1989 Jeep Cherokee 1 ton swap

[RunningProblem]

Whatchoo think that hose is gonna do leaving that nipple?

It's for a vent. For air to escape while it heats up/spins/whatever. No fluid should ever go through it.

But, if you're worried:

Mr. Gasket 2970G Mr. Gasket Low-Loss Fuel Fittings | Summit Racing

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Low loss swept fitting will keep the angry Internet villagers at bay.

The hose won’t take a hard 90 degree turn. The fitting will. It will sweep because a hose bending 90 degrees creates a kink NO ONE wants.

Bigger concerns now are the track bar and some type of bracing, hydro assist being installed, and rebuilding the XD9000i I picked up to replace this Smittybuilt powered tow cable.

 

[RunningProblem]

Disconnecting the track bar to fix what I ruined on Fordyce creates ‘new’ problems. It shifts Passenger side. At least I got the coilover spring seated.

 

[RunningProblem]

I cut it off.

I mocked up the front plating I never installed. I probably could have NOT broken my shitbox if I had done this properly the first time. I didn’t want to remove the bumper because it was heavy and I have no friends to help out with little to no advanced notice. I will need to cut a hole in this for the front bumper to be reinstalled. Apparently Ruffstuff and Smittybuilt do things differently.




Since I have no ability to plan things out properly I am pretty sure I need to either cut off my bump stop mount, or I’ll have to notch the under unibody (don’t call it a frame) plating from Ruffstuff for everything to fit. It will be interesting to see how a trackbar/panhard bracket mounts on the XJ after playing. I anticipate lots of gaps.


I’m buying some heims and tubing to make a cross brace. I will try and reuse the trackbar brace I chopped off for the passenger side cross brace mount. I saw someone build something similar on Fordyce and took a few photos after my shit broke.

 

[RunningProblem]

A file, some patience, and removing the set screw means this work. The think the set screw was the biggest hurdle.

Ruffstuff underbody stiffeners will require cutting the bumpstops and limit straps off the unibody. They’re cut well and use existing bolt holes. I think it is easier and smarter, right now, to cut the bump stops off than cut around them. I might regret this. It seems like it would allow me to weld on the track bar really good again.

I was able to cut the ‘one size fits most’ front frame stiffener for my application. It requires cutting a hole for the Smittybuilt bumper Ruffstuff doesn’t know about. I might also need to cut holes for the stock front bumper mounts, but maybe not. Since not everything lined up perfectly I chopped off what I needed in order to cover up the trail fix I removed with the previous track bar mount.

Also, since Cherokees suck to modify this much I was able to chop the Barnes 4wd trackbar mount to sit more flus and give it more surface area to contact the bottom of the unibody. I may need to trim the bottom of it if it interferes with something I’m not thinking about right now.

I also kind of want to redo my brake lines for no reason besides ‘I saw someone else do this and I want to match.’ I should use this time for hydro assisting my steering.


Edit: since I’m currently without a welding hood I can’t do much besides prepare work for welding. My new hood arrives Thursday. Fancy schmancy Lincoln 1740 in Matte black. Amazon Prime day deal where I signed up for their credit card and was given $200 to spend. I’m buying it for their 4C lens they advertise as being amazing. I’m sure it’s as good as an equally priced harbor freight hood. I didn’t have to pay for this one.

 

[fl0w3n]

Build break fix repeat

 

[RunningProblem]

Nice little curve there. Maybe this is why the axle pulled to the passenger side when I took the track bar off. The curve was a C shape looking from the front.

 

[fl0w3n]

You rock bouncing this thing? How'd you beat it down that hard already

 

[RunningProblem]

Whoever is building a Cherokee at Ruffstuff sure is helping me out. This under unibody frame playing is well designed. The tabs they have folding up to match the existing front frame stiffeners are even cool…except mine contact my bump stop and will PROBABLY interfere with my coilover spring even more so I’ll leave those ones out.

 

[RunningProblem]

You rock bouncing this thing? How'd you beat it down that hard already

Yes. Also Fordyce hates me.

