Incola_Malum

Hey all, pretty much what the title says - just signed up, but I've browsed the forum practically daily for a little while just to pick up new and useful information about my Jeep. I figure this is the best place to be for it, anyway.

Anyhow, best get down to it... One of the few things I don't see very frequently (or ever) is swapping out 2WD for 4WD - I've browsed a couple threads that have a gist of what would be needed for it to happen, but I've yet to find any clear-cut write-ups about it. Anyone know of any?

I've wanted to do it for a while, but the incident yesterday where I got stuck on an icy hill in a residential neighborhood (of all places) kinda sealed the deal for me - I figured 4WD would have saved my rear (and my ego) in that situation.

TL;DR - Want decent guides/opinions on swapping 2WD to 4WD.

98XJ40K

Having completed a 4x4 conversion, I can tell you that you won't need a step by step write up to do it if you are mechanically inclined. Not a jab at you, it's just very straightforward. You will need a transmission, transfer case with shifter and linkage, front axle, driveshafts, and some time. You will literally remove your trans and install the new one with the t case and linkage. Remove the front axle and replace with the new one. And finally, hook everything up with the new driveshafts.
Best thing to do is to find a cheap/wrecked donor XJ and hang on to it until you are up and running. There are some threads on naxja that have the list of compatible years. I'll see if I can find it.

Incola_Malum

You're a saint. That's pretty much what I was hoping to hear (and basically what I've come across) - I think after this winter stuff passes I'll be able to find plenty of wrecked XJs to salvage.

I'm not personally mechanically inclined, unless it's computer related. Haha. But I know a couple gearheads, so I'll be fine.

98XJ40K

What year XJ do you have?
What transmission?

Incola_Malum

Oops. Haha. It's an '00 with the AW4. Got lucky with an auto trans, though I'm not sure how that'll affect my chances of finding the same in 4WD.

98XJ40K

Makes it easier.
You'll want to stick with a 2000 or 01 trans for the easiest time. I you can use the t case out of just about any xj from 96 up. You may also want to look for a HP D30 out of a 96+ as well. The 00 and 01 were low pinion, some 99's may be LP as well.

Incola_Malum

Always good to keep it easy. I'll keep that in mind.. so it's basically all drop-in and go, from what I'm gathering, eh? How long did it take you to get yours up and running?

I've thought about upgrading the axles, more than once. Might be the best opportunity for it.

98XJ40K

You'll need a front axle at the very least. If you already have an 8.25 in the rear, it will be good for up to 35's. If you have the D35, ehhhh, it should be okay as long as you keep the tires under 33 and go easy on the skinny pedal.
P.S. make sure you get a front axle that is geared the same as the rear.

I took my time on mine and had great help from another CD member, but actual work time was something like:
Removing donor parts: 5-6 hours
Removing 2wd parts: 4-5 hours
Install trans: 1 hour
Install t case: .5 hour
Install front axle: 3-4 hours
Install t case shifter: .5 hour
Installing that stupid linkage that pisses you off every 5 minutes: god only knows. Go ahead and buy the HD 231 shift linkage from boostwerks.com. You'll thank me later.
Hardest part was getting all of the bolts out of the trans bell housing. There are 2 reverse torx bolts that are... you guessed it, right at the top where you can barely reach with 36" of socket extensions and u joints.

BNJeepsta

Any HP d30 will work as long as it doesn't have vacuum disconnect (mid 90 I think). The problem is, if he is at stock height, the pinion will hit his exhaust when the drivers side compresses. My 01 has 3" of lift and it barely clears. All of the 99's are high pinion.

98XJ40K

Good info.... I wasn't sure if the HP made it all the way through 99.
Doesn't the 00 and 01 downpipe have the same crush portion, or is it different due to the pre-cats?

BNJeepsta

The manifolds and down pipe are different for emissions, that's why they have a low pinion axle

98XJ40K

Gotcha... I had assumed Chrysler's accountants decided the engineers needed to use the same axle on the XJ and TJ.

Incola_Malum

This sounds like it's gonna be a fun ordeal. I appreciate all the relevant information and insight - hopefully I'll be on the road with 4WD in time.

831xj

I think the reason there is hardly any info on 2wd to 4wd is because XJs are dirt cheap...

Last 3 I've bought were
87 2 door cherokee chief 260k manual dana 44 rear tire carrier for $800
88 Comanche Laredo longbed 206k dana 44 rear metric tonne package full skids 23 gallon tank $700
and most recently a 92 2 door base model auto 8.25 rear 146k for a whopping $300.

All 4x4. You might wanna just troll CL or something of the like and find a cheap as toy to beat on.

Turbo X_J

Locker is less expensive than 4WD.