My buddy and I have 96 and 98 XJs. He keeps talking about swapping his knuckles with WJ knuckles. He wants to achive 16" front brakes and high-steer.

I've looked around and it doesn't look like a straight swap by any means and I'm not confident he'll achieve high-steer either.

What do you guys know that will clear this up?

 

The WJ knuckle swap gives you true crossover steering (google the teraflex crossover knuckle) and you can put the tie rod OTK so it is more high clearance, but is not full hi-steer. He will also get better brakes. The upgrade is far from bolt on and far from inexpensive ($800), but if you plan on having a D30 for a really long time this is by far the best way to go.

Lots and lots of threads and write ups on this mod. Google it and all your questions will be answered

 

Are there any other knuckle swaps that are commonly done?

 

No. Not commonly at least. I'm sure there's some mix and match dana 44 knuckle swaps out there.

 

Tell him to do his research before he buys anything. I believe the good years to look for are 02/03 because they have better brakes than the older ones. You also must weld a spacer onto the knuckle itself. Then there's the deal with the brakes. He'll also want to do the WJ booster/master cylinder (I think). Hell, might as well do a rear disc brake swap as well. The factory 15" wheels won't clear the brakes, but aftermarket 15" wheels probably will with some grinding on the caliper. The axle side track bar mount must be relocated (cut off and weld a new one to the top) to keep it parallel with the relocated drag link.

I've never done it, but have looked into it and have future plans to take it on sometime.

 

It depends on how he will use the jeep and tire size.In the long run it might be cheaper to swap in like a jeep wagoneer dana 44 or maybe full width axles front and back.