Making a stock 04 a bit more capable

[Gnarjunkie]

Hey all,

My girlfriend has a stock 2004 Liberty that we started taking off road last fall when we started dating. The car has been in her family for many years but has basically just been a street car... but now it's hers and she's excited to adventure a bit more.

We've been having fun with it, but it has definitely been getting banged around a bit. Nothing major, but it we've both been surprised with how often we've encountered rocks that it didn't have the clearance for.

Most all work will be happening in my garage... I have a decent bit of experience modding cars, though it's all been with turbo Subarus, not with Jeeps. She is in school and doesn't really have much money to put into the car, but we're exploring what we can do on a budget.

So far I'm thinking one of the best first things we can do is a muffler delete. Obviously an aftermarket exhaust would be better but she doesn't have the money for that... and it seems like the muffler is the lowest point on her car by far (already put a hole in it). Thinking that deleting that with a straight pipe out behind the rear wheels would really free up some ground clearance.

After that, we're thinking some skid plates underneath to protect the vital components.

Any other thoughts?

 

[CzarKJ]

Skid plates first. Protect the important bits. Then lift it when funds are available.

 

[tommudd]

Hey all,

My girlfriend has a stock 2004 Liberty that we started taking off road last fall when we started dating. The car has been in her family for many years but has basically just been a street car... but now it's hers and she's excited to adventure a bit more.

We've been having fun with it, but it has definitely been getting banged around a bit. Nothing major, but it we've both been surprised with how often we've encountered rocks that it didn't have the clearance for.

Most all work will be happening in my garage... I have a decent bit of experience modding cars, though it's all been with turbo Subarus, not with Jeeps. She is in school and doesn't really have much money to put into the car, but we're exploring what we can do on a budget.

So far I'm thinking one of the best first things we can do is a muffler delete. Obviously an aftermarket exhaust would be better but she doesn't have the money for that... and it seems like the muffler is the lowest point on her car by far (already put a hole in it). Thinking that deleting that with a straight pipe out behind the rear wheels would really free up some ground clearance.

After that, we're thinking some skid plates underneath to protect the vital components.

Any other thoughts?

Skid plates needed for sure
Don't delete muffler, bad idea
upgrade the suspension, bet its an inch or so below new stock height

My 2004 , 214,000 miles , still runs like new, skids, 4.10 gears, etc

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Gnarjunkie]

Skid plates needed for sure
Don't delete muffler, bad idea
upgrade the suspension, bet its an inch or so below new stock height

My 2004 , 214,000 miles , still runs like new, skids, 4.10 gears, etc

You must be registered for see images attach

Looks sweet!

Thanks all for the replies.

Why do you recommend against the muffler delete? I did a good bit of web research on it, seems like a fair number of people are running their Jeeps like that. Some warn against the loss of backpressure but most firsthand accounts say the car doesn't run any differently.

I also wouldn't imagine it would be excessively loud when removed (then again I'm used to modified WRXs and STIs so loud is relative). I'm mostly thinking it because I think funds are an issue to where completely protecting the entire bottom with skid plates isn't an option yet and the muffler is currently the most exposed / most abused part of the entire car. Also seems like an easy test (remove... if it doesn't work/sound/look good enough it's easy to reinstall).

As far as skid plates go, any recommendations? From the quick research I've done, it seems like they are sold as protection for individual parts (diff, oil pan, etc) rather than as one unit that covers everything. So far we aren't really having problems with the approach angles, it's more with the random awkwardly shaped rock that we clip crossing a stream or similar.

 

[tommudd]

There isn't a skid plate that protects the muffler anyways
Yes no matter what some say you do lose power, buddy ( and others) tried it a few days and could feel the difference plus it sounded like total crap. You can buy cheaper turbo style mufflers fairly cheap from Summit/ Jegs etc . Not sure where you were reading but over the last 12 years I have heard of very few who ran without a muffler and they were kids just thinking loud was cool
Cheapest skids are Mopar ones and would more than likely do you OK, they come up for sale every now and again on here and LOSTJEEPs
They cover engine, transmission and transfer case
Skid row and jeepinbyal also carry skids, bot are much better and heavier duty than the stock Mopar ones
Your main issue I bet though is still height, measure from middle of the wheel/hub to bottom of the flare on the left front and report back. Bet its lower than stock even so contributes to dragging even on back roads

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

X2 on everything thats been said already. Your best ROI is a suspension upgrade - do it in stages (springs this month, shocks next month, etc.) rather than all at once.

I have a Mopar ****** skid for an '04 for $50 if you want it. Send me a PM to get in touch.

Bob

 

[LibertyTC]

My 2004 , 214,000 miles , still runs like new, skids, 4.10 gears, etc

Very Nice Photo Tom !
Oh & the ETC....is correct!! :icon_lol:

 

[jeeptorino68]

dont forget tow hooks!

 

[Snail Farmer]

Don't know how deep the streams are that you're crossing but you may want to extend the diff breather tubes also.