Introduction and couple ?'s

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:11 am

Hey everyone! My name is Matt and I live just north of Ann Arbor in the great (yea, right!) state of Michigan. I've been a lurker on this board several times since I bought my 03 Renegade back in 2004. For whatever reason, each time I started to research doing some work on my Libby (be it financial, life, etc) I have not been able to actually do anything to it besides the standard 255/65 AT KO's.

Well I now have a wife, a 9 month old boy, a house and a new job that pays much better than my old job while working significantly less hours. Long story short, I got the OK from my wife to figure out what it would cost to do some work to my Jeep that I have wanted to since I bought it.

My hope is that you guys/gals can help a relative noob make sure he has all of his bases covered. I plan on doing the following:

Frankenlift II Premium
Gen 5 Al's A-arms. Is there anything else that I should really upgrade on the suspension when I'm doing the lift?

I am also planning on getting a Westin Sportsman grille guard and either IPF's or PIAA's as well. The reason I am not going the ARB/CRD Frankenlift route is that the additional $1,000 would be much better spent by investing in my son's college fund. I'm not going to be doing any heavy wheeling (until my son is older and can come along with me

) so a winch isn't a priority for me at the moment.

So any advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to posting more on this board in the future!!

-Matt

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:34 am

JBA 4.5 arms

ObiHann · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:01 am

I'm a bit confused you say

Quote:

My hope is that you guys/gals can help a relative noob make sure he has all of his bases covered. I plan on doing the following:

Frankenlift II Premium
Gen 5 Al's A-arms. Is there anything else that I should really upgrade on the suspension when I'm doing the lift?

but then later

Quote:

The reason I am not going the ARB/CRD Frankenlift route is

. So your not getting a frankenlift? Or you are getting a franky, just sticking with the OME HD gasser coils and not getting a arb? If you want a arb you dont need the CRD coils, the OME HD will hold it up just fine, or so I am told :lol:

Thats going to be a great lift, for sure, but if your thinking of saving some cash, you can alwayse get the standard frankenlift, and hold off on the jba arms. The money you save there will get you close to a ARB lol. It sounds like you got a good build planned there though. Good luck!

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:27 am

ObiHann wrote:

I'm a bit confused you say

Quote:

My hope is that you guys/gals can help a relative noob make sure he has all of his bases covered. I plan on doing the following:

Frankenlift II Premium
Gen 5 Al's A-arms. Is there anything else that I should really upgrade on the suspension when I'm doing the lift?

but then later

Quote:

The reason I am not going the ARB/CRD Frankenlift route is

. So your not getting a frankenlift? Or you are getting a franky, just sticking with the OME HD gasser coils and not getting a arb? If you want a arb you dont need the CRD coils, the OME HD will hold it up just fine, or so I am told :lol:

Thats going to be a great lift, for sure, but if your thinking of saving some cash, you can alwayse get the standard frankenlift, and hold off on the jba arms. The money you save there will get you close to a ARB lol. It sounds like you got a good build planned there though. Good luck!

Yea I do plan on getting the Franky, just don't want to pay for the upgraded CRD coils that the ARB would need. I commute approx. 70 miles a day so I really need to do everything I can to maximize tire wear (correct camber/suspension travel is a high priority for me) and I could also do without the added weight of the ARB.

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:48 am

RenegadeMatt wrote:

ObiHann wrote:

I'm a bit confused you say

Quote:

My hope is that you guys/gals can help a relative noob make sure he has all of his bases covered. I plan on doing the following:

Frankenlift II Premium
Gen 5 Al's A-arms. Is there anything else that I should really upgrade on the suspension when I'm doing the lift?

but then later

Quote:

The reason I am not going the ARB/CRD Frankenlift route is

. So your not getting a frankenlift? Or you are getting a franky, just sticking with the OME HD gasser coils and not getting a arb? If you want a arb you dont need the CRD coils, the OME HD will hold it up just fine, or so I am told :lol:

Thats going to be a great lift, for sure, but if your thinking of saving some cash, you can alwayse get the standard frankenlift, and hold off on the jba arms. The money you save there will get you close to a ARB lol. It sounds like you got a good build planned there though. Good luck!

Yea I do plan on getting the Franky, just don't want to pay for the upgraded CRD coils that the ARB would need. I commute approx. 70 miles a day so I really need to do everything I can to maximize tire wear (correct camber/suspension travel is a high priority for me) and I could also do without the added weight of the ARB.

