'04 2.4 - learning mechanics and buying tools as I go

[Elyse8743]

I have nightmares of bad things happening to my Jeep and one of them is finding rust. You’re being super proactive of stopping PO neglect. I can’t even imagine how people let their vehicles get to that point.

Honestly the rust is what I've wanted to tackle since I first purchased it, but it's definitely been hard to balance that with the fun stuff, haha. The sad part is that this jeep is honestly in amazing condition considering I'm in the northeast. the fact that the frame has only minor (I mean minor.. surface level if any) rust and there's only these 3 rot spots on the body is a pro, haha!

Nice update. You’ve got some good parts waiting to go on!

Thanks! Yeah, I'm super stoked for what I have ready to go on, it's really setting me up with a solid base for any updates I want to make going forward. Slow and steady!

 

[Elyse8743]

Wow - haven't updated in a while.
Over the past couple years, I've gotten rid of the major rot spots in the tub, added the Savvy TC shifter, SYE & Tom Woods Driveshaft. Upgrade a few other suspension components but mostly just enjoyed it for most of 2022 up through 2023 so I haven't really felt a need to update here!

This year had some major changes:

Ran into an issue with my brakes a few months ago where anytime I pressed them (even ever so slightly), the rear wheel locked up and squealed. Guess I really needed to do these. Ended up snapping the brake line when I was changing the cylinder, so it's got all new rear brake lines and brakes haha.

Most notable Update: Until 2 months ago, my 2.4 was getting more and more tired; compression was so low that it wouldn't hold in 1st on even the slightest incline; I'd park my jeep to notice it'd rolled back a few feet when I came back out. Fixing the e-brake ^ helped with that, but in general the jeep was honestly just becoming a drag to drive. Toyed with doing the swap myself or having someone else do it, but I was moving apartments (and living in an apartment doesn't really make this feasible anyways) and I don't have a second car. SO - Reached out on FB and found a super dope looking shop about an hour away.

The heep now has a tasty ls 5.3 in it as of this week - they did incredible work, and worth every penny spent on it.

Before: (Yes, the air filter had fallen off sometime in the previous couple weeks before taking this picture hahaha)

Now:

Also, brand new shoes to boot! (I'll be swapping those turn signal indicators for orange ones again, realizing how much I don't like those now haha)

Driving it is night and day difference. SO much more fun, I didn't realize just how exhausting flooring that 2.4 really was.

Up next: axles!!!! (it never ends.....buuuut my wallet's gotta recover a bit first, so I need to be extra gentle until I upgrade those for sure lol)

 

[Jamison C]

Wow - haven't updated in a while.
Over the past couple years, I've gotten rid of the major rot spots in the tub, added the Savvy TC shifter, SYE & Tom Woods Driveshaft. Upgrade a few other suspension components but mostly just enjoyed it for most of 2022 up through 2023 so I haven't really felt a need to update here!

This year had some major changes:

Ran into an issue with my brakes a few months ago where anytime I pressed them (even ever so slightly), the rear wheel locked up and squealed. Guess I really needed to do these. Ended up snapping the brake line when I was changing the cylinder, so it's got all new rear brake lines and brakes haha.
View attachment 459840

View attachment 459841

View attachment 459842

Most notable Update: Until 2 months ago, my 2.4 was getting more and more tired; compression was so low that it wouldn't hold in 1st on even the slightest incline; I'd park my jeep to notice it'd rolled back a few feet when I came back out. Fixing the e-brake ^ helped with that, but in general the jeep was honestly just becoming a drag to drive. Toyed with doing the swap myself or having someone else do it, but I was moving apartments (and living in an apartment doesn't really make this feasible anyways) and I don't have a second car. SO - Reached out on FB and found a super dope looking shop about an hour away.

The heep now has a tasty ls 5.3 in it as of this week - they did incredible work, and worth every penny spent on it.

Before: (Yes, the air filter had fallen off sometime in the previous couple weeks before taking this picture hahaha)

View attachment 459845

Now:
View attachment 459846

Also, brand new shoes to boot! (I'll be swapping those turn signal indicators for orange ones again, realizing how much I don't like those now haha)
View attachment 459847

Driving it is night and day difference. SO much more fun, I didn't realize just how exhausting flooring that 2.4 really was.

Up next: axles!!!! (it never ends.....buuuut my wallet's gotta recover a bit first, so I need to be extra gentle until I upgrade those for sure lol)

Hasn’t been on in two years and just casually mentions there’s now a 5.3 V8 in there. Congrats!

 

[Elyse8743]

Hasn’t been on in two years and just casually mentions there’s now a 5.3 V8 in there. Congrats!
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LOL - I know. I've been lurking for a while. Got super excited and had to talk about this update, though, haha!

 

[Jamison C]

LOL - I know. I've been lurking for a while. Got super excited and had to talk about this update, though, haha!

Were they able to retain the factory gauges? I’m assuming so since the Jeep ECU is in there.

We’re gonna need some videos of it in action.

 

[Elyse8743]

Were they able to retain the factory gauges? I’m assuming so since the Jeep ECU is in there.

We’re gonna need some videos of it in action.

Yep, so the engine/trans are the chevy ecu, and the rest of it is the jeep. You'd have no idea there's a swap in there until you opened the hood. Stock guages etc that all work perfectly.

I'll try to get some soon! of course as soon as I get it home, it's yet another rainy weekend in massachusetts lol