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New to the Liberty scene
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=89295		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  mfreier [ Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:15 pm ]
Post subject:  New to the Liberty scene
Alright so I am going to need new tires soon. I am 16 and this is my first car. It is a black 2003 Liberty Sport 4x4. I tried mudding with everything stock (almost, someone put a high performance exhaust on the thing before it fell into my hands) and I got stuck and had to call someone to pull me out. Thankfully my car didn't drown and everything is running great. With that being said, I am looking into getting bigger tires. I would also like black rims, but it's not necessary. I don't really want a spacer lift, but being a broke teenager I might need to settle for that. I want to get all terrain tires of some sort. I want the biggest possible tires without any rubbing with the max of a 2-3 inch lift. I also am scared of the car dying as it has 217k miles on it. I would really like to do Jeep things with the car as I'm pretty sure nobody that has had the car before me has ever done anything like that. I want a wider stance enough to be a little outside the fender flares, but not overdone. I stole this for reference with the spacer idea:
Image
I honestly can't tell if that is lifted or not.
I'm really overwhelmed at the moment and just really need some help with choosing everything I want for the Jeep. I would love for some advice. (Advice telling me not to do anything but get all terrain tires and get a new jeep when this one dies works too)
Other ideas I like are these:
Image
I really like the rims of this one below (these are the exact rims i would get if I switched from stock rims):
Image

Anything will help me. Thanks.
Author:  GordnadoCRD [ Mon Oct 01, 2018 11:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
For expert advice on suspensions in here, Tom Mudd is your man. Take his word as gospel :2cents:

There are many suppliers and many approaches to lifting a liberty, but the list of kits and suppliers that are worth a darnn seems remarkably short. The higher you want to go, the shorter the list.
Take this from a guy closer to the opposite end of life ... In my opinion, if you can't afford any of these, don't opt down for a spacer lift, or any bargain type kits, or cheaper brands. Save up until you can afford the quality stuff. You will be much happier with the result.

https://jeepinbyal.com/liberty-2002-2007-kj/econo-lift-kits-for-the-kj/ome-1-50-lift-kit-kj.html Premium source of the complete range of top quality lifts.

http://boulderbars.com/frankenlift.htm Several options available here.

If you have original suspension, it's probably quite sagged out. You may be happy with new springs and premium shocks. https://shop.sasquatchparts.com/product ... y-28l-crd/

Edit: If you can stand the road noise, you might be happier with a more aggressive Mud / Snow tire.
Edit2: In your desire for larger tires, if you go over 30" diameter, you basically throw away 4th and 5th gears unless you go with 4.10 axle gears or higher, so there is that expense to consider.
IMO better to have a rig that wheels better than people thinks it can, than to have one that looks "super baddass" but can barely go offroad, breaks parts, beats you up and steals your lunch money.
Author:  WWDiesel [ Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Listen to the advice offered by members on this forum, some like T. Mudd have done countless lifts on Libby's and knows what works and what does not.
You can do a search on LOST to read some of the advice that has been posted previously and there is plenty on this subject.
Keep in mind; there is NO such thing for these vehicles considered a "cheap but good" lift!

Quality lifts that last for the long haul and are not problematic can cost a good bit of money, but well worth it in the long run.
Don't make a mistake that will cost you and that you will regret at the end of the day... :2cents:

:SOMBRERO:
Author:  u2slow [ Tue Oct 02, 2018 3:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Still happy with our cheaply lifted KJ some 5 years and 90,000km later.

YMMV.
Author:  tommudd [ Tue Oct 02, 2018 7:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
First what is your budget, 2.5 inch lift and then new tires are going to set you back 1300-1500
So let us know what your budget is and we will help you from there
Author:  mfreier [ Tue Oct 02, 2018 9:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Well yeah somewhere around there probably I think I want to stay below 2000 for the entire thing. I would love to get jba stuff but their entire lineup just seems out of reach to me but I don't want to cheap out either so i feel like i might have to wait longer. My only time constraint is that the street tires I have right now are almost at no tread. I want to improve looks and off-road capability. The looks part probably will include cosmetic things like tail lights, halo headlights, etc. When i go offroad I'm not going to be pushing anything to the limit because I still need this car as my daily driver. That's why I'm opting for AT tires instead of MT.
Author:  Grotsoldaat [ Wed Oct 03, 2018 2:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
LIFT KIT THREAD has lots of examples, how it has been done by others. I ended up with just 1.5' with H&R springs, stock shocks and 255/60-17 Pirelli Scorpions in 8x17 Dozt Rafting rims.
Author:  tommudd [ Wed Oct 03, 2018 6:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
mfreier wrote:
Well yeah somewhere around there probably I think I want to stay below 2000 for the entire thing. I would love to get jba stuff but their entire lineup just seems out of reach to me but I don't want to cheap out either so i feel like i might have to wait longer. My only time constraint is that the street tires I have right now are almost at no tread. I want to improve looks and off-road capability. The looks part probably will include cosmetic things like tail lights, halo headlights, etc. When i go offroad I'm not going to be pushing anything to the limit because I still need this car as my daily driver. That's why I'm opting for AT tires instead of MT.


jeepinbyal has OME springs with OME or bilstien shocks
have installed a ton of them with that lift, ran it my self on one of my KJ s for a while

tail lights , halos etc does nothing for your ride, and will not get you any more girls
Author:  tommudd [ Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Grotsoldaat wrote:
LIFT KIT THREAD has lots of examples, how it has been done by others. I ended up with just 1.5' with H&R springs, stock shocks and 255/60-17 Pirelli Scorpions in 8x17 Dozt Rafting rims.



