i have a96 jeep zj and i absolutely love it except one thing it is 2 wheel drive. i was wondering how hard it would be to switch it to 4 wheel drive? any on have any ideas? would it be any easier or cheaper or better to use aftermarket parts or find a wrecked stock jeep and use stock parts? any advice would be appericated.

This has been gone over many times here. You have an 11 and almost 12 year old vehicle. You will be waaaaay ahead to sell it and buy one that is already equiped with the 4 wheel drive you would like.
The down time and effort required to find all the correct parts and install them correctly would probably surpass the value of your present vehicle.
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

BigJim is correct in every aspect!

Sell your current vehicle, and buy one with 4WD.

the only reason i was asking is because i have a guy that runs a tow service that is a friend of mine and he has a 95 i think in his tow lot and i could probaby buy it for parts for around 5 or 600 bucks. so i would have all of the parts i would just have to swap them from one vehicle to the other. the ont he has has no title and it does not run the people threw a rod driving it with out oil. so i was wondering if it would be worth the time? or should i just sell mine and buy one that is 4 wheel drive and buy the one from the tow lot and keep it for parts?

As posted by others, you are much better off selling your 2WD vehicle and buying a 4WD vehicle. Even if you got the parts really cheap, the time and effort involved in making such a switch just wouldn't be worth it.

ok thank you. cause i was only wanting to do it that way because i was told that it wasnt it hard it would not take much time longer than putting a lift one one of these. so i was going to lift it at the same time i switched everything over. is that a good idea? im not shooting down your advise im just asking cause i really want to make one mine.as in i do all of the work. and im full of questions. how much work do you thing would be involved? just alot of man hours? any overly specisl tools that the average joe wouldnt have in his garage? please let me know. like i said im not trying to shoot down your advise im just really curious. thanks

OK Crowley You seem to think you can do it. So if you have both the wrecked 4x4 and your 2x4 go ahead and get started.
I certainly hope you are up on your welding.
You will prolly want both the front and the rear axles as they will have matching gears. Driveshafts, transfer case, front end and don't forget the 4x4 dash light.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

I don't know who told you it would be easy, but it isn't. Adding a lift to the vehicle would be a piece of cake compared to converting it from 2WD to 4WD. But if you are a very experienced mechanic, a good welder and fabricator, and have more time and energy than you know what to do with, have at it.

But I'd be willing to bet that before you're halfway through the project, the thought will come to you, ""Maybe those guys had something there."

It's pretty clear that you want to do this project. I'm not sure why you asked for advice, and then resist that advice. But at the very least, you will get a lot of experience working on off-road vehicles.

like i said before curious. never said i was just going to do it no matter what im not the guy that is hell bent on ruining a perfectly good jeep to put a v8 in it i was just wanting to know. and im not shooting down advice. just had a few more questions. i just want to know what all is involved in doing it so i can make and educated decision not jusat a guess and end up saying yes o=hose guys are right. i wanted to know what all was involved so i knew exactly why you were saying not to do it. thanks for the advise and from what has been said im not gooing to do it cause i cant weld worth the hell and if it depends on my welds to make it right and safe then the best route is to buy a 4wd so thank you guys.

Marty