Jaxso32

Already have the ax15 with cable speedo, so no money needed there. I'm just slowly trying to figure out how to make the whole thing work together if possible. Always helps to see what other people think.

Hi all, looking to hear what some of the advantages of the 97+ interior swap are. I know obviously you get obd2, but I'd like to hear some of the other advantages people have found or reasons people have done it.

Hadn't thought of that, my current plan is to swap in a 96 xj harness and electronics so I can retain the old style dash but have obd2. And from there try and find a way to get the VW electronics to play nice with the jeep dash.

i agree with you both, TDI is the way to go. Good mpg and a good amount of power out of such a little engine. Have either of you found a way to get the VW electronics to talk to the jeep dash, and how well do you think the Ax15 will hold up?

Even though i know that the Ford 9" isnt a very popular swap option (not really sure why) i figure ill do what i can to document and give a write up of my swap since i couldnt find very much info when i was starting mine. i chose the 9" for a list of reasons: PROS Axle housing and shafts are the same strength or stronger than the 44 Stronger differential due to the added pinion support Usually easier to find Cheaper than a XJ/MJ 44 (in my case) Huge amount of aftermarket support Lots of common modifications and kits Wide range of gearing options and widths Unlike the 8.8 its a non c-clip axle. Easy to change the gearing due to it being a third member differential For around a $100 you can swap it to disk brakes using either new or junkyard parts Working parking brake Cons can be hard to find the right size and housing ends comes as drums stock most have stock 5x5.5 bolt pattern Gathering information for this swap and build has probably taken over a month mainly due to just trying to find consistent information and filling in gaps. Stock the 9 inch comes in widths ranging from 57-68" wide i found a list from http://www.mustangsandmore.com/ubb/FordRearDimensions.html 65-66 Mustang 57.25 inches 67-70 Mustang 59.25 inches 71-73 Mustang 61.25 inches 77-81 Versailles 58.50 inches 74 Maverick 8" 56.50 inches 75 Mustang II 8" 57.00 inches 67-73 Mustang, Torino, Ranchero, Fairlane 9" 59.25 inches to 61.25 inches 57-59 Ranchero and station wagon rears, 57.25 inches 66-77 Bronco 9", 58 inches 77-81 Granada/Versailles, 58 inches 67-71 Comet, Cougar, Mustang, Fairlane, 59.25 inches 71-73 Mustang, 61.25 inches 64 Falcon 58 inches 67 Cougar 60 inches 67 Fairlane 63.50 inches (coil springs) 72 Ford Van 3/4 ton 68 inches 73-86 65.25 inches 57-59 Ranchero and station wagon 57.25 iches (narrowest 9" housing) 66-77 Bronco 58 inches but has 5-on-5 1/2 inch diameter bolt circle 67-73 Torinos, Rancheros, Fairlanes 59.25 inches or 61.25 inches 67-71 Comets, Cougars, Fairlanes 59.25 inches i went with the first generation bronco axle, it was the right length, medium duty axle, and came with 4.10s stock. Only downside to the one i got was that it was a small bearing axle, not that big of a deal since i got the axle for less than $100. axle mostly cleaned with some fresh paint When i swapped the axle i wanted to do a SOA swap at the same time. I bought a swap kit from Ruffstuff Specialties that came with anti-wrap perches, leaf spring plates, shock mounts, and u bolts for $140? shipped both the perches and spring plates have 3 alignment holes so you can adjust wheelbase. http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/9SS25-BIG.html The actually swap of the 9 inch was pretty easy same as any other, strip, clean, hang and set pinion angle than weld the axle in. For the Disc Brake swap there are plenty of aftermarket kits, but they tend to cost at least 250+ and being a poor college kid that wasn't really an option. So i went with using parts from the Ford 8.8. The backing plates and caliper brakes from a 95-01 Explorer work with the late big bearing ends with no modifications and only slight modifications for the small bearing. Brakes from 92-95,96-02 Crown Vics,Grand Marquis, or Lincoln Town Car. When pulling the parts its easiest to grab everything at once so you don't forget anything or have to go back later. parts needed for the swap are: Backing plates Caliper bracket Caliper Parking brake shoes and hardware Matching Brake Pads Rear Rotors from a Ford Explorer for 5x4.5 or Front Rotors from a Suzuki Side kick for 5x5.5 spacer due to smaller backing plate i think i got everything for less than $100 including new rotors and pads from rock auto When i got my parts i didnt know that the small bearing and big bearing retaining bolts are spaced a little differently so because i used explorer parts i had to slot my backing plates slightly so that it would line up and bolt onto my axle housing ( wasnt much work, just took some time and a dremel or cutoff wheel)

bye bye baby axle Hello fun new axle! ( early 70s small bearing ford 9 inch from a bronco. has 4.10 ratio gears in it. upgrading from drums to rear disc brakes with working parking brakes) HP Dana 30 i got cheap that I'm building up to go with the 9 inch. swapping in 4.10 gears from a 4 cylinder YJ, adjustable control arms, and swapping the knuckles to the WJ knuckles for the bigger brakes.

when i first bought the jeep it didnt have 5th gear or reverse so i was more than happy to score an ax15 and matching t-case for less than $300 at a local pick and pull Shiny new EBAY special Installed with the new Trans and tcase ill probably get judged for painting the Turbine wheels, but honestly i like the way they look better and its only plasti dip.