Maybe a little confused it seems, first you do not need OME CRD coils for an ARB, Heavy Dutys do just fine, second the JBA 5 arms were found not to work well with a regular 2.5 /3 inch lift stay with the JBA 4.5s if you want arms which by the way are not needed its an upgrade though. Also the weight of the ARB bumper make take a small toll on mileage but not that much, I can still pull down 20 /21 MPGs if I don't run 75/80 all the time. When I put my ARB on I drove 90 miles a day and continue to do 550/600 mile trips almost every weekend , the advantages far out weigh the disadvantages
You can have the alignment set correctly and have good tire wear with even the stock arms by the way, lots of people on here have done it.

Also you can save some by going with OME Springs and Rancho shocks all around for 650/700 bucks, just a thought since you are tryimg to save some. The bar you want in front does little as far as protection, mostly just for looks until they rust through.

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:02 pm

Cool! This is exactly the info I was hoping to get. So the money would be better spent on getting an ARB instead of the A-arms and grille guard? I would obviously prefer the ARB over a grille guard but didn't think I could afford it with having to get the A-arm's too.

Like I said, I have A LOT to learn when it comes to lifting my liberty. Let's call it an almost complete lack of knowledge rather than confusion haha

I really appreciate the info you guys are throwing my way!!

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:00 pm

RenegadeMatt wrote:

Cool! This is exactly the info I was hoping to get. So the money would be better spent on getting an ARB instead of the A-arms and grille guard? I would obviously prefer the ARB over a grille guard but didn't think I could afford it with having to get the A-arm's too.

Like I said, I have A LOT to learn when it comes to lifting my liberty. Let's call it an almost complete lack of knowledge rather than confusion haha

I really appreciate the info you guys are throwing my way!!

X2 on what Tom said…………………. I couldn’t have said it any better.

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:35 pm

dieselenthusiast wrote:

RenegadeMatt wrote:

Cool! This is exactly the info I was hoping to get. So the money would be better spent on getting an ARB instead of the A-arms and grille guard? I would obviously prefer the ARB over a grille guard but didn't think I could afford it with having to get the A-arm's too.

Like I said, I have A LOT to learn when it comes to lifting my liberty. Let's call it an almost complete lack of knowledge rather than confusion haha

I really appreciate the info you guys are throwing my way!!

X2 on what Tom said…………………. I couldn’t have said it any better.

Thanks! Just out of curiousity, how much did you pay to get your ARB painted? If I went that route, I'd get it painted for sure. I'd assume around $150 or $200 but haven't gotten anything painted in a long time

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:44 pm

RenegadeMatt wrote:

dieselenthusiast wrote:

RenegadeMatt wrote:

Cool! This is exactly the info I was hoping to get. So the money would be better spent on getting an ARB instead of the A-arms and grille guard? I would obviously prefer the ARB over a grille guard but didn't think I could afford it with having to get the A-arm's too.

Like I said, I have A LOT to learn when it comes to lifting my liberty. Let's call it an almost complete lack of knowledge rather than confusion haha

I really appreciate the info you guys are throwing my way!!

X2 on what Tom said…………………. I couldn’t have said it any better.

Thanks! Just out of curiousity, how much did you pay to get your ARB painted? If I went that route, I'd get it painted for sure. I'd assume around $150 or $200 but haven't gotten anything painted in a long time

Yep, $160 I think, but I'm not sure............. He did a good job, the paint was the matching color with the crystal pearl coat, baked on finish, and he had to use bondo to fill in a dent that happened during shipping. I’m resizing my picture as we speak.

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:52 pm

dieselenthusiast wrote:

Yep, $160 I think, but I'm not sure............. He did a good job, the paint was the matching color with the crystal pearl coat, baked on finish, and he had to use bondo to fill in a dent that happened during shipping. I’m resizing my picture as we speak.

Awesome. I'm really leaning towards getting the ARB now. I half expected this to happen as I already really wanted one but couldn't justify the additional costs I thought came along with getting it haha.

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:02 pm

I lucked out mine was used and the kid before me had it painted to match his. But 150/200 depending on where you live for the paint. May find someone that is doing a black vehicle and they can paint it at the same time :wink:

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:21 pm

tommudd wrote:

I lucked out mine was used and the kid before me had it painted to match his. But 150/200 depending on where you live for the paint. May find someone that is doing a black vehicle and they can paint it at the same time :wink:

D'oh, forgot to post a pic of it. Here it is in northern michigan at my family's property after I removed the factory side-steps.

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:32 pm

RenegadeMatt wrote:

tommudd wrote:

I lucked out mine was used and the kid before me had it painted to match his. But 150/200 depending on where you live for the paint. May find someone that is doing a black vehicle and they can paint it at the same time :wink:

D'oh, forgot to post a pic of it. Here it is in northern michigan at my family's property after I removed the factory side-steps.

Nice area , how far "north " is that? Since moving to the Toledo area have only been about 1/2 way up through Michigan, hope to make some trips father north to find some areas to play this summer

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:33 pm

Does the 03 Renegade not have the flat hood?

