Ok so I gather, from the replies so far, that both the brake and tranny swap are possible but not easy. I'm not overly concerned with how hard the swaps are as I really don't have anything else on the go so basically my time an effort are free. My main concern is that I don't know the mechanical steps involved as I am new to jeeps and I have never undertaken anything as involved as what I'm hoping to do. Until now my approach to mechanics has been to fix whatever I have to in order to keep the vehicle going as long as possible and when things get too complicated I just dump it and get another clunker and repeat he process. The jeep, on the other hand, has taken over and demanded more from me. I don't know why but I can't make myself think of either of my jeeps as clunkers.

Ok, back to the Q&A. Both of my jeeps are complete and in drivable condition so shouldn't they have all the necessary parts needed to do what I want to do? If that is the case, and I do realize the some parts will have to be replaced due to breakage or wear or rust, can I find some sort of tutorial or writeup that outlines the necessary steps so that I don't end up doing things in the wrong order and either screwing things up or having to redo things again and again. Keep in mind that I'm on the farm where there is no Internet other than what I can pull up on my iPhone and even that isn't very good unless I walk out to the road away from all the trees. I can copy/ paste into my notes application and I can save photos to a folder but I'm not able to download and print anything. I know I'm asking a lot from you guys and I want you to know that I really appreciate any info you can give me. Although I'm not a woman, feel free to treat me as though is am one who has never opened a hood or picked up a wrench and I promise to document every step complete with pictures.

 

I have gathered my tools, jacked up the back of the jeep and set it on jack stands. Wheels are off, drums are off and I'm ready to begin.
I understand that the next step is to remove the axles so I can get the backing plate and I imagine that it might be easier to just swap the whole axle from one jeep to the other. My main question is how is the axle attached? Is it bolted into the rear end some way? Do I have to open up the rear end and do some disassembly in order to get the axles out? Once I have it apart I will be able to get it back together but I could definitely use some info on how to take the things apart.
Thanks a bunch for all the info so far and ,I hope, for any tips or tricks you can share to make this as painless as possible.

 

they are held in with a c-clip. so you need to remove the diff cover, drain the fluid and push in the axles so you can fish out the c-clips, one on each shaft end. the passenger side is tougher as you have the carrier.

it's easier to use a write up online than for me to explain the steps, there are many and maybe even a youtube video.