Okay , i need a jeep genius. Looking at doing a 2wd to 4wd conversion on a 96 cherokee . 4.0 automatic and all that. I dont want any its cheaper to sell stuff. It has to be this Jeep . What do i need? Partswise and toolwise . How much time am i looking at . And what will this probably cost me. Any advice welcome i want to hear stories and do this right !

 

Need a donor jeep of the same year that is 4wd... Being you have a 96 you need some 96 specific parts computer wise... 96 is a oddball year in the jeep world mix of old and new... Axles and rears you can get out of any year it al depends how you want to do it... But like I said in the beginning you need a donor jeep so you have everything. To make it easy on you hope that helps

 

Youll need:
4wd Transmission, a transfer case (NP 231 or NP 242), all the shift linkage for the 4wd, a front axle (dana 30 (must match your rear axle gear ratio)), and a front drive shaft.

 

Probably cheapest to buy a wrecked jeep and grab the front axle, transfer case, trans I think.

 

A complete jeep would be best but if thats not an option I'll tell you how I did my truck. I didnt have room (or want) for a complete vehicle for parts so I picked up pieces a little at a time. I picked up a complete front axle brakes and all for $100.00. I ordered a 3" lift kit and installed the axle and lift kit on a weekend. I then had the trucks alignment done and drove it that way untill I found the t-case and drive shafts I needed. I have a 5speed BA5/10 so instead of changing the trans I found a 4wd tail shaft housing and cut my output shaft down and used the same trans (this is not an option on all transmission types). I then drove it around anouther six months untill I found the shift linkage I needed.

You will need a transmission, T-case, front axle (That matches the rear ratio), shift linkage, and both front and rear drive shafts. Its not a bad job and all you need are basic hand tools, a jack, and jack stands. You also need to drill the holes in the floor for the shift linkage but the area is marked with dimples where you need to drill. It is a direct bolt in job.

 

What kind of computer parts are you referring to ?

 

I don't remember exactly but I know some parts are 96 specific I just forgot which parts are sorry

 

As long as. Your new AW4 uses the same generation TCU as the old one you'll be fine. No computer difference between 2WD and 4WD

 

I want it to transfer between 2wd and 4wd is this rarer or harder or ..?

 

do you mean after you have changed over? if so you want a 231j transfer case. as for the swap i went 2wd to 4x4 but i went auto to 5spd aswell the 96 computer will be hard to find and the transmission is controlled by the TCU and the tcase plugs are just for the light.

i had to buy a transmission jack from harbor freight and there are a few tools your going to need like the e12 socket and a torque wrench. ill see if i can pull up some of my references.

i took me a couple day by my self and i was 17 with just a hint of knowledge but it was a great experience you will not have everything you need there is always something you forget and you dont need a parts jeep but if you get lucky and find a crashed one you could buy it cheap take what you need drop the old stuff in the back (friend of mine and i did this more than once) and sell it to a junk yard for 450ish you might just be able to gett away winning or very close to even.

 

Just throwing out an idea but while u are looking for 4WD parts, +/-$250 and about 2 hours in your drive way with a couple of ordinary tools, u can install a auto-locking rear diff in your 2WD XJ. It will totally change the attitude of any 2WD vehicle on or off road.

 

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=947210
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1061615

you want to find question threads and learn as much as you can

 

231j transfer case how rare ?

 

Installed on most YJs, MJs, TJs, and XJs. I think there's about 2.5-3 million of them

 

Thread reviving . Back then I was highschool student with no real money . Now I'm graduated with a good job.
For this swap I know I'll need:
Tcase
Transmission
front and rear driveshafts
Linkages
And front axles
But what electrical parts will I need ? And will I need a new cluster so my part time light will work ?