2001 Grand Cherokee Laredo

[maxfederle89]

2001 Laredo 4.7L V8 w/ Quadra Trac II
155k
Mechanic owned. Engine spun a bearing and he put a new bottom end in and had the heads machined a few thousand miles back. Transmission also started slipping so he put in a new torque converter. He even put some eBay shocks and a steering stabilizer on. He needed a pickup and traded it after driving it for 3 years or so. It was his DD and he said he averaged 17 mpg consistently.

And now I have owned it for 2 days! This is my first ever Jeep. I was a GM guy and a pickup guy but my brother in law has been working on me to get a Wrangler like him. Let's say I like to be different. I hope I can get some suggestions from other WJ owners out there. Here is my short list of plans. Some things I'd like to have done within a month before a camping trip I'm taking where there will be off-roading to be done!

-lift kit: I'm debating on doing a 3" or stepping straight into a 4" shortarm kit. Been looking at Rocky Road and Iron Rock Offroad kits currently. I really could use insight from you guys on this. Or if there's a good "base" kit to start with that I can upgrade later that would be my preferred option.

-tires: currently its sitting on 245/75r16 Cooper's. My Bro has his 5 JK stock wheels and tires he's willing to give me. I'm thinking use the wheels and run something along the lines of 265/70r17.

-rock sliders: these are high on my priority list because I want the peace of mind.

-skid plates: at least a transfer case plate and diff covers. They seen like a good idea to me but if anyone has more knowledge I'm open to it.

-Roof rack: haven't looked at many yet but it's something I want for more carrying capacity. Will make up for selling my pickup hopefully...

Some more long range plans

-exhaust: the little 4.7L sounds awesome and IRO makes a flowmaster catback. Or I'll just get a flowmaster muffler and get a shop to weld it in. I've had flowmaster mufflers on all my vehicles and love them.

-Bushwacker Flares: love the look and the clearance they offer. But they do require a lot of cutting....

Bumpers: I love aftermarket bumpers but they are expensive and I would like to do some off-roading before I decide if I really need them. They are mostly just really sexy.

I'm sure I will learn more and come to realize there are other maintenance oriented things that need mixed in the short term and long term goals. Any recommendations and wisdom are gladly welcome! I know some of the basics of the WJ but not nearly enough.

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[maxfederle89]

Cleaned out the WJ yesterday and boy was it dirty! The dealership hadn't gotten time to clean it before I was all over it and they didn't bother after I made the deal. Sort of annoying but I kind of like cleaning my vehicles.

To start with, I am a car lot vendor, so I have access to some cool things. The first thing I did was use this chlorine based vaporizer canister to get the smells out of this old Jeep. It's very easy. Put the right amount of water in the canister, empty the two packets into the canister, close up the vehicle and let it run with the blower on recirculate for 15 mins. Then let it sit all closed for 4 hrs and viola! It smells like a clean pool for a day then just fresh after it's aired out.

After the vacuum, I even broke out the shampoo and hit the trunk and all the seats. Even the headliner had some shmoots on it. The end result was pretty decent I think!

And then today I took put the old CD changer in the trunk area and it left a nice little cubby box. Probably put some tools or maybe a little med kit in there.

Hopefully in the next couple days I'll take my Kenwood head unit out of my truck and put it in the Cherokee. I picked up a cheapie to put back in the truck to sell it with.

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[maxfederle89]

Went to try find someplace to play yesterday. But urban sprawl is bad where I live and there's not a lot of public land... But I've been researching and I'm hoping I've found a couple places relatively close.

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[maxfederle89]

Been doing some research as to the direction I want to take this rig. I have also been trying to figure out general maintenance that I should do before I start. But I'll post some pictures of what I've found as a think tank for me to dump ideas. Also, if there are any other WJ guys, please chime in on what you've seen and done.

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[maxfederle89]

Well I've been exploring the area around my city little my little and still not much for wheeling. Making the upcoming camping trip looking better and better.

I ordered a set of Rock Hard 4x4 rock sliders today. They are a company out of Nebraska, maybe 2hrs from me. I wanted to support a local company and was thrilled to find a WJ vendor! I may put a whole bunch of their armor on as things progress. Great prices and well built from what I can tell.

Tonight I plan to purchase a few more things.
-Rola Roof Rack, probably with extension
-Iron Rock Offroad tcase skid plate
-set of LED bulbs for high, low, and fogs
-maybe a light bar

That'll probably be the extent of the damage tonight. I desperately wanted to get my lift on before my big camping trip in 2 weeks but I want plenty of time to drive my WJ locally before I take a 1000 mile road trip with a lift and off-roading. I'd hate to have an untested set of modifications on a trip like that... I'm pretty set on the Iron Rock 4" Critical Path at this point. It offers everything I want. Great offroad flex, on road manners, I can run 255/75r17 (which I already have a free full set just waiting for me to get the lift done and I hope I can source Rubicon stock tires easily later on from Craigslist or other places) and it looks very complete with a company I've only heard good things from. I actually called and talked it out with one of their reps a week ago and he was a great guy. Looking forward to working with them.

I've also got my old Kenwood head unit to install ASAP. Been having some difficulty with wiring it right and making sure I have the right place to ground it (factory harness doesn't have a black ground wire) and I'm trying to figure out how to retain the steering wheel controls. When I get it working I'll post in here with pictures.

Hopefully as my parts come in I'll be able to keep this post updated and then share pictures of the camping trip in a couple weeks.

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[MrLomjamesington]

Clean Jeep! I can't wait to see how she turns out!

