Project: 4wd conversion 99 XJ
 

I picked up a decent XJ over the weekend. I have been searching craigslist for quite some time just waiting for the right one to pop up. It finally popped up so of course I made the drive and snatched it up. Drove it home the same day! I have owned a few auto XJs in the past and my last one was a manual. While a manual might not be as good to crawl with, it is more fun to drive. So that's what I was looking for. Found a 99 2wd 5-speed that was white (couldn't find a green one). I went with the 2wd for 2 reasons. #1 - a 4wd 5-speed is nearly impossible to find around here and if you do find one, it will most likely be beat to death and expensive. #2 - 2wd are a lot cheaper, cleaner and a whole lot easier to find in a manual. The one I found looks like it has never been off road. Doesn't have any scratches underneath it and no mud stuck in odd places. The interior needs carpet, front seats and a window motor. On the outside, it need a front bumper and grille. So for what I plan on doing, this is a perfect start.

So first on my list is to turn this thing in to a real Jeep. That meaning 4wd! First parts are going to be a new trans and transfer case. I am not going with used parts. I have the trans and t-case on order already. I already have the t-case shifter linkage, shifter and interior bezel. This is the most expensive part of the build. I am not too sure on if the existing trans cross member is going to work so if anyone knows the answer, please chime in. If it doesn't work, I will either modify the one I have or make a new one. Once it is all bolted in, I will get the rear drive shaft shortened and get a new front drive shaft made. I will be searching around locally for a decent Dana 30. Then take it all apart, put in new bushings and see what the insides look like. At the same time, I am going to swap the gears to 4.10 (maybe find a front axle with them already). My last XJ (5-speed) had the stock 3.07 with 31s and it worked, just could have been a lot better.

In the middle of the conversion, I will be doing all the little stuff. New seats, carpet, grille, grille surround, front bumper and window regulator are all on order. That should be most of the little stuff to clean it up. After all that, then I will move on to fender flares, wheels, tires and the lift kit. It currently has spacers on the front and shackles in the rear. That should get me by for now.

I will get some pictures up this weekend when I am home in the day light. I will try my best to take some step by step pictures while doing the actual conversion and list out everything needed to do the swap. Here is a picture of my last XJ which this one will almost be cloned to. Nothing too crazy for now.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...17ea9b7eae.jpg

When I got the Jeep, it had the older style Cherokee front seats. The guy I bought it from had the correct set and threw them in with the deal. They were in a little bit better condition. He told me that all I need to do is switch the seat brackets and I would be good to go. Well here is how it went.

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Took the old seats out and pulled the brackets off.

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Grabbed one of the newer seats

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Flipped the seat over to put the mount on and found this.... So needless to say, these seats are junk. They were pretty stained anyways so I really don't care. I ordered some nice brand new bucket seats instead that should be here next week. I will have to fab up some adapter brackets but no big deal.

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My NP231 came in on Friday. It doesn't look too bad from the outside. Going to get it rebuilt and add in a SYE as well. The new transmission should be done getting built by the end of next week.

Some of the other 4wd parts have also started showing up. I got this and my 4wd shifter with linkage in already.

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I should be getting in all the front end parts (grille and bumper stuff) over the next week. That will all be pretty simple to install. Hopefully this weekend I can get the new seats, carpet and stereo system installed as well. It should be a completely different Cherokee by the end of next week! I will get some picture of it up tomorrow.

Alright! Finally got some pictures of the Jeep. I do have to say, I have a lot of other white cars. 6 white cars in total now.

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The PO did a good job on destroying the front end. All will be replaced next week. He also installed some lights which will be removed as well.

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Not in too bad of condition (besides the front). Looks like it was repainted at some time.

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4 of the 6 white cars. One more is in the garage and the other is on the street.

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And the other 2 Jeeps that are not white...

More work got done tonight. I got the front end taken apart. Found more damage then I thought would be there. No big deal though. Nothing a pry bar and hammer cant take care of.

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I got a lot more parts in today. Still waiting on the bumper itself and the grille surround. They should be here by Wednesday. After that, I can put the front end back together again. Then on to the interior or trans swap, whichever shows up first...

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I did the manual swap on one of mine but I had a complete parts jeep. And it was aw4 before so maybe apples to oranges. Looking forward to watching your progress. Also I believe the crossmembers are the same, but I could be wrong. The exhaust mount may be different?
I had 3.55's with ax15 and 31" tires on that jeep, it seemed pretty good but I noticed 55mph was lower rpm than I would've liked. I think 3.73 would have been optimal (for stock like feel). I went 4.10's with 33's on my other manual jeep since I won't be off road as much as I would like.

