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Making my 2WD XJ 4WD

steven89

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Houston, TX
So, i have a 91 2door Cherokee and i love it, but its 2WD and id like it to be 4WD. How would i go about making it 4WD? What parts do i need to get?

Car info:
4.0L Inline 6 cyl
Automatic Trans
 
Front axle, driveline and transfer case... The suspension is the same, the front axle is a direct bolt in, as is the transfer case... Piece of cake.
 
You will need a mainshaft for your trans that is for a 4x4 model!

You will also need all the linkage for the TC. Make sure that the TC and tranny main shaft is 23 splines too. DS, D30.

Make sure your gear sets are the same too.

Do a search on the subject, its been covered numerous times.
 
CanMan said:
You will need a mainshaft for your trans that is for a 4x4 model!

You will also need all the linkage for the TC. Make sure that the TC and tranny main shaft is 23 splines too. DS, D30.

Make sure your gear sets are the same too.

Do a search on the subject, its been covered numerous times.
Thanks, how much do you think all the parts will run at? Are we talking $XXX or $XXXX?

I did some searches, but came up with nothing. If there is a post that covers it, please point me to it.

Thanks again for you guys' input.

cstilesiscool said:
seriously the easiest thing to do is sell your 2wd and buy a 4wd.

would never do that. My Jeep was a steal at the price i got it for. $500, the guy couldnt get it running. It was the NSS so i popped it into neutral and it started, was sittin for 4 years. Had 101k on it and the only thing wrong was it needed a trans rebuild, new tires, radiator also had hole in it.. changed whole cooling system. Other than those issues, the headliner hangs and thats it.
 
The search button is your friend. Doing the legwork yourself is part of the learning process and you will be amazed at what you will learn. The advice about swapping your jeep for one with 4x4 may very well be in your best interest and it comes from a place of knowledge and/or experience. Keep in mind that this forum is built upon the DIY attitude as it pertains to the XJ and everyone here will support your efforts in spirit but their advice will be tempered with the realities of what is practical and what is an exercise in futility. Sure your premise is possible. Your xj is a mechanical machine and if you have unlimited funds, patience, time, and access to appropriate parts, and would rather spend your time on the floor of your garage instead of on the road or trail, by all means, enjoy. Or....
You could beef up your suspension, put on a lift and decent tires, and a locker on your diff, and get out there and use what you have in relatively short order. Your investment in what you have is small so your risk is minimal. Have fun with the machine you have and learn what it can do with the basic upgrades and then make a better informed decision. Afterall, with open diffs, a 4x4 is actually a 4x2 in reality. This forum has lots of 2wd offroaders having a blast with their machines doing the same trails. You could handle any trails around the Houston area this way for sure. Then check out the Y.O.Ranch later this summer. Money and time are the bottom line issues here. How you spend them is totally in your control so do so wisely and get your questions answered in this forum. Have fun.
 
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Did mine via the junkyard and trading parts for about $300 (hard parts) over the course of a few months, working on it on weekends. Probably the most enjoyable thing I've done to my MJ;) You only get out if it what you put into it...

Jeff
 
Money wise, as long as this doesnt cost in the thousands im good.. Time wise, im just a HS student that gets his HW done real fast and i have plenty of time to work on jeep when needed.

Ill try hittin up a junkyard to see if i can find any useable parts.

Are there any good trails in Houston? Any within 2-3 hour drive?
 
I would buy a, in good condition, non runnig rig, that has good 4X parts on it, and swap over the whole tranny, TC, axles, DS, ect.... with lower miles. Or find someone parting one out.

Might be cheaper than hitting up the junkyard. I cant give you an approx. price on the swap, yards charge different prices.

Check out www.houston.craigslist.org for parts as well. Even if you have to collect parts for a few months, from different places, it would be worth the wait.
 
Jeff in VA said:
Did mine via the junkyard and trading parts for about $300 (hard parts) over the course of a few months, working on it on weekends. Probably the most enjoyable thing I've done to my MJ;) You only get out if it what you put into it...

Jeff

Gotta agree with Jeff here, after totaling my 88 i bought a Texas 2WD XJ and converted it.

Your rig being a 2 door and most likely rustfree from Texas makes a conversion to 4wd a no brainer. Just do as previously suggested and research the 4wd conversion so you know what parts you need to make sure it's all compatable. Have Fun...
 
