Time to retire from VW bugs...

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Johnny O

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Hello!

After nearly 25 years of wrenching on VW type 1s, I made the tough decision to move into something a bit more modern with cool gadgets like heat and disc brakes and seatbelts and such...that I could actually drive on the freeway or perhaps even go camping more than 50 miles from home (my free tow radius...LMAO) Apparently, automocars these days use stuff other than oil and gas and you do not have to squeeze your arm out the wing window with a rag to see while driving in the rain...;)

Anyway, I recently stumbled into what I think may be a deal...a 2004 Liberty...for 500$ title in hand.
Obviously it has a few issues, but nothing major that I cannot handle myself...or am willing to drop some cash on. The front diff issue which I read is fairly common and an affordable repair to me...window regulators shot etc. I haven't had a car payment since 1997 and I would like to keep it that way.

Is a bit of rust, but again, it is nothing compared what I am used to to driving a car built for the 1958 sales year with an astounding 50 HP.

Truth is, I am a biologist at a small university, and am in need of something a little more modern that I can beat on a bit here and there. I am tired of spending far too much on rental cars just to do a little field research.

I live six blocks from campus, so I don't even bother driving to work anymore which means I don't have to stress if there is work that needs done by a shop.

Anyway, I'll be prowling around here quite a bit and probably asking embarrassing newbie questions so I figured I'd introduce myself.

Found it is best to learn about a project from other wrench jockeys BEFORE I start busting knuckles and losing 10mm sockets.
 

tommudd

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Front diff a problem, where did you hear that ? Only problem with them is nut behind the wheel ! Trying to push one harder and not being smarter
Window regulators , some years are bad, but I have an 03 with 165,000 miles, 04 with over 232,000 miles and 05 with 120,000 and all have stock regulators in them no issues
Of course mine are all used a lot, lots of window going up and down and I think that keeps them going

So what are your plans , any thing as far as upgrades , suspension etc ?
Lots of parts must be MOPAR only, they just work better and only NGK copper spark plugs
HOAT coolant, read and enjoy ;)
 

Johnny O

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Front diff a problem, where did you hear that ? Only problem with them is nut behind the wheel ! Trying to push one harder and not being smarter
Window regulators , some years are bad, but I have an 03 with 165,000 miles, 04 with over 232,000 miles and 05 with 120,000 and all have stock regulators in them no issues
Of course mine are all used a lot, lots of window going up and down and I think that keeps them going

So what are your plans , any thing as far as upgrades , suspension etc ?
Lots of parts must be MOPAR only, they just work better and only NGK copper spark plugs
HOAT coolant, read and enjoy ;)

Bear with me as I am learning...literally found this project about 5 hours ago and the current owner isn't very mechanically inclined...HOAT...figured that one out. NGK makes the best plugs all around IMO. MOPAR...got it!

So, best as I could get out of the current owner is "...front diff seal went bad and ran it dry...was loud grinding noises and my mechanic pulled the axels so I could drive it..." Which to a VW guy might as well be Klingon or Greek or something. (I kid a bit) This was followed up by a bunch of car-sounding gibberish that may very well have have been something the owner read on social media.

However tomorrow morning, I'll actually have the time to go look at it in detail as I wasn't dressed for crawling under and poking around and such. In my mind for 500, I'm willing to put a grand or two into it if need be, even if it only lasts me a year or two.



The window regulators are an easy fix in my mind as is the little bits of pre-cancer rust expected on a vehicle this age in this part of the US.

As for upgrades, suspension, wheels, tires for sure. I'll likely give it a a coat of Linex to the lower half. Not a thing most folks are fans of, but that gravel and them cedars in the Sandhills and West Desert tear up paint in a hurry. Most of my research for work is in the more remote sections of Nebraska, the Dakotas, Kansas, and Millard County, Utah. It would be nice to drive something that isn't rented, or have to wait for parts from Brazil and Mexico to come in special order just to get back on the road. I'm not into pure off road or rock crawling or any of that, just need to be able to handle roads of questionable quality. I will probably add some appropriate bush guards and such as. Being in Nebraska, I do have to deal with snow, and it would be nice to not have to put on tire chains and two bags of sand over the front axle just to get in the driveway.

