JK-jeepit

typically always work for money... just saying...
trading work for work amongst buddies is different..
I'm guessing his trade in value without 4WD would be nothing....
it is a bummer he didn't hold his side of the bargain if that was truely what you guys agreed to.

agreed with keeping your budget in line..
that 4WD jeep will come..

good luck in collage..

Jeep On..

Battlefrog

I'm confused, was he going to upgrade his T case and front axle and that's why he was giving it to u, or were you planning on trying to turn his into a 2wd and hope they didn't run the vin # during trade in, being that his plan was to trade it for a 2012 all along, but after the swap? Did I just confuse myself and everyone else

armycop

Your neighbor is quite the con man.... he got you to work for nothing and promised you his Jeep 4WD parts??? Did you seriously sit down and think about that for a minute??? He was going to butcher his 4WD "X" and remove the entire front drivetrain and the transfer case? Then what were you going to do with it? How were you planning on putting the parts on? I bet the dealer or a shop would charge numerous hours of labor times $70-100 per hour... Then he would take his Jeep, add your 2WD components and try to pass it off at the dealership for a 4WD? Or was he upgrading up to a stronger axle and transfer case?

Take it as a lesson learned, don't do anything for anyone if it's not on paper in black and white. Don't loan money, work or do any type of financial transaction without a paper trail.... Now at least you are only out a couple hours/days of your time, not too bad of a loss...

Delux2769

Changing axles, throwing up a TC, installing the linkage, that's all easy shit to do. Literally an afternoon of wrenching. And yes, we were going to put my solid axle under his front end when he went to trade it in. 99.9% of people cannot tell the difference between a 2WD and 4WD when it is parked infront of a building. I would have been happy for him to screw the stealership, would have been hilarious.

I am also guessing you've never dropped an axle before. It's extremely easy and doesn't take much time. With an indoor garage, few jacks and stands, a person can swap axles in just a couple hours.

kyle521

You can actually find some 4x4 jku around for cheap, you just have to wait for the right deal to come, i just recieved mine today and paid 14700 for it. I was in your position, i could have gotten a 2x4 but i decided to wait for the right deal to come

armycop

I think you are oversimplifying the whole process and have no clue what you are talking about. I was a mechanic for my first four years in the Army and have wrenched on quite a few trucks and Jeeps in my lifetime. It may be an afternoon of wrenching if you have qualified people, a proper shop with lifts, and all the tools for the conversion. There would also be some interior modifications that had to be done too. There are a bunch of things to be replaced, i.e. the console and how did you plan on getting all the dash lights/programming done? This isn't the 1960's anymore, these Jeeps are like any other vehicle nowadays and the electronic control systems have to be addressed as well. A conversion of this type would ending up costing some serious money and take more than an afternoon in the home garage... and I am sure the dealership mechanics would notice the change if they do an inspection on the trade if you guys butchered it up...

Delux2769

Both Axles are a complete bolt in, same with the TC. My console is the same exact as yours, except the slide where the shifter is is filled in, Dremel opens it up to the bottom. As for the dash lights, i can give a rat's arse for them lighting up. My TPMS stays lit because of not having sensors anymore. If need be, I would have my computer flashed at the dealer eventually for the lights to be proper.

I have all the tools, 6 car heated garage, 2 car heated indoor workshop (serving as my living quarters) at my disposal. Several lifts and jacks. Been working on my own bikes and trucks since I was a boy in my dad's garage.

Delux2769

Wow, lucky you. I waited as long as I could. My old truck was about to blow, so I had to get rid of it before it started downhill faster.

Jeep4me2

It is hard to tell the difference when it's parked in front of a building...
I saw an '08 JKU X for $13K on a rinky-dink lot once. It was silver with a soft top and super clean, I was so excited I didn't notice it didn't have a transfer case selector at first. It wasn't until I saw the car fax report that I saw it was a 2WD. I was shocked. I didn't know they made Wranglers in 2WD either. I didn't buy it. Took another look at at it before I left. There's a nice little coin dish where the transfer case selector should be.

armycop

Probably would have been easier to buy the neighbor's old 4WD "X" "Mall Crawler" Jeep and get rid of yours.... just trying to make some sense.... if it wasn't off roaded, it was probably in decent shape