Stock 4WD Conversion Questions
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Post by ashen on Sept 26, 2015 22:04:12 GMT -5
Okay guys here's the deal my fiance bought her 2003 MS XLS 3.5 Auto 2wd brand new and shes sentimental about it, she wants to keep it and modify it for trail-running/camping/DD. It just hit 190K slight Transmission flare and the usual Evap CEL are the only problems. We're living in Colorado and well the roads suck in the winter here. (She borrowed her dads truck last time we lived here)
I'm looking on CL at a 2000 MS LTD 4wd with blown head gaskets to use for the conversion. I'm only interested in doing a stock 4WD Conversion not AWD mainly for the reason its less I have to fix down the road and tires aren't cheap.
I'm a Aircraft Mechanic with a sheet-metal tool manufacturing background and I've done a fair amount of car work over the years. Mainly Honda engine swaps, some 3000GT work, and the usual stock part replacement stuff. Currently working in tight tolerance machine manufacturing.
Things that I think will need to be changed/modified
Rear End gearing to match the front
Possible Tranny or removal/swap of the tailshaft housing for the transfercase
Tranny Mount
Front spindles
Front control arm swap ?
Swap Driveshafts
Not sure if Mitsubishi wiring is similar to Honda's to limit splicing into the harness.
I think the Current ECU/TCU should work with 4wd
I'm totally not sure about the hub locking system or how it works
Unsure if the front crossmember is different between 2wd and 4wd
I'll be researching further My goal is to try to get it drive-able before Christmas. (weekends only for the most part)
If I had the space and a A-frame I would just pull both bodies off and go from there. But i'm stuck doing it in the in-laws 2 car garage.
If anyone is willing to call and chat PM me here or drop me a line at ashentothecore@gmail.com
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Post by jkdv8 on Sept 27, 2015 18:03:46 GMT -5
Ooooo, you have the skill set but, that's a can of worms you wouldn't want to open. Swapping bodies would be the easiest route but still a PITA. These are highly capable in just 2wd however. Trans probably needs a flush to fix the flare. Could be a number of things with Evap.
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Post by bdmontero on Sept 27, 2015 20:19:59 GMT -5
I just read an article in Petersons 4 wheel and off-road that seriously advises against a swap from 2wd to 4wd.  Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards |
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Post by ES_97Sport on Sept 28, 2015 15:50:39 GMT -5
Okay guys here's the deal my fiance bought her 2003 MS XLS 3.5 Auto 2wd brand new and shes sentimental about it, she wants to keep it and modify it for trail-running/camping/DD. It just hit 190K slight Transmission flare and the usual Evap CEL are the only problems. We're living in Colorado and well the roads suck in the winter here. (She borrowed her dads truck last time we lived here) I'm looking on CL at a 2000 MS LTD 4wd with blown head gaskets to use for the conversion. I'm only interested in doing a stock 4WD Conversion not AWD mainly for the reason its less I have to fix down the road and tires aren't cheap. I'm a Aircraft Mechanic with a sheet-metal tool manufacturing background and I've done a fair amount of car work over the years. Mainly Honda engine swaps, some 3000GT work, and the usual stock part replacement stuff. Currently working in tight tolerance machine manufacturing. Things that I think will need to be changed/modified Rear End gearing to match the front Possible Tranny or removal/swap of the tailshaft housing for the transfercase
Tranny Mount
Front spindles
Front control arm swap ?
Swap Driveshafts
Not sure if Mitsubishi wiring is similar to Honda's to limit splicing into the harness.
