I've got a 2004 KJ, 4wd. It is my main transportion with maybe 1 weekend every month or 2 doing trail riding/logging trails and exploring around some of the rivers here. My suspension has been worn out for about 8 months. I started noticing a squeaking noise in the steering & then my front tires wore down pretty quick on the insides of both tires. I need to replace the front strut assemblies and the rear shocks as well. While I'm in there replacing things, I'd like to see if I can throw in a little bit of a lift. Here is my plan:

Purchase REPLACEMENT strut assemblies (MOOG or Monroe strut assemblies run around $120-130 ea.)
Purchase the Daystar 2.5" kit part# KJ09115BK (if I can find the kit with swaybar bushings & bumpstops, around $150-160)
Purchase Durango replacement shocks for the rear (since I would be installing the daystar kit, I would need that extra length. between $40-70 ea.[that's all I'm willing to spend on them])

So, around $500-540 in total. That's ALL I CAN SPEND. In fact, the extra 150-160 for the lift kit is pushing it. The reason for that is because I also have to BUY 4 NEW TIRES AS WELL!! Ugh! Due to the bad struts wearing them down.

It would be awesome to get the OME kit or the Frankenlift or BDS. I just can't swing it right now.


Here's my main question. Does anyone have experience with the MOOG or Monroe struts? Can they be disassembled and reassembled with the Daystar kit components?

This is the determining aspect of the lift, otherwise no lift.

Please help.

cliff

Honestly I would hold of as long as you can and spend a little more money on OME or a true lift. The Daystar stuff is junk from what I've heard/seen. Heck if your gonna spend $540 I'd save a few hundred more and get a lift. Not to bash man, but it will be worth it in the long run. Just my

_________________
2005 Jeep Liberty.....SOLD =(

1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ





http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3897619/2005-jeep-liberty-sport-sport-utility-4d

I appreciate the input. Like I said, I'd like to get the OME kit. I have to replace these struts ASAP. My tires can't take much more. Few weeks tops. The tread on the inside of every tire is non-existent. Worn totally smooth. I'm always concerned about popping a tire from a rock. I don't have the time to save more $$ for the OME kit & 4 tires at the same time. Plus i'm going on vacation in a few weeks. It's just horrible timing.

+ KJ Taz has a good write up of the daystar kit. Seems to have worked out well for him.
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=26190

I fully understand being on a budget. But I'll tell you the $500 you spend now will have to be
spent again very quickly, and you'll be very disappointed with the ride quality.

Monroe "struts" are about $300 a pair, are stock replacement, and will start to sag just like your current suspension
almost immediately, and will be in the same shape as your current suspension is in within 30K miles.

You can get Ironman "struts" for an additional $100, or about $175 gets you OME.
Either will be a vast improvement over stock.

A full Ironman spring lft is just over $700, or OME is about $750.

Keep monitoring your tires, and put an extra $20 away each week for about 3 months,
then order your spring lift, get it installed, and buy your new (larger) tires and forget
about suspension trouble for about 100K miles.

_________________
Brad
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OK,
mopar front coil spring- $95
mopar front shock absorber $42
http://www.wholesalemopar.com/parts_cat ... MgodO1QAug

That would at least weed out the cheap parts issue.

I haven't had any issues with my suspension until I hit around 115k. I live in the Ozarks which means not many flat roads. Nothing but curves, hills & usually curves ON a hillside banked to slide off, not into the curve. Lots of road stress on the suspension & it lasted this long. I'm running 235/70 r16 National Commando A/T's. This is my 2nd set after the factory GoodYears. I would have gotten another 10-15k out of them if not for this.

I mentioned the Daystar Kit because it seems to include everything necessary. Are there any other THOROUGH spacer kits out there that I'm missing? Is it the 2.5" kit that is the problem? What if I just do the 1" or 1.5"(can't remember which it is)?

If I do end up lifting (2.5"), I'm gonna try to squeeze these into the wheel wells:
http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direc ... =16&cs=245

but realistically, I probably have to do the 235's of that same model or back to the Commando's

I fully understand the OME's are a great set. If I had the bank to go that route, I fully would. It's a juggling match of being economical, frugal & practical. Remember, I also have to dump $525-570ish on tires.


NewOldTimer- Do you have a link to the full Ironman lift that I could check out?

Ironman lift at jeepinbyal

To be honest I'd sooner just install the stock type springs and shocks and forget any type of spacer lift
IF you don't have the funds to pony up for a full spring lift you're honestly just throwing money away trying to go cheap.
Either save up for a full spring or just replace what you have to and be done. Adding a spacer lift is not a good route to take at all

You can run 245-