I ripped the front frame stiffener off the sheetmetal, then tried to force myself through the last tight spot on the trail, broke my ratchet strap and ripped it even more. I’m pretty sure this is how the shaft bent.

The trip out of Rubicon a week or two earlier probably started the damage because I remember having limited left turning abilities but my alternator was dead, and I was using a loaner battery which also died and switched to a jump box just to get off the trail…so yeah. Rock bouncing.

 

[RunningProblem]

Pulled my bent shock apart. I intended to take more photos, but this is really all you need. The Wreckless Wrench video helped. One of those ‘if I see it before I do it I think I can convince myself I can do it’ type of things for me.




Mine came apart easier than his. Maybe due to lack of use. Either way….7/8” shaft bent pretty good. Should make the perfect weapon for a father of boy(s).

Since this shaft was already bad (Shock Jesus commented on it) I’m sort of lucky. I was also unable to get the bottom eyelet off without scratching the shaft. Using a rag just didn’t work for me probably because the shaft is covered in oil which works really good as a lubricant.

Mini Gatorade bottle cap for size reference. I ordered some aluminum Vice jaw clamps. A new shaft is going to be $85 from Filthy Motorsports. Better than needing a new shock. I guess this is the benefit of having $1,400 coilovers. You can replace small parts instead of the whole $600 coilover.

 

[fl0w3n]

Mini Gatorade or full size Gatorade. I need to calibrate my reference.

 

[RunningProblem]

Mini Gatorade or full size Gatorade. I need to calibrate my reference.

12 ounce. Orange flavor. Not the sugar free kind so I was unable to fall asleep.


Filthy Motorsports doesn’t have my shaft so they’re having King directly send it to me. Hopefully they receive my special instructions to draw a dinosaur smashing a car on the box.

 

[RunningProblem]

Close enough.

 

[fl0w3n]

 

[RunningProblem]

With my new fancy Lincoln 1740 welding hood with super duper internet cool 4C lens I can see how much 035 wire I’m packing in there. Before I had an excuse kind of.

Passenger side under frame stuff. There are a few gaps I’ll need to have the correct day of work to tighten up.

 

[RunningProblem]

A few more welds.
Ignore the stuff on the right. Just look at the kind of okay stuff.

This one is called ‘my wife is mad at me for not helping at bedtime.’

 

[RunningProblem]

Some more welding progress. I’ve been without motivation for a while then I ran out of wire so I decide to just do a little bit at a time.



These ones suck because I was inverted.
Also because I didn’t do enough prep work so I tried to burn through the paint.

It was also not exactly ‘lined up perfectly’ when I racked it into place so I had to fill a hole.

I’ll finish up this side later.

During this process I found out I’m missing a bolt for the engine Mount. Anyone know the size I need?

 

[RunningProblem]

So in the middle of not fixing my track bar yet I’ve decided to continue looking at crawl ratio things, and transfer cases.

I’ve found the following:

1) Dana 300 with a clocking ring I don’t need.
2) NP241OR out of a newer wrangler.

Internet says the newer, not newEST, 241OR would fit. Downside is I lose my speedometer because I’m on a gear driven one. This is the super popular option from a while ago. Instant 4:1. It’s about $1,800 and MAYBE I could get it for $1,500 in cash, or maybe the owner wants to have half of their Atlas refunded to them. It bolts in and doesn’t need a special crossmember. It WILL need different yokes because I’m 1350 and it doesn’t have CV yokes.

Dana 300 is $700 and needs a flip kit. Also a twin stick. Also a custom/home made cross member. Really no different than the EcoBox, and I could mount the eco box in front of it to get more crawl ratio options. Don’t forget a 4:1 gear kit. Stronger case than the 231 according to the internet.

Atlas. $4,000. Shifters required. Allows front dig and maybe unicorns prance around me while I drive by so everyone knows.


Crawl ratios…

Dana 300 with the doubler is less than the 231 I have. With a 4:1 and the doubler 156:1. NP241OR does the exact same thing.
Atlas…is an atlas and can get down to 168:1 with the 11.xx gearing.

