I'm building a '92 XJ that was sold/given to me by a dear friend. So far, I've swapped in a GM 305 as a mock-up for a 350 with a Turbo 400. The vehicle is currently 2wd, but that is changing. I just struck a deal to purchase the tranny/t-case from a derelict '83 Sierra for $300.00! A local guy is willing to rebuild the tranny for under 200 plus parts at an estimated 80 bucks. Today, I picked up the front driveshaft from an '89 XJ. I am a welder and fabricator, but the mechanics of these things is still a little foggy to me. How do I determine what axle I have just drug home, and if it will match the gearing of my rear axle, which I have not yet identified? I realize the first suggestion that comes to mind is "Just order a matched pair of Dana 60's with locking diffs from XYZ *** My response is "tooooo many moneys!" The purpose of the build is to obtain greater capability and utility than stock. I pull trailers with as much as 5 tons load and also love to wheel at the mud flats along a power plant spillway. I also plan to begin frequenting the National Seashore's southern extremities on Padre Island again.

Plans are in play for spray-in bedliner on the entire floor pan, taller, stouter coils for the front, 3/4 ton leaves in the rear, 31x10.50 BFG Mud Terrains, and heavy-duty bumpers.

Any suggestions for other mods are welcome and appreciated. Just bear in mind that I am on a restrictive budget.

The best way to check the gear ratio is to pull the diff covers and count the ring gear and pinion teeth. devide the ring gear count by the pinion count and you have the ratio. The front axel that you drug home could be anything. First you need to know what it came out of. The rear axel is probably a Dana 35, but some came with a 44. Take the vin number and call the Jeep dealer, if the rear axel is stock they can tell you what you have and the gear ratio from the vin #.  

here's the deal. first off you will be ok running the dana 35 with 31' tires even with the 305. heres how u identify your axel there should be a tag bolted to the cover of the axel with a bunch of number and letters if you look online or even a good service manual it will tell you witch axel you have. second of all depending on what ur purpose is.. a locker really might not be what u want esp if you intend on driving this bad boy down the road and not feeling like ur goin to rip the axels out. if u dont have the tag on the axel count the ring gear teeth to pinnon teeth and that will help you get a better idea.. only problem is its tough to count the pinnon teeth with the diff still in.. now here my question for you! what did you have to do in order to get the 305 to fit? i have a 4 year auto tech degree and also have good exsprince in welding..  im sure u had to do something with the mounts? steering column get in the way at all? i also want to put a 350 in my XJ jeep please id love to hear your input!! thanks - joe  

Thanks for your input. The axle I brought home came out of an '89 XJ sport. Swapping in the 305 required a new set of GM motor mounts from Autozone at a cost of 12.00. Next came a couple of hours with a torch, grinder, welder, channel iron, flat bar, and a lot of patience with an engine hoist and tape measure. The end result was a new crossmember. Fenders, frame channels, firewall, and steering column were all fine. I did nothing to create more room in the motor compartment, and the install went in two days at a snail's pace. Headers absolutely will not fit (a real pisser), so I had to leave the stock manifolds. The hood fits with an Edelbrock 10 in. air cleaner. The smog pump, exhaust tubing, and a/c comp. had to go, and I also can't deviate from the stock intake. The turbo 400's mount sat directly on top of the Jeep's tranny mount on the crossmember. Four inches of bead, and the tranny was mounted to the chassis. I'm thinking of posting a step - by - step procedure for getting as far as I have gotten with the swap. Look for it.