Converted to 4wd yesterday and the day before. IT'S DONE

[Geonovast]

I'm converting my truck to 4wd on the 20th-21st and I was wondering if there's anything I should look out for? It seems like it should be a simple bolt-in swap.

 

I have..

 

No-disco D30 from 94 XJ

 

4wd Ax-4 converted to Ax-5 from 86 XJ, with NP 207

Pulled the CV yoke for the front, and I have the yoke from the sheared T-case that Jeepcomj posted up.

 

Proper shift linkages

 

Front driveshaft

 

Spare 2wd rear DS that will be cut down.

[mjeff87]

you'll need a longer speedo cable. Also, while you have the tranny out, you might want to think about replacing the clutch and pilot bearing, or at least the internal slave (if yours is internal). Also, the RMS on 2.5's cannot be changed without taking off the tranny. You'll have to remove the flywheel to get to it, but it's a $5 seal that you'll kick yourself over if you don't replace it and it goes south later on down the road. There's also a freezeplug at the back of the engine you might want to inspect and replace if it even looks suspect.

 

Jeff

[Geonovast]

I don't have a speedo cable, it's electronic. As for the RMS, this is the first truck I've owned that does not leak a drop of anything, and since the motor shouldn't be in the truck for much more than a year yet, possibly two, I'm not going to worry about it. Same for the freeze plug.

 

I do have an extra clutch sitting around...somewhere. Which will possibly be going in since I'm fairly certain it's in better condition than the one that's in the truck now.

 

As for the slave, yes, currently I have a shotty internal that's giving me problems, but the 86 trans is external and I have a brand new slave for it. Sorry, forgot to list that lol.

[500 MJ]

I hate to break it to ya but it took me a whole summer to swap in my 4wd setup. I know it can be done quicker but i have a hard time seeing it done in a weekend. I took great care in preparing all of my parts though as I went along and painted them all up nice and all...

[90PioSport99]

I hate to break it to ya but it took me a whole summer to swap in my 4wd setup. I know it can be done quicker but i have a hard time seeing it done in a weekend. I took great care in preparing all of my parts though as I went along and painted them all up nice and all...

The first time I did a 4.0 it took me a summer too. The next time it took me 8 hours. When I converted my MJ to 4wd it took me 2 full days working on it, and it could've been done quicker. It definitely varies from person to person and experience level though.

[mjeff87]

When I converted mine it took me the better part of 9 months, but I did alot of extra stuff to it along the way as well...and it was stored 300 miles away from me :( I drove up to PA on weekends to work on it, in a barn on my family's farm, with a single extension cord ran from the closest outlet 200 ft away :oops: I was also working solo for the most part, and the closest part store was 30 miles away.

 

I've helped do two other conversions since then, both done over a weekend. Heh.

 

Jeff

[Twisty]

When I converted mine it took me the better part of 9 months, but I did alot of extra stuff to it along the way as well...and it was stored 300 miles away from me :( I drove up to PA on weekends to work on it, in a barn on my family's farm, with a single extension cord ran from the closest outlet 200 ft away :oops: I was also working solo for the most part, and the closest part store was 30 miles away.

 

I've helped do two other conversions since then, both done over a weekend. Heh.

 

Jeff

 

Sounds a lot like myself :D

 

 

If you have any experience with axles/transmissions you could do it in 2 weekends. It took me 2 weekends (3 days) to take the transmission out my XJ, take the transmission out of my MJ, and put the one from the XJ into the MJ. And I had never done any think like that before.

[JeepcoMJ]

[if you have any experience with axles/transmissions you could do it in 2 weekends. It took me 2 weekends (3 days) to take the transmission out my XJ, take the transmission out of my MJ, and put the one from the XJ into the MJ. And I had never done any think like that before.

 

statements like that make me glad I had someone to show me how it's done...I can have engines out, and swapped, in 2 days (less if they're just bolt-in), and a tranny didn't take me but 5 hours (with all the crap I had to do to get it out then in) to get out and in a truck...

 

 

:D

[Geonovast]

Well luckily the donor trans is already out of the vehicle (years ago) and just needs to be done getting put together, which will be done this weekend. The axle is also out of the donor, and has the complete steering attached, so the only connection that I'll need to mess with is the tierod to pitman.

 

I've done transmissions before, but not going from 2wd to 4wd. And since the axle is non-disco, I won't have to worry about any vaccuum crap or any of that.

 

I'm not forseeing any problems, other than I'm still trying to find a machine shop in the area that can balance a DS.

 

I put up a post in the classifieds...but does anyone want the 2wd front axle?

[CEThomas]

Depends on experience, tools, if you have everything at hand and if you have a helper. Takes us about 1 day to change out the front axle, trans and t-case. add to more days to do a 2.5 to 4.0 swap. But that is 2 guys that know what they are doing and have all the tools, car lift and high lift trans / axle lift. But if you do much work on cars / trucks and plan it out prior to starting you can do it in a weekend. Also key is to get one other guy to help but not more then two as you will spend more time talking then working ;)

 

If it would be worth your drive to Ohio for a couple days you could stop by on a Saturday and we could put it up on the lift and do it in a day

[89eliminator]

it took me all weekend to get everything swapped out and all the 4x4 stuff put it in.

[Duner]

The first swap took a number of weekends but I wasn't on a time schedule. The 2wd ax-15 locked up I spent a week trying to find a replacement all of the trans available were for the 2.5 not the 4.0. Finally found a 4wd ax-15 for 4.0 at a total cost of $275 for the trans and transfer and so that's how the 4wd conversion started.

 

Tranny swap completed in about 5 hours, driveshaft shortened on monday about 1 hour.

 

Front axle swap - half day to pull it - 2 todays to clean and paint - half day to swap it fortunately I had new brake calipers for my 90 and I used a d30 froma an 89, same brakes so no issues there.

 

4wd shifter removed xj at a later time and last was a drive shaft from an xj.

 

Now that I no what to look for and have experience a weekend is more than adequate if you have your parts together dirveshafts altered on the first day of the week and your ready to go.

 

Of course this does not include complicating things by lifting at the same time like I did.

[87manche]

I did both axles and my lift in a weekend.

My brother and dad helped.

We had air tools.

[Geonovast]

Staying stock height for now, and I had all the tools I needed when I pulled the front end from my XJ, and I've had this trans out before. And Sears has gotten a lot more of my money since. :bowdown:

 

 

Depends on experience, tools, if you have everything at hand and if you have a helper. Takes us about 1 day to change out the front axle, trans and t-case. add to more days to do a 2.5 to 4.0 swap. But that is 2 guys that know what they are doing and have all the tools, car lift and high lift trans / axle lift. But if you do much work on cars / trucks and plan it out prior to starting you can do it in a weekend. Also key is to get one other guy to help but not more then two as you will spend more time talking then working Wink

 

If it would be worth your drive to Ohio for a couple days you could stop by on a Saturday and we could put it up on the lift and do it in a day rockin

 

Everything is getting good and prepped this weekend. Prolly gonna go through a can of PB on my truck this next week.

 

Jeepcomj's coming out for at least one day, and hopefully at least my dad or brother will be around to help. My bro doesn't know much about this stuff, but if I point at bolts and say "get it out" he can understand that much.

 

lol, the 2.5 to 4.0 swap isn't going to happen until next summer at the earliest. At that point I plan on my truck being down for a couple of months, since it's a stroker, getting SOA in the rear and an equivelant lift in the front, all rust spots will be fixed and a new paint job, getting bucket seats and a center console, no more bench

 

But I got ahold of a guy yesterday who has the HO wiring harness for me, and possibly a 3.55 D44 rear! :cheers:

[Geonovast]

Ok, looking forward to starting the swap tomorrow...but I had to @#$% around with the trans some more tonight, and I hit a bump.

 

It won't go into fifth anymore.

 

Not like it's sliding up there and not doing anything, its just NOT going up, just like it doesnt on a 4 speed. Meh.

 

Depending on how fast the axle swap goes...I may be able to @#$% around with it again Sat night, but I doubt it.

[over2land]

Did you already put the 4WD body side bracket in the truck?

 

I've yet to do it, but it looks to me like the interior will need to come out, or at least the driver's side stuff, to get under the carpet and drill the 4-holes and put the bolts in.

[tjbliley]

I did my swap in a weekend. Matter of fact I did it twice in a week. I had to tear it all down and redo it cause I did not check the tranny/converter before I did my install. Jeff helped me and so did a few others. If you start on Friday evening you can finish in time for football sunday night. You just have to have everything ready to go. If you have any questions just ask me or Jeff. We had to troublehsoot just about every issue I have heard of so far.

[Geonovast]

Ok...so I got the front axle off today, and were getting ready to put the D30 on...except the fecking Lugnuts won't come off...so wheels can't come off...so it won't go under the truck. I hope the damn things will break tomorrow, so I can at least get the axle bolted on so I can go to work on monday. Tranny will have to wait. It'll give me time to fix it anyway.

 

Doesn't help that I pretty much threw my back out, so getting the new axle in is gonna be fun. Especially with only one person to help...who isn't very car-savvy.

[Geonovast]

Got the D30 on...went surprisingly well, after I took some of those bolt-out things to the lugnuts. Torch helps too.

 

6-7 hours to get the old axle off...about 2 1/2 to get this one on. I'm happy.

 

And since I used the 4.0 springs, I got about 2 inches of lift in the front.

 

Much better look for her

 

 

 

BTW I think these are the best pictures I've gotten a chance to take of my truck...since they weren't taken with a camera phone.

[beaterjeep]

The lil MJ's looking good there man. Sorry again I couldn't stop out to help out. Stoopid doctor's orders anyways.. lol

[JeepcoMJ]

rock on man.

 

next thing I think...get a driveshaft measurement from someone else (hint here, someone please tell us what your swb 4 cylinder 5 speed 4wd rear driveshaft length is from your comanche).

 

install tranny

 

and build some 2" lift shackles for the rear as a temporary lift measure.

 

 

looking great though. lose that thingy on the front...but don't break it, my old man could use one :P

[JeepcoMJ]

I went and visited Correy today, we had intended to install the tranny, but 5th gear wasn't working properly (he can explain it...it was so dumb lol), and he got everything rigged right but wasn't working properly still.

 

so I came, tapped the shifter linkage with a hammer, worked my magic, and took about 30 seconds to get 5th shifting :D

 

anyways, we didn't get the tranny in. the rest of the day was spent pricing out ball joints (turns out the ones on his front end are bad), getting 2 uppers and 1 lower (other lower is in on wednesday), and getting the tool to do it from his dad...then realizing that neither of us know how.

 

so, as it's not too bad yet and will still get him from A to B with little trouble, we left it rather than risk screwing it up to a point that he couldn't drive it.

 

anyways, got the tranny completely finished, and put the np231 front yoke on the np207 t-case because his t-case was for a CV shaft and we wanted the ujoint shaft (I gave him one for a 2.5/2.8).

 

so that's done, he has the stuff for ball joints and I think?...it will get done this week.

 

also picked up new line for the clutch slave since we're converting it from an internal to an external. so got that somewhat bent, and will finish bending after the trans. is up in there. we're installing the trans. next sunday, we have the proper measurements of the 2 trannys, and he's going to have the difference taken out of the spare 2wd shaft I brought him. then it will be all 100% bolt-in.

[Geonovast]

Forgot to mention that I've got a complete clutch kit to throw in it too.

 

New ball joints, clutch kit, slave cylinder, and probably both new rear d-shaft u joints and I might as well do the wheel joints too when I do the ball joints. She better drive pretty nice.

 

And if that trans does give me problems and I have to back to 2wd...at least the new clutch will be in there? And it will stay external too. @#$% internal slaves :mad:

[ejndssn]

i 2 have come to dislike the internal slave setup they have been such a that is why i went to the external setup and have a relative new reman of an internal in the garage. after the second slave popping off in two months :headpop: and this could have been me :dunno: i made the switch and had no problem since

[Geonovast]

Well...it's DONE. FINALLY.

 

Jeepco came out and we were able to get the tranny swap done in two days.

 

Several notes for anyone who does something like this.

 

1. You CAN convert an Ax-4 into an Ax-5, I was told it couldn't be done, but I did it, and the transmission works beautifully.

 

2. Make sure your original tranny and the one going in use the same style of speed sender, or you have both. We didn't figure out that the 91 trans that came out had the larger style, and the 86 trans that went in had a smaller one. Unfortunatly I didn't have the original one for the 86, cause my dad doesn't know how to scrap vehicles.

 

3. If you're doing a manual, make sure you check the clutch lines/master/slave cylinders. My truck originally had an internal slave with a plastic line going from the master to the slave, with no fittings. We figured that out when we went to meet it up with my new external slave.

 

Thankfully I'd saved the Master and line from my 88/Puky, so we were able to make that work.