Ok, forgive me if this is posted somewhere already.

I'm thinking of buying a 2wd JK and I know that I can convert it to 4wd when I get the chance, but my question is about before the conversion.

Is it possible for me to lift it and go ahead and put 35's on it while it's 2wd? Then later, would the swap be the same even though I'd already lifted it?

 

Good Lord man.

Sorry but if you plan on mall crawling... then yes buy the 2wd save the bucks and make it look good with a lift and tires.
IF you plan on taking it off road. Buy the 4wd, and don't even think of the PITA conversion process.

Best wishes.

 

If your ultimate plan is to go 4WD - then don't waste your time with a conversion from 2wd... Too much to do and too high a cost unles you are budilding some custom crazy buggy. Find a decent deal on a 4wd and upgrade from there...

 

The difference isn't that great with the 4wd (price wise). You can find great deals if you are patient. You will regret not going with 4wd from the start, guaranteed!

 

Buy a prius. Leave the Jeeps to the big boys.

 

Ok, enough of those comments. I've seen the "should I do a 2wd-4wd conversion" threads.

I was simply asking if I could lift a 2wd before I do the conversion and if the conversion would be an identical process if I did lift it first.

Can anyone confirm?

 

Yeah, all things equal, that's true. If I can find a good deal on an '08 that they're clearing out, then I might be able to come out ahead.

Besides, that'd just give me a reason to put D60's and an Atlas 4spd.

 

if you don't get the 4wd, you will be sick. If you need dana 60s and an Atlas you must plan on spending most your time on the trail. For the wheeling I would do, I would just buy a rubi and call it a day. I have seen new 08 2 door rubi's for $26k. The unlim cant be much more. Dealers are trying to move 08s hard. Think real hard before you get a 2wd. you will have to buy a lot more than an axle and a transfer case. the 2wd tranny will need to be changed along with a long long list of other things. Good luck.

 

If you were saying that you are buying a 2wd to immediately swap in the Atlas and the d60s and the conversion and money was no object then I would say go for it.

But it is obvious ( and true for most, not just you ) that money is a big concern. I am willing to bet that if you get a 2wd and lift it the 4wd conversion will never be done.

This is why I think that...

You can get a BL and a BB and get 35s on the Jeep and it would fit 35s. The cost would be less than 300 bucks. If you have time and money to do a 4wd conversion the added price of a different lift ( if needed ) is MINIMAL compared to the cost of a 4wd conversion.

You would EASILY recoupe the addition cost of 4WD by selling the components you remove to replace with "better" 4wd components. You could get a little money from a scrap yard for 2wd parts.

I would assume someone that has the skill to undertake a 4wd conversion of a JK would know if the 2wd lift kit will work on a 4wd converted JK so because you don't know I would also have to assume you would be paying someone else to do the conversion.

You are lucky to know you want 4wd BEFORE you buy your Jeep... there are MANY MANY MANY 2wd JK owners that regret not getting 4wd.

To answer your questions... yes you could lift a 2wd JK and fit 35s on there and yes the process of the conversion to 4wd will be the same (although you may need different lift components for it once it's 4wd...but that wasn't your question ).

If you ask if you could use all the same parts for a 2wd lift as on the 4wd conversion I do not know the answer but probably not...especially if your plans are to add fully custom axles.

It's up to you to do what you want but it is everyone's opinion that buying a 2wd specifically to convert to 4wd is not the smartest way to go... unless you have an unlimited budget.

 

Yes, you can lift a 2WD just like a 4WD. It's your money. Get the Jeep you want. I'll try to go about this a little differently than the others......with gas as high as it is now and vehicle sales in the toilet, dollars to doughnuts says you can score a hell of a deal on a 4WD if you know how to play the game. Especially, like you yourself said, since this is the end of the year, that will be one more card to play. In the end though, yes you can do it all to the 2WD and then convert it over. But trust me when I say, when it's all said and done, you'll be standin there sayin "I wish I had gotten a 4WD."