John B said:
Just do as previously suggested and research the 4wd conversion so you know what parts you need to make sure it's all compatable. Have Fun...

There's lots of little tidbits (I learned the hard way) that'll frustrate you if you dont pay attention. The major parts (tranny, TC, axle) swap in easily, but it's the little nuances of each that you have to pay attention to...like spline count and length of the TC input gear, front driveshaft length, TC shift rod length, vac-disco bypass (vs. using a non-disco housing), speedometer cable length, and so on. If you decide to do the conversion, feel free to drop me a PM if you want to.

Jeff
 
John B said:
Gotta agree with Jeff here, after totaling my 88 i bought a Texas 2WD XJ and converted it.

Your rig being a 2 door and most likely rustfree from Texas makes a conversion to 4wd a no brainer. Just do as previously suggested and research the 4wd conversion so you know what parts you need to make sure it's all compatable. Have Fun...

Thanks, yeah the car is rustfree and i will definately be doing the swap if it wont cost me thousands..

Jeff in VA said:
There's lots of little tidbits (I learned the hard way) that'll frustrate you if you dont pay attention. The major parts (tranny, TC, axle) swap in easily, but it's the little nuances of each that you have to pay attention to...like spline count and length of the TC input gear, front driveshaft length, TC shift rod length, vac-disco bypass (vs. using a non-disco housing), speedometer cable length, and so on. If you decide to do the conversion, feel free to drop me a PM if you want to.

Jeff

PMed, Thanks :D
 
If ya feel like taking a drive to florida I'll trade ya straight up for my 87 laredo. 4x4, 4.0, automatic. Pretty much all stock far as I know. I have no use for the 4x4, just a dd grocery getter for me.
 
UncleBud said:
If ya feel like taking a drive to florida I'll trade ya straight up for my 87 laredo. 4x4, 4.0, automatic. Pretty much all stock far as I know. I have no use for the 4x4, just a dd grocery getter for me.

UncleBud said:
got a couple pics I can toss up if somebody can let me know how.

Id be interested in it if it wasnt a 87, i hate the 87s cooling system and among other things.. lol
 
I converted my MJ several years ago... here's the list of parts and my recommendations.

Front axle with same ratio as your rear ($150-300)
Front driveshaft ($50-100)
Transmission and transfer case ($250-400trans $300-400 tcase)
Rear driveshaft ($50-100)
4WD Shift handle ($20-40)
4WD Shift linkage (probably included with handle)
Shift linkage pivot bolted to transmission tunnel (with bolts)


You'd probably be cheaper finding a totalled XJ to pull your parts from (that's what I did) but if you want to piece it together, those are some rough estimates of prices (on the low side) http://www.car-part.com is your friend.

I recommend just buying a tranny/tcase complete instead of taking yours apart to make it 4wd (you'd need the main shaft and rear tailshaft housing and the time/knowledge to completely tear down your tranny)

Front axle is a direct bolt in, pick it up and swap as early as you want.
Replace your rear main while you have the tranny out
I also recommend getting a non-disco axle unless you're buying a whole rig, and then I still suggest it... :laugh:

You will have to pull the carpet and drill 4 holes for the linkage, they're already dimpled so it's easy, but still a PITA since the seats and console have to come out.

PM me if you have any specific questions that I didn't cover in my novel... :yap:

Later,
Joe
 
Look for local pull it yourself junkyards, a couple years ago when I was going to them there were tons of XJs, granted I wasn't checking them out to see what was underneath since I only wanted an XJ at that point, but when funds allow I'll be scourng them to get parts for my 4x4 convertion to FreeJeep...and looking for that Mercedes turbo diesel engine :)
 
Does anyone know what gear ration my current rear axle has? This is a 2WD 91 2door XJ with a 4.0 HO engine. I also hear that i need to get a 4WD tranny.. is there a way to make my current tranny work? without modifications?
 
steven89 said:
Id be interested in it if it wasnt a 87, i hate the 87s cooling system and among other things.. lol
How 'bout "it's too far away." I can't believe you'd contemplate a 4wd conversion (axle, driveshafts, t-case, cutting the floorboard, etc) but would be unwilling to spend an hour installing a radiator and overflow botttle.
 
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