KJ KRWLR... bring on he hate :)

KJKRWLR

New Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2011
Location
CHARLOTTE
Ok so here we go, the official NC4X4 build thread for my 02' Jeep Liberty. Oh man.. I said it.. a Liberty. Whether you call it a mall crawler, a girls jeep, Gay-J, Libergay, a disgrace to the Jeep family, etc.. I've already heard it so I'll save you some time. Here's the story behind how I wound up with the black sheep of the Jeep family.

Way back I became a Jeep newbie when I bought a mid 90's 4cyl YJ. I had a blast with that thing for a couple years but it ultimately just fell apart and I decided rather than fix everything that was wrong with it I would set out to buy a new vehicle. I knew I needed a 4WD, a relly wanted a V6, and I was also looking for a little more space. My first pick was a Nissan Xterra but after a quick test drive I decided it wasnt for me. Then I found the Libety and being the newbie I was I immeditaley thought "Hey, its a Jeep. There must a sb*tload of aftermrket parts to make this thing into an offroading beast". After a quick test drive I decided this was the vehicle fo me and I bought it n the spot.
Then reality sank in... as soon as I go home I started looking around online for parts and quikly found out that I bought one of the most hated Jeeps in the line-up. Being a natural competitor I decided rather than dwell on my purchase I would continue with my build plans and push the limis of my Liberty.

The build is already pretty far along, but I still have plenty of ideas and projects left to finish up. So here it goes...

My Official NC4X4 02' Jeep Liberty Build, aka KJ KRWLR.

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Maybe I should start at the beginning, Day 1

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Then over the last couple of years I've accumulated this list of parts:

2008 Mod List
ARB Deluxe BullBar
WARN M8000 12v Winch
Optima Red Top Battery

2009 Mod List
WARN Hawse Fairlead
AMSteel Blue Synthetic Winch Line
OME 790 CRD Front Springs
Rustys CS900 Rear Springs
Rustys Hydro Shocks
Rustys Long Travel Struts
265/75R16 BFGoodrich Mud Terrains
Autopal 130w Offroad Lights (First KJ to mount offroad lights on side mirrors... 5/30/2009)
60" Cast & Steel Hi-Lift
K&N Drop-in Air Filter
Alpine CDA-9884 Headunit
Alpine Type-R SPR-17c Speakers
Alpine Type-R SPR-17s Speakers
Alpine SPS-1005 Tweeters
Gryphon 7" LCD Headrest Monitors
16sq/ft of Extreme Dynamat
BFGoodrich Door Decals

2010 Mod List
Mopar Taillight Guards
Cobra 18 WX ST II CB Radio (First KJ to custom flush mount a CB Radio inside glovebox... 1/20/2010)
3' Firestik Antenna
Rock Sliders Built by Carolina Truggies
Detroit 187C-179A Locker in the Rear
Balistic Fabrication Battery Box
Removable 4Door Conversion
Kidde Fire Extinguisher
Removed Rear Swaybar
Offroad Bag w/ Lots of Goodies
14" Custom Shorty Antenna

2011 Mod List
18% Window Tinit
Lo-tek A-Pillar Gauge Holder
SOLID Rear Diff Cover (First KJ to have a SOLID rear diff cover... 2/19/2011)
CHARLOTTE OFFROAD Windshield Decal

2012 Mod List
Exo Hybrid Build
Flowmaster Super 10
Corbeau Baja XP

Regular Maintenance and Unexpected Repairs
Regular Oil Changes
Serviced Front and Rear axles
Serviced Transfer Case
Coolant System Flush
Fuel Injector Cleaning
Replaced Spark Plugs
Replaced Passenger Wheel Hub
Replaced Timing Chain Cover
Replaced Water Pump
Replaced Thermostat
Replaced Radiator
Replaced Serpentine Belt
Replaced PCV Valve
Replaced Front Brake Pads and Rotors
Replaced Rear Brake Shoes and all Hardware
Replaced Optima Battery
Replaced Driveshaft CV Head
 
lol, defensive much? Nothing wrong with wheeling a liberty, there have been a couple built ones on here in the past. The only part that i think is really laughable is that you think we care about the percent of your window tinet and you think no one else in the last decade bolted a solid diff cover to their 8.25? :lol:

Nice jeep, any plans for a solid front axle?
 
Cute jeep man!! Any plans for a real axle up front.
 
biggoofy said:
Cute jeep man!! Any plans for a real axle up front.
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Absolutely.. I quickly found out the BIGGEST failure in the KJ model was the IFS and there is a SAS planned as a future project. Quite honestly Its just out of my budget for the moment so I keep holding off on it. More than likely I will be swapping out for a HP Dana30 or 44 once the axle swap project is underway.
 
