YJ Questions please help!

[ccdjeep]

Gotta question for ya'll and hopefully you can at least point me in the right directions.

I have a 1990 Jeep Wrangler YJ with
-Ford 8.8 Rear Axle (3.27 ratio with Limited slip)
-Dana 30 Front Axle (4.10 open diff)
GM 700R4 Transmission
NP231 GM t-case (no linkage :sad: )
BLOWN UP GM small block (either 305 or 350)
Griffin Aluminum Radiator
American Racing Outlaw II rims
33x12.50 PRO Comp mud terrains (dang near brand new in excellent shape)
Edlebrock Performer Intake & 4 barrel carb (in good shape)

I purchased my heep from a friend in desperate need of getting rid of it for $1,000.00

I know the market and this was a fair price in my book. the rims and tires alone are worth that.

the body is straight save one dent in the front passenger fender. Completely RUST free and the frame is good.

Anyways, now that everybody knows what I have and what I'm dealing with I got a couple questions to lay out there

1) How feasible would it be to buy a set of 1/2 ton matching axles from a GM and stick under the YJ?

2) I can get a 78 Chevy 4x4 that runs and 4wd works for around $500, anybody thinking what I'm thinking? :thinking: I could swap the running gear parts I wanted out of it and use the linkage and/or the T-case from it and get my heep on the trails faster.

3) Do the top two options make more sense than regearing the dana or Ford axle I have, scrounging a junkyard for my 4wd linkage, getting a front driveshaft cut (its not there) and pretty much going through the whole thing and fixing what I've got. Cause I gotta be honest, I really don't wanna fool with all that.

Any websites or personal experiences would be appreciated...

[BeerMonkey]

i can prob help you out, i had a 87 w 350 and 8.8
the 231 i prob the stock case if its hooked to the d30. the problem with the linkage is the way it hooks up stock is with the tranny bolts but now you dont have the stock tranny. i just left mine not bolted to the tranny and just the t-case, it was a little loose but worked fine.now the t-case drop is on the wrong side to swap in chevy axles. what size tires are you gonna run? if your gonna stay with 33's the d30 is fine, i wheeled the crap out of mine with the v8 and never broke the front axle or t-case (a nd i had the shitty np207). now some explorers came with 4.10s, so you could try to find one in a junk yard and get the gears and stuff out of it or just get hthe whole axle but then you would have to weld on new perches. now if you want to go all out you could find yourself dana300 t-case and it can be flipped for either side front drop and you can get a cable shifter for it with twin stick operation, then you could any axles you want. if it was me and i was trying to od it on a budget id find a stock jeep shifter linkage and make it work and a junkyard 8.8 with 4.10's

[jeffmarion]

1) How feasible would it be to buy a set of 1/2 ton matching axles from a GM and stick under the YJ?

You really are not gaining much in running 1/2 ton axles to warrant the work, unless you want to go full width but then for the price of the 1/2 tons, you could run 3/4 ton 44 front, and 60 rear.

If the 8.8 is from an explorer, you could just run a waggy 44 in front and be done. again, unless you want to go full width.

Or just regear the 8.8 to match the front 30, Probably the easiest (but would rather have a 44 in front because of the V-8

2) I can get a 78 Chevy 4x4 that runs and 4wd works for around $500, anybody thinking what I'm thinking? :thinking: I could swap the running gear parts I wanted out of it and use the linkage and/or the T-case from it and get my heep on the trails faster.

yes, swap out the motor, get the linkage, and sell the left overs parts you will not need. Although I would keep your 700R4, unless the 78 has a T350 trans (basically the same trans except the 700 has overdrive) if it wil be strictly a trail Jeep, use the T-350, if will see road time use the 700R4

3) Do the top two options make more sense than regearing the dana or Ford axle I have, scrounging a junkyard for my 4wd linkage, getting a front driveshaft cut (its not there) and pretty much going through the whole thing and fixing what I've got. Cause I gotta be honest, I really don't wanna fool with all that.

Any websites or personal experiences would be appreciated...

I really don't know what you have planned for the Jeep, as far as tire size, what kind of trails you will be running etc... I just have given suggestions, don't know if it was much help but.........