cdg123
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Wickenburg/Flagstaff, AZ
So I'm working on a Renault 2.1 liter engine swap. One possible donor chasis I may buy is from an '88 Laredo. Seems this was an original 6 cylinder 2 wheel drive model. The problem is that the diesel is a 4 wheel drive. The diesel uses the 30RH transmission. The 6 cylinder used the AW4 transmission.
I don't know much about the 30RH but I am fairly certain that the AW4 will not bolt to the Renault diesel as the diesel uses the GM style bellhousing. It may be possible to use one of the 4 banger 2 wheel drive AW4 transmissions but I'd rather stick with the 3 speed for the sake of simplicity of the swap (no vacuum or electronic controls on the 30RH).
Now the quesstion is can you make a 2wd using a 4wd transmission?
My guess is no, that the tail housings are different and the overall transmission length is also different. I've only worked on one 2 wheel drive Cherokee though and I'm having a hard time remembering what it looked like underneath though.
Or maybe somebody here has a 30RH trans from a 2wd cherokee that they want to give/sell me...? I figure worst case scenario I can find a 30RH for cheap out of a junkyard 2wd/4 cylinder jeep. Yes they're hard to find but not impossible...
Now the next thing an intelligent fellow may point out to me is that the driveshaft off the donor chasis is going to probably be different from the one coming from the AW4 (I believe the one is a 26 spline output and the other is a 27 spline or something like that). My guess is that for a few hundred bucks I can get a driveshaft made, or possibly even salvage one out of a junkyard for even less.
I'm open to ideas. I want to try to envision this swap so I can plan ahead for any problems and have the solution ready. I hope with some careful engineering that I will have a nice commuter/around towner Jeep and a nifty conversation piece at that...
Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I don't know much about the 30RH but I am fairly certain that the AW4 will not bolt to the Renault diesel as the diesel uses the GM style bellhousing. It may be possible to use one of the 4 banger 2 wheel drive AW4 transmissions but I'd rather stick with the 3 speed for the sake of simplicity of the swap (no vacuum or electronic controls on the 30RH).
Now the quesstion is can you make a 2wd using a 4wd transmission?
My guess is no, that the tail housings are different and the overall transmission length is also different. I've only worked on one 2 wheel drive Cherokee though and I'm having a hard time remembering what it looked like underneath though.
Or maybe somebody here has a 30RH trans from a 2wd cherokee that they want to give/sell me...? I figure worst case scenario I can find a 30RH for cheap out of a junkyard 2wd/4 cylinder jeep. Yes they're hard to find but not impossible...
Now the next thing an intelligent fellow may point out to me is that the driveshaft off the donor chasis is going to probably be different from the one coming from the AW4 (I believe the one is a 26 spline output and the other is a 27 spline or something like that). My guess is that for a few hundred bucks I can get a driveshaft made, or possibly even salvage one out of a junkyard for even less.
I'm open to ideas. I want to try to envision this swap so I can plan ahead for any problems and have the solution ready. I hope with some careful engineering that I will have a nice commuter/around towner Jeep and a nifty conversation piece at that...
Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