The 231 / ecobox combo gets 106:1.


Everything EXCEPT the atlas requires additional work. Some more than others.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

2spd atlas is around $2800, not $4k fwiw

Advanced Adapters Atlas 2 Speed Transfer Case

Atlas 2 speed transfer cases are the industry standard for rock crawlers, mud trucks, and desert race trucks. They are custom built to order with your choice of gear ratios, input and output shafts, speedometer output, and transmission adapter.

www.filthymotorsports.com

Hard not to go 4speed for like $800 more though.

 

[FordFascist]

So in the middle of not fixing my track bar yet I’ve decided to continue looking at crawl ratio things, and transfer cases.

I’ve found the following:

1) Dana 300 with a clocking ring I don’t need.
2) NP241OR out of a newer wrangler.

Internet says the newer, not newEST, 241OR would fit. Downside is I lose my speedometer because I’m on a gear driven one. This is the super popular option from a while ago. Instant 4:1. It’s about $1,800 and MAYBE I could get it for $1,500 in cash, or maybe the owner wants to have half of their Atlas refunded to them. It bolts in and doesn’t need a special crossmember. It WILL need different yokes because I’m 1350 and it doesn’t have CV yokes.

Dana 300 is $700 and needs a flip kit. Also a twin stick. Also a custom/home made cross member. Really no different than the EcoBox, and I could mount the eco box in front of it to get more crawl ratio options. Don’t forget a 4:1 gear kit. Stronger case than the 231 according to the internet.

Atlas. $4,000. Shifters required. Allows front dig and maybe unicorns prance around me while I drive by so everyone knows.


Crawl ratios…

Dana 300 with the doubler is less than the 231 I have. With a 4:1 and the doubler 156:1. NP241OR does the exact same thing.
Atlas…is an atlas and can get down to 168:1 with the 11.xx gearing.

The 231 / ecobox combo gets 106:1.


Everything EXCEPT the atlas requires additional work. Some more than others.

241OR and Swap the gauge cluster to an electric speedometer. Your current volt meter sucks anyway.

No on the D300. It's also not a stronger case and has weaker outputs than an SYE 231.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

What about a 205? Is there any left in your area? Use the current 231 as a donor for an eco or whatever box. Gets you about 5.4:1

 

[RunningProblem]

YotaAtieToo
205s are usually Chevy around here. They’re a comparable price to a Dana 300 project. I’d probably only go 4 speed atlas if I did it just for those extra levers and that 10 or 11:1 gearing.


FordFascist i don’t know how to swap gauge clusters. I hate electrical work because I fear burning the vehicle to the ground. I assume there is no plug and play option.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

YotaAtieToo
205s are usually Chevy around here. They’re a comparable price to a Dana 300 project. I’d probably only go 4 speed atlas if I did it just for those extra levers and that 10 or 11:1 gearing.


FordFascist i don’t know how to swap gauge clusters. I hate electrical work because I fear burning the vehicle to the ground. I assume there is no plug and play option.

Crazy the 205s are drying up, I remember when they were just everywhere for $100 or less.

I'm a big fan of doublers, even if 4:1 is enough. I'd rather have 2:1, 2.7 and 5.4 than just 4.3 personally.

 

[chaplinfj60]

Crazy the 205s are drying up, I remember when they were just everywhere for $100 or less.

I'm a big fan of doublers, even if 4:1 is enough. I'd rather have 2:1, 2.7 and 5.4 than just 4.3 personally.

after having almost every single type of tcase option 2.28 x2.28 dual case... then 2.28 x 4.7 tcases..... and even had one land cruiser had a single 2.3 case all these were with a manual trans.... all good options. but to me the holy grail end all to beat all is the 205 with magnum or eco box and auto. its gosh damn insane the 5 to 1 with a auto tranny. you have about 6 mph max speed but you can crawl crazy..... its great in 2.76 or 2.0 so just like yota said the 5.4 is where its at. and 11.1 with a 6cyl ( if i recall thats what you have) is too low. my opinion.

