hey guys i'm looking for some help i've got a 2000 2wd dodge dakota 3.9v6 with the 42re tranny and i'm looking to convert it to a 4wd. my question is that i have a buddy selling a 93 jeep grand cherokee running gear and i was wondering if I would be able to use his running gear to convert my truck over. Or would i better off finding a 4wd dakota and useing the parts off of that. I know this would be the simplist but whereas i live in a small town there actually hard to find. any advice at all would be great thanks

 

I don't know how much time and effort you're wanting to spend on this but I think you might just be better off to find a 4wd one and purchase it outright. Unless you're looking for a challenge and have no timeline... I just pulled the front drive components out of my '99 and am leaving it 2wd for now so if you need a diff and half axles let me know - the differential wanted to sit where my new engine oil pan rides and the truck begs a solid axle up front anyway. Anyway, I think it's going to be a big job, which you probably already knew - here's what I see you need to do: swap in 4x4 hub assemblies, get the differential and front axles mounted, find and connect a transfer case, get modified driveshafts and connect the linkage.
Good luck, but for my time and money I'd save up $4000 and buy an '98 or a '99 4x4.
Patrick

 

I agree not a good idea you could never change out the front suspension from 2WD to a 4X4 at least not like a Dakota 4X4 you would need to use a solid diff front end kind of like a rock crawler if you have seen them.

Sell your 2WD for a 4X4 way better and way less hassle