rockincrawler Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I read that 98/99 XJ are the best for making a crawler because they have the high pinion D30 and larger U-joints. But do those parts swap into a 87/88 Commanche. Sorry, Its a old subject, but probably a frrequently asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Yes the axle will bolt right in. If you've got the vacuum disconnect axle in it now, you'll have to do something about the vacuum lines since they won't be used anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 you don't need to limit yourself to 98/99. all XJs up to and including 99 are high pinion. and they started using the bigger ujoints around ~95. but the ujoints and shafts can be easily swapped into earlier dana 30s too, including the CAD axles. It is a common upgrade to throw TJ shafts into an otherwise stock MJ dana 30. (all years of TJ have the bigger ujoints, but all TJ dana 30s are low pinion so the axle itself isn't an upgrade) there should be a writeup in the link in my sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeyyank Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 98/99 are the best for the XJ's as a whole but not necessarily the axles. 97+ used the bigger ujoints on the D30 and still was a HP. Also 8.25 went to 29 spline from 27. It will swap but you'll need to reweld perches for the rear. If you're also needing a tranny and t case you're going to have to frankenstein it all together depending on what you currently have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockincrawler Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 Thanks for all the great input, great site. What would be the best XJ to buy as a donor for the least about of work? My MJ is a 4cyl 4sp manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 keeping that engine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeyyank Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Umm.....depends. What are you trying to do? Full drivetrain swap? Just axles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockincrawler Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 Well, its Calif. so an engine swap complicates things. So lets say, keep the 4 cyl and find a vehicle with 5sp AX5. I guess any of those 95 and up, but did they make them. Also, can you swap in AC into a non AC car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 12 minutes ago, rockincrawler said: Well, its Calif. so an engine swap complicates things. So lets say, keep the 4 cyl and find a vehicle with 5sp AX5. I guess any of those 95 and up, but did they make them. Also, can you swap in AC into a non AC car? No, you cannot take AC from a '98 XJ and transfer it to your '88.......accessories are different. Yes, find an AX5 and T-case from a '98 Wrangler or XJ. Yes, get an 8.25 from a '97up XJ. You will have, or should have, 4.10 gears..........if you find an XJ '97 up with AX5..........those are the axles you want, will be 4.11s and are real hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 or just buy any cheap 4x4 2.5/5speed XJ of any year that you can find and swap later model shafts into the front. worry about finding a stronger rear axle for later. gearing is more important. (any 03-05 4banger liberty will have 4.10 gears in their 8.25 plus it's a couple inches wider plus it has disks already) does this project have enough budget for regearing the axles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockincrawler Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 Yes, I plan to regear for larger tires and the 4 cyl. Its a very clean original 2wd with 112k miles, almost hate to modify it. Steering is a little loose, but I can fix that. Manual steering and no AC are a bummer, plus the lack of 6cyl. Thinking a using JK rubicon rims/tires with a 1" adapter/spacer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokeyyank Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Personally, I wouldn't invest time or money in the 4 banger but that's just me. I'd swap in a 4.0 and move on, but again that's just me. People have done it plenty of times and nothing wrong it but for me trying to get up the hill the 4cyl just wouldn't keep up unless I was running forced induction. You could always just keep it in semi stock form and make a sweet street truck. You're going to have to run deeper gears with the 4 vs the 6. Not the end of the world if you're re gearing anyways but you'll be a little more limited. Highest you can run would be 5.13's which isn't really advised on the D30/8.25 but you can. Really 4.88's will be the max and with a 4 banger you're going to be capped at 33's maybe 35's but that's really pushing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockincrawler Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 My project 87 MJ is coming along nicely. Bed coated the headliner, looks great. Removed the seat covers to find perfect seats. But I need some help with that pesky emergency brake pedal. Is there a "best know solution" to fix/replace the assembly? I want to retain the foot pedal. Also, is it possible to swap in the AC unit from a 87 Cherokee 6cyl into the 87 MJ 4 cyl? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 what's wrong with your e-brake? is the ratcheting part ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockincrawler Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 yea, the ratchet teeth are worn down. Have to use my emergency brick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 I think there's a refurb thread in the link in my sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockincrawler Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 Thanks Pete, Been looking for a nice list of BKMs. I removed the Parking Brake Assy and discovered the teeth worn so I removed every other one as shown in photo. Made the teeth twice the size/depth. Theirs one original tooth on the left for comparison. Works great. Also found an easy way to remove that "Sportruck" sticker without damaging the paint. My pressure washer with a small fan tip removed the sticker and CitruStrip Adhesive Remover with plastic razer blades removed the glue. Thanks for a great site. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 you should add that to the "most important tip" thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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