 

[RunningProblem]

Honestly, the biggest problem I saw with the 205 is finding a 23 spline input. The only one I know of is $500+ from, ironically, Northwest Fab. So add THAT little bit of money to the transfer case plus twin sticks…might as well go atlas if I don’t stick with what I have.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Honestly, the biggest problem I saw with the 205 is finding a 23 spline input. The only one I know of is $500+ from, ironically, Northwest Fab. So add THAT little bit of money to the transfer case plus twin sticks…might as well go atlas if I don’t stick with what I have.

You don't want just a 205 alone

If you go with a black box or ord box, the 205 input doesn't matter

 

[RunningProblem]

You don't want just a 205 alone

If you go with a black box or ord box, the 205 input doesn't matter

If I go 205 I’d use my ecobox I haven’t installed you. It has a 23 spline output currently so this option requires the NWF 23 spline female input for $589 unless they sell, and I cannot find, the shaft for the ecobox to mate to the 205.


Edit: I could maybe find a dodge 23 spline input and swap it. Either way…Money plus extra cross member work. Also heavy. Kind of rules this out when the 241OR is practically bolt in and my speedometer doesn’t work. I have GPS and I’m sure the DMV is worried about my mileage every year. It’s reported when I smog the jeep.

 

[LScout800]

If I go 205 I’d use my ecobox I haven’t installed you. It has a 23 spline output currently so this option requires the NWF 23 spline female input for $589 unless they sell, and I cannot find, the shaft for the ecobox to mate to the 205.


Edit: I could maybe find a dodge 23 spline input and swap it. Either way…Money plus extra cross member work. Also heavy. Kind of rules this out when the 241OR is practically bolt in and my speedometer doesn’t work. I have GPS and I’m sure the DMV is worried about my mileage every year. It’s reported when I smog the jeep.

They should have an ecobox output shaft for the 31 spline ford case. I bought a shaft from them a few months ago for around 300 bucks.
Also 205 is a big bitch. Looked at putting the one I have in my scout and clocked flat with the framerails it would be into the cab a fair bit and I would have had to change seat brackets and stuff. Can't see there being much more room in a cherokee.
What is the wait time on an atlas right now?

 

[YotaAtieToo]

If I go 205 I’d use my ecobox I haven’t installed you. It has a 23 spline output currently so this option requires the NWF 23 spline female input for $589 unless they sell, and I cannot find, the shaft for the ecobox to mate to the 205.


Edit: I could maybe find a dodge 23 spline input and swap it. Either way…Money plus extra cross member work. Also heavy. Kind of rules this out when the 241OR is practically bolt in and my speedometer doesn’t work. I have GPS and I’m sure the DMV is worried about my mileage every year. It’s reported when I smog the jeep.

I'd definitely be looking at swapping the ecobox output to 31 spline. If your shaft is new, they may work with you on swapping it.

It is heavy, but not really that much more than an atlas.

 

[fl0w3n]

What's the length on a regular ecobox + 205? If that comes in decently shorter than the ecobox + 231 and you can scrounge the driver drop 205 and inputs/outputs/shafts for less than an Atlas I could see that route being viable. I wouldn't go ecobox + 300, the flipping is annoying, shifter setup is annoying, you'll need inputs and outputs, braces and aluminum cover and since you're a regular ecobox it'll be decently long I think. I'm only pushing forward with mine because I got it with 4:1 for $600 and it already had 1310 front/rear.

after having almost every single type of tcase option 2.28 x2.28 dual case... then 2.28 x 4.7 tcases..... and even had one land cruiser had a single 2.3 case all these were with a manual trans.... all good options. but to me the holy grail end all to beat all is the 205 with magnum or eco box and auto. its gosh damn insane the 5 to 1 with a auto tranny. you have about 6 mph max speed but you can crawl crazy..... its great in 2.76 or 2.0 so just like yota said the 5.4 is where its at. and 11.1 with a 6cyl ( if i recall thats what you have) is too low. my opinion.

Why do you say auto after having all those behind manuals?