1954 chevrolet 4.0L swap

[steve54]

Well the subject line tells half the story. I own a 1954 Chevrolet 210 2dr posts car. I started out wanting to keep the drive train mostly stock but things changed when i wanted to customize the car. My plan was to lower the car with air bags. A 54 Chevrolet has a closed drive line, the drive shaft and the rear end are one piece and it will not pivot causing vibrations when the car is lowered. So i need to change the rear end, the drive shaft and the 3 speed transmission. You cant put a regular yolk on the 54 3 speed. Now for the front end drum brakes, king pins are not very good for air bags and manual steering. Over half the drive line needs to go. There are ways to make it work- everybody pulls the motor, installs a V8,350 trans, swap rear end, install Mustang2 crossmember disk brakes rack and pinion. I didn't mind doing the Mustang2 front end with the disk brakes, updated suspension and rack steering but i don't want to swap in a V8. I just like the straight six its not the normal that you see in these cars. Now that you know more about a 54 than you probably wanted to know.
I started exploring my options and got a lot of info but you can spend a lot of money if you get caught up in aftermarket parts. Iv owned a couple of jeeps and worked on a lot i started a 4.0L motor swap once had a little help from Benny at HESCO but sold the Jeep before i finished the swap. Thats when it hit me if i get a jeep cherokee 4.0L 2wheel auto i can use the whole drive train. Now to start taking measurements of my buddies cherokee to see what i can use axle width will work, motor is about 99% the same and every thing else can be worked out.
So i figured i would post on the board and see if i could get a little help. I was wondering what year would be the best for the swap and is the cherokee, grand cherokee or wrangler the better donor. Also there are alot of companys making wiring harnesses but some of them make you use their computer or their crank sensor/balancer i would like to use the stock harness to keep price down. Any help would appreciated.

[SilverXJ]

I recommend a 99 XJ for the swap. Its not too old so most parts will be fine as is. You will also get the HP D30, and the 29 spline 8.25 Chrysler axle. Do not get a D35 axle. You will also get the later less crack prone head and the newer intake manifold. However if you are lowering it the HP D30 may be an issue... or are you making it 2x4? The AW4 auto transmission used in the XJs are also stout. Their manual options are good too with the AX15 and NV3500 in later years.

[steve54]

The 8.25 chrysler is a good point i forgat they came in Cherokees. Will the 99 be that hard to wire being obd2