Hello Fellow Jeep Lovers, need tech info PLEASE

[jgbigfish]

My first post, please help with info.
I am proud owner of 85 CJ 7 with 4.2 I6 Auto transmission, AC (dealer installed b4 sale) only 120K miles. all original except paint and a few mods.
I just found a recently wrecked 96 4X4 Cherokee with 4.0 HO and all drivetrain & electronics I can buy for $500.00, only thing damaged is radiator.
I wanted to go to a 350 Chevy, but this is a deal if it will work.
Will it be efficient to pull drivetrain, front & rear axels, engine, transmission, xfr case, & electronics into my CJ?? Tilt column too if it will fit. I still have Dana 30 & AMC 20.
I have converted dozens of 9 inch Ford rears from leaf springs to coils for racecars, so I see no problem reversing the proceedure for my CJ`s leaf system, since I am buying complete vehicle, I want to keep the disc brakes and delete the ABS.
CJ has 3.55 gears, will love 3.73s from Cherokee & fuel efficiency of 4.0 HO
Will this swap work? I am great welder/fabricator
Come on Jeep Gurus, let me know something fast before this deal gets away.
Thanks, Jim G

 

[69jeepcj]

I dont know if it will work but dont see why not if you take everything from the 96. I would think using a yj wrangler would make it easier but who knows. You would be starting with basicly a body shell and bare frame and I would think anything is possible from that stand point. Your cj front axle center dif is on passenger side and the 96,s will be on the driver side, and same with the tcase input and output. The rearend in the 96 is weaker than the AMC20 by a large margin, and Your current tcase is stronger as well. It seems like a lot of work for what I see being only a slightly strength improvement of the front axle ujoints and a smoother running engine. Everything else will be weaker IMO, The trany is probably weaker, the tcase and rearend are def weaker. I think the swap is possible but not a lot of strength benifits from it, but I may be wrong as i dont know a whole lot about cherokees, but do cj,s. Others will chime in soon Im sure and may know more on this than I do. Ive always wanted to put a yj body on a cj frame and drivetrain and use the yj,s leaf springs for the better ride quality. OH, if you do this and use the steering column from the 96, it will work but, grab the steering box, pump, hoses and steering shaft as the cj box has dif splines and dif hose ends.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

XJ 4.0L auto is usually 3.55 axle gears.

The XJ is a common donor for CJ's and Wranglers, go for it.

 

[jgbigfish]

well I thought the axels would be better, dosent the cherokee have a Dana 44 in rear? I have Dana 300 xfr case & Chrysler 900 auto, also have extras for both. Sounds like I just need engine and electronics to run EFI, still a good deal. Can part out the rest for profit for more aftermkt upgrades. I have 4" lift springs, so ride quality is null & void. I just wanted more power and mileage. 4.2 is tired, and I`m tired of carb adjusting every time weather changes. LOL

 

[jgbigfish]

I sold Jeeps new throughout 90s and early 2000s. Maybe it was my dealer, but all the cherokees I sold had 3.73s, unless my memory is failing bad. I want to keep my leaf springs. 69jeepcj says everything but engine will be weaker than what I have. I dont rock crawl but do some tough off roading. I mainly want more power and mileage for towing. Get the bird allot hauling my boat. LOL I`m tuff skinned and mean so i can shoot back and mean it.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

I would say 99% of XJ 4.0L autos are 3.55, I would be 100% but Jeep is good at using whatever they had available lol.

The '96 rear axle is the Dana35 or, if it has a tow package, the Chrysler 8.25". Avoid the d35, and the 8.25 is probably comparable in strength to your AMC20. Keep your AMC20 if it has one-piece axleshafts, that's a strong axle.

Be aware you may need to outboard your front spring hangers if you go to a wider axle.

If it were me, I'd use the engine and electronics and leave it at that.

 

[jgbigfish]

yeah I`m aware the 35s are junk. Had a full set from `79 Chevy 3/4 ton p/u, but when I was out of town for a while they got trashed. I guess my YJ buddy was wrong when he told me XJ was D44s. I really just want the engine anyway. I`ve been building axel trusses since the 70s. Have`nt been inside the axels on this jeep yet, so not sure about anything inside. Just was lookin for cheap alternative. My YJ buddy has hung Currie 44 & 60 under his and has about $75K in it. I don`t have that option. Of course his never gets dirty either, while mine is rarely clean. I started 4 wheelin in 77 and only my convertible car was not 4X4 - hated that car. I see a challenge on side of the road, I wanna attack it. If the axels and transmission are not as good as what I have, then a 2wd local will work, wont need to drag trailer 200 mi round trip for the 4X4. As far as the suggestion of a Wrangler for parts, they do not exist in junk yards around here. May just keep on look out for Chevy 350 or a 4.3 HO from S 10 Blazer. I can fab up mounts.
Would the transmission from XJ bolt to my D300? Or have to keep NP? Would like that 4th gear, if I go Chevy then a TH400 would be nice, I know there are adapters for D300 for that. I have hip probs, so stick is out, need to keep auto.
About 3 mi from here is a nice Renegade with 304 slowly turning to rust, but guy wont sell, I hate idiots that let good stuff rot, also an old Scout with a tree growing thru engine bay, wont sell either. Shame huh???

 

[69jeepcj]

87 2wd cherokee with tow package will have d44 rear axle. "Some" of the later cherokees I believe
did come with d44,s but I dont know what years or option package they came in, and im not positive of that. Many people feel that a AMC 20 rear axle with one peice axle kit is as or stronger than a dana 44 due to the larger ring and pinion. If you welded the axle tubes to the center dif to prevent the tubes from spining and add a one peice axle kit to the AMC20, you will have ONE STONG axle. As for a auto for the cj, I would look into th350, th400, im not sure if it would be a direct bolt on for the d300 or not but I think that the 70,s era cj,s used the th350 and I think the pickups, and cherokees may have had the th400 (not positive on the 400). The chev 350 and 4.3 are popular swaps for the cj. In the early 80s jeep changed trans and tcases for the 300, so what fits a 70,s era cj will not nessisarily (lol spelling) fit a 80,s model. Find a gm trans that is compatible with the 300 bolt patern and you should be good to go, or you can get a adapter to bolt on the 300. Im not into autos so I really dont know what auto trans will accept the d300. Autos from the 70s era cj will fit your jeep but you would have to use the d20 tcase or an adapter for your 300. jeep wagoneers from the 70,s and i think some 80,s had front and rear d44 axles with leaf springs, and are popular swaps for cjs, as mentioned above going to a wider "front" axle will require you to mount the springs on the outside of the frame instead of under it.

 

[superj]

if the cherokee has a tow package, it will have 3.73 also. my wife's 95 cherokee sport had the chrysler 8.25 rear end in 3.73 ratio. the auto trans was great, not a bit of trouble. and the ho 4.0 would spin the tires like nothing

 

[superj]

oh ya, that is the factory tow package, not one somebody put on.

also, the factory tow package comes with larger rear brakes and a heavier radiator. large transmission cooler too