I though about going the route with a parts Jeep. Would have been a lot cheaper. But at the same time, I wanted all new stuff (or rebuilt). This way, I know I should be able to get another 150K miles out of it. I hope you are right on the crossmember. It would be much better to just install the new trans and mount and call it a day. If I have to redo any part of the exhaust, I am perfectly fine with that. Way better then making a new crossmember.

Thanks for the input on gear ratios. I think I am going to do 4.10s on 31s. Its not my DD and will be used to tow some things. It will also help out if I decide to go 33s down the road.

I am trying to do things right the first time around with this Jeep, even if it cost more and creates twice as much work. So if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to put them out there. So when I say I want a RC short arm lift, put some 6.5" coils up front, stock leafs with 4" blocks, someone better be calling me a retard!

Sounds good to me. My red jeep is taking way longer than I would have ever expected or wanted - it's been 3 years since I drove it on the road. I've always wondered if I would have liked 4.56 gears for 33's better (with ax15) than 4.10's. We'll see!

Well I got some more parts in. It looks like the PO not only destroyed the front end, but put the wrong bumper on it. I got my new bumper in the mail yesterday and figured I would put it on. Well I opened it up and noticed it did not look like the one that came off. So after doing some searching on the wonderful interweb, I found out that it was off of an earlier model Cherokee. So that means that the brackets wont transfer over. Great! So back to ordering more parts.

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After I found out that, I moved on the making the body straight again. The fenders need some massaging to get them back to the original shape. After about an hour with a BFH and a pry bar, it looks like it was never in an accident! Thank you thin fenders!

Then I moved on to painting the front grille surround. Primed it, painted it and cleared it (not all in the same day). My Cherokee has been repainted at one point in time and looks like they went with an off white. So I did my best to make it match. We will see this weekend when I am home in daylight and can put it on. If it is close, time to color sand and make it shine.

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This weekend, if it isn't raining, I will be gutting the inside of the Jeep in preparation for a carpet swap and stereo install. It much easier to run the wires when there is no carpet in! Will be doing the double din install as well. The funny thing is that the system I am putting in came out of my last Cherokee from 5 years ago. The head unit even has the correct adapter plug on it still and all the wires should be the correct length. Should be a super easy install.

Seats showed up today! Now I just have to hope they fit... Might be a bit on the wide side. If not, looks like I get a new office chair and Forza chair.

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When I got home tonight, I decided to test fit the whole front assembly. Well the grille fits fine. The headlight bezels dont. Need to file down a few spots. No big deal. It doesn't look too bad so far. To top it off, the paint looks like a perfect match.

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Here is a helpful tip to anyone replacing these same parts. There are a bunch of these little clip that need to get transferred over to the new piece. They have a 3 prong locking clip that you cant get off with pliers.

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My trick to get these things off in one piece is simple. Grab a 1/4" drive 6mm socket, attach it to some sort of extension and use it to press the clip out. Just slip it over the top and push.

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BTW - Does anyone know what the actual name of that style clip is? I need to order more but dont know what the proper term is. Is it something Autozone would carry?

Finally a day to work on the Jeep in the light. I feel like I got a lot done today. First thing was to assemble the front end. Waiting for bumper brackets to come in before the rest goes on.

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Looks a lot better now. Almost like a new Cherokee. I am very surprised that the color matched. Still need to align the hood and fenders.

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After that, I moved on to the inside. New carpet and seats! The old nasty carpet is out. I was glad to find no rust at all. But I did find out that the front window leaks. It has a crack in it anyways, so time for a new one.

whose new seats did you purchase?

Speed Daddy aka China special.

If the winds calm down at all today, i will try to get one of them mounted. Got to make my own adapters. I will be keeping the factory sliders though

sub'd because this is a build worth following.

Yes it is the holiday season, so just want to say happy holidays to all! The dogs agree.

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Well it was cold and very windy today so not much got done. 30mph constant and 50mph gust are no fun. I got the old stereo torn out and found all the stuff for its replacement. I did however, forget how I made the double din fit (I remember cutting) and mount in the last XJ. So I need to look in to that a little. I am sure I have some old pictures somewhere.

