Alright so I have had my xj for a couple months now and unfortunately it's only 2 wheel drive. But I couldn't pass it up for the price. So ultimately my plan is to change it out to 4 wheel and throw a lift on it. I am looking for suggestions/ opinions on where to start and what all I would need

 

what year? ive got a 99 im doing the same exact thing to. picking up a donor 4x4 with a blown motor to ****** all the 4x4 parts from and any other usable items i could use. look for a 4x4 trans. TC. 4x4 driveshafts. front axle with matching gear ratio (unless regearing while converting) and the 4x4 shifter and i believe your good to go. just make sure you get the right tranny and all that. good luck!

 

It is an 01. How do you tell what the gearing is in the rear end. And do you have to get a whole new trans?

 

You can find out what the rear gearing is by removing the differential cover. You should find the number on the side of the ring gear IIRC.

You can also calculate it without touching a wrench. There are aps online where you can input things like tire size, transmission (or trans-gear ratios), and differential gear ratio to get numbers for RPM @ specific speeds...

 

im still trying to find a loop hole around the tranny swap (im lazy and mine only has 75k miles on er) but from what ive read the 98+ need tranny swaps and im sure other years as well. just read up some more and dont be affraid to ask lol. im sure someone will chime in with a more clear answer. im still learning and studying this too lol

 

To do a 4x4 swap you need to get the trans, tease, front axle and the driveshafts aswell as the the linkage for the Tcase. I did a 4x4 swap on my jeep and it was really easy. The trans must be swapped out pretty much. The tailshaft will not accept a Tcase and you need a 4x4 trans. The shaft itself is also longer on a 2WD so the trans cant be made to work without tearing it all apart. The swap itself is VERY EASY IMO. hardest part is probably the front axle bolts being rusted.

 

xj with blown motor or wrecked as donor will have all parts then sell the rest as parts make money back