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89 4x4 Conversion And AX15 Swap HELP


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I know at least the driver side motor mount is cracked pretty bad. The passenger side one doesn't looked cracked but they look kinda pulled at a weird angle but not by much. I do plan on replacing them both once the weather starts getting better. I haven't had time to put in the crossmember yet either, hopefully this weekend I can get that done and installed.

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I didn’t read every post in this, but figured I would share my ax-15 swap experience. I got the ax-15 and crossmember together. The bellhousing I took off of an nv3550. I used the second set of holes, kept the plate in the floor the same, and my ba-10 driveshaft worked. I ran into no clearance issues anywhere. If you didn’t swap the pilot bearing out and the input shaft isn’t being supported it will wear out the front bearing and/or break. 1975 cj 5 304 3 spd Pilot bushing is the correct inner and outer diameter to work with an ax-15 input shaft and fit in a 4.0 crankshaft. I’ve heard rumor of 2wd Cherokee rear driveshafts working for 4wd Comanches, but don’t take that as 100% fact. Honestly I guess I just had dumb luck with everything in mine working out like it did.


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Alright ladies and gentlemen. The crossmember i hot thats for an ax15 fit almost perfectly. The bolt holes still don't align right. From what i can tell the crossmember will bolt with one or 2 bolts on each side which is fine, mine isn't working right because i can tell its clearly bent... so i need another one. After installing the crossmember as good as i could ( new mount, and only one side bolting on) its basically in place with a jack holding it up. Because my trans isnt rammed into my floor board now i was able to install the shifter!!! Everyone said i would need a new trans tunnel cover plate but mine fits perfectly which means the 2wd trans that was in it was a factory ax15 2wd version. Saved time and money there. So for this project right now i just need a new crossmember, drivelines made, clutch hooked up sense i went from internal slave to external. If anyone has any ideas how to get the newer style clutch hooked up to the older style let me know otherwise ill end up having to do some custom crap. I also need 4x4 linkage and shift handle stuff and it'll be good to go. I got it running today and watched the tcase outputs spin everything seemed to work great just didnt want to shift around to much without a clutch.

20200216_161813.jpg

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On another note, I found what I think will work to adapt the old style master cylinder to the new style slave. It is a custom braided line with fittings on it to adapt them. I don't know for sure if this is going to work but it says it does an a YJ on a thread i read so I'm hoping its the same otherwise i waisted 85 bucks lmao

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On 2/16/2020 at 7:25 PM, Killernoise said:

Alright ladies and gentlemen. The crossmember i hot thats for an ax15 fit almost perfectly. The bolt holes still don't align right. From what i can tell the crossmember will bolt with one or 2 bolts on each side which is fine, mine isn't working right because i can tell its clearly bent... so i need another one. After installing the crossmember as good as i could ( new mount, and only one side bolting on) its basically in place with a jack holding it up. Because my trans isnt rammed into my floor board now i was able to install the shifter!!! Everyone said i would need a new trans tunnel cover plate but mine fits perfectly which means the 2wd trans that was in it was a factory ax15 2wd version. Saved time and money there. So for this project right now i just need a new crossmember, drivelines made, clutch hooked up sense i went from internal slave to external. If anyone has any ideas how to get the newer style clutch hooked up to the older style let me know otherwise ill end up having to do some custom crap. I also need 4x4 linkage and shift handle stuff and it'll be good to go. I got it running today and watched the tcase outputs spin everything seemed to work great just didnt want to shift around to much without a clutch.

20200216_161813.jpg

 

I know you say your new crossmember is bent, but......try unbolting it and flipping it around 180 degrees and see if the bolt holes line up better.  Been there, done that.  It may look symmetrical but it is NOT.

 

For my clutch line, I used a braided SS line (with fittings already pressed on) from Advance Adapters.  They have (or had at the time) 2 different lengths.  I don't remember the exact sizes but I chose the longer one which gave me extra line to route it away from the downpipe.  

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Also, when you source the shifter bits for the TC, make sure you get AX-15 parts.  In particular, 3 specific pieces.  The actual shift handle that bolts into the trans tunnel is universal, but the bracket that attaches to the trans, the bracket that attaches to the underside of the trans tunnel, and the rod that connects the shift mechanism (the one that adjusts by loosening the setscrew) are all specific to the AX-15.  If you want to stay factory, you need very specific parts......or you can go with an aftermarket shifter assembly (Novak, etc.) and eliminate all of the failure-prone factory stuff and not have to worry about it.

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