Mostly I'm thinking this might be a fun project vehicle.
 

tommudd

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They are great projects for sure, reason I keep buying the earlier KJs LOL
Forget the brush guards, 99% are poorly built, but body shop guys love them ;)
So you need a new front diff it sounds like
easy to find stock 3.73 ones, easy to swap out as well
 

Johnny O

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They are great projects for sure, reason I keep buying the earlier KJs LOL
Forget the brush guards, 99% are poorly built, but body shop guys love them ;)
Ahhh! see this is why I'm reading the heck out of the forums...these nebraskans are all "you need a big bumper and ten miles of lift and HUGE tires and armor armor armor!!!" and I'm thinking, sure I Baja'd my share of bugs back in the day....but a sawzall was all that was really needed beyond some thing parts and coilovers...LOL
 

tommudd

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Ahhh! see this is why I'm reading the heck out of the forums...these nebraskans are all "you need a big bumper and ten miles of lift and HUGE tires and armor armor armor!!!" and I'm thinking, sure I Baja'd my share of bugs back in the day....but a sawzall was all that was really needed beyond some thing parts and coilovers...LOL
No cutting on these needed if built right
well you can't cut unless you want a mess

One of mine has over 4 inches of lift/32s/ 4.10 gearing had an ARB upfront
jeepinbyal coilover lift etc
But daily driver is 2.5 inches of JBA coilover lift/4.10s/ 31s
My Mother hauler ( 89 years old and no longer can get it the other two only) has 1.5 inches of lift
But no big lifts for KJs available
 

Johnny O

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/ndxmvzL1MoiAK4HN9

Here's my previous ride. Lots of fun but very different. Will get to all the same places, but sometimes in a much different way. And it's truly amazing what 50ish HP will do with a 1500lb car!
Aha!

Yeah!

Here's mine :

You must be registered for see images attach

Since these was taken I lowered it 3 inches, narrowed front beam, shaved the turns and handles, suicided the doors etc etc etc. Currently it looks like garbage as I had some health issues and it has been sitting for a few years.


Anyway, was able to go and get some photos and climb in and under this Liberty. Battery was flat as it has been sitting, but we will throw a charge on it and fire it up tomorrow. I'lll report back later with some noobie questions once I brush up on the lingo a bit more.
 

Johnny O

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OK....so....I still have a ton of reading to do, but as expected the current owner was a little clueless. Ok REALLY CLUELESS!
All that jazz about axels and gibberish was exactly that. What failed and is currently pulled is the

I just ran the VIN and such and what I am actually looking at is:

In fact a 2007 Jeep Liberty Limited Edition
currently on second owner
OD was 110k at time of last sale in 2016 now is 130k

So it has the 6 and the 4 speed auto

Regulator on the passenger side rea is shot, but the glass is intact so that's an easy fix.
Rust is minimal, though the entire vehicle needs some love after sitting for a while.

The real issue is that the front drive shaft failed, and is currently removed. As I look over the schematics and parts lists, that is a pretty simple job to fix (and surprisingly cheap) to my eyes. Though admittedly I don't know.


I'm thinking that for 500$, and about 300$ more, plus some wrench time and such, I can get a fun modern play toy.
 

tommudd

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Easy to rebuild the CV on the rear of the front driveshaft, most of these go out at 70-80,000 miles due to dirt and debris getting into the rubber boot and just eats it up

driveshftparts.com has what you need and cheap , hopefully they left you with the shaft

last Bug I had was a 69, bought it out of a yard while on vacation, drove it 300 miles home without any plates or rear fenders on it LOL
Used it as a DD to work and a parts runner on the farm
Rolled in over into a creek, mashed the top some , welded drivers door shut and drove it another year ;)
 

Johnny O

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Easy to rebuild the CV on the rear of the front driveshaft, most of these go out at 70-80,000 miles due to dirt and debris getting into the rubber boot and just eats it up

driveshftparts.com has what you need and cheap , hopefully they left you with the shaft

last Bug I had was a 69, bought it out of a yard while on vacation, drove it 300 miles home without any plates or rear fenders on it LOL
Used it as a DD to work and a parts runner on the farm
Rolled in over into a creek, mashed the top some , welded drivers door shut and drove it another year ;)

LMAO! I rolled 70 back in PA once, had to get my giant of a brother to lay on the floor an pip the roof back up with his legs.

