Dances with Wolves
aka jk240sx
What are your plans for the cab rear window? grafting on the hatch like above pics?
Jeep Liberty pickup
- Thread starter CrazyDrei
- Start date
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
It has begun!
Gutting everything from B-pillar back. Removed everything that I though was not necessary from the B-pillar back. Managed to loose approximately 319 pounds so far.
Rear seats and carpet came out.
All plastic trim came came out. I am keeping the rear DC power socket, I am sure that I will want it in the back eventually.
With trim and wiring gone I am beginning to formulate a plan for the actual pickup bed area. Measured the back area and the bed should potentially be 48" deep, 40" wide and 20" tall.
Ceiling trim came out, sunroof wiring is out also. I did not remove the sunroof yet because I do not want to have a hole in my roof nor do I know what I want to do with it yet.
Tailgate lost the spare tire, spare tire mount, rear wiper and motor assembly, glass hatch and locking mechanism. Trim piece will be going back on when I finish the bed mostly for looks but also to keep debris out of the door itself.
Doors lost glass, window regulators, wiring, speakers and plastic trim. I can still open the rear doors with outside handle, keeping it for now.
Cutting off spare tire holder bolts was the highlight so far!
Painters tape marks the approximate lines where I will be cutting. Liberty looks so much better with the door glass completely removed.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Gutting everything from B-pillar back. Removed everything that I though was not necessary from the B-pillar back. Managed to loose approximately 319 pounds so far.
Rear seats and carpet came out.
All plastic trim came came out. I am keeping the rear DC power socket, I am sure that I will want it in the back eventually.
With trim and wiring gone I am beginning to formulate a plan for the actual pickup bed area. Measured the back area and the bed should potentially be 48" deep, 40" wide and 20" tall.
Ceiling trim came out, sunroof wiring is out also. I did not remove the sunroof yet because I do not want to have a hole in my roof nor do I know what I want to do with it yet.
Tailgate lost the spare tire, spare tire mount, rear wiper and motor assembly, glass hatch and locking mechanism. Trim piece will be going back on when I finish the bed mostly for looks but also to keep debris out of the door itself.
Doors lost glass, window regulators, wiring, speakers and plastic trim. I can still open the rear doors with outside handle, keeping it for now.
Cutting off spare tire holder bolts was the highlight so far!
Painters tape marks the approximate lines where I will be cutting. Liberty looks so much better with the door glass completely removed.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Last edited:
warrpath4x4
Adventurer
as someone who has gotten metal in his eye before, get a pair of safety glasses man lol send me your address and I will send you a pair
Superpanga
Active member
Awesome. Following!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
warrpath4x4,
I was secretly hoping that no one would notice. Ddone and done, but thank you for your generous offer.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
May want to focus in what the tool is doing.....warrpath4x4,
I was secretly hoping that no one would notice. Ddone and done, but thank you for your generous offer.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Just kidding?? jeeps looking good.
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
The roof is off. Drove around the driveway a little bit, so far so good.
I have a sunroof in my Liberty, the roof reinforcement that is between the B-pillars in non sun roof models does not exist in mine, looks like the sunroof frame contributes greatly to the structural rigidity of the unibody construction, lol.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/T3KTXWT.jpg "[IMG]")
Doors open and close like they are supposed to with no issues whats so ever.
Next step: figure out how to make an actual and functional pickup bed.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
I have a sunroof in my Liberty, the roof reinforcement that is between the B-pillars in non sun roof models does not exist in mine, looks like the sunroof frame contributes greatly to the structural rigidity of the unibody construction, lol.
Doors open and close like they are supposed to with no issues whats so ever.
Next step: figure out how to make an actual and functional pickup bed.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
Dances with Wolves,
Not sure how I want to box in the cab, most likely will use the rear end of the Jeep just like the green one. Will definitely post a few pictures as soon as it's done.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
I know for a fact that 33" tires will fit on the Liberty with absolutely no problems or clearance issues once the eBay spacer "lift" is in. I also want to see how these same 33" tires will fit on the Liberty just the way it is right now, stock.
Did I mention that the 33" tires I am putting on the Jeep are agricultural R1 or tractor tires?
I only mounted one tire, just to see if what i want to do is even remotely possible. 33" tractor tire on Jeep rim next to the stock 235/70R16 tire.
Mounted tractor tire next to the factory tire on the left. Unmounted tractor tire with an unmounted 235/70/16 tire in front of it on right. This does not look very promising...