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:44 pm

dieselenthusiast wrote:

Does the 03 Renegade not have the flat hood?

Flat (ugly) :lol:

hoods did not appear until 05 I think it was I know it wasn't in 04 for sure

which I had his rear flares :twisted:

have a set of front ones already painted and waiting , rear ones, a RL rear bumper and I would almost be happy :shock:

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:59 pm

tommudd wrote:

Nice area , how far "north " is that? Since moving to the Toledo area have only been about 1/2 way up through Michigan, hope to make some trips father north to find some areas to play this summer

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=chase,+mi ... 58&t=h&z=7

We own approx. 10 acres that is bordered on three sides by 1,000's of acres of state forest. Some killer atv/mx trails all over as well as lots of old, washed-out sandy and hilly two tracks to play around on :twisted:

Thanks!! the flares and styling are what drew me to my Renegade. Nothing like any other Liberty I had ever seen!! I wouldn't have bought my jeep if it had the flat hood (please, no offense intended to those with a flat hood) just not my style.

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:12 pm

After doing some additional browsing on the board, I wanted to get everyone's opinion on another matter.

I bought my jeep in December 2004 with roughly 18,000 miles on it and now it has 110,000 miles on it. I had a 115 mile roundtrip from the date of purchase thru March of 2007 and then my commute with down to 25 miles rountrip. I recently took a new job and my commute has gone back up (now 70 miles per day) so the miles will start to pile up faster again.

Has anyone here lifted their jeep after it had this many miles on it?

Are there any foreseable issues that I should expect and look out for lifting a Liberty with this many miles on it?

I just want to make sure that I know what I'm getting myself into. Obviously stuff is going to fail but I want to make sure I'm ready..as well as my savings account :lol:

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:15 pm

RenegadeMatt wrote:

After doing some additional browsing on the board, I wanted to get everyone's opinion on another matter.

I bought my jeep in December 2004 with roughly 18,000 miles on it and now it has 110,000 miles on it. I had a 115 mile roundtrip from the date of purchase thru March of 2007 and then my commute with down to 25 miles rountrip. I recently took a new job and my commute has gone back up (now 70 miles per day) so the miles will start to pile up faster again.

Has anyone here lifted their jeep after it had this many miles on it?

Are there any foreseable issues that I should expect and look out for lifting a Liberty with this many miles on it?

I just want to make sure that I know what I'm getting myself into. Obviously stuff is going to fail but I want to make sure I'm ready..as well as my savings account :lol:

you'll be fine lifting it now, I lifted mine when it had 65,000 on it, so your OEM suspension is already worn out.

RenegadeMatt · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:16 pm

jsc7002 wrote:

RenegadeMatt wrote:

After doing some additional browsing on the board, I wanted to get everyone's opinion on another matter.

I bought my jeep in December 2004 with roughly 18,000 miles on it and now it has 110,000 miles on it. I had a 115 mile roundtrip from the date of purchase thru March of 2007 and then my commute with down to 25 miles rountrip. I recently took a new job and my commute has gone back up (now 70 miles per day) so the miles will start to pile up faster again.

Has anyone here lifted their jeep after it had this many miles on it?

Are there any foreseable issues that I should expect and look out for lifting a Liberty with this many miles on it?

I just want to make sure that I know what I'm getting myself into. Obviously stuff is going to fail but I want to make sure I'm ready..as well as my savings account :lol:

you'll be fine lifting it now, I lifted mine when it had 65,000 on it, so your OEM suspension is already worn out.

I was curious if the various rubber boots, etc. will have developed a permanent memory by now and will end up failing relatively quickly after lifting.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:17 pm

RenegadeMatt wrote:

After doing some additional browsing on the board, I wanted to get everyone's opinion on another matter.

I bought my jeep in December 2004 with roughly 18,000 miles on it and now it has 110,000 miles on it. I had a 115 mile roundtrip from the date of purchase thru March of 2007 and then my commute with down to 25 miles rountrip. I recently took a new job and my commute has gone back up (now 70 miles per day) so the miles will start to pile up faster again.

Has anyone here lifted their jeep after it had this many miles on it?

Are there any foreseable issues that I should expect and look out for lifting a Liberty with this many miles on it?

I just want to make sure that I know what I'm getting myself into. Obviously stuff is going to fail but I want to make sure I'm ready..as well as my savings account :lol:

Yes, you will notice a difference………………………..It ride better and look better.

You need to buy my replacement upper A arms because yours must be getting wore out. :roll:

LOL, I really have know idea how long the OE A-arms last, but mine are for sale if you want to change them out when you do the lift. Mine are from a 2007 KJ with only 12,000 miles on them. For sale for $100.00, heck I might sell for 75.00.

Introduction and couple ?'s

Who is online