Among the rhetoric being tossed around, there are some points that are being overlooked.

It is recognized that modifications cost money and many people are short on ready cash.

There are some points to keep in mind before you lay out the cash for the first mod.

Basically, begin with the end in mind. Consider what type of wheeling you will be doing and address whether your rig will double as a daily drive or trailered to the trail head.

Answering those questions will set the tone for the type of mods you will be doing.

Do your homework. Many modifications are fads that are quickly adopted and quickly discarded.

Availability of repair parts. So, you can get an SM-420 4-spd truck tranny from the bone yard and it has a super-low first gear for a real cheap price. Will that fit your Jeep 4.0l??

Or, you want EFI and have a line on a complete LT350 from a wrecked Chevy. What fabrication skills do you have to mount that engine in a Jeep?

Yes, you can mix, match, and swap spline count parts. Is that really necessary? Consider the overall cost....

And, consider that when you get off-stock to the point of having Ford, Chevy and Jeep parts working together (maybe), there becomes a point where maintenance becomes an issue. You say, no problem, NAPA is jsut down the street. Well, I know of many places where the closest NAPA is 4-5 hour drive. And, I was recently stranded for three days while the local NAPA had parts shipped in.

In short, what people are saying is that sometimes it is best to consider your long=term goal for the build and do it right the first time. In the end, you will probably spend less if you take your time, plan your build and do it once.