I think the Current ECU/TCU should work with 4wd
I'm totally not sure about the hub locking system or how it works
Unsure if the front crossmember is different between 2wd and 4wd
I'll be researching further My goal is to try to get it drive-able before Christmas. (weekends only for the most part)
Ok. This is just crazy. There is SO much more than what you're listing here I don't even know where to start. The Gen 2s use a PCM, unlike the separate ECM/TCM that (most of) the Gen 1s use. You have none of the wiring for the 4WD in the 2WD model and none of the links in the PCM. Just to get the mechanicals installed would be a huge undertaking. Doing the electrical would be a nightmare from hell. You are not going to be able to just 'splice' stuff into the existing harness. I would say swap all the wiring harnesses, but you will have to swap ALL of them, including the PCM, and that means swapping the transmission as well. I believe the '00 transmission is different than the '03. You can't swap transmissions because the TCU is integrated. Getting rid of the AWD is fine. Mistu doesn't use locking hubs - that takes place in the axle itself and its vacuum/electric operated. And, IF you get any of this to work, I have my doubts it would be reliable. Not casting aspersions on your abilities, but this is a HUGE undertaking. And all you end up with is something you could have bought for $5K. And you'll STILL have to tweek it out for trails/camping/etc. An easier solution to turning a 2WD into a 4WD is to do a solid axle swap. If you're looking for a good camping/trail vehicle that is rock solid, easy and cheap to maintain that's the way to go. It will cost more in parts but a lot less in labor and headaches. You can keep the rear axle and do a gear swap to 4.90s. There are driver side drop high pinion Dana 44s if you want to hunt one down or you can splurge and pick up a new one built to fit. Built to fit is the most expensive but that's 80% of the work and expense. The Ford radius arm suspension is DIRT CHEAP and SIMPLE and makes a good, stable DD as well as excellent moderate to moderate hard trail setup. Buckets, pads and arms are available used and new. The steering is a simple cross-over. Use the GM 1 ton stuff on 1.5" DOM, relocate the steering box 1" forward and have a pitman arm fabed (not as hard as it sounds), or just switch to the Bronco box and have a couple custom PS hoses done up. Raise it up enough to clear 32/33"s (32/33"x12.5") and put those on 17" rims. That'll improve DD performance while not impacting use off road appreciably. Keep everything low. It doesn't need to sit 25" off the ground.  With 32/33"s the 4.90s will be good and the transmission will be happy. I wouldn't keep the stock transfer case (1.90:1 sucks even for mild off road) - either the AWD or the 4WD/2WD model. I'd drop the transmission, put in a '97/98 AW4 with a NP231 and Tera's ultra-short SYE with the Dakota Digital speedometer converter and be done with it. Cable shifters are everywhere - OEM and aftermarket. Manual shift the A/T or put in PCS's TCU. Install the resistors to clear the OBD codes from the now non-existant solenoids. OR you can get totally crazy and use Radesign's Winters A/T shifter as I'm going to do. Reinforce the front frame rails with 1/4" plate after the subframe is striped off. This also sounds like a pain, but a couple cardboard templates and a shop that'll cut the plate and you can weld them on in a couple hours. Almost forgot! Pull the ABS out and replace the proportioning valve with a standard non-ABS (adjustable) valve and the front hard lines. Irrespective of WHAT you decide to do - DO NOT EVER try to wheel the new Sports with the ABS engaged. That stuff will kill you.  This SOUNDS like a lot but its less than what you're talking about and a LOT easier. Since you already have the 2WD you get out of having to deal with issues caused by left-over 4WD wiring, etc. and left over 4WD stuff in the PCM. You also replace a lot of the expensive to fix/maintain stuff on Mitsus - steering and drive train - with cheap, available anywhere common parts. Everything I've noted above has already been done. Danny did a conversion from a '01 ('02 can't remember) 2WD to the '97/98 Mitsu AW4 transmission. Everything else I've been running since '02. My big Sport has almost 600K miles on it and all but about 88K are with the exact stuff listed above. Makes for an extraordinary camping/trail/expedition vehicle. Edward |
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Post by ES_97Sport on Sept 28, 2015 15:55:07 GMT -5
I just read an article in Petersons 4 wheel and off-road that seriously advises against a swap from 2wd to 4wd. Why? Edward |
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Post by bdmontero on Sept 28, 2015 16:15:37 GMT -5
Lol Ed you're silly. Speaking of SAS are you having a hard time finding a shop to do one? When the word SAS comes out of my mouth they seem to gulp and start sweating. Lol:-/
Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards
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Post by ES_97Sport on Sept 28, 2015 18:17:29 GMT -5
