (to save "mistakes borne of repetition,") and some baseline dyno simulations for the AMC six. All dyno sim files are (for now) in a format for/from Desktop Dyno 2000 - we'll add more sim formats as we accumulate programs. Keep an eye on the file listing from time to time - as we find more data, we generate more files - and they'll keep going up for distribution.
Granted, the principal focus of the Power Manual is on the last of the AMC sixes - the 242ci/4.0L, produced from 1987-2007. However, with all the commonality of parts among the AMC six family (199/232/242/252/258/282, including engines produced in Mexico,) it's possible to "mix and match" to get any of a number of displacements and desired performance levels - and we tell you how to do just that. Inspection sheets are also provided - so you can just copy the ones for the engine you're working on, and note all your measurements as you inspect the block. Nominal measurements are already on the sheets - all you need to do is compare what you find to what they should be, and then you know what machine work you'll want done.
So, what's in the book? Try this:
- ZERO - Author's notes, updates, additions, and the like
- One - Introduction. How to get where you're likely to be going...
- Two - Basics of Engine Operation. How can you make something work better if you don't understand how it works in the first place?
- Three - Parts Preparation (in a general sense)
- Four - Cylinder Block Inspection & Preparation
- Five - Cylinder Head Preparation & Inspection
- Six - Crankshaft Preparation & Inspection
- Seven - Piston & Connecting Rod Preparation & Inspection
- Eight - Camsahft Preparation, Inspection, & Selection
- Nine - Nuts, Bolts, & Fasteners - Selection & Use
- Ten - Putting it all together
- Eleven - Running it all in
- Twelve - Follow-up Inspections
- Thirteen - Supercharging (*)
- Fourteen - Turbocharging (*)
- Fifteen - Nitrous Oxide (*)
- Sixteen - Stroker Variations
- Seventeen - Fuels - Common and Exotic (**)
- Eighteen - Useful Electrical Modifications
- Nineteen - Parts Wishlist - what the Aftermarket could use
- Twenty - Keeping the RENIX "Closed" Cooling System Cool
- Twenty-One - Emissions Control Issues, and How They Should Be Resolved
- Twenty-Two - "Quench" and its Effects
- Twenty-Three - Fuel System Help
- Twenty-Four - Ignition System Improvements
- Twenty-Five - Automotive Mathematics
- Twenty-Six - Gearing (**)
- Appendix One - AMC/Jeep Engine Specifications
- Appendix Two - AMC/Jeep Tune-up Specifications
- Appendix Three - Salvage Yards known to stock Jeeps
- Appendix Four - Sources for Performance Parts and Tools
- Appendix Five - Recommended Additional Reading
- Appendix Six - Cylinder Head Airflow Data
- Appendix Seven - Fuel Injector Data/Factory Power Ratings (***)
- Appendix Eight - Casting Number Reference
- Appendix Nine - Powertrain Screws and Bolts (****)
- Appendix Ten - Trademark Ownership Listing
- Appendix Eleven - Deleted/Reserved
- Appendix Twelve - Camshaft Data - OEM and Aftermarket
- Appendix G - Glossary of Terms
(*) - Largely theoretical at this time - we'll be fleshing out this data, and working some more "real-world" applications as they are developed
(**) - Omitted in the first printing. We left it as a placeholder for when it does get written - which is happening now.
(***) - This is going to get reorganized slightly. The information won't change - just the presentation.
(****) - Subject to continual updates. This is also duplicated here on-site in the Tech Section - so keep an eye on that for new information. Updates will be made at infrequent intervals to this chart - and if you have any information to contribute, it would be greatly appreciated!
See what all you get for your $25? Updates will be made available as they are developed, and will be available for a nominal fee (mainly to cover printing and postage,) and will be announced at the JeepPower Yahoo! Group, so it is suggested that you sign up after you get your copy, if you haven't already done so. However, even with the updates (planned and not) in the works, the Power Manual can already stand on its own as a reference, and the updates will only add to that.
If you have any ideas that you'd like to see added to the Power Manual, please feel free to let us know - either drop us a line or mention it in the JeepPower Yahoo! Group. We're listening...