My Jeep experience is exclusively with CJs, but I plan to buy a YJ to build a family wheeler. I'm going with a YJ because I have already found many clean, cheap samples of this model. I have to admit I used to hate YJ, but they seem like a good deal. My Jeep will be street legal but not a daily driver. I know I want an automatic (I've had both and much prefer the auto on the rocks) and I plan to limit myself to 33-inch tires. So, other than lift kit, what are the must-have upgrades for this model?  

I should add that I also plan lockers of some sort front and rear.

My questions are mostly with drivetrain and suspension.
> Should I upgrade the axles or swap out the whole axle assembles? I want super reliable.
> Will a stock auto hold up after a rebuild? How about the stock transfer case? Drive shafts are getting replaced no matter what.
> Sway bars, links, etc?  

I've ran mine in the mud and sand with the 8.8 ford rear end with limited slip 3:73 rears and 4:11 up front with the stock 30( i haven't swapped them out yet) and a sbc that's mildly built and to my amazement nothing has broke, but I haven't been on rocks where I'm pretty sure something would come apart.  Go big if your budget allows, 44's or 60's which are cheap to find but are expensive to cut down, regear and install.  People bad mouth the 8.8 but I've had great luck with it, it'll spin 33x12.5 swampers on dry pavement without an explosion.  If you haven't bought the  YJ yet personally I wouldn't get any jeep older than '97.  I don't run sway bars or track bars they restrict flex to much and the rear track bar is notorious for ripping the mount right off the axle.  By the way, sorry about that 4 banger comment(if you seen it), that was my sons idea of trying to be funny, he's 16.  

im pretty amazed that nothing has broke with two different gear ratios going at the same time!  

in the sand and mud they can live a while with different ratio's..not adised though....sway bar and track help a yj flex and don't really cause any issuses on the hwy, for TJ the track bar can't be removed at all unless a wishbone type three link upper control arm is used (teraflex is a good example, they have a LCG 5" kit that is a front and rear 3 link type) running on the hwy with the tj swaybar is ill advised unless you drive extra catiously and get used to the body roll.

the stock auto and t-case are going to give you good service, with the 33's a 4:56 gear would be desireable for power and spunk It'll be running about 3,000rpm @65, with the three speed auto is the downfall, a 4:10 around 2700rpm but will be kinda slow taking off.
d44's would be a axle choice, the stock axles will live if you don't get carried away even with some sort of locker. an OD tranny would the best, and would turn about 2360 rpm @65 on 33's using a 4:88 gear ratio....big advantage there,  

I'm planning a Ford 8.8 Axel swap, D44 is not an option as there are none available that won't have the tires hanging out of the weal arch.  My budget is limited so I wanna keep to the 8.8 as there are loads of them all over the place.  I have a friend that owns a scrappy so I will probably get it for next to nothing.

I just wanna ask someone what do I do with my front axel.  I doubt that by doing this swap the ratios will be the same, and tearing a drive shaft or messing up my T/C is not an option.  So I would like to know if anyone knows if it is possible to take the front axel of a ford explorer and stick that in the front of my YJ?  

I have 2 reasons for doing this, less confusion about parts, and fluids.  The other I will yank the entire brake system from the Ford Explorer and have ABS.  I want ABS because the people here drive like a bunch of yahoos, me included.

If the swap is possible, does anyone know if the front axel of a Ford Explorer is stronger than the front axel of a YJ?