Other then that, I got the new seats tacked in to place. Looks like they are going to be a perfect fit! They dont rub the center console or door panel so I am fine with that.

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At first it seemed like 2" brackets would be perfect. After mocking it up, the front of the seat sat too high. So I went with a 2" in the rear and a 1" up front. Feels just a little taller then stock now. Other then that, perfect. Its tacked welded for now. A better look at the modified seat brackets will come later.
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Time for the seat info. The seat swap was honestly very simple. If you have a chop saw, welder and a drill, you can do this.

Step one

Remove the seat and pull off the seat mount.

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Then mount the brackets back in to the Jeep. If you can, pull the carpet out at this point. Welding will be going on shortly. Put the seat back in the Jeep and center it up. (see previous post to see the adapters) Tack it in to place. (don't light anything on fire) Then pull the seat and bracket back out. Remove seat mount from seat.

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Now the fun part. Welding!

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And the final product! Ready to go back in.

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I also got a good portion of the new carpet in. Carpet is not a fun project.

They are called square head nylon push-in nut

http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Nuts_Nylon_s/126.htm

Thank you very much! I have 2 very odd size holes on the new grille that the old clips don't fit in. So that link will help out a light on getting the odd size needed.

Well it is raining sideways over here so I cant get too much more done until the weather clears up. So instead, I figure I would start adding up what I have in this thing so far. No budget has been set, but I would like to keep it around $5k.

$1100 - Jeep
$1000 - AX15
$250 - NP231
$230 - Seats
$300 - Carpet
$20 - Clear sidemarkers
$130 - Front bumper
$25 - Bumper brackets
$85 - Front grille and surround
$20 - Shifter rebuild kit
$55 - 4wd shifter and linkage
$25 - 4wd shifter bezel
$90 - Random parts from Lowrange2
$25 - 2017 CF calendar

$3355 - Total so far

At this point, the XJ pretty much looks new again inside and out (well once all the parts actually make it on). I am pretty sure I have all the small things covered. Then I still need the big stuff like wheels, tires, lift, dana 30, gears, driveshafts and steering components... Yep I will be going over the $5k mark by far. This is why I did not set a budget cause I knew I would go over it... But when I am done, it will be just like a brand new XJ!

Hope everyone had a good Christmas!

I got a little bit more work done on the Jeep over the weekend.

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I got the front end put back on. Still have to add a few more bolts and the lower valance. But it looks pretty good to me!

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I also finished the front portion of the carpet.

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And I threw the seats in. Everything clears but these are some wide seats.

I really want high bolstered seats like that in my XJ but it's already such a PITA to get in and out of....

I know exactly what you mean! With a lift like yours, I am sure its pretty bad already. Add in some bolsters to climb over and its even worse. The good thing about these seats is that there is no frame in the bolster. Its all foam so they do smash down pretty easily. All my cars have deep bucket seats so I am kinda used to it. My Bug is the worst since it has a cage to climb over, you have to pop the steering wheel off, and then once you get over the cage, its like a 12" drop to the seat. So I should be able to deal with the seats in the Jeep with ease. And its not a DD which helps deal with these minor inconveniences.

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Now imagine this setup in the Jeep. No thanks. (I do want to put an internal cage in the Jeep though...)

I know the struggle of a cage inside a car and sliding past door bars into high bolster seats lol. Had an 05 SRT-4 I played with and made the mistake of an internal cage.... That got old real fast. It was a DD too.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...8500dd414b.jpg


An internal cage would be nice but the XJ is so small inside I would rather an external cage. A hybrid would be pretty sweet too though

Yep you definitely know the feeling! Hopefully it was just a bolt in cage. I dont think I could do it in a DD but for just a weekend toy, I could live. Maybe not even a full cage. More of just a roll bar. Something that I could keep out of the way.

If I was building a full on trail rig, external cage FTW! You cant go wrong there. I am trying to keep the external cutting and welding down on this one. The body is in too good of condition (as of right now) to want to cut it up or weld on it. I think trimming the fenders is as far as I will go on the outside.

Seeing that it is still in the holiday season, sales are still going on! So I decided to make a wheel and tire purchase. I think I did pretty good on this one. So I ordered up some 31x10.5 BFG KO2s and some black D window steelies. Got them mounted, balanced and delivered for $765. Dont think that was too bad of a deal (hopefully it was). They should be here next week sometime. Then time to put them on and see how it looks.