Lol Ed you're silly. Speaking of SAS are you having a hard time finding a shop to do one? When the word SAS comes out of my mouth they seem to gulp and start sweating. Lol:-/ Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards No, seriously! I didn't see the article. I know there are a TON of reason NOT to do it. Just wondering if they're the same ones or if they've come up with some new ones. Finding one - not so hard. Finding a GOOD one - different story. There are a lot of shops that'll do it, just not ones I trust. They guys I had do my original SAS would probably do this one but their quality has dropped off and I don't want to argue with someone over how I want it done. :rolleyes: Start surfing Pirate. I've had good luck with the advanced Toy sections. AFAIKT, most of the actual shops are on there. It'll take a bit but you look for the guys that are from or have shops that have been posting for years and years and do 3/4-link Toy conversions and such. I have a place here in northern CO that's done a 4-Runner and LC conversions. I talked to the guy for a bit year before last. He does some scary stuff. He did a linked front and rear LC and I swear to God it looked like it rolled right out of Toyota that way. From what I understand it drove like stock and wheeled like a buggy. I saw ramp pics. Totally insane. I think he sold it for $35-40K when it was done. People who have seen his work in person say he's amazing and pretty inexpensive, too. If you do find someone, they're still going to be a little freaked out. None of them want to start something totally 'new' - there's just too many unknowns involved that can escalate costs to the point that either the customer can't/won't pay and they have to eat it or they end up with a half finished project and out the money and time and have a pissed off customer to deal with. Or 'D', 'All of the above.' You're going to have to work at building a relationship with them before even starting. It took me three months of presenting an actual plan, explaining exactly what I wanted, and supplying documentation of parts availability. Basically I had to present a viability plan. I also had to make sure that they understood that I understood what the cost would be. None of this is an unreasonable expectation on their part so it didn't bother me. A little time consuming, but it also reassured me that THEY were competent and understood what they were getting into, too. Unlike me, you won't be the first person on the planet to do a SAS on a Mitsu. Its been a lot easier for the following Mitsu guys having up front knowledge of pitfalls and such. Also there's tons of documentation on actual builds now so there's lots of reference material to refer to. That will make builders a lot more comfortable with a project. There isn't anything on our's that's rocket surgery. Seriously. Since the Sport is based on a truck frame - this is important information to those who understand the difference - once the IFS is shaved off its EXACTLY like working with a 4-Runner, Land Cruiser, Tacoma, Bronco, Blazer, F150, etc. Reinforce the front frame rails and proceed as you would with the above. One thing to point out to them, if they get onto a front leaf spring jag - that WILL NOT WORK on a Sport. (Extended) Radius arms or 3/4-link. Most importantly, get references, talk to their customers and look at their vehicles IN PERSON. Look specifically at the welds. If you don't know what good welds look like, find someone who does and drag them along. It doesn't matter if they have a PhD in mathematics, if the welds are crap you're gonna die. Look at how its finished. If it looks like it was tacked together with twisties - it was. If it looks like it rolled off the dealership showroom floor that way, then whoever built it is totally anal and pays attention to the little little details. If they pay attention to grinding down the old welds flush, getting rid of the un-used, still attached parts like the vacuum canister, painting all the bare metal with good paint, making sure they don't weld something in front of a bolt that can't come out any other way, etc., then they'll ace the big stuff. There's precious little you can screw up on a radius arm suspension. Its kinda hard to weld the axle in sideways. And anyone that can't line up the track bar with the drag link - I think they still teach parallel in grade school - probably wouldn't entertain doing a SAS in the first place. But, its always good to make sure. Edward |
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Post by ashen on Sept 28, 2015 18:24:02 GMT -5
Thanks Ed for pointing out all the issues I appreciate it (I actually called and talked to the guy with the 00 earlier today but hadn’t setup a meeting yet)
I really wasn’t sure about how the wiring system worked for Mitsubishi’s.
From what I read in the manuals the cross-members looked like I would only have to change to the 3.5 motor mounts on a 3.0 cross-member. I couldn’t tell if the trans mount was completely diff or just had a separate bracket attached. I was really worried about the output shaft being different between 2wd-4wd I’m not a fan of auto trannys. I had considered manually actuating the 4wd (somehow) and not using the ECU/TCU at all.
