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I don't know if anyone is interested, but I'm getting ready to do some pretty heavy modification to my Jeep Cherokee. She's getting a bit tired so her 4.0 liter I6 is getting traded out for a Tuned Port Chevrolet 350 V8, new transmission, and tons of fun. The project is going to take me about a month or 2 but should garner some nice results.

davis2001r6 wrote:It's a work in progress and I made a $2900 Jeep cost about $5500 in under two months.

Tim, be careful.. you are embarking on an endless amount of "$" to spend on 4x4 mods... just ONE of the REASONS why at 62yrs old and now living in only 860SF of floor space!!!..

Why you all gotta go throwin' your 4-wheelin' photos on here? I feel like I have to add some of my fun.

Of course, since I'm the driver, and I have the camera, there's not so many of me.

Here's a couple of my friend Jason and his xTerra crossing the Verde near Horseshoe Dam. (Of course, I had crossed the same already, but again ... no pix of me doing it

And there's no picture of me pulling these TWO Chevy's out of the river with my little Ford Ranger, but that's ok... I remember it without any photos.

Oh, and I'm reliving the memories, as I sold that Ranger today ... 158,000 miles. It served me very well. But my new '08 Tacoma is definitely up for the challenge!

Don't have a four wheel drive yet but I am considering getting one of these for my more difficult outings.
[attachment=0]hikingchair.jpg[/attachment]
The only trouble is that it dosen't have Arizona size cup holders!

Grasshopper wrote:

davis2001r6 wrote:It's a work in progress and I made a $2900 Jeep cost about $5500 in under two months.

Tim, be careful.. you are embarking on an endless amount of "$" to spend on 4x4 mods... just ONE of the REASONS why at 62yrs old and now living in only 860SF of floor space!!!..

I hear that! I've heard horror stories about trucks like mine with thousands invested only seeing blue book ($900) from insurance if totaled

Jeff, that is not just a horror story, it is a true story! I know that story well. My heavily modified '92YJ Jeep has virtually everything ever made (in years 1996-2000) aftermarket mechanically(less motor conversion)..parts, labor, tools, & accessories totaling in the 10's of $thousands$. Eventhough I have a significant amount of security anytime I go off-road it really does not fit my lifestyle needs these days.. I am too hard-headed to give it away and to attached to want too!.. I think the retail blue book value for my stock version with the amount of miles it has is now less than $3k. :guilty:

Grasshopper wrote:Jeff, that is not just a horror story, it is a true story! I know that story well. My heavily modified '92YJ Jeep has virtually everything ever made (in years 1996-2000) aftermarket mechanically(less motor conversion)..parts, labor, tools, & accessories totaling in the 10's of $thousands$. Eventhough I have a significant amount of security anytime I go off-road it really does not fit my lifestyle needs these days.. I am too hard-headed to give it away and to attached to want too!.. I think the retail blue book value for my stock version with the amount of miles it has is now less than $3k. :guilty:

Yea, it's really the same story for Scouts and FJs; with the Scout there's a lot of labor involved in the spring-over and reverse shackle that no one ever takes into account, either...Whew! I'm relieved that I'm not the only one!!

wallyfarak wrote:The Liberty is decent. I added 1.5 inches, slighty bigger tires and skid plates. It gets me where I need to go so far.

Nice! Where did you get the skid plates? I need one bad before I break something, like an oil pan Also, did you get a spare tire cover or was that stock? Mine don't have one for some reason.

djui5 wrote:Where did you get the skid plates? I need one bad before I break something, like an oil pan Also, did you get a spare tire cover or was that stock? Mine don't have one for some reason.

The spare tire cover came with it. I got the factory skid plates at various places. The transfercase plate I got at Airpark Jeep in Scottsdale. I'd call the Jeep parts closest to you and see what they can get. The 2004 skid plates are discontinued already. The factory ones cost less than the aftermarket and are strong enough for my use. The engine skid came from Texas (blue bonnet jeep) and the transmission skid came from New York. Believe it or not the shipping wasn't bad. If you google the factory part numbers (82210769 - engine/front suspension, 82209445 - transfer case, 8221003 -transmission) you can find suppliers. Not all of them have the parts and some charge too much shipping so look around. The skids I got were for 2005-07 but I only needed to drill one hole. Jparts has them all but I think the shipping was high. I didn't get the gas tank skid. The only way to hit the gas tank would be rock crawling.

Killer, thanks!!!

Went playin today

Here is mine going down the waterfall, on my way into Box canyon.

You gots one of them funny lookin baby Hummer Jeep thingie thing there.... ;)

Nice!

Alston Neal wrote:You gots one of them funny lookin baby Hummer Jeep thingie thing there.... ;)

Those Jeep things and Hummers break too much. This is my Foreign Jeep...

Btw I still haven't toasted the skid plates I got from ya.
Best trade I ever made, your beer is long gone and my plates are still on....
Thanks

I got some Rasta's and they are toasted. They are bent and scraped and still doing their job.

I still think I got the better end of the trade, though

I've been taking better care of our FJ after I started noticing the Hum-O-Meter going off from the passenger seat.

nimrag wrote:Here is mine going down the waterfall, on my way into Box canyon.

When were you out there?

I've been back and forth through Box Canyon a half dozen times in the last month-and-a-half and it was a piece of cake going up and down there. It could be there were plenty of rocks filling the low spots that made it easy.

Here's a video of my Samurai at the waterfall (or as I called it, The Ledge) when I was out to Martinez Canyon exactly a month ago:
http://www.changephoenix.com/11/V2011-0 ... inez1.html

And here's a still of the last bounce on the way down:
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=202778

@CannondaleKid
Man... If that's got the stock suspension, your back (and backside) must have been toast!! :stretch:

CannondaleKid wrote:

nimrag wrote:Here is mine going down the waterfall, on my way into Box canyon.

When were you out there?

I've been back and forth through Box Canyon a half dozen times in the last month-and-a-half and it was a piece of cake going up and down there. It could be there were plenty of rocks filling the low spots that made it easy.

Here's a video of my Samurai at the waterfall (or as I called it, The Ledge) when I was out to Martinez Canyon exactly a month ago:
http://www.changephoenix.com/11/V2011-0 ... inez1.html

And here's a still of the last bounce on the way down:
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=202778

That picture was from April or so. I went with the Payson Jeep club to the coke ovens. When I came down, the pile of rocks were gone. But, compared to the road to the ovens, the waterfall was nothing.