Hey Guys. I'm a newbie jeep owner and I have a 92 Cherokee 4.0L 2wd. It was given to me and I love it. I'm a mechanic and I want to turn it into a trail truck. Now I know it would be easier to buy a 4X4 Cherokee but this one has meaning to me cause it as my grandfathers. What do I have to do to change it over to a 4X4. Is there a list somewhere to tell me what parts I need. I would appreciate the help.

 

Get a junk 4x4 from a junkyard and make sure it is the same year or a year the is compatible and switch what you need. That I think would be the easyest way. I could be wrong though.

 

I have a friend who did this... Jeep given to him by inlaws and wsas 2wd..What he did was found a 93 at a junk yard and pulled the front axles, transfer case, transmission, drive shafts and a few of the other misc parts that go with it..Transplanted it all over time and now he's got a nice 4wd.,...for your 92 try for a 91-93 XJ...parts are more compatible those years..

 

Hey, you could take advantage of the engine/transmission/axle/t-case swap. Buddy of mine bought a older 2WD XJ because he didn't think he'd want to go offroading (he's kind of a sports/ muscle car guy) then I got him into it so he's in the process of converting it to a GM 5.0 with a GM 4-speed, D44 F&R and a dana t-case. Needless to say he's got a lot more money than I do. Maybe I should be an engineer like him, nah way to hard. BTW nice to have you on the site.

 

OKC got it right. I converted a '96 and I used exactly the parts that OKC lists but also got the console and shift mechanism for the tranny and transfer case. Check the gearing on the rear diff you currently have and if the front diff doesn't match you will need to change the rear diff from the donor as well.
Converted it in a garage with a lift in one weekend but if done in your driveway or home garage I suggest allowing yourself twice that amount of time. Later put a budget lift on that Jeep and sold it to a friend who still uses it to hunt from and as a backup vehicle if any of his other stuff is in the shop or out of commision.
Blue

 

OK I found a junker 89 4x4 cherokee. Will this work for a donor vehicle for a 4x4 swap?

 

You are in the Renix era with pre 90's There are more sensors in the 91+ time frame so i would stay out of Renix era and go 91+. Seems like it would be easier still to buy an additional 4wd. Keep the 2wd as a daily driver.

 

so for my 92 i would have to have a 91 or newer?

 

yeah and while you are at it, get a license plate that says "BEATNGU."

 

Spline count on the pre 91s were different too so the transfer case has a 21 vs 23 spline count. Wouldn't make a difference if you were changing just the transfer case but you need to change the tranny too and there was a difference in that the electronics are different. The 92 has a married TCU/ECU and the 89 has a divorced set of computers. They may not work together. IDK!!!

 

Sorry to hear that. Did they get counselling?
Who got what in the break-up???



Sorry...had to. I could NO LONGER resist the shear temptation.