SAS Conversion sounds great to me but I’ll talk to her about it. So from what you’re describing I could use a late 70’s-80’s ½ ton/ Bronco axle&radius setup. The only thing that seems difficult to me is getting the axle straight. I’ve done some leaf spring modification (move/rotate axle) on Chevy’s when I was a kid.
If you’re manually locking the hubs with your setup are you tricking the ECM or using a 5spd tranny? (I’m considering just using a 5spd and doing away with the Auto Trans)
Part of the reason this sounds great to me is her sport is the first small/mid-sized SUV that I didn’t find disappointing power wise or comfort wise and it’s not car height like some SUV’s (The ride is more bumpy in the back then say a 4runner but it’s a lot quieter and doesn’t droop)
If I get the okay it’s going to be junkyard axles/suspension at first to get it moving. (I have an old ford dealership mechanic friend at work so I can rebuild the axles) I’ve only swapped in rebuild 3rd members for 9in fords on drag setups.
I have an older Miller 35 220 welder for fabrication.
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Post by ES_97Sport on Sept 28, 2015 20:39:57 GMT -5
Thanks Ed for pointing out all the issues I appreciate it (I actually called and talked to the guy with the 00 earlier today but hadn’t setup a meeting yet) Yea, before you jump into this, think very hard on what you're trying to accomplish, how much time you have and how much you want to invest and how much money you're willing to spend. Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from doing anything - but, seriously, this is NON-TRIVIAL. Based on what I know of how long things take, I can tell you you're looking at AT LEAST 40 hours just for the mechanical side and I would be leaning towards 80. In other words, you're not doing this in a weekend. Or two. Or three. Or five. So, unless you have a month off to work on this, you need to reevaluate your time line. The motor mounts are on the frame. There is no changing those. The sub-frame is the same for both the 4WD and 2WD because its welded in. Transmission cross member and mount don't change unless you're swapping out the transmission for the early AW4. The transmission is the same for 2WD or 4WD, UNLESS, you have the '03 3.5 Limited AWD. That is the Montero 5-speed A/T and its a totally different animal. As far as I know - and PLEASE don't quote me because there's dang near NO information on what this transmission was put in - it never came 2WD. Anyway, with the exception of the 2.4L, Mitsu used the same transmission for 2WD and 4WD. AFAIKT from the FSMs and the guys on Wire, they changed the adapter housing on the end of the transmission is all. I do know that this is exactly how it works on the Gen 1 Sports. KIM, that the speedometer is in the output housing on 2WD and in the end of the transfer case on the 4WD. I THINK the drive is the same, but obviously the wires are shorter. This is a mechanical/electronic assembly, BTW. You will need the correct gears for the speedo that match the axle gears for a correct reading. There is no 'manual shifting' of the transmission. I don't know how familiar you are with the AW4 in the Cherokee, Toyota, Mitsu, Nissan, Supra, etc. but this works the same. The shifter is P, R, N, D. That's the manual part. Solenoids are used to actuate the gears and torque converter lockup. Exception: you can sort of 'manual shift', but basically that's 'limp home' mode so half the gears are missing - you can't actually drive it like that other than to a shop. This is the sucky, crappy part about new A/Ts. You CAN NOT run without a TCU unless you come up with a way (like the AW4) to electrically actuate the solenoids. And since the TCU is integrated into the PCM, that means swapping the transmission is out. And, all the TCU wiring is integrated into the main harness so you have to have that, too. So, baring the AW4 swap, figure you're stuck with whatever matching transmission, wiring and PCM you have. As for the 4WD, that isn't actuated by the PCM. There are tie-ins to the PCM but without my FSMs in front of me I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. I believe 4WD Hi/Lo is signaled to the PCM which then signals the ABS computer to control ABS in 2WD, 4HI and 4LO. I THINK - I'm not sure. That makes sense, as I am told that ABS behavior changes between 2WD, 4WD, 4HI and 4LO. In theory, you could actuate the 'shift on the fly' front axle stuff by hand. Of course, you could also just lock the front shafts. Neither of which I'd do or recommend. I don't know what the synchronization is between the t-case front output and the front half shafts meshing. I know when that isn't done right, bad things