Took the Plunge!!

[2500Adventures]

Well in an effort to perhaps make my Jeep Liberty more conducive for the Expedition style travel I'm going to do a straight axle conversion.

Currently the setup is an OME Frankenlift from All J Products out of Big Bear Lake, CA.

The future holds the following for the Liberty:

South American Iron Cast HPDana44 front axle with 4.56 gears
XJ LPDana44 with 4.56 gears
Both axles will have OX cable driven lockers
Both axles will have Chrom-Alloy shafts
Tom Woods custom drive shafts
Currie Anti-rock bar in the front
Clayton Off-road Custom long-arm kit
Fox Dual Coil-Over shocks in front
Eibach coils to go over the shocks
OME863 (80 Series Cruiser) Springs rear
OME N74L shocks rear
Other things to be added as well to compensate for the new axles and such.

I'm also getting my new 10lb Powertank system mounted in the left rear side of the cargo area. I'm cutting out the plastic side paneling to weld in some decent brackets to hold the powertank mount in place.

Kevin's Offroad out of Phoenix is doing the work and later this summer or early winter an ARB front bumper/Warn winch setup will be added as well.

Kevin's Offroad also makes these very nice roof racks for Jeeps that go the whole length of the roof so I'm going to see about getting one of those as well, in hopes that it will suffice in getting a roof top tent stored up there and still have room for other items.

Following that will be new rock rails as the stock ones have already been used enough and given to a new owner. There is another guy in PHX that makes some for the Liberty so I'll be checking with him about a set.

Finally, I will need a new rear bumper. With a swing-out for the larger 35" tire I'll most likely be running, maybe put some provisions on it to hold sand tracks or a jerry can or 2 or both. Somewhere also in there I'll be working on modifying the crew area. I'll finally work on a solid storage system in the rear cargo area for tools/parts/gear and with the smaller rear seat removed work on the hard-mount for the Engel fridge I have. My thoughts on the optimization of the space are changing daily so I'm always changing around the spot for stuff...

Any thoughts on the build are welcome or ideas on optimization of storage in the cargo area.

Just hoping to have a good portion of things done by April of next year and for sure by 2012 for my Alaska/Canada Adventure.

Before:

 

[getlost4x4]

it would be more cost effective to trade it and get a rubicon

 

[JakeMate]

Agreed.

 

[2500Adventures]

I like to be different.

 

[jeepmedic46]

They do look good with the SFA. Keeping mine with a mild lift. She gets me where I want to go.:smiley_drive:

 

[Amauri]

Crd??

 

[Beachboyy]

Like people said, you could probably trade her in and grab a Rubicon for about the same amount. But i'm with you. Liberty's look sick after a sas (if done right). I hope the 4.56's are enough for 35's. I own a 3.7L liberty and its gutless.

 

[2500Adventures]

Maybe I've been lucky with my 3.7 but even with the 31s I had on the power WAS THERE!!! She's been able to tug me along and even a loaded trailer too and from San Diego a few times without issue.

Time to find a piece of wood now...

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

I like to be different.

Good for you! that long arm lift with 35's is going to look sick on your KJ. PLEASE post pics:sombrero:

 

[DrMoab]

What is pushing you toward the OX lockers. I've installed a couple sets of those and wheeled with guys who have had them and I have been less than impressed. It seems to me they are always needing adjustment to make them work.

 

[tweenerlj]

I run 4.88s in my D44's running 35s and I think that the 4.56 would be marginal.

 

[2500Adventures]

The lockers were already with the axles when I came across them and for less than 4500 for the pair I wasn't going to complain.

As for the 35s, most tire-to-gear charts I've looked at show that if you have 4.56 gears and run 35s, you are right in the middle for performance and gas mileage. 33s will give you performance and for gas mileage you'd have to go to 38s!!!!

This is the chart of which I speak of...
http://www.4lo.com/calc/geartable.htm

 

[winkosmosis]

For expedition travel I think I'd prefer an IFS Liberty. With the solid axle swap and the amount of lift you have now, ride and stress on the unibody will be much worse because of control arm angles.

 

[BigAl]

I like to be different.

Can't wait to see the sfa and long arm. i once did a ride once with a geo tacker with a long arm front and 35s. small but extremely capable

 

[2500Adventures]

For expedition travel I think I'd prefer an IFS Liberty. With the solid axle swap and the amount of lift you have now, ride and stress on the unibody will be much worse because of control arm angles.

I won't have control arms (just arms that are part of the long-arm kit) and reinforcemnets on the unibody structure are being performed with this build

Also knowing that there is a readily available part number for the axle components since TJs, LJs, XJs, and ZJs, run similar parts helps in getting any sort of replacement part I may need. KJ axle parts aren't that readily available nor cheap like some of the other Jeeps have it, from my experience anyway.