Spence said:
lol, defensive much? Nothing wrong with wheeling a liberty, there have been a couple built ones on here in the past. The only part that i think is really laughable is that you think we care about the percent of your window tinet and you think no one else in the last decade bolted a solid diff cover to their 8.25? :lol:

Nice jeep, any plans for a solid front axle?
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Nah not defensive at all.. just thought I would save everybody some time of explaining to me the failures of my Jeep. I'm not posting the % of tint because I think you care.. I just like to pay attention to details. I might have to reread my original post... but Im pretty sure I didnt post that I was the first 8.25 with a SOLID cover.. nope.. just the first KJ :) lol

A solid axle swap is in the works for the future, more than likely a HP Dana 30 or 44 but for now its just a bit out of my budget.
 
One of the best upgrades I've made so far was the addition of the Detroit Locker in the rear axle.

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Then I swapped out the pressed pins for a removable nut/bolt setup and began hitting the trails with the doors off.

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i wouldnt do it, but it's YOUR vehicle. i've seen a few liberty's that people have lifted and they look good. personally, i couldnt drop tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle and start wheeling it. not unless i somehow came into a bunch of money. lol.

oh and i wouldnt waste my time with D30 if you're gonna SAS it. putting a D44 in would be just as much work, but it'd be stronger.
 
Most recently I started my hybrid exo project built by the guys at Carolina Truggies. The project is being put together in a few stages and this is the beginning of phase 1.

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In order to tie in my inner cage with my exo build I needed to figure out the location of my seats... so I went ahead and picked up a piar of Corbeau XP seats.

pictures posting soon....
 
You are doing a lot with it. I dig the exo bars.
In all seriousness, if you can find a replacement engine for cheap, grab it and store it. I went looking for one to fix my nieghbor's and they were getting STUPID prices for them. Turns out the little V6 is a turd and they cant keep replacement engines on the shelf.
 
nctom said:
You are doing a lot with it. I dig the exo bars.
In all seriousness, if you can find a replacement engine for cheap, grab it and store it. I went looking for one to fix my nieghbor's and they were getting STUPID prices for them. Turns out the little V6 is a turd and they cant keep replacement engines on the shelf.
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Yeah mines pushing the 140k mark right now and not getting any younger. There's a guy swapping out his V6 with a V8 crate engine right now so I'm keeping dibs on his build thread and watching how it turns out. If mine holds out long enough that might be an option for a future project. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Redneck92 said:
Needs moar toob:popcorn:
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No worries.. plenty more tubing is on the way. I'm usually pretty broke so I'm piecing the exo together in phases as I gather funds. The roof wont be anything fancy or crazy, just a set of horizontal cross bars to tie the rails together and give me a fully welded roof rack. The rest of the project will tie together a tube front bumper, roof rack, inner cage, etc... all of which will be with 1.75" .120 wall DOM tubing.
 
I thought the Libbo was the ugliest thing to come out of the Jeep stables ever, AMC Eagle included. Then they brought out the 'Mander, and the Liberty didn't seem so hideous! Seriously, though, as much as I hate them stock, they look pretty brutal if they're built up right and sitting on 35 or 37" tires. I like the Bushwackers, but I'd like to see what Truggies could do with chopping the fenders and tying into the bumpers with tube fenders.
 
catfishblues said:
I thought the Libbo was the ugliest thing to come out of the Jeep stables ever, AMC Eagle included. Then they brought out the 'Mander, and the Liberty didn't seem so hideous! Seriously, though, as much as I hate them stock, they look pretty brutal if they're built up right and sitting on 35 or 37" tires. I like the Bushwackers, but I'd like to see what Truggies could do with chopping the fenders and tying into the bumpers with tube fenders.
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I hear you loud and clear buddy. There's plenty more tube coming and if you've ever seen the other work Truggies has does you know its gonna be sick :)
 
Spence said:
you think no one else in the last decade bolted a solid diff cover to their 8.25? :lol:
Click to expand...
ps. I just got a response from the guys at SOLID and according to them not only was I one of the first to order the diff cover but the SOLID diff cover for the 8.25 was only released a year ago :) So... unless you did some modification to your rig over the last decade I guess my claim as being the first KJ with a SOLID diff cover on my 8.25 is still accurate.. :lol:
 
I had a CRD, loved that engine. Wish they had put it in more Jeeps. Wrecked it unfortunately. I found the KJ itself was a decent vehicle for road trips, beach trips, light wheeling, etc. I had a hell of a time trying to figure out whether to try and build it much or leave it stockish, and I ended up leaving it mostly alone due to the lack of aftermarket, price of aftermarket, and bang for the buck mods. Even a SAS is a major pain with those rigs because of how much you have to lift them to fit a decent tire size, even with some tub surgery...but regardless, I salute you for taken the road less traveled. :beer: Just please don't swap a d30 front axle...at least dignify the beast with a d44 :D
 
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