Is it worth building a Kj?

jeepmedic46

jeepmedic46

Expedition Leader
I have a 04 Liberty sport. I want to build it up to be a Expedition vehicle. But all I ever hear is how the Liberty is not a good vehicle. Is it worth it to build it up? I see there are Liberties that are built up and seem to do quite well.:smiley_drive:
 
NOMADIC_LJ

NOMADIC_LJ

Explorer
the KJ is a good platform for outfitting. Have you checked out lostkjs.com? they have a wealth of info on wheelin and traveling with your KJ.
 
jeepmedic46

jeepmedic46

Expedition Leader
Yes I have. Actually I am a lifetime member. They are a good resource. I live in a area where it seems like if you don't have a wrangler or a xj on 35s you can't do anything. Just gets frustrating sometimes not being near people who enjoy camping and exploring. Sorry about getting on a rant.:smiley_drive:
 
phxtoad

phxtoad

Adventurer
Expedition KJ

Well do you want an expedition rig for you or a weekend rock buggy to hang with them? My advice is to see how far you can follow them. It'll be farther than they think... :) Run whatcha brung!

Provided storage space or fuel economy/capacity are not the driving factors, then it's a great expedition vehicle. Just depends on how it's equipped from the factory and how you build it up, and of course how you drive it.

As you know a stock KJ has limited ground clearance and limited articulation. Even modified, it will not last long on trails at or above 3.5 (out of 5) without some carnage. But it will run 3.0's all day in the desert in the summer with the AC cranked. Where are you planning on going with it?

Mine has been all over AZ, to Moab, the California dunes, and remote Mexican beaches. It's a daily driver and I tow a pop-up regularly.

I have 106K on mine the engine and tranny are strong. You will spend money replacing the front end components over time if you run it hard. It's IFS so I always assumed I'd go through CV's, control arms, and ball joints, etc. And I have. Otherwise it's a fairly stout little piglet.

It's far from perfect, but It's a load of fun to drive on and off-road.

Todd

6833980007_large.jpg

Who needs departure angle?
 
Taz

Taz

Adventurer
I own both and it really depends on what your planned use is for the KJ. For very mild stuff my KJ has been a good vehicle. I have it lifted with my Rubi rims and tires on it. They have various weak points though that you need to take into consideration.

1) The front diff. They are aluminium and they break easy
2) The steering componets are weak and will not take much abuse. IE blowing the seals out of your steering is very easy to do and they have to be babied
3) After market support, yes you can get what you need for a KJ, but you will pay. There is not much competition and the pricing for items on them seems very high to me.

They are very capable though and I have been very impressed with the amount of ground clearance I have with a 2-1/2" lift and 31's. Traction control many people don't like on them but I tell you what, it works for me and has gotten me through some tough situations. I don't need ne stinkin lockers!

To sum up here, if I didn't already have the vehicle and I was in the market I would choose a different plateform (another WJ), but I do have a libby and it has been a good vehicle that has surprised me many times on how capable it is.
 
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NOMADIC_LJ

NOMADIC_LJ

Explorer
icefisher45 said:
Yes I have. Actually I am a lifetime member. They are a good resource. I live in a area where it seems like if you don't have a wrangler or a xj on 35s you can't do anything. Just gets frustrating sometimes not being near people who enjoy camping and exploring. Sorry about getting on a rant.:smiley_drive:
Click to expand...

Forget about the others, build your rig up to your taste and likes. Remember that half the people driving rigs on 35's are pure street queens. As a camping and exploring vehicle a KJ is great. They can get you were you want to go and in comfort to boot!
 
jeepmedic46

jeepmedic46

Expedition Leader
Thank you, I do want a expedition rig. Not a weekend rock crawler. I want to be able to take my son and daughter camping and my Liberty has not let me down yet on what I've asked it to do. Thank you. I will build it up.:smiley_drive:
 
Zeero

Zeero

Adventurer
Absolutely. I have built three Liberty Renegades (2006's) that we used for a 9,000 km Expedition in 2007 to Moab Utah.

We drove from Toronto ON Canada, across Canada to Lethbridge Alberta, where we headed south down through the CD, eventually to Utah where we spent two weeks in July in the blazing hot temps in the red rock.

It was an amazing trip without a doubt.

What we did learn though is if you plan on carrying a load near 1000 LBS as we did, do your KJ a favour and pickup some HD OME springs for it, you'll have a much better ride.

They are a fantastic vehicle for expedition purposes and moderate trail running to. Don't listen to anybody who says otherwise!

If you like check out our site at http://www.kjexpgroup.com and take a look at what we did with the Liberty's.
 
jnaut

jnaut

Observer
icefisher45 said:
I have a 04 Liberty sport. I want to build it up to be a Expedition vehicle. But all I ever hear is how the Liberty is not a good vehicle.
Click to expand...

You heard wrong.

A KJ is not the best vehicle for certain 4wd applications. For instance, I don't feel it's the best rock crawler. IFS and all. However, even with IFS, good driving and a willingness to make certain mods, it'll do that fairly well, too.

A KJ will be a GREAT expedition vehicle, better than many others. A small lift kit, everything else is just gravy. Plus, the KJ is a relatively inexpensive vehicle to start with. So that's another bonus.
 
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2500Adventures

2500Adventures

Adventurer
Skids:

OEM transfer case, engine, transmission and gas are options (i have them)
Kilby gas Skid (super beefy)
Skid Row (i think they still make skids for KJ??)

Bumpers:

Rocklizard Komodo Rear bumper (very cool looking and different builds of it to suit your needs)
Rocklizard Front (still in production if you want to hold off waiting for one)
ARB (Front only at this point)
TJM (If you can find it they did build a full size front bumper that was sent to the US last year, supposedly stopped though; I think they also have a bull bar available too)
 
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