In late 2002, the lease on my 1996 Nissan Pathfinder LE was coming to its end.  I was going to buy that truck out at the end of the lease, since I really did love that truck, but the finance company did not want to budge on the buyout price.  So, I decided it was time to start looking for something to replace it.  A car was out of the question, since before the Pathfinder I had a 1996 Chevy Monte Carlo that, I swear - I hated with a passion.  In the two years I had that car, I don't think I was ever able to pull into a parking space once with it.  Before the Monte Carlo I had an 84 S-10 Blazer with the 2.8L V6.  Drove that thing till it had 300K miles on the clock when it met an untimely death due to a cracked block while driving home from Atlantic City one night.

Did some searching of used car inventories online and came across several Grand Cherokees that looked promising.  I had always liked the Grand Cherokees, and it seemed the market was flooded with them at the time because the new GC's were coming out.  Truth be told, I really wanted a Jeep Wrangler, but hauling my hockey equipment in one just wasn't feasible, so the Grand Cherokee was the right choice.  Grabbed my friend to come with me to look at a few, and wound up taking this 2000 Grand Cherokee Laredo for a test drive.  Clean as clean could be, this thing drove really smooth.  When the dealer said they'd pay my lease mile overage AND my last two months lease payments, it was a done deal.  (No, they didn't work it into the lease somehow.  Flat off the price of the Jeep.)  Best move I ever made was buying this Jeep.

This is what the Jeep looked like when I got it.  Tan leather interior, SelecTrac 4WD, and a 4.0L L6 engine.  Not a single stain anywhere in the interior, and no issues at all mechanically.  The hood deflector and vent visors were added about a month after I got the WJ, courtesy of my friends for my birthday.  Gotta love when friends get you truck stuff for birthday's.  Maybe I am part redneck...

This picture was actually taken the morning before I had the lift installed to give me something to remember what humble beginnings the Jeep came from. 

Here's a side-by-side, albeit from a bad angle, that shows the Jeep next to a stock-height Jeep.  I know this pic really doesn't do the lift justice, but it is only 2".  This pic, the more I look at it, looks like the Jeeps are the same height, which really wasn't the case.  Looking back, I was such a dork after I got the lift installed, because I would purposely park next to stock Jeeps just to show off the lift.  One owner actually came out and asked me once if my Jeep was lifted, to which I replied "Nope, just keeping giving your Jeep its vitamins and it'll grow up to be like mine some day."  Corny response...I know.  It seemed funny at the time, so leave me the hell alone.

Here's a more recent pic I snapped while heading into the office one day with my phone.  (SonyEricsson S710a w/ 1.3MP camera.)  The WJ on the right is either a 2003 or 2004, based on my observations.  This clearly shows a difference in height and better illustrated just how much lift the OME Coils can give.  If you ask me, the 2" lift and 31" tires make the Jeep look 'right' and I really don't know why they don't come like this from the factory, at least as an option.  (They're lift option is the UpCountry suspension, but that adds a whopping 1" of lift only.

Here's a picture of the stereo's head unit, a Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X679.  Motorized CD Door, 5.0V preamp outs for front, rear, and subwoofer, mp3 & wma ready, as well as HD-Radio (No clue what the hell the point is of it) and Sirius Satellite Radio ready.  Right now, the unit is tuned to The Big 80's on Sirius, one of my favorite channels.  The radio also controls my iPod like a CD changer, thanks to an adapter.  Comments on it - I love this unit, and it's given me zero problems since I've owned it.  This model has been replaced with a redesigned one, but most of the features are still there. 

I mentioned the iPod adapter that allows me to control the iPod through the head unit.  Here we see the plug is routed so the iPod can go ahead and stay in the center console, away from the harms that can come from being in a Jeep.  I did start fabbing up a false floor for the console so I could completely hide the iPod if I wanted to, but I haven't gotten around to that yet.  There's only so many hours in the day, but that will be done by year's end, I hope.  Besides, I usually bring the iPod inside with me anyway at night, so it's not like you'd find anything in there except a leatherman tool and some loose change that's been there for a year.

