Hey everyone,
I thought I would introduce myself for my first post. My names Noah, I'm 17 and despite my age I have done my fair share of wrenching on jeeps etc. I live in the East valley, Az. I have a 1995 jeep Wrangler Sahara 4.0 5 speed I drive daily and I am currently pickling up a 2000 2 door jeep cherokee shell with full interior and misc parts. This jeep is currently missing axles/motor/tranny/rear hatch/ misc small parts. I have been researching and continue to do so as I progress with this project. I am looking for someone in AZ who has a little extra time and love for wrenching on jeeps. I'm looking to drop a 4.0 and 5speed ax15 tranny back into it, I am debating on d60 or d44 axles and gearing (Not sure exactly which model truck or year I should get them from) I am picking up this jeep VERY cheap and I'm on a budget of around 4000 for a month or so. I wan't to keep the cost down by doing all my own work. I will have more money by the time all thats spent so the final cost should be around 6000. What I want out of this jeep:

Reliability over looks -Whats the good in having pretty paint with no articulation

Decent off road ability, I love to wheel but nothing too serious.
A/c and heater are a MUST. I can't stand driving in 100+ Az heat with no A/c.


I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong section, I thought an Introduction would be nice and maybe I could meet some cool people to wheel with. Basically if you like Jeep Cherokees and want to help me build a sick budget rig before I start UTI I would greatly appreciate it. Any info specifically related to budget d60 or d44 swaps and parts list would be awesome. I know there are posts out there with this info, I feel like everyones situation is different though. Hope to hear from someone soon, thanks.
-Noah Kempin

P.s Anyone in AZ that you recommend I talk to or best salvage lots to get parts etc..

 

 

welcome to the site, Noah

 

Thanks for the greetings guys! Are there many members on here from AZ?

 

I can't say for sure. Post in here for a better response. >https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f34/

 

Welcome... now lets answer some of your questions.

You wont need a d60 if your not planning to do serious off-roading. A big axle like that will rob ground clearance, they are for running 37's and up. For an easy swap in rear end look for a d44 out of a late 80's cherokee or get the c8.25 out of a 97+ cherokee. The next most popular rear end is the ford 8.8 out of a explorer/ranger. All are pretty strong and good for most everybody. The gears you put in are completely dependent on what size tires your shooting for. 32's are about the max you can run without lots of trimming or lift. Even those require extensive mods in some peoples opinion.

Just continue to do your research cause you might find your plans change as you learn more about XJ specific tech.

 

Thank you Skidder and ol' blue for the info. Yeah, I was dreaming a bit when I mentioned D60's haha. I ended up buying an explorer 8.8 complete from rotor to rotor with 120k out of an 1998 Explorer with track-lok(for only 100$ too!) for the rear and I will probably just buy a good condition stock Dana 30 for the front. This thread is probably not going to thrive in this section, should I make another post for suggestions in jeep builds?
Thanks,
Noah

 

welcome, nice to have you here... I think you will find that you will learn a lot... and you will also find that people are ready and willing to learn from you as well...

most of the members on here are GREAT to deal with... some of the guys like to mess around, but it's all in fun... just don't take it personal

honestly I can tell you that you are on THE BEST XJ forum on the net...


as for the axle question... 44s are fine in the 35-37" tire range...

anything less than a 35 and I would not bother with a 60 (unless the price is right)

the main issue is ground clearance... if you are only planning 33s then I would just hunt down some 4.10 auto 4 banger axles and install those... add that to a manual trans and you should be doing pretty well