Sweet! Not a bad price at all!

Jeepin - Hope you are right! I had 2 days before the sale was over so had to make up my mind fast.

I also got my box of random parts in from LowRange2. Haven't opened it up yet, but it is a big box full of parts! I will dig through it tonight to see what he sent me.

I am still having a hard time finding someone local with a Dana 30. Might just have to go down to pick-a-part and pull one myself. Possibly find one from a 4 cylinder XJ that has 4.10s. That is pretty much the last piece I need (except drive shafts which I need the D30 first so I can measure) before I can turn this thing into 4wd!

My goal is to get it done before KOH which is the first weekend of Feb. I am going to be cutting it close!

It's hard finding a 4 banger XJ front diff. I notice a lot of them were 2wd

Last time I went to the JY, they actually had 3 of them! I was blown away. But like normal, most of them were 4.0 autos. I have a feeling I will be stuck swapping gears in the front and rear.

Speaking of gears, since I will be going from 3.07 to 4.10, can I still use the same diffs? Its been a while since I have done a gear swap in anything but I thought I remembered if you go above a certain size gear, the diff had to be swapped. Might have been on a GM axle though.

Oh yes you can use the same differentials no problem. You would need a 3.73 and up carrier for the D30 though.

Great.... So that means I really just need to find a complete axle with 4.10s in it from the factory or spend the extra $ and put a locker in.

And the rear end will be fine with stock 3.07 carrier? I thought I read somewhere that the 8.25 doesn't use shims for adjustment but has some sort of screw style adjustment?

Yeahhh you can do a full case locker but a carrier can be had for about $100 buckaroos which is definitely cheaper than a full case locker. I'd just throw a lockright in at the same time.

The 8.25's carrier can be used for 4.10's no problem. It's certainly a different animal to deal with though. I swapped my 8.25 for a D44 when I was doing my axle build so I haven't actually set one up but here's a link to what's involved - http://www.4wdmechanix.com/Moses-Lud...ysler-Axle?r=1

Thanks for the link. It doesn't look too bad to set up. Maybe even easier then dealing with shims. Might need to invest in some more tools though.

So if I was to do a new carrier and a Lockright, that is about $350. I could get a Truetrac for around the same price. I think I would rather have a Truetrac over a Lockright. I know its not a locker but still way better then an open diff.

I'd personally rather have a lockright over a truetrac but that's your call lol

I am pretty sure my Dad had a Lockright is his Wrangler a few years ago. When they unload on a turn, dont they make a nice pop sound and you can feel it too? I just remember driving it and randomly it would pop and cause you to almost go in to the other lane. He only had it in the rear though. Does that sound about right?

They normally click/ratchet in the rear when going around turns. I run an ARB in the rear and a lockright in the front. I only hear my lockright when I turn sharp at low speeds but I don't feel it.

I might just have to do a little bit more research on it then. What you are describing is not the same as what my Dads Jeep did. If it is just a little noise you hear, I am fine with that. His did a huge pop like an axle just snapped.

In the box I got from Lowrange2, I found a nice blue fender flare. So I decided it was time to put it on. I sanded it, primed it, painted it then cleared it. I think the color came out pretty close. Then I put it back on. Still need to remove what looks like tape residue from the fender.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...28675377bc.jpg

I also fixed the drivers side flare. The front half wasnt clipped in. I am just about done with the outside restoration! Need to paint the rear bumper black and put the roof rack on. After that, I am moving on to normal maintenance stuff. The clutch and brake fluid looks like its the original...

wow good job matching the flare. White is a tough color to match

Thanks! I do have to say I got very lucky on matching the paint. It is actually like an egg shell white. Not the factory white. So I sprayed it with just a normal white for its base color. The clear coat I used was a couple years old which worked in my favor. It actually started turning yellow. So after about 3 coats of it, the egg shell color was pretty much a dead on match. Each clear coat I put on, the more egg shell it turned. I think it needs one more coat to be perfect, but close enough for me. I am getting new flares down the road anyways. The grille surround turned out to be a much better match. We will see what happens after color sanding...

Last night I decided to throw on the roof rack. Yet another item from Lowrange2. Gave it a quick paint job and looks new again.

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I also put in new shifter bushings. 3rd gear was pretty hard to find and the shifter was very sloppy. Sure enough, this is what I found. Now it feels like a new shifter again! The B&M shifter will be coming in the future. Had one in the last Cherokee and loved it.

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