Jeep is jacked up, tractor tire is actually bolted up to the Liberty.
OMG, it actually fits in the wheel well with no rubbing as long as the truck is unloaded.
1" clearance behind the tire. 1/2" clearance in front of the tire, and a little less than stock clearance above the tire (read: it will rub under full suspension articulation).
Front bolted up. Way more room than in the back, I was not expecting that.
Scrub radius of the 33" tire is greater than that of a 28" stock tire and the pinch-weld lip will be gently massaged out of the way.
I knew that the tire would fit but was definitely not expecting to have that much clearance between tire and fender.
Windshield washer reservoir is also in the way and will be removed when I install the eBay strut spacers.
This thing looks pretty sweet if you ask me.
Next step is to install the eBay spacer lift, mount the other 2 tires and bolt up the tractor wheels up!
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Did I mention that the 33" tires I am putting on the Jeep are agricultural R1 or tractor tires?
I only mounted one tire, just to see if what i want to do is even remotely possible. 33" tractor tire on Jeep rim next to the stock 235/70R16 tire.
Mounted tractor tire next to the factory tire on the left. Unmounted tractor tire with an unmounted 235/70/16 tire in front of it on right. This does not look very promising...
Jeep is jacked up, tractor tire is actually bolted up to the Liberty.
OMG, it actually fits in the wheel well with no rubbing as long as the truck is unloaded.
1" clearance behind the tire. 1/2" clearance in front of the tire, and a little less than stock clearance above the tire (read: it will rub under full suspension articulation).
Front bolted up. Way more room than in the back, I was not expecting that.
Scrub radius of the 33" tire is greater than that of a 28" stock tire and the pinch-weld lip will be gently massaged out of the way.
I knew that the tire would fit but was definitely not expecting to have that much clearance between tire and fender.
Windshield washer reservoir is also in the way and will be removed when I install the eBay strut spacers.
This thing looks pretty sweet if you ask me.
Next step is to install the eBay spacer lift, mount the other 2 tires and bolt up the tractor wheels up!
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
eBay coil and strut spacers: part 1 (rear)
All jacked up, just kidding, only rear coil spacers are in and front is jacked up to show maximum droop.
My starting point of the stock suspension ground to fender heights are as follows:
Rear pass: 33.75"
Rear drive: 34.25"
Front pass: 31.25"
Front drive: 31.75" (no fender flare)
This is my starting point. 235/70R16 tires.
eBay 2.5" front and 2" rear spacer kit. Construction and materials look simple and solid only time will tell how they fare in the long run.
So I read a whole bunch of forum threads on how to install the spacers, most of which were done by someone else or a shop or a dealer. Watched a whole bunch of YouTube how to videos and they included extra steps that seemed completely unnecessary.
I tinkered for about 30 minutes with the rear passenger side spacer and figured out how to install the drivers side in about 10 minutes, and that includes taking the wheel off and putting it back on.
Step 1
Jack up by axle
Remove wheel 19mm
Remove upper shock bolt: 15mm
Support frame with a jack stand
Lower axle until coil is loose
Remove coil by tilting bottom off isolator and out.
Step 2:
Remove OEM isolator
Clean coil perch
Place coil spacer on perch
Place OEM isolator on coil spacer
You do not have to unbolt the diff support bolt if you have coil compressors.
Step 3:
Rent coil compressor like these, most places rent them for free
Compress the coil at 12 o'clock and 4 o'clock, do not do 12 and 6, creates clearance issues
Bolt can be facing up or down, facing up is easier for me
Step 4:
Insert compressed coil into position, slide top in first, then bottom
Raise the axle and attache shock bolt
Raise the axle some more until coil is within 1" of the top perch
Release one of the coil compressors completely
Step 5:
Rotate coil so second compressor is easily accessible
Release the second coil compressor
Step 6:
Lower the axle completely
Attach the wheel to hub
Bam! And just like that you installed a 2" rear coil spacer under 10 minutes.
Ground to fender:
Rear driver: 36"
Rear pass 35.75"
All these numbers will change once the strut spacers are in and once again after they are seated.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
All jacked up, just kidding, only rear coil spacers are in and front is jacked up to show maximum droop.
My starting point of the stock suspension ground to fender heights are as follows:
Rear pass: 33.75"
Rear drive: 34.25"
Front pass: 31.25"
Front drive: 31.75" (no fender flare)
This is my starting point. 235/70R16 tires.
eBay 2.5" front and 2" rear spacer kit. Construction and materials look simple and solid only time will tell how they fare in the long run.
