Guide on installing 4WD transmission in a 2WD-only Jimny

I recently met a guy who bought an "el-cheapo" 2WD-only Jimny made in 2000 with low mileage and with very little rust.
So he converted the vehicle to a proper 4WD Jimny by installing missing 4WD transmission components, which he obtained from a similar age 4WD Jimny, from a vehicle junk yard.

In the end he got a mint proper 4WD Jimny for a rather low total price.

Based on his tale on the steps of the conversion process, and also based on some of my general knowledge, I wrote this wiki article on how to perform that conversion (retrofitment).

I hope that someone finds it useful.
Since I wrote the guide from a theoretical perspective (I did not personally perform the steps from the guide), I would like someone to comment if I missed any step in the guide or did I make any mistake in the procedure.


By the way,
I do not know if you had 2WD-only Jimnys for sale in UK but they were sold for a couple of early years all throughout continental Europe.

We didn't have them in the UK, but this is a global forum so thanks!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Good write-up! We have some of these in Norway and they are very cheap

So by inference there are no obvious problems with going the other way. Hmmm interesting. Thank you.

Lambert, I did not quite understand your sentence. What did you mean by "the other way"?

I think Lambert is meaning he wants to convert a 4wd jimny into 2wd perhaps?

"You will not need the front axle (+ front wheel hub) assembly any more, so you can donate it for example to a paramilitary group of your choice.
They can use it on a makeshift trailer for towing light artillery."

LOL indeed! but seriously, I have been thinking about building a touring camping trailer out of a Jimny axle for a while, the steering and braking side of this axle would be a obstacle to overcome to use as a trailer axle.

The main reasons for this is as follows:
Jimny axle = same track as the towing vehicle.
Same wheels/tyres as the towing vehicle, which gives at least two more spare tyres (handy when touring maybe)
Jimny rear axles have drum brakes, which may be converted to suit trailer applications fairly easily
Finally, i love the look of a nicely kitted out trailer (have a youtube at Patriot Campers X1 for an example of what im thinking of, but smaller).