2wd to 4wd comversion

[brooksstangl]

Hey, I just got a 1987 Comanche. It has rear wheel drive but I'd prefer four wheel for the snow. I was told by the person that sold the truck said that I can get a donor Cherokee and use the drive train out of it to do the conversion. Would it matter what year Cherokee I use? I know I'd need the transfer case, front axle, front and rear drive shaft. what else would I need for the conversion?

[IronManche87]

It's surprisingly pretty darn straight forward for these trucks. I too have an 87 I'm in the process of swapping. Mines a long bed which the only difficult part is/was finding the rear shaft. On a short bed (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) you can use I believe a front xj shaft with an SYE. But things needed would be as follows:

Front axle

Front driveshaft

4wd trans w/ tcase

Rear driveshaft with correct length and spline count for your tcase output shaft or SYE

4wd shift selector

Correct Speedo cable/connector into tcase

Shift linkage bracket that bolts to trans tunnel

That I believe is everything minus the badges which once you swap is just a nice touch I found it nice to do it in stages. I've been driving around on the 4wd front axle for a couple months now as I tried tracking down a cheaper rear shaft and haven't had a single issue even with doing the alignment myself. If you are lifted it's easier but I also had to get a new track bar since the 4wd axle sits the front a tad higher. I also would suggest rebuilding the front axle before swapping it in. Makes it a million times easier replacing everything beforehand. Then it's literally unbolt the 2wd axle then bolt the 4wd one in. If it's lifted I'd recommend adjustable control arms and track bar so once everything is in and you get it aligned, they can center the axle up as well as adjust caster. For the entire swap, you only have to drill out 4 pre dimpled holes for the shift linkage bracket. HOWEVER, this would be the perfect opportunity to swap out the crappy z linkage and get an aftermarket shift linkage kit which will eliminate 1) the z linkage setup which is prong to popping put and 2) will eliminate the need to drill out those holes. Unfortunately, I learned that AFTER drilling out the holes... If you have any questions feel free to ask away here as there are fellows here that are WAY more MJ saavy than myself but feel free to drop a pm as well with any questions! I'm sure plenty of us can provide pics as well as helpful tips and tricks when the time comes! Good luck and happy jeepin'!



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[brooksstangl]

thank you so much, that helps a lot. Does it matter what year drive train I get for the swap?

[Smokeyyank]

Not really just a "bolt up" deal but can be done easily enough if you got the tools, space and time. 

 

Yes the year matters and you might want to Frankenstein it to take advantage of the better parts during certain years. You don't have to but if youre going to do the swap might as well do it right. 

 

What tranny do you have? Auto or manny? 

 

Axles go with 97-99 it should be a front HPD30 non CAD with the bigger ujoints. If you by some chance have a D44 rear already (MJ gurus will know more about factory options than I do) keep it if not, you can upgrade it to a 8.25 is on the same years XJ 97-99 and is a great axle. You can also pull a 8.25 from a KJ and it will have disc. You'll need to reweld the perches though as MJs are sua and XJs are soa. ear will depend on if it was manual or auto. IIRC Auto should be 3.55 and manual is 3.05. 

 

Tcase you can either find a 231 or 242. 242 is nice if you see a lot of snow driving because it offers part time 4wd. If not 231 it a great case. There's a whole other topic on the "best" 231/242 I won't dive into but you can Google it. 

 

Drive shafts aren't a big deal. Just pull from whatever you get your tcase or axles from. Its probably best to goto a drive shaft place to have balanced and stretched if needed. 

 

You'll also need cross members, linkage, center console/shift area, plenty of beer and some extra hands. 

 

[IronManche87]

Not really just a "bolt up" deal but can be done easily enough if you got the tools, space and time. 
 
Yes the year matters and you might want to Frankenstein it to take advantage of the better parts during certain years. You don't have to but if youre going to do the swap might as well do it right. 
 
What tranny do you have? Auto or manny? 
 
Axles go with 97-99 it should be a front HPD30 non CAD with the bigger ujoints. If you by some chance have a D44 rear already (MJ gurus will know more about factory options than I do) keep it if not, you can upgrade it to a 8.25 is on the same years XJ 97-99 and is a great axle. You can also pull a 8.25 from a KJ and it will have disc. You'll need to reweld the perches though as MJs are sua and XJs are soa. ear will depend on if it was manual or auto. IIRC Auto should be 3.55 and manual is 3.05. 
 
Tcase you can either find a 231 or 242. 242 is nice if you see a lot of snow driving because it offers part time 4wd. If not 231 it a great case. There's a whole other topic on the "best" 231/242 I won't dive into but you can Google it. 
 
Drive shafts aren't a big deal. Just pull from whatever you get your tcase or axles from. Its probably best to goto a drive shaft place to have balanced and stretched if needed. 
 
You'll also need cross members, linkage, center console/shift area, plenty of beer and some extra hands. 
 

It definitely does matter what you'll be swapping in but in my case, I got an 87 parts xj for my 87 and literally was entirely bolt on. But if you plan on swapping a newer drivetrain the work will be more extensive but you'll be able to piece together a pretty solid drivetrain. Just depends on the use of the truck.

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[brooksstangl]

I've gor a 5 speed manual with a 2.1L V4

[Jeep Driver]

2 hours ago, brooksstangl said:

I've gor a 5 speed manual with a 2.1L V4

2.5L inline 4.