So I read a whole bunch of forum threads on how to install the spacers, most of which were done by someone else or a shop or a dealer. Watched a whole bunch of YouTube how to videos and they included extra steps that seemed completely unnecessary.
I tinkered for about 30 minutes with the rear passenger side spacer and figured out how to install the drivers side in about 10 minutes, and that includes taking the wheel off and putting it back on.
Step 1
Jack up by axle
Remove wheel 19mm
Remove upper shock bolt: 15mm
Support frame with a jack stand
Lower axle until coil is loose
Remove coil by tilting bottom off isolator and out.
Step 2:
Remove OEM isolator
Clean coil perch
Place coil spacer on perch
Place OEM isolator on coil spacer
You do not have to unbolt the diff support bolt if you have coil compressors.
Step 3:
Rent coil compressor like these, most places rent them for free
Compress the coil at 12 o'clock and 4 o'clock, do not do 12 and 6, creates clearance issues
Bolt can be facing up or down, facing up is easier for me
Step 4:
Insert compressed coil into position, slide top in first, then bottom
Raise the axle and attache shock bolt
Raise the axle some more until coil is within 1" of the top perch
Release one of the coil compressors completely
Step 5:
Rotate coil so second compressor is easily accessible
Release the second coil compressor
Step 6:
Lower the axle completely
Attach the wheel to hub
Bam! And just like that you installed a 2" rear coil spacer under 10 minutes.
Ground to fender:
Rear driver: 36"
Rear pass 35.75"
All these numbers will change once the strut spacers are in and once again after they are seated.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
Rears are probably good but IIRC ones that looked similar to the front were known to cause problems. I believe they are referred to as OTT lifts and that type of lift destroys struts (strut bottoming out before upper a-arm contacts bump stop). Lot of info if you Google OTT and jeep liberty. Most recommend new springs and in some cases a clevis lift might be enough.
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
JDaPP,
Interesting, I did not think of that at all. However I am not actually using the coil spacers or OTT (Over The Top) lift to "lift" the Liberty, I am using it as a cheap way to increase spring and coil preload. In essence I am making the Liberty sit higher by lowering it. I am also adjusting my driving style as if I actually lowered the Liberty 2.5" an driving it accordingly.
For example if I could drive over a speed bump at 20mph before "lift," now that it's lowered by raising it, I have to slow down to 15mph to make it over the same speed bump. Now if I were to actually "lift" it with longer struts and springs then I would be able to drive over that same speed bump at 30mph.
So with that said none of the OTT jeep Liberty information out there actually applies to me or my Liberty. I will get into it in much more detail as I continue building and playing with the Liberty.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
CrazyDrei
Space Monkey
eBay coil and strut spacers: part 2 front spacers
BEFORE spacers
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/ElZIIc5.jpg "[IMG]")
AFTER spacers
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/WRPYnUR.jpg "[IMG]")
OK, unlike the 10 minute rears, there is no quick or easy way to do the front spacers. I slaved away for about 3 hours on and off as my kids were helping (distracting) me. After three hours front drivers side strut spacer is in and the entire drivers side is complete.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/oMDhEDm.jpg "[IMG]")
Battery came out with 10mm bolts on terminals and 10mm battery holder bolt
Fuse box came out with 2 clips and slid up and out of the way
Battery tray was held in with two 13mm nuts and one 12mm nut
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/e76RFNC.jpg "[IMG]")
4 18mm nuts hold the top of strut tower
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/sNiV63G.jpg "[IMG]")
Poof, they are off.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/gVvZ2DF.jpg "[IMG]")
My first ray of happiness: seeing a gap between the top strut mount and body
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/h7MXng2.jpg "[IMG]")
I was hoping that the strut would slide out without being removed from the clevis. I could have wiggled the spacer on top of the strut as is in this picture but ended up separating shock from clevis, 21mm bolt from what I remember.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/K6YzcG7.jpg "[IMG]")
To an untrained eye, this may look like a tear in the outer CV boot, but to me it's continuous suspension component lubrication port, it also prevents the brakes from locking up, keeping this safety feature just the way it is.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/liWgFrB.jpg "[IMG]")
So the strut bolts are longer than the spacer is tall, off to the cut off wheel we go for some trimming.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/PhfhTrM.jpg "[IMG]")
Saw a video of a poor old man with a hack saw cutting the bolts down, bless his sole, diamond cut off wheel made short work of this and it took longer to tighten the nylon lock nuts than it was to cut the bolts.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/KV19oOV.jpg "[IMG]")
Now for the fun part, I dislike struts and do not have the proper tools to work on them. So I do what any work out of your garage mechanic would do: medium duty canoe straps (cause I know the light duty ones will not hold, been there done that) and keep on tightening them until the spring compresses enough to line it up with the lower clevis bolt hole. I used another canoe strap to pull the clevis horizontally towards the bolt hole.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/U3AYYMl.jpg "[IMG]")
Another view of the red canoe strap that pulled the clevis towards the passenger side.
