Need help figuring out a trans jigsaw puzzle

[Marine_mike]

OK... the jeep gods have smiled upon me. I just managed to reserve a 700r4/np231c out of a 1990 s10 for $100. College kid bought the s10 to transplant the front end to his s15. He said he drove the s10 down some dirt roads before going home and it all ran smooth. The following is my dilemma;

Other than the adapter kit (novak) to my I6, flex tube for the dipstick, and shifter (which I will scrounge from the donor just to be cheap for now), What else do I need to get?

To keep costs low, I am planning on combining the front half of the chevy xfer case with the back half of the jeep xfer case, hense avoiding the need to switch to an electric speedo, keeping the already installed SYE and giving me a chain driven xfer case.

With the above paragraph stated, will I need to change the rear drive shaft? My current rear set up is TF999/np231j with SYE, custom length Tom Woods shaft to a ford 8.8.

I have never done anything close to this.... but I guess I will give it a try. Any advice from the more experienced ppl here is greatly appreciated.

[crazy4ink]

Shooting from the hip, your plan seems sound. Your NP231 is already chain driven, so you aren't gaining anything. You are avoiding added costs by not having to convert your speedo, like you already said.

Both of your driveshafts may be fine but it will depend on your TF999 vs. 700R4 tranny length. If the 700R4 is shorter than your TF999, you will need a shorter front shaft and a longer rear shaft. Vice Versa if the 700R4 is longer. You can probably find a local machine shop that can re-tube and rebalance your current driveshafts, if that's needed.

Check with www.advanceadapters.com also before commiting to the Novak kit. I am gun-shy when dealing with Novak only because of the 2 month goat rope/nightmare I went through when swapping my SM420 into my TJ. My business partner did the same swap but used Advance Adapters and was done in a weekend with much better results. Overall, he also spent less money. Just some food for thought.

Something else that you are going to have to consider is your transmission mount and whether or not you can fab something to mount the 700R4 to your skidplate like your TF999 is now.

You may be able to retro fit your existing Jeep shifter to the 700R4 since the chevy tranny uses an external shift arm on the outside. IIRC, a TF999 is the same way. You may not need the shifter from the donor vehicle.

While you are talking with Advance Adapters, ask them about your ECM. IIRC, TF999s use a stand-alone computer that piggy-backs with your factory ECM. If that's the case, you may need something to tell you Jeep ECM what the chevy tranny is doing so that you don't get a MIL or no-start condition.

Also, find out which flexplate you are supposed to use. There is a slim chance that you chevy torque convertor will bolt to your jeep flexplate inside of the adapter bellhousing. Conversely, chances are slim that you are just going to be able to bolt the chevy flexplate to your Jeep engine and get any retaining bolts into the end of your crank.

That's are some of the major things that strike me right off the bat. Have a nice long conversation with Novak and Advance Adapters before you remove anything from your Jeep. make sure you have a notepad handy too!

[Marine_mike]

Just sent an inquiry to AA. Hopefully they get back to me soon. Good to hear about the shifter..... although I am not to fond of column shift. I am trying to keep costs low because hopefully this will be done over the weekend at a buddy's house unbeknownst to my wife. I am hoping that selling my tf999 might recoupe some costs.

[Marine_mike]

I just decided to let this one go. I figure, my current set up runs just fine. Because of my job... I'm only home 3-4 months a year. Not like it gets a whole lotta miles. Plus the total cost of the swap makes it impossible to keep under the "accountant's" radar. Crazy4ink ...... you may be supplying me with a birthday present this year... just gotta get someone the trash a fender.....lol

[crazy4ink]

I just decided to let this one go. I figure, my current set up runs just fine. Because of my job... I'm only home 3-4 months a year. Not like it gets a whole lotta miles. Plus the total cost of the swap makes it impossible to keep under the "accountant's" radar. Crazy4ink ...... you may be supplying me with a birthday present this year... just gotta get someone the trash a fender.....lol

can your e-brake fail and the jeep "roll" into a tree? That would take care of a weak stock fender...

[Marine_mike]

haha... my ebrake was never hooked up after the 8.8 was installed.