Well, went over to my buddy's house for a bit to help him finish installing the tow hooks, and fix the rear brake line so he can drive his XJ again, but as he pulled it out of the garage we noticed a problem: the ears on the drive shaft are hitting the slip yoke because of the U joint angle being too steep. This is a 1990 2 door XJ with AW4/NP242 and (now) 5.5" lift rear springs. He was going to take a die grinder to the yoke to make it work as a temporary solution, but we will need to do something for the long term. A SYE kit is probably out of the question for the time being, so would a YJ slip yoke work? The way it is made it seems like it can go on a lot steeper angle, but does it use the same the same U joints and does it have the same spline count and diameter? I believe a YJ slip yoke is also a bit longer, which would be a plus. Alternatively, for added length, would this yoke work, even though he would still have to take a grinder to it, it seems to be a lot longer, but what about U joint, diameter and spline count?
A longer yoke won't solve the issue at hand. All it will do is allow for the yoke to pull out further at suspension flex. Just make sure that it's not to long as it will also push in, and you don't want it to push in to far (ie. bust the t-case). The yoke length will not change the the placement of the u-joint on the d-shaft.
You have a few options.
The first and most logical one would be to do a t-case drop kit, as it will help change the angle of the yoke/d-shaft. RE makes one (LINK) for fairly cheap that should help. We do have it in stock...
Another option is to get a yoke that has more clearance. You'll need to make sure it's the correct spline count and for the correct size u-joint. The YJ yoke is longer, however it is not fully splined all the way. So what you gain in length, you loose in spline engagment (so it's kind of a wash). I don't know however how much (if any) clearance the YJ yoke would have over an XJ yoke. I want to say off the top of my head it's very minimal.
XJ 2wd and 4wd yokes are a bit different, but one again I'm not sure how much (if any) clearance a 2wd yoke would give you.
And lastly, the good ol grinder. Depending on how much it's hitting this may be an option. Just remember that as full suspension flex, the d-shaft angle will get worse, so you need to make sure you have plenty of clearance.
The correct solution is a SYE and CV style d-shaft, but you already know that. I'd start out with a TC-drop and than see where you stand.
I didn't state im my original post, but the yoke isn't engaged quite as far as I'd like, either. Enough that is won't fall out, but little enough that he might wear out the oil seal. That's why the longer yoke.