A change of face?

[SavageSS27]

OK, i posted this on LOST and i've been getting some great response and people have been making great points on both sides. But i figured i'd come over here and pick some brains to see what you guys think.

So here's the deal, I want to take my '03 Limited, and retrofit the front end off of an '06 Renegade to it. Mainly i'm doing this because i LOVE the flat hood and the new grille, and i like the '06 ARB better than the '04 version. So the plan would be to get the fenders, grille, hood and hood latch off of an '06 rene (preferably white) and then buy an ARB, and custom fab some tube style fender flares (as suggested by someone on LOST)

Please let me know if any of you guys have any experience/tips and opinions are more than welcome. Pictures are also appreciated.Thanks

Savage

 

[-=JoN=-]

it should be doable. If I ever got an 06, i would make it look like an earlier model. (even tho i got used to the newer face, I still like the older look)
i dont think they changed any of the mounting points. shouldnt be that hard of a task I think.

 

[Dave]

And you'll get to confuse everyone as you'll keep em gussing what year and model it is..............................But not us ---We will know.

 

[Bennett]

Yea, it probably will be kinda costly... but it can be done. I would imagine it's all the same mounting points.

Bennett

 

[kjpilot]

I'd wait a year or so & trade your current KJ in on the '06 renegade. I bet you'd be money ahead!

 

[valvestem]

OK, i posted this on LOST and i've been getting some great response and people have been making great points on both sides. But i figured i'd come over here and pick some brains to see what you guys think.

So here's the deal, I want to take my '03 Limited, and retrofit the front end off of an '06 Renegade to it. Mainly i'm doing this because i LOVE the flat hood and the new grille, and i like the '06 ARB better than the '04 version. So the plan would be to get the fenders, grille, hood and hood latch off of an '06 rene (preferably white) and then buy an ARB, and custom fab some tube style fender flares (as suggested by someone on LOST)

Please let me know if any of you guys have any experience/tips and opinions are more than welcome. Pictures are also appreciated.Thanks

Savage

Money & Chip Foose is all it takes to do anything to your '03.

 

[SavageSS27]

Pilot,
The only problem with a trade-in is that i've already put on a lift, tires, stereo (which required the massacre of the factory wiring) Hellas on the front bumper, etc. Not to mention, there are TONS of things i like about the older model libertys that you don't get in the new ones. Such as the white-face gauges and i like the taillights better, etc. I've probably got a a good $2k tied up in it already and i'd probably get MURDERED on a trade-in. The biggest car payment i can afford is $200/mo. right now it's $165, and i'm having trouble making that, especially considering i'm going off to college next year and won't have ANY job. Right now it's looking like the best option is to make due with what i've got. Plus, there's a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with "wow, you swapped the whole front end yourself??? COOL!!!" AND there's the fact that it's my first car, so she's my baby, i can't get rid of her just for some minor cosmetic reasons. That's like telling your girlfriend her nose is too big, there's always plastic surgery to fix things like that. \/

 

[GoldBug]

...That's like telling your girlfriend her nose is too big, there's always plastic surgery to fix things like that. \/

Um I think I'd rather live w/ my g/f's big nose (but my girl's nose isn't big) than ask her to go under the knife. I won't go into why I support her in getting a reduction in cup size.

 

[SavageSS27]

haha, ok, well you get the point, no use in getting rid of the Liberty to fix a minor cosmetic issue

 

[GoldBug]

;-)

 

[kjpilot]

Savage,

I see your perdicament. Even though I have a new understanding of why you want to do this, my point is still quite valid...especially considering your finances.

Your project will take gobs of cash. & the only thing you will gain from the conversion is cosmetic. You may really screw yourself financially for this project.

Trust me on this, you are going to college, there are tons of financial temptations waiting to ruin your life! Use what financial aid you get for school on school, DO NOT get a credit card at all!!! If you do, don't put silly stuff on it. You will only be in school for 4 years; if you make wise choices during that time, you will have all the money you need in 4 years. If you fall for the temptations, you can ruin your credit rating, you can end up owing tens of thousands of dollars at astronomical interest rates, and you may end up paying for your project for the next 30 years.