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[adventure_is_necessary]

I've got an '04 WJ with the 4.7. I love it! I have a few minor add-ons that make it a little more Overland worthy. Check out this post I made here about front recovery points. This option allowed me to put on a Texas Hunter Bull Bar on and have some solid recovery points. I also have a Yakima LoadWarrior basket. Soon I'll get the additional length for it. Other than that and some solid A/T's, mine is virtually stock....for now.

 

[maxfederle89]

I've got an '04 WJ with the 4.7. I love it! I have a few minor add-ons that make it a little more Overland worthy. Check out this post I made here about front recovery points. This option allowed me to put on a Texas Hunter Bull Bar on and have some solid recovery points. I also have a Yakima LoadWarrior basket. Soon I'll get the additional length for it. Other than that and some solid A/T's, mine is virtually stock....for now.

Very cool! I wouldn't mind some serious shackles all the way around. I'm hoping to save up for serious bumpers but that isn't a necessity right now. Do you have a build page for you WJ? I'd love to see your rig.

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[adventure_is_necessary]

Very cool! I wouldn't mind some serious shackles all the way around. I'm hoping to save up for serious bumpers but that isn't a necessity right now. Do you have a build page for you WJ? I'd love to see your rig.

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Just posted one up here.

 

[maxfederle89]

Took a drive today to Rock Hard 4x4. I was stoked when I realized it was just a couple hours from where I live. Met some nice folks and picked up my rock rails along with a license plate light mount. I also got my transfer case skid plate in the mail, my Rola Rack which I installed, and my new old center consol to replace my broken one.

A word to the wise. The Rola Roof rack is a great bargan but my stock crossbars seem wimpy to me.... I ran across a neat post where a guy had the same problem. He built his own crossbars and I am going to do the same.

I also decided to go with the 3" IRO kit with the upgraded socks. Also ordered new spring Isolators, I think the 3 will get me what I need and it should be enough to run the tires I have in mind.

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[maxfederle89]

Finally got pictures of my Rock Hard 4x4 rock rails. They are robust and freaking awesome except for the mount plates that bolt to the pinch seam. If you can see from the picture I didn't have the material to drill a couple of the holes. I am going to contact them with the pictures sometime to let them know. Hopefully it helps someone in the future.

The next plan is to get my IRO skid plate on this weekend along with putting my rocker covers back on. Gonna try "fixing" some rust on my rockers before I put the covers back on. Dunno how effective it will be but I hope to slow it down. My hope is someday I will have some more welding skill and I'll be able to cut and patch up the rusty spots. But for now I want to at least slow it down.

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[Overland-Indiana]

Nice! I had a WJ and actually really liked it a lot. I currently have an XJ but that WJ was way more comfortable to drive.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

I've got the JCR rock sliders in my wish list. wonder how they compare?

 

[Vertigo]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but won't Naval Jelly convert rust to workable metal? That might help with the rockers. Jeep looks good! I wish mine was in that good of shape when I bought it. Anything you need, hit me up, if there was a way to do something wrong, I found it. wjjeeps.com has been an invaluable resource for me.

 

[maxfederle89]

Nice! I had a WJ and actually really liked it a lot. I currently have an XJ but that WJ was way more comfortable to drive.

Thanks man! I love the look of the XJ. Rugged and classic. I wanted one but couldn't find a good one for the price. But I test drove this guy and it's comfort and V8 won me over!

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[maxfederle89]

I've got the JCR rock sliders in my wish list. wonder how they compare?

Howdy, not familiar with them. For the price the Rock Hards are awesome. Super rugged and I can deal with their foibles. I dunno if I'll ever use them to their fullest potential but I'm glad I have the protection.

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[maxfederle89]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but won't Naval Jelly convert rust to workable metal? That might help with the rockers. Jeep looks good! I wish mine was in that good of shape when I bought it. Anything you need, hit me up, if there was a way to do something wrong, I found it. wjjeeps.com has been an invaluable resource for me.

You know I've heard of that stuff but I've never had a chance to mess with it. Where can a person get it? My plan was to clean the areas, break off the brittle bits, wire brush the area some, then hit it with at least Rustoleum or maybe something like POR if I get really super serious. I have no idea if it'll work but I'll give it a shot sometime. [emoji106]

And thank you! I'm glad it's clean otherwise. Do you have a build thread? I'd love to see ideas and what you did.

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[adventure_is_necessary]

Howdy, not familiar with them. For the price the Rock Hards are awesome. Super rugged and I can deal with their foibles. I dunno if I'll ever use them to their fullest potential but I'm glad I have the protection.

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If you don't mind me asking, what did you give for your sliders? The JRC's are somewhere around $400 if I remember correctly.

 

[maxfederle89]

If you don't mind me asking, what did you give for your sliders? The JRC's are somewhere around $400 if I remember correctly.

I paid around $350 and that's because I got a little break for going and getting them from their facility. So to ship them they'd be more. But I was looking at much hired priced ones so it seemed like a deal to me.

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[Vertigo]

You know I've heard of that stuff but I've never had a chance to mess with it. Where can a person get it? My plan was to clean the areas, break off the brittle bits, wire brush the area some, then hit it with at least Rustoleum or maybe something like POR if I get really super serious. I have no idea if it'll work but I'll give it a shot sometime. [emoji106]

And thank you! I'm glad it's clean otherwise. Do you have a build thread? I'd love to see ideas and what you did.

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I found some naval jelly at autozone in a small town in southern Ohio. Yes, I have a build thread, you've commented on it more than once! Ha!