Oh yeah, I also disconnected the upper and lower ball joints to give me the lower control arm articulation I needed to get the clevis bolt in.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/qaUhyqb.jpg "[IMG]")
It is in, it was painstaking and unpleasant, but it's in, just one more side to go (tomorrow).
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/BK3pG9y.jpg "[IMG]")
Another angle of the finished install.
Another shot of the finished drivers side. It will settle after a couple lats around the yard. I will take the ground to fender measurements then.
Key take aways from the install.
I did not mention that I completely removed the front sway bar. I planned on removing it for both the weight savings and suspension articulation gain. Removing or disconnecting the sway bar gives the extra clearance to pull the clevis out.
Both upper and lower ball joints were removed to increase lower control arm articulation, I only needed to remove just the upper ball joint, it made re-installing the clevis possible.
All strut spacers are a PITA no matter if you have a Nissan, Toyota, BMW or Jeep.
Now that I have a feel for what and how this can be done I will try and setup a camera and shoot a video of the passenger side install.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
BEFORE spacers
AFTER spacers
OK, unlike the 10 minute rears, there is no quick or easy way to do the front spacers. I slaved away for about 3 hours on and off as my kids were helping (distracting) me. After three hours front drivers side strut spacer is in and the entire drivers side is complete.
Battery came out with 10mm bolts on terminals and 10mm battery holder bolt
Fuse box came out with 2 clips and slid up and out of the way
Battery tray was held in with two 13mm nuts and one 12mm nut
4 18mm nuts hold the top of strut tower
Poof, they are off.
My first ray of happiness: seeing a gap between the top strut mount and body
I was hoping that the strut would slide out without being removed from the clevis. I could have wiggled the spacer on top of the strut as is in this picture but ended up separating shock from clevis, 21mm bolt from what I remember.
To an untrained eye, this may look like a tear in the outer CV boot, but to me it's continuous suspension component lubrication port, it also prevents the brakes from locking up, keeping this safety feature just the way it is.
So the strut bolts are longer than the spacer is tall, off to the cut off wheel we go for some trimming.
Saw a video of a poor old man with a hack saw cutting the bolts down, bless his sole, diamond cut off wheel made short work of this and it took longer to tighten the nylon lock nuts than it was to cut the bolts.
Now for the fun part, I dislike struts and do not have the proper tools to work on them. So I do what any work out of your garage mechanic would do: medium duty canoe straps (cause I know the light duty ones will not hold, been there done that) and keep on tightening them until the spring compresses enough to line it up with the lower clevis bolt hole. I used another canoe strap to pull the clevis horizontally towards the bolt hole.
Another view of the red canoe strap that pulled the clevis towards the passenger side.
Oh yeah, I also disconnected the upper and lower ball joints to give me the lower control arm articulation I needed to get the clevis bolt in.
It is in, it was painstaking and unpleasant, but it's in, just one more side to go (tomorrow).
Another angle of the finished install.
Another shot of the finished drivers side. It will settle after a couple lats around the yard. I will take the ground to fender measurements then.
Key take aways from the install.
I did not mention that I completely removed the front sway bar. I planned on removing it for both the weight savings and suspension articulation gain. Removing or disconnecting the sway bar gives the extra clearance to pull the clevis out.
Both upper and lower ball joints were removed to increase lower control arm articulation, I only needed to remove just the upper ball joint, it made re-installing the clevis possible.
All strut spacers are a PITA no matter if you have a Nissan, Toyota, BMW or Jeep.
Now that I have a feel for what and how this can be done I will try and setup a camera and shoot a video of the passenger side install.
Stay tuned for more shenanigans!
givemethewillys
Jonathan Chouinard
subscribed, this is weird and cool 