Cherokee Motor

I was wondering has anyone swaped a motor and auto gear box from a '96 sprot model into there old CJ
I was wondering if there was any problems incountered or anything

 

Re: Cherokie Motor

Not sure if she'll fit under the hood of anything up to a CJ3B. Maybe be too tall, and you'll have a good tight squeeze of a drive shaft out to your differential, even more so with transfer case. Now, old CJ is a catch all, so what kinda CJ ya got?

 

I mean too tall for the hood of a 2A 3A... 3B could take it, but too long is the main key. Oh he's got a Cj4 I now see. Oops

 

Yeah one minor issue. Too long, the motor is the I-6 which does not fit unless you plan on major firewall mods. Second the auto is too long. Third you will need an adapter for the T-case since the XJ t-case is drivers side drop and the flattie is passenger side so you will need to adapt something that is passenger side drop in.

unless over there XJs come with a totally different motor then this side of the world. If they do then I have no clue.

 

Ive got a CJ4 also known as the long Wheel Base 3b
Its bout as long as a cherokie n Im not worried about doing a little bit of cutting and welding Im more worried about the electical side of things
And I would be taking the t case from the cherokie aswell

 

Is your 4 and the XJ the same side drop? Same rotation and all?

 

care to post a pic of your ride? i dont know if i've ever seen a CJ-4...

 

Ill try and get some pics of it up when I get home
My cj and the XJ are different side drops but theres so many holes in the floor it doesnt matter what side drop it is

Heres a pic of one for sale
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=110091345&key=289412
Mines a bit better looking then this beast but it gives the idea

 

Cool link, Sparky.

 

with skill, time and money, anything is possible
but.....just because you have the donor 4.0/AW4 lying around doesn't necc mean it's a good swap candidate......

 

With a CJ-4, the longer wheelbase will allow a longer transmission, But an inline 6 is too long for the engine compartment. Inline 6s can be installed with a lot of firewall cutting, but I'd guess no one has done that in the USA in the past 25 or 30 years. Today there are plenty of modern and powerful inline 4s and V6s that are much easier to adapt.

The problem with the drop is not the holes in the floors - tis' the front axle. With a drivers side drop (DSD) the driveshaft will be on the wrong side for the front axle. You could change the axle, but then you may as well change the rear axle too, and there's not much left of the CJ-4 other than a frame and body.

 

In the NZ jeep club there are a few guys with cj4's that have in-6 motors in them running stock gear boxs but they've only got ford 250's in them but they didnt have any fire wall mods done to them and they got their jeeps like that
Im keen on having the xj diffs in the truck aswell cause Its a bit more modern and its got a lsd in the back and some better brakes
Im also keen on a nissan sr20 but the work in mating it up isnt worth it for me as its only gana be a bush truck

 

XJ axles are really wide... I mean like nearly 10inches wider then stock.

 

I know but for the larger foot print the better steering and braking systems far outweigh the extra mud that its gana through up into our faces n mud is good

 

XJ axles are just short of 60" width. that extra can be accomodated with wheel off-set. i cant comment on whether the 4.0L will fit in the engine bay but the engine harness is pretty easy to adapt to a non-OEM application. i just spent 2 days last week disecting and reducing an HO 4.0L harness down to the bare minimum of circuits for a rock buggy. i got it down to 3 power wires and a few grounds. you can also upgrade the transission managment of the AW4 electronically to full manual control with a simple kit from here.. www.AWSHIFTING.com
good luck with the swap!! i'm curious what axles were available in XJs down-under. D44 fronts were available for south american exports but never here in the US.

 

Thanx Mike thats the info what i was after
I think they have D30 and D35 with a lsd in the back