Low-end bass is provided by a JL Audio Stealthbox, powered by a JL Audio monoblock amplifier.  Some people say that the Stealthbox doesn't provide enough bass, I say you don't know music or are nothing more than a basshead.  The Stealthbox hits deep enough so it doesn't drown out the highs from the door speakers and tweeters in the dashboard.  If I want more bass, I can adjust the Sub Level and Crossover point from the head unit, making it very versatile.  Best part is when the sub's grille is in place, it blends with the interior perfectly, which was exactly what I was going after, along with not taking up a lot of space.

Here's a picture of a "box" I built and carpeted to hide and protect the Sirius Satellite Radio tuner that's connected to the radio.  Sirius was the best investment I ever made for entertainment, and the integrated tuner makes thing uber convenient.  The carpeting was ordered from an automotive carpeting specialist online (WLS Headliners, I think) for pretty cheap, and matches perfectly.  I might wind up rebuilding this next summer to sit more flush with the back seat, but it does the job well for now.  Also note the 150w DC Power inverter mounted in the cargo area.  Plug it into the outlet right above, and I've got a place to plug in tailgating accessories, or a laptop for a passenger so they can watch a DVD and leave me alone on road trips.

No pics of the other speakers or the amps, but I've got JL Audio coaxials in all 4 doors.  6.5" in the back, 6x9's in the front doors.  They're powered by a Rockford Fosgate Punch 301X amp, putting 4 x 40w RMS to the speakers.  In the dash are a pair of MB Quart tweeters powered off the head unit only to help bring the soundstage up just a little bit.

Enough of the inside, let me end with the latest addition.  A Westin Safari Bar complete with a pair of 85w PIAA 520 Ion Yellow driving lights.  The problem with the stock fog lights on the WJ is two-fold.  1) They're not too bright (52w at best) and 2) they're an odd size bulb (9055), so there's not a lot of replacement options out there.  Add to it that they're an odd shape, so a direct replacement isn't feasible.  There's no real mounting options that are very secure in stock form, so I added the Safari Bar just so I could get some more light on the road.  Word of advice - make sure you aim them well or people will be flashing high beams at you a lot.

What other mods do I have that you can't see?  Well, I've added an alarm system to help protect the goodies.  I've also added a wiring harness for the headlights that now pulls straight from the battery.  The low beams are Sylvania SilverStars, which are a good upgrade from stock halogen bulbs.  High beams are 100w Fahrenheit Xenon bulbs, giving WAY more light than one could say is needed for regular driving.  My low beams were 85w Fahrenheit's, but when they blew out, I didn't have time to order another set and went with the SilverStars in a pinch.  No regrets there.  I've also got a 62mm bored Throttle Body bolted on, which helps with "seat of the pants" power.   

If I had to do anything over again, I might have gone with a 4" lift from day one instead of a 2" lift because, and any Jeep owner will tell you this, once you start going higher, it's never high enough.  I might have also held out for V8 model, since the mileage difference between the L6 and the V8 is almost non-existent, but I'm happy with the 4.0L.  Let me put it to you this way, folks: If you're looking for durability, get the 4.0L L6.  You can bolt on upgrades to bring the horsepower up to what the stock V8 puts out, and the L6 will run forever as long as you do the proper maintenance.  Only other thing I might have done different would have been some changes to the stereo set-up along the way, but that's not to say I'm not happy with what I've got going now.

Future planned mods are exhaust headers to match up with the custom exhaust system (Flowmaster 40 muffler, high-flow Carsound Catalytic Converter, and 2.5" tubing), maybe a throttle body spacer to add a few more ponies.  Other than that, I can't see myself doing much else to the Jeep.  I do actually plan on buying a Wrangler when the WJ is paid off, and that will become the "mod magnet".  After all, you know what Jeep stands for, right?

Just Empty Every Pocket

That's all for now.  I'll be adding more pics of modes, like the K&N FIPK Cold Air Induction kit and the exhaust in the future.  Right now, Jeep mods are on hold until after the new year because of the holidays and a vacation to pay for.  Priorities...ya know?

Born on date: 10/13/2005  This site best viewed using 1024 x 768 resolution.

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