US84K5

Hey everyone, I am returning from my second deployment to iraq soon, And i want to build something else. I have a 1974 K5 blazer that has been my wheeling right for a while, as of right now it has a built 350, and brand new 35" pro comp Xterrains. I want to buy a cherokee as soon as i get back, put the 350 in it, swap the transmission for a 700-r4, and upgrade the rear axle to a ford 8.8. I can do all of this stuff myself, I just have some questions i want to ask first... Do any of you think it would be a good idea to take the 12 bold and D44 out of my blazer and swap them into the cherokee? Also, I have been looking at the different lift kits, and I was thinking about the rough country 6.5" lift, do any of you know if this is a quality lift kit or not? I have used rough country in the past, and never had a problem with them.. but on older chevys its all just lift springs anyways.. so there is not that much to them. I was also looking at the RE 5.5, Just need some opinions on the matter. Also, i know the extra weight of the engine, and new bumper with winch will weigh down the front end, do any of you have any idea how much I will have to adjust to level out the truck? i was thinking probably somewhere around 2.5" spacer should do the trick.. Anywho, if any of you have some good info / tips for me I would apprecaite it. Thanks
-Matt

SeriousOffroad

First things first.

THANK YOU for your service!

A V8 swap, while do-able, is a major project. From what I've read on the WWW the modifications needed to the XJ are massive and the end result is not always worth the effort.

The Chevy drive train will obviously need extensive mods as well. Bracket kits are available from a few manufacturers to simplify the swap. Since your axles are full width you'll have to do alot of trimming on the body and increase the bumpstops as well.

If you've got your heart set on doing this swap, be prepared to spend alot of time working on the swap.

Here's a few links for ya.
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/xj_swap.htm

http://advanceadapters.com/product/2...ion-Guide.html

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...+swap&aq=f&oq=