can happen like doing 360s in the middle of traffic or rolling sideways down a hill. The safest way to handle this would be to permanently lock the half shaft and put in manual locking hubs. You WILL LOOSE shift-on-the-fly. Neither am I. I've been driving and wheeling M/Ts since I started driving. Now I own two A/T Sports - one by necessity, but the second is my next crawler build. Building a M/T Sport beyond casual fire roads and camping isn't cost effective. I've got $15K in JUST the adapter to put a NP231 on the end of the Mitsu 5-speed. I can put $5K in an AW4 A/T - that doesn't need an adapter - and that'll get me the A/T, t-case, crawl box, shifters and TCU. And there are a BILLION parts for the AW4 - I'm having trouble getting a M/T rebuilt because the parts are getting very hard to get. Getting the axle straight with a radius arm setup is really easy. Measure straight back from the front of the frame rails, and measure straight forward from the rear of the frame rails to the point where you want to locate the radius arm mounts. Because it is radius arms, there's only one mount per side. +/-1/4" - obviously the closer the better. Bolt the axle assembly together - bolt on the radius arms, hubs/rotors, and wheels - torque to spec. Put the mounts and bushings on the radius arm ends and torque them down, then roll the entire thing under the front to where it'll sit when done. Line up the mounts with your measurements. Tack the mounts on the frame and remeasure everything. Radius arms are kind a funky in that they're isn't a 'left' and 'right' measurement exactly. Since the left and right frame rails are the same shape, locating the mounts - especially if you use the assembled axle to do this - is pretty dirt simple. Just make sure the mounts are centered under the left and right frame rails and you're good. What you're locating is the ends of the radius arms - NOT the axle. The axle is located left and right (under the vehicle) by the track bar. You can make minor adjustments to the centering of the axle by lengthening or shortening the track bar - which BTW is adjustable like a tie-rod. You want the Dana 44 driver side drop with the heavy duty 1/2" wall tube. High pinion - it HAS to be a high pinion. So, Ford. I think some Wagoners. The easiest is to get a wide Ford D44 HP with the heavy walls and have it cut down because you need to have the housing rotated - A LOT - to line up the drive shaft. The D44 also needs to have the correct knuckles. Not all are machined for the high steer arm and that is also something you absolutely need. Also, having the housing cut down also gives the chance to get the wedges for the radius arms welded on where they need to go. This isn't rocket surgery, but you can't do it yourself without a machine shop. Otherwise, radius arms are cheap and everywhere. I used '75 Bronco arms because they were free. You can do Skyjacker coils with buckets like mine or coil-overs. Mine work great, but coil-overs make things simpler. You can also do extended radius arms, but be careful how 'extended'. You can go a few inches longer but not like 12". I run '97 Gen 1 Sports and I use manual locking hubs. On my '97 big Sport, I have a SAS with D44s front and rear, a 5-speed M/T, and a Jeep NP231 t-case with a D&D doubler in front of that. Most of what you have on your Gen 2, wasn't even available on the Gen 1. The TCU and ECU were still separate until '99. There were only two switches on the t-case. One for the dash light and one to the ECM - and I still don't know what that did/does. You can run manual locking hubs on an A/T - if you can find them. Lots of guys do it. You don't need to 'trick' the PCM. No, see above. While you CAN convert to a M/T and it wouldn't be that difficult (relatively speaking), it would also open up a rats nest you don't even want to know about. If you want a 'simple' solution, convert to the AW4. That is the closest you will get to a M/T, with the fewest A/T headaches. The Sport is a good vehicle. Plusher than a 4-Runner for sure, but smaller and cheaper than a LC. That's one of the reasons I'm going through the headache of building a A/T. I just bought a '99 3.5 Limited 4WD. That's going on Dynatrac ProRock 44s with 37"s, a Mitsu AW4 A/T with a NP231/Tera Low 231 4:1 kit, ultra-short SYE, and 2.72:1 crawl box, and (hopefully) a 3-link front with coil overs and Alcan leafs in the back. The 3.5L is a good, torqy engine and shouldn't have any issues with 5.13s in the axles. AND, I get the LC comforts.  