Well, instead of keeping up with several threads, I'm putting everything in this one.
Just a little background. This is an '04 WJ that I bought for my wife in Feb '08. It's an Inferno Red Laredo with less then 24K on it when we got it, but, it has 59K right now. The engine is the 4.0L I6 with the 2WD 42RE auto. It has the standard AM-FM-Cassette-CD radio, power driver's side seat, cloth interior, and no cross bars for the roof rack.
With all the Cash for Clunker Jeeps hitting the junkyards, my wife and I got to thinking, why can't we upgrade to the various features we would like? Everything's pretty cheap through the yards, and they would be OEM, so fitment wouldn't be a problem. The features we want to add are: 4WD (242 T-Case), Rear Factory Hitch with wiring, Overhead console with the Homelink (garage/gate opener buttons), '02-'04 White Gauges, Factory CD Changer, Crossbars for the roof rack, Radio Controls on the steering wheel, Leather Seats and Power Passenger Side Seat, Fog Lights, and anything else that I can find that'll work, :thumbsup: The uses for this WJ include: mall crawling for the most part, very mild off-roading (dirt/gravel roads and some beach sand driving, taking the fam out on the beach), and use the Full Time 4WD for bad weather and snow (for whenever we get out of FL and move to NC).
What's been put on so far: Hitch with wiring (all bolt in and plug and play), Roof Rack Crossbars, and the EVIC Overhead Console with the Homelink (Plug and Play).
A couple of weeks ago, I got the 4WD Shifter because the tranny shifter sliders were broken, so, I upgraded!
2WD Shifter, complete with rust, have no idea why it's so rusty!!
Here's the 4WD Shifter for the 242 installed. Now, the shifter plate was in great shape, considering the Jeep was a '99 model and God knows how long it was in the yard.
Went back last weekend to find that the '99 I was going to get the 242 out off was gone, the whole line that it was in was gone, :crying: SO, I'll have to drop back and punt on this one.
I got a set of '01 White Faced Limited Gauges. All was good until I tried to swap out the odometer, it was easy if it was a '99-'01, but, the '02-'04 odmeters are totally different, :brickwall. I tried to swap out the individual gagues into the '04 cluster, but, while the tach and speedo worked fine, the four smaller gauges went crazey. I could put the whole '01 cluster in and everything would work, except the odometer would read 151K miles from the previous Jeep, instead of the 59K miles that are on ours, BIG problem! As far as this is concerned, I'll have to wait out for some '02-'04 gauges, grrr!
I got a CD changer as well as the cover that goes over it in the cargo area. I also got the plug that goes into the changer, but, I'm still waiting on the plug that goes into the radio, it's different from the '99-'01 WJ's to the '02-'04 WJ's.
Yesterday, I installed the steering wheel radio controls, :thumbsup: Wife likes these REALLY well!! After the CD changer and gauge wiring issues, I'm looking for only '02-'04 electrical parts, as there seems to be major wiring changes in '02. Here is a price comparasion between the factory price (Info from WJ Jeeps.com), and what I paid at the junkyard. To convert the steering wheel for radio controls, I had to buy the radio switches and a harness that has both sets of plugs for the radio switches and the cruise control switches. At the junkyard, I paid $4.70 out the door for the harness and both switches. If I got JUST the harness from the stealership, it would have set me back $165, PLUS $39.70 for EACH switch!! As far as the install, It went great, I did have to drill out the holes for the switches on the steering wheel, but, other then that, it was plug and play, everything works, :thumbsup:
That's it for now, I'll add updates, as well as questions and comments as I go. :2thumbsup:
Jerry:cheers2:
Just a little background. This is an '04 WJ that I bought for my wife in Feb '08. It's an Inferno Red Laredo with less then 24K on it when we got it, but, it has 59K right now. The engine is the 4.0L I6 with the 2WD 42RE auto. It has the standard AM-FM-Cassette-CD radio, power driver's side seat, cloth interior, and no cross bars for the roof rack.
With all the Cash for Clunker Jeeps hitting the junkyards, my wife and I got to thinking, why can't we upgrade to the various features we would like? Everything's pretty cheap through the yards, and they would be OEM, so fitment wouldn't be a problem. The features we want to add are: 4WD (242 T-Case), Rear Factory Hitch with wiring, Overhead console with the Homelink (garage/gate opener buttons), '02-'04 White Gauges, Factory CD Changer, Crossbars for the roof rack, Radio Controls on the steering wheel, Leather Seats and Power Passenger Side Seat, Fog Lights, and anything else that I can find that'll work, :thumbsup: The uses for this WJ include: mall crawling for the most part, very mild off-roading (dirt/gravel roads and some beach sand driving, taking the fam out on the beach), and use the Full Time 4WD for bad weather and snow (for whenever we get out of FL and move to NC).
What's been put on so far: Hitch with wiring (all bolt in and plug and play), Roof Rack Crossbars, and the EVIC Overhead Console with the Homelink (Plug and Play).
A couple of weeks ago, I got the 4WD Shifter because the tranny shifter sliders were broken, so, I upgraded!
2WD Shifter, complete with rust, have no idea why it's so rusty!!
Here's the 4WD Shifter for the 242 installed. Now, the shifter plate was in great shape, considering the Jeep was a '99 model and God knows how long it was in the yard.
Went back last weekend to find that the '99 I was going to get the 242 out off was gone, the whole line that it was in was gone, :crying: SO, I'll have to drop back and punt on this one.
I got a set of '01 White Faced Limited Gauges. All was good until I tried to swap out the odometer, it was easy if it was a '99-'01, but, the '02-'04 odmeters are totally different, :brickwall. I tried to swap out the individual gagues into the '04 cluster, but, while the tach and speedo worked fine, the four smaller gauges went crazey. I could put the whole '01 cluster in and everything would work, except the odometer would read 151K miles from the previous Jeep, instead of the 59K miles that are on ours, BIG problem! As far as this is concerned, I'll have to wait out for some '02-'04 gauges, grrr!
I got a CD changer as well as the cover that goes over it in the cargo area. I also got the plug that goes into the changer, but, I'm still waiting on the plug that goes into the radio, it's different from the '99-'01 WJ's to the '02-'04 WJ's.
Yesterday, I installed the steering wheel radio controls, :thumbsup: Wife likes these REALLY well!! After the CD changer and gauge wiring issues, I'm looking for only '02-'04 electrical parts, as there seems to be major wiring changes in '02. Here is a price comparasion between the factory price (Info from WJ Jeeps.com), and what I paid at the junkyard. To convert the steering wheel for radio controls, I had to buy the radio switches and a harness that has both sets of plugs for the radio switches and the cruise control switches. At the junkyard, I paid $4.70 out the door for the harness and both switches. If I got JUST the harness from the stealership, it would have set me back $165, PLUS $39.70 for EACH switch!! As far as the install, It went great, I did have to drill out the holes for the switches on the steering wheel, but, other then that, it was plug and play, everything works, :thumbsup:
That's it for now, I'll add updates, as well as questions and comments as I go. :2thumbsup:
Jerry:cheers2: