4x4 swap

[hgeranium]

I know this topic has probably been beat to death but I’d like to hear a current response from yall. 
 

realistically, how difficult and how worth it is it to do a 4x4 swap? I know basically everything can be achieved through junkyard parts but I feel like I would fall into a rabbit hole of “while I’m here might as well (insert upgrade here)”. From my understanding the major parts you would need are a new front axle, transfer case,  driveshaft stuff(?), and (might as well) upgraded rear axle (D44, disk brakes etc.)

 

Is doing all this work even worth considering if I am able to find a readymade 4x4 Cherokee? I really want a vehicle for wheeling, but with how rare Comanches have gotten it would be hard for me to take it out on the trail. 

[Pete M]

buy a beater XJ and wheel it    bonus points if you can find one that is from the same era as your truck so you have a ton of spare parts later on.    

[75sv1]

Transmission. 

[TheNerfsmith]

12 hours ago, hgeranium said:

I know this topic has probably been beat to death but I’d like to hear a current response from yall. 
 

realistically, how difficult and how worth it is it to do a 4x4 swap? I know basically everything can be achieved through junkyard parts but I feel like I would fall into a rabbit hole of “while I’m here might as well (insert upgrade here)”. From my understanding the major parts you would need are a new front axle, transfer case,  driveshaft stuff(?), and (might as well) upgraded rear axle (D44, disk brakes etc.)

 

Is doing all this work even worth considering if I am able to find a readymade 4x4 Cherokee? I really want a vehicle for wheeling, but with how rare Comanches have gotten it would be hard for me to take it out on the trail. 

I was fortunate that mine already had 4x4, but the only transfer case I found with the proper input spline count was electronic speedometer. So the shop I had doing the work and I came up with a solution to put the cable speedometer back half (which I wanted) to the front half of the new case. They were both NP231's and it seemed like the best way to go about it at the time. Regarding the upgrade rabbit hole I'm pretty sure I'm to far gone already lol. 

[hgeranium]

17 minutes ago, TheNerfsmith said:

I was fortunate that mine already had 4x4, but the only transfer case I found with the proper input spline count was electronic speedometer. So the shop I had doing the work and I came up with a solution to put the cable speedometer back half (which I wanted) to the front half of the new case. They were both NP231's and it seemed like the best way to go about it at the time. Regarding the upgrade rabbit hole I'm pretty sure I'm to far gone already lol. 

Yeah I think I’m just going to get a separate XJ. I would want to manual swap on top of that and at that point I’d have the Comanche of Theseus

[89 MJ]

Unless you have some sort of sentimental attachment to your MJ, it might be better off to look at selling it and finding another with a manual and 4x4.  That said, both mania swaps and 4x4 swaps have been well documented on here and don’t seem that bad. If it’s a truck you plan on keeping for a long time, you might as well make it the truck that you want. 

[watchamakalit]

I 4x4 swapped mine. I purchased an ax15\231 from a wrangler that was getting a small block swap. The rest of the parts were sourced from the junkyard. Not a difficult swap but not super easy either.