I strongly urge you to NOT do this project!

 

[robotmonkey]

I'm with kjpilot. If you're having trouble making your payments now (and college is coming up), save your money.

 

[SavageSS27]

I really appreciate all of your help, all i'm realy trying to do here is get some footwork laid out for this for later on, i know it's not feasible at the moment, but it's something i would like to do at some point. It's kind of like the SFA conversion thing that's going on, i've been asking a few questions over there, even though i know i won't be able to afford it for quite a while, but it's still nice to know what's got to be done so that you can plan for it. That's all i'm really trying to do here. I understand what you're saying about the credit card, i'm in a principles of financial management class in high-school so we learned all about that. the only problem is, if i don't get a credit card, i won't build credit, and without good credit, it's harder to get a better rate on a mortgage, car loan, etc. So i just have to be responsible about it and use it almost like a debit card and pay off as much as i can (if not the whole ballance) each month. So like i said, i'm really just trying to figure out how difficult this is going to be to pull off. I mean, even if i do try to do a trade-in, i'll probably loose even more money on all the stuff i put into it and all the things i would want to change on the '06. But again, i appreciate your help and concern, but this is a project for the future that i'm just trying to lay down the framework for.


EDIT: Just realized something, i know there are some fellas out there who want to convert their '06 front ends to '04 front ends, if there's anyone out there with a renegade (flat hood) who wants to do this, let me know and we'll just swap parts. Sound good?

 

[Se7enLC]

AND there's the fact that it's my first car, so she's my baby, i can't get rid of her just for some minor cosmetic reasons. That's like telling your girlfriend her nose is too big, there's always plastic surgery to fix things like that. \/

I dunno, I still think that a girlfriend-swap is a lot easier (and friendlier)than rhinoplasty. Pretty sure most girls would prefer being dumped to elective surgery, your jeep may feel the same way.

It is a neat idea, but I agree with some of the other people discouraging it - you won't gain much out of it and parts alone will cost a grand or so, plus you'll need to repaint, etc. It's a big task.

Now if you wanted to put a DIFFERENT front end on it, it would make your jeep really unique. Maybe a landrover or Mercedes G-Wagon front? Or perhaps an old cherokee front end. I wonder what a honda civic grill would look like on a liberty... I see frontend swaps done all the time on Trucks, they make it look pretty easy, but they seem to pick vehicles and grills that happen to already match (ie, turning a blazer into an escalade or something)

 

[kjpilot]

the only problem is, if i don't get a credit card, i won't build credit, and without good credit, it's harder to get a better rate on a mortgage, car loan, etc. So i just have to be responsible about it and use it almost like a debit card and pay off as much as i can (if not the whole ballance) each month.

I know this is getting off topic, but I can think of very few pieces of advice that I can give a person about to go to college that are as important as this.
DON'T GET A CARD! If your name is on your car loan at all, you are building credit. When you move to college you will have utility bills, that will build credit. You may live in an apartment & pay rent, that builds credit. You will have plenty of oppotunities to build credit.

Most college students who get a card think they will be responsible, most of those students are not, they destroy their credit! I don't know you, you may be the next Warren Buffett for all I know, but so many young people make this mistake, & spend most of their 20's paying for it. I was one of them- It was not fun!

 

[boebr1]

so, I have been noticing 2006 liberty's with both noses... mine has the flat hood... are the other ones a swap, or did they change design mid-year?

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

Only the Renegade and Rocky Mtn Ed. KJs from '05-7 got the flat hood

 

[tazzsrenegade]

Hey savage i can tell you that there are wireing differances from the o3 to the 06. i have an o3 and my wifes 06 renegade is still in pieces the turn signals use diferant wireing harnes were it is built into the harnes for the 03 and the 05 - 07 have a whole new set up for turn signals.

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

tazz...this is a 3 year old post. Since SavageSS27 posted this, his KJ got totalled and he got a WJ.

 

[tazzsrenegade]

Hey thunderbird i never checked the date just seen there was a response and thought i would let him know of a few changes.