Ended up going over the whole car with a ball peen and gave it a hammered finish...painted it with Krylon copper and sold it a few years later as an art car for ten times what I paid for it.
 

Johnny O

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Welp, I’m thinking that I’d be stupid not to buy this project. I’ll start a different thread with photos and all that once I’m on my PC.

We just decided to jump the battery and it turned right over. I took it around the campus a bit and current issues aside, I think I found an affordable project.

worst case, I can sell it for more than I paid for it.

Time to dust off the air ratchet and buy a bunch of Kroil!

Thanks for the warm welcome!
 

Johnny O

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https://photos.app.goo.gl/ndxmvzL1MoiAK4HN9

Here's my previous ride. Lots of fun but very different. Will get to all the same places, but sometimes in a much different way. And it's truly amazing what 50ish HP will do with a 1500lb car!
A few decades back I had a 67 type 1 factory resto that I successfully drove from San Diego to Death Valley, then up the canyon to the once famous Copper King. This is back before the Shack Attack when 75% of the Valley was still BLM and there was no such thing as selfie sticks, tight pants, or influencers. To add insult to injury, I ended up driving it up and down the box canyon three times to rescue Wrangler and a T100 drivers (both built for such terrain) that kept getting hung up.

That was the day the off road crowd learned to respect the Bug...added bonus was them big Jarheads were <expletive for urination> that a scrawny squid and his hippy car had to ferry them to the cabin.

Truth is I did get hung up a few times, but a few Marines and a Squid easily could just lift the bug off the hang up and then keep going.

That’s the only off road cred I have beyond driving an 88 superbeetle from Manta, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile.

I have wanted a Wrangler since I was 10 (my grandad collected Willy’s)...but truth is I have no justification for a “Stomper” at my age.

Likely Jeepers will laugh at my build with this deal, but I’m going to build it out for distinct purposes: my wife needs to be able to drive it to work when Omaha weather does it’s thing AND I need to be able to get to reasonable hiking distance of my research sites. Plus, a bit of backcountry camping in a wide variety of terrain...

My kids are finally done with college and live on their own, and the wife and I have very different views of leisure.

As part of my job, I have to be a first responder as I take undergraduates out for field school- plus I’m able to actually go camping, hunting, and hiking for the first time in nearly two decades.

I read that “over landing” is a trend these days, but I don’t comprehend it. Apparently it’s cool to add 1500lbs of weight to a vehicle.

This one will end up built strictly for functionality...and I’m already ordering parts.

Gonna be a fun summer for yours truly!
 

duderz7

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Ya the Baja was lots of fun, I was always gonna paint it "next spring" for almost all the 12 years I had it. Got t-boned on the driver side by a Lincoln navigator. Broke a bunch of ribs and put my head through the door glass (memory is not quite what it was) bug was in bad shape and I knew I wouldn't have time or money to rebuild anytime soon so I let it go. It was fun to come across some wrangler boys out somewhere navigating a trail at a snails pace and run the same section at tripl6speed or just jump it depending on the situation. Lots of good memories (the ones I didn't loose in the crash) in that car.
 

Johnny O

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Ya the Baja was lots of fun, I was always gonna paint it "next spring" for almost all the 12 years I had it. Got t-boned on the driver side by a Lincoln navigator. Broke a bunch of ribs and put my head through the door glass (memory is not quite what it was) bug was in bad shape and I knew I wouldn't have time or money to rebuild anytime soon so I let it go. It was fun to come across some wrangler boys out somewhere navigating a trail at a snails pace and run the same section at tripl6speed or just jump it depending on the situation. Lots of good memories (the ones I didn't loose in the crash) in that car.
Yeah. Been there! With the 58 I busted an ankle. 2.5 years later I’m too old and decrepit to swap an engine solo after destroying a shoulder in Moab. Time for something I can pay someone else to fix when I can’t do it myself. No real VW mechanics left here.
 

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