I need to spend a day in there since a lot of it is out of date
Author:  mfreier [ Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
tommudd wrote:
mfreier wrote:
Well yeah somewhere around there probably I think I want to stay below 2000 for the entire thing. I would love to get jba stuff but their entire lineup just seems out of reach to me but I don't want to cheap out either so i feel like i might have to wait longer. My only time constraint is that the street tires I have right now are almost at no tread. I want to improve looks and off-road capability. The looks part probably will include cosmetic things like tail lights, halo headlights, etc. When i go offroad I'm not going to be pushing anything to the limit because I still need this car as my daily driver. That's why I'm opting for AT tires instead of MT.


jeepinbyal has OME springs with OME or bilstien shocks
have installed a ton of them with that lift, ran it my self on one of my KJ s for a while

tail lights , halos etc does nothing for your ride, and will not get you any more girls



Well i want the thing to look cool also because stock is boring
Author:  iakj11 [ Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Good for you having your first car be a jeep and a for having few bucks in your pocket to customize it! I think some of us older guys would love to be back in your shoes. My advice is do what you want and have fun. This is probably the philosophy of many of us when it comes to our jeeps, but the responsibilities of adulting can sometimes complicate.

Second bit of advice - find a mentor who can help you, and do as much work as you can yourselves. Tricked out jeeps are fun, but there is more to life than that. A jeep and a shared vision for it can be a vehicle for discovering that. Yes, the pun was intended.

Third advice - Reality is you are running a new to you gasser KJ with 200K+ miles. You should plan for $$ surprises. You need tires, and since you want them to be larger, consider a phased approach to a lift. Search and learn about the following for the front: strut spacer plates, clevis lift, pinch weld pounding, and extended bump stops. In the rear: spacers and extended bump stops. Lift it a little to fit slightly larger tires, and when you are ready, you will already be several steps into something like the Tommudd Econo 3.5" lift on the jeepinbyal site.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Author:  mfreier [ Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Hey thanks everyone for the advice, I'll probably start taking everything into consideration and buying parts within the next few months.
Author:  tommudd [ Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
iakj11 wrote:
Good for you having your first car be a jeep and a for having few bucks in your pocket to customize it! I think some of us older guys would love to be back in your shoes. My advice is do what you want and have fun. This is probably the philosophy of many of us when it comes to our jeeps, but the responsibilities of adulting can sometimes complicate.

Second bit of advice - find a mentor who can help you, and do as much work as you can yourselves. Tricked out jeeps are fun, but there is more to life than that. A jeep and a shared vision for it can be a vehicle for discovering that. Yes, the pun was intended.

Third advice - Reality is you are running a new to you gasser KJ with 200K+ miles. You should plan for $$ surprises. You need tires, and since you want them to be larger, consider a phased approach to a lift. Search and learn about the following for the front: strut spacer plates, clevis lift, pinch weld pounding, and extended bump stops. In the rear: spacers and extended bump stops. Lift it a little to fit slightly larger tires, and when you are ready, you will already be several steps into something like the Tommudd Econo 3.5" lift on the jeepinbyal site.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!


OK advice if the KJ is almost brand new and less than 10,000 miles
Simce its not he maybe " lifting it " back to stock height
The way these weak springs sag I have seen them with a 2.5 inches spacer lift sitting 1/2 inch higher than stock
Going the 3.5 econo lift is not right for him at all plus its changed so much since we came up with it
Author:  Liberty for All [ Wed Oct 24, 2018 5:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
On my Liberty I have used Rock Crawler black steel 8 rims I bought from 4WheelDriveParts which look like what your featured photo had. They are inexpensive and tough but keep them waxed regularly. I think they are called Pro Comp now.

Also, Rancho and Bilstein Shocks are good for a budget price with decent quality.

:2cents:
Author:  tommudd [ Wed Oct 24, 2018 7:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Liberty for All wrote:
On my Liberty I have used Rock Crawler black steel 8 rims I bought from 4WheelDriveParts which look like what your featured photo had. They are inexpensive and tough but keep them waxed regularly. I think they are called Pro Comp now.

Also, Rancho and Bilstein Shocks are good for a budget price with decent quality.

:2cents:


OME or Bilstein, not Rancho
Ranch has not had a decent shock for the Libertys since they did away with the RSX line
Author:  Liberty for All [ Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Tom, I will agree.

Your opinion and knowledge is widely followed.
What is your advice on my Upper Rear Control arm bushing and ball joint replacement?
Author:  WWDiesel [ Sat Oct 27, 2018 9:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Liberty for All wrote:
What is your advice on my Upper Rear Control arm bushing and ball joint replacement?

Consider this:
viewtopic.php?f=98&t=87307

viewtopic.php?f=98&t=87801

Not real cheap, but the last one you will ever buy and built like a tank.... :D
Author:  mass-hole [ Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New to the Liberty scene
Build your self a set of Bi-Xenon or LED projector head lamps like I did. They look good and no one can tell you it’s a waste because they light up the road infinitely better than stock.

Morimoto MiniD2S fits with just some dremeling and I painted the stock reflector bowls Rustoleum Colonial Red and it’s a perfect match to the body:

Image

Image

Put your own halos in while your in there.
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