And they're more durable than anything else I've ever seen including Toyota. The Gen 1 Sports are even quieter than the Gen 2s. Worry about the front axle. That's the critical piece. That is where you need to spend money to do it right and not scrimp. If you don't do this right, you're going to have a door stop or you're going to get someone killed. This is ESPECIALLY important if your SO is going to be using it for a DD. I put 100 miles a day on my big Sport and I've been doing this forever so I know what I'm talking about in regards to DD'ing a setup like this. Blue Torch Fab makes the high steering arm (you only need the passenger side). This is not a direct bolt on, but its the only company that makes the correct steering arm for our SAS conversion. Comes w/o the drag link hole and may or may not require minor machining depending on the knuckle. And you need to get a pitman arm - I can have one done for you if you can't find anyone there. Track bar is Bronco bushing on the axle end and a HD Heim joint on the frame end. 1.25" DOM for the tie-rod w/Napa joints and 1.5" DOM for the drag link with 1 ton GM joints. 1.25" DOM for the track bar. You can't get this stuff used. The good part is doing drag links and tie rods is cheap now compared to 15 years ago. However, as I said above, you need to cut the axle to width and align the housing and have the wedges welded on. The housing needs to be rotated and the camber set. If you don't do this correctly, it won't drive worth a damn, steering return will be non-existant, you'll have vibration issues from hell in 4WD (probably 2WD, too) and it'll eat tires like their going out of style. You can source the axle yourself and rebuild the differential. DO NOT forget the oil slinger(s), BTW. But, I really, REALLY, REALLY recommend having the housing done by a professional. People tease me about being anal and insanely nit-picky, but there's a reason my big Sport will do 80 Mph on the highway forever with absolutely no vibration whatsoever and I can whip it through the mountain canyons like a sports car. And, NEVER have tire wear issues. Edward |
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Post by bdmontero on Sept 28, 2015 21:01:07 GMT -5
Pretty much what you said Ed. The requirements and work involved is tremendous and down right wasting time. I know its hard to hear but...  Sent from my SM-N900V using proboards |
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Post by ES_97Sport on Sept 30, 2015 16:43:02 GMT -5
Pretty much what you said Ed. The requirements and work involved is tremendous and down right wasting time. I know its hard to hear but... .... Yea. I spent about 6-7 months contemplating doing the SAS on my big Sport back when. That was after having wrenched on and driven Sports for three years. The conclusion I finally came to was that no matter what you do to the stock front end, it was never going to be all that great for anything except driving on the street and it was still going to be an unending, money sucking black hole. Lloyd and and the Montero guys on Wire have been working on the stock suspension since I joined Wire back when I bought my first Sport. They've done some impressive things, I can't deny that, but its all band-aids. The amount of time and labor that's gone into that makes no sense to me. There is nothing you can do to an IFS/IRS setup on our vehicles that changes the fact IFS/IRS isn't that durable over the long run. I've spent less than $1000 since 2002 on parts and labor maintaining the entire front end of my big Sport. Since 2002, I've put almost exactly 500K miles on it. If you do the math, that means I've spent $77 a year. That is 0.002 cents a mile.CoSport got about 3 years out of his '98 as a DD and us wheeling together before the entire front end needed rebuilt - including new half shafts. Not too good since we weren't doing nearly as crazy stuff as we do now. Having just gone through doing the 1 ton conversion and having ball joints replaced, and having to have the '99 front end completely rebuilt, it costs less to rebuild the entire steering system on my big Sport than it costs for aftermarket parts to do the same thing on a stock Sport. Also way back when, I spent time with Scott at Rock Stomper when he was working on an IFS setup on a crawler. Even running a tiny 4-cylinder gas engine and replacing parts with much heavier pieces, building custom a-arms and using Porsche CV joints the size of cantaloupes he still eventually gave up. There was just no way to get the strength and durability of a solid axle. I think the big hurdle that people can't get over is the upfront cost in time, labor and parts required for a SAS. That's a big hurdle for most people. Its easier for most people to trickle money out over time than come up with $20K up front. And, to be honest, if you don't wheel and/or drive all that much and you're only looking at