wombat Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 I have my 86 4 banger 2 wheel drive. Shortly after buying it I purchased a 98 xj 4.0 auto that had been rolled. intentions of course was to swap everything over to the mj, but the more i messed with said mj the more i liked the idea of keeping the 2.5.. Ive read a couple builds, and seen some pics of built up 4 bangers, but most involve motor work. I prefer to keep my mouse motor stock and just steal the the axels out of the xj. would like to run 33's and use my truck mainly for going to my cabin and hunting duties. nothing hardcore. Whats the consensus on this? I know i'm going to have to swap out my 4 speed, but still seems like alot less work then the 4.0 swap. who has the best build thread for a 4 cylinder truck?? Said XJ said MJ
Pete M Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 gears, gears, gears. especially if you have 3.55 gears (which came with the 4spd manuals)
wombat Posted February 25, 2015 Author Posted February 25, 2015 my understanding is that 4.88's are as deep as I can go with the d30.. is this going to be deep enough?
dasbulliwagen Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 4.88 should be just about perfect with 33's. And there are minor things you can do to the 2.5 to eek a little more power out of it. Deleting the engine driven fan and adding a fully electric unit with a controller helps out. Removing the restrictor in the original air box or adding a smoothed "cold" air intake helps a little. High flow cat and exhaust. Some will say you'll loose bottom end power by opening up the exhaust like that but I haven't noticed anything like that on mine. www.4bangerjp.com has lots of good ideas and info on the 2.5. You'll need to join by going through their Facebook page and requesting a username and password in order to see the full site.
BlackBeast Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Dang nice》》》hunting cabin! I love my 2.5 personally,but I'm not running 33s on it. 488s I'm sure would be great on it with those tires.
dasbulliwagen Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 I have JK takeoffs that measure right at 32 inches with 4.10 gearing. Its OK on the street, but if I did any offroading I would definitely want more gears. I think most 33's measure just a bit under that so 4.88 would be great.
wombat Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks for all the input guys. I'll try to check out4bangerjp when I get time.
Pete M Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 just don't put ANY money into a dana 35. invest your cash in a better axle. :thumbsup:
mnkyboy Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 All XJs with ABS got the D35. If its a non ABS rig that year should have a 29 spline 8.25.
Minuit Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Look for a flat spot on the bottom of the diff looking at it from the rear of the vehicle. If the bottom is flat it's an 8.25.
87Warrior Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 I'd have to say "mnkboy" has the best purpose built 2.5 here. I have grown to love the 2.5 in my 86. It do everything a 4.0 will do, just slower. I would suggest taking a close look at what you are really going to do with the truck. You mentioned hunting and cabin access, but I must ask if 33" tires are really necessary.
wombat Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 no, they are really necessary, but thats what I want... at least for now. 31's might work just fine. I will use it for off grid camping, and every little advantage I can get will help.
Crash Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 Was "said" cabin used in the Evil Dead movies? Looks like it. Haha. Awesome.
HOrnbrod Posted February 28, 2015 Posted February 28, 2015 said hunting. What's that? A said goat? :yes:
wombat Posted February 28, 2015 Author Posted February 28, 2015 wild mountain goat! no one ever believes they exit..
ggcnash Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 Just thought you might appreciate what runs around down in the swamp my Pops last deer of season
wombat Posted March 3, 2015 Author Posted March 3, 2015 Good one. The pic posted above is certainly not my biggest, but it was the first deer I killed after buying my own property.
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