Pete M

I've had the same thoughts :D , and while it'd be a cool thing to have, I went with a 99 231 t-case because the amount of work to adapt to the 300 became just crazy (or crazy expensive). Thought about a flip kit to the 300? There really isn't any good front axle options that are a passenger side drop, except maybe a Dana 60, and even that is low pinion like the rest.

When did CJs come with a Dana 44 front axle? I realize I only have a cursory knowledge of them, but I thought they had low pinion Dana 30s. :dunno: and I'd be mad at myself if I didn't at least mention that you could save yourself a lot of headaches by running an NP-231. Why did you choose to go with the Dana 300?

axles can easily be swapped. You'll need to check everything personally to know for sure what ratio is there. :thumbsup:

how are you working around the different rim bolt patterns on the CJ/Explorer axles? Where are you routing the exhaust?

Clearly you live in a beautiful part of this country. The golf courses near me are the "wilderness". :(

No, the trans will not work for you. :(

to save, yes. I just want to cut off the drivers side sheetmetal. :D

what vehicle did the 8.8 come from? What vehicle is the Dana 44 coming from?

I thoroughly cleaned it up and wasn't so lucky. :(

It's not hard, you just have to pay attention to the details so you get the best of the best when you're finished. :D It'd be the same with any year Jeep. If you buy a 2.5L/5spd XJ 87-99, you'll get your front driveshaft, t-case, and front/rear 4.10 axles. then you just need the older 4wd auto trans (87+ are computer controlled). the only "hard" to find item will be the trans, but car-part.com can help with that. :thumbsup:

I've got nothing useful to add, but my 88 used to be like that. fired up great everyday... unless it sat for the weekend. Then it ran like poo for the first few minutes on Monday. :fs1:

:agree:

how old is the fuel?

in here:

you've got a tricky rig there. the only 4wd trans from a Jeep that'll easily work is from an 84-86 auto MJ/XJ. but if you bought a donor rig from that era, you'd be missing an opportunity to upgrade from the weak crap used in the early Jeeps. The front driveshaft was puny and the t-case was the less desirable NP-207. What gear ratio if in your rear axle?

what about the current engine is worn out? low compression? bad noises?

Rob, any update on the rolled MJ?

As have I. :D I show Jo pictures of the plan and I may have cried a little... so she told me to go. :rotfl2:

the hard things to change are engine type (2.5, 2.8 or 4.0), trans type (auto or manual), adding AC, and rust. everything else is bolt-in, including seats and 4wd. personally, I'd go for the 88 and argue the price down a bit. but then I've got no problem fixing the shortcomings of the earlier years.

Shackles designed to lift an XJ up 1 inch should be pretty close to stock MJ.

I think I've surpassed a 50% chance of making it. :D

MJ shackles are longer than XJ shackles. :thumbsup:

I'd look for a solid southern truck. I've lived in Michigan my whole life and have seen what salt will do to the underside of an MJ. :( Crawl underneath and look up into the interior of the bedsides. Our trucks rot from the inside out, so anything you can see on the outside is likely 10 times worse on the inside. Whatever truck you buy, make sure you pull up the carpet to check for moisture before handing over money. All MJs are susceptible to floor rot.

sounds like it's time for a new belt adjusted to the proper tension. If you've never touched the adjusting bolts, start spraying them down with PB Blaster now, and every day til you do the work. :thumbsup:

I assume it also works ok in my axles? Oh lord, $50 a gallon for redlines gl-5. Let' seee, both axles, xfer case, tranny...sounds like almost $70 worth of fluid? Help. GL-5 is the modern standard for gear oil specs/additives. If you walk into a store, everything there should rated GL-5. You don't need the fancy redline stuff, but it has apparently been known to help with problematic trannys. Simply putting in fresh fluid might help too. The transfer case takes ATF, not gear oil.