having the vehicle for 2, 3 or 4 years - there's a lot of money there that you'll never get back. But, if your 'Old', like me and a lot of the Montero guys, and plan on driving whatever you have for 10-15 years, the up-front pays off enormously. Its like the retirement investment question of how do you want to pay your taxes? Do you want to invest in a plan where you have to pay your taxes up front - now - or pay your taxes in 10, 20, 30 years when you withdraw. If you assume - as any sane person rightly should - that taxes are just going to keep going up, then paying those taxes NOW, means you'll be paying a LOT LESS taxes later. Paying to put in cheaper parts now by doing a SAS means that you'll be replacing fewer, cheaper parts, fewer times latter rather than paying to replace more, expensive parts that will keep getting more expensive, more often over the years. If the ONLY reason to do a SAS is just to 'wheel it - something that's barely street legal - and it sees minimal or no use as a DD - all of the above is just meaningless BS. But if it truly will be used as a DD like mine, then the above are important things to consider. One of the things I was thinking about earlier is whether the 2WD even has all or any of the bolt holes for 4WD. That would monumentally suck if it turns out that none of the front bolt holes are drilled and now you have to drill and align everything. Unlike positioning a radius arm solid axle, you can't be off a 1/4 or 1/2" 'cause the half shafts won't fit and/or won't seal. The more I think about the OP's original idea, the more I don't want to think about it. Edward |
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Post by ashen on Sept 30, 2015 19:30:36 GMT -5
Yeah I'm definitely leaning more towards not even doing it and just finding a stock 4wd or something else. Thanks for all the info guys.
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Post by ashen on Sept 30, 2015 19:31:40 GMT -5
I fully agree with Edward on the benefits of solid axles in the long run.
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Post by ES_97Sport on Oct 1, 2015 13:51:46 GMT -5
Yeah I'm definitely leaning more towards not even doing it and just finding a stock 4wd or something else. Thanks for all the info guys. No worries. Glad to help. If you really like the Sports, and given what you appear to want to do with it, - and I KNOW your SO probably won't like this - look for a '97/98 XLS 4WD. The XLS is the early version of the Limited. Unfortunately, it only has the 3.0L but a little inexpensive tweaking on the 3.0L will get that thing around smartly even on 32/33"s. The '99 Limited 3.5L is AWSOME! Still leaf sprung in the back and takes the ARB bull bar like all '97-99s. However, they're ultra rare now so they go at a premium. None of the '97-99s are AWD. Standard 2WD, 4HI, 4LO. I reason I recommend the '97/98 is because those had the Aisin AW4 transmission. This is the same transmission in the Jeep, Toyota, Mitsu, Nissan. Changing out the rear output shaft and adapter housing lets you bolt on the Jeep New Process (NP) transfer cases. The NP231 ratio stock is 2.72 - a big jump over the stock 1.9:1. Tera sells the Low 231 4:1 conversion if you wanted anything lower. Tera also sells the Ultra-short SYE (Slip Yoke Eliminator) with the electronic VSS. Dakota Digital sells the SGI that easily converts that sender to the Mitsu Speedo/ECM. I have that in my Sport now and even have the wiring diagram available. JUST this conversion gets rid of the slip yoke in the rear of the t-case (which is very good), gets you a much lower gear ratio with a second option for lower, and a dirt cheap, easy to maintain t-case. Add a 2" lift from OME and some (GOOD) 32" A/Ts, get a set of rims with a little different backspacing to widen the stance maybe 3/4" a side, a set of manual locking hubs for the front and a steering stabilizer, and a set of Rancho RS9000 adjustable shocks. If you don't happen to find an XLS with the stock rear locking differential, get an ARB air locker. OH, and a set of All-Pro '93 4-Runner weld on rock skids. Do the 2.25" CAT-back exhaust, intake air pipe with filter. This setup would be perfectly drivable as a DD. In fact, this is just a hair's breadth over stock. But, this configuration is an excellent camping, lite/medium trail, DD setup. I've wheeled almost this exact setup and I can guarantee you'll embarrass the crap out of the Jeep/Toy guys. Edward |
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Post by ashen on Oct 1, 2015 18:19:11 GMT -5
Interesting I'll start looking around
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With 32/33"s the 4.90s will be good and the transmission will be happy. 