the previous owner had some shotty body work done on the bed to fix the rot, in short they riveted on some sheet metal and slapped some bondo on it. one day I'm driving down the highway and half the panel came loose. found rust, rust and more rust so i ended up hacking it all off and welding (rather poorly) on a new panel. what was left of the panel what i found under the panel. i was very surprised to find some of the factory paint under all the crap. i actually really like it, but to bad i have other plans for it.

this is what she looked like for the majority of the 2 years that i owned it. ( small lift in the front, upgraded HID headlights, and some small leds in the front)

well after about 2 years of ownership and slow building this thing i decided to take it off the road and start a rebuild. Previous to the rebuild the list of repairs have been: numerous electrical repairs( electrically this thing is a mess from previous owners) Upgraded from the Ba10/5 to the AX15 and a newer Tcase Boostworks t-case shift linkage Multiple Ujoints New(to me) Turbine wheels Nankang Mudstar 31" Tires New Hurst Shift Handle Windshield 2 Fuel pumps (1 cheapo and 1 bosh) Bored out Throttle body and new cable Volvo 4 hole injectors Exhaust manifold Clutch HID headlights with LED Turn Signals Ballasts Currently in the works: Ford 9" Swap (early bronco small bearing 4.10) Disc brakes for 9" (explorer) Longer driveshaft (explorer 2 piece shaft) Dual Diaphragm Brake Booster 96 xj Proportioning valve Copper Nickle brake lines Dakota rear soft line stainless steel front soft lines Replacing drivers side floor pan Rebuilt HP Dana 30 (4.10 R&P out of 4cyl yj) WJ Knuckle and brakes Lift the front to match the rear after SOA swap Future: Put limited slip or locker in rear axle new axle shafts and 31 spline third member Upgrade PS pump and steering box Stiffen Frame 1 ton steering Rebuild Truck bed / build a bed Rewire interior + chassis Swap engine (Torn between newer mopar engine or 1.9L TDI) SYE and upgrade NP231 internals Plus always looking for more suggestions

no doubt that you will need some modifications, but figured i would give gogmorgo some hope for a v10 comanche

The dodge v10 actually isn't that big, I have a bare block at school I can measure it's only about 30" long which is still shorter than the 4.0l I think?

Using a 96 set up with a 318 was actually the original plan for my MJ so I could have obd2 and retain the older style dash and that will be my fall back if I can't figure out a different engine. At the same time it would be nicer to have a newer more efficient engine even if it is more work. I had actually thought about using the vw diesel but it seemed like a lot of work to convert to 4wd

a viper powered MJ, now that would be something different! I wish it would be that simple but would probably need substantially more structural modification than a v8. it would make a very fun toy though.

Thanks for the input about the cooling, that is something that I am worried about with any v8 swap, but the hemi is somewhat shorter than the 4.0l which gives me some room to play around with the radiator without having to hack to much apart. Plus removing the mechanical fan and replacing with 2 or 3 electric fans solves some of the cooling issues. An aluminum block would be nice just for the weight reduction alone but as I said before I have no interest in running a vortec or LS engine with this jeep, I would much rather have a chrysler engine in it because of personal preference. As far as the EFI goes trimming a harness and sending a PCM out to be reflashed isn't more than $4-500 and some time

The 2000s dodge v10 would probably fit, it's not much bigger than a 360 (there's a block at school I can measure) but not so much a practical engine in a daily, in my opinion at least. Yeah I'm pretty well set on a newer engine just for efficiency, I'm set on at least obd2 at the very least for engine management. I like the info that obd2 provides and the option to tune the system. And how difficult would it be to cool the engine with a 180 or 160 t-stat hood vents and electric fans? The hemi is something like 3 or 4 inches shorter than the 4.0l, which gives a good chunk of space for radiator and fans

if i could find one and the jeep was just a toy, that would actually be pretty funny to do

i know that the early model 4.7ls were garbage because ive had to fix my share of them, but i think that the late model ones 09 and newer were supposed to be significantly better with an added 60ish hp. As far as availability around me there are about as many hemis and 4.7ls as there are LSx engines even more so with the magnum engines, so thats not a problem. I'm not knocking the LS or vortec engines, but I'm a mopar fan and would much rather have a mopar powerplant than a chevy in my jeep.

Swapping a magnum engine was the original idea, but like I said earlier I kind of want something more efficient. say a late model 4.7l v8 or a 5.7l hemi

I'll pass on the LS, I've heard that a few to many times. Its a great engine but it's already been overdone. I'm not worried about price, the junkyard i use all engines cost the same

The goal is definitely to be ridiculous

Nothing set for a powerplant yet, thats why I'm trying to find the dimensions. The idea right now is a fuel injected obd2 Chrysler engine preferably a v8. i know that a 318/360 will fit but if possible i want to go a little newer for more efficiency

Does anyone have or know the dimensions of a XJ/MJ engine bay, considering a powertrain swap and looking to see what i can stuff in there. my jeep is sitting in the woods back at home so i can't measure it until the weekend, any help would be appreciated

96 is obd2, but the 96 is supposed to be different than the 97, or at least that is my understanding. For the sake of part availability using the 97+ electronics would make my life easier, but I would much rather have the older style dash & interior

Kind of an odd question, but can a 96 interior work with a 97+ harness? I want to swap my mj to obd2, but I'm not a fan of the newer style interior. Any advise or experience would be appreciated