2wd to 4wd

[bmaley79]

Anything i should know that might give me problems? I have an 86 2.5l I'm going from 2wd to 4wd and 3inches of lift in the back and 3 in the front. I have a complete 4wd comanche that the body is gone on no motor. Just axels and trans and trasfercase. Any adviced to what i might run into might help me out along my way? Thanks

[Geonovast]

If they're both longbeds, had the same motor and transmission, everything should go perfectly smoothly. The ratios should even be the same if the motor/trans was the same combination, so you won't even have to bother with the rear axle unless the donor has a better axle.

[Pete M]

what's the drivetrain in the donor rig?

[bmaley79]

they are both 86 long beds. But originally the 2wd was a v6 but it died so i took the engine out of the donor truck. so i was thinking the rear axel may have a diffrent gear ratio in it

[Pete M]

both 5spds?

[bmaley79]

both auto 3sp

[Pete M]

Then it should be a straight forward swap. soak everything in PB Blaster or other rust penetrant 2 or 3 times a day for a few days before you start. And take lots and lots of photos as you go. :thumbsup: Be as organized as you can possibly be. Nothing worse than not being able to find a certain bolt. Except maybe having an extra bolt in the end. :D

[freakjeep93]

:agree: every time i work on almost anything i end up with an extra bolt or 2 if I'm luck . also don't do this:

 

I'm still cursing myseld every time i lok fo a bolt. please for the love of god drink loyts of coffoe or something so youve got a few contaners for bolts . and keep different containers for different bolts

[bmaley79]

ok sounds good. so the gears in the axels from the 2.8 and the 2.5 were the same gears in 86?

[Pete M]

there is no way of telling what's in an 86 MJ's axles without looking. Everytime we think we've figured something out, a truck pops up that breaks the mold. Jack up one rear tire, put the trans in neutral, and spin the tire around exactly twice. the number of times the driveshaft rotates is your gear ratio. If by chance there is a posi in the rear, then jack up both tires and spin them only once.

[bmaley79]

I got up to VA yesterday and found mj parts truck stuck in about two feet of snow. So the swap is going really slow so far. I got the tractor out and started to pull the parts truck to the garage and got the tractor stuck to the frame. I hope the snow melts soon. In the mean time I started tearing apart the 2wd truck the front axel is about half out. The only thing broken so is a sway bar link. Only thing hold the axel in is the track bar and the pitman arm. I'm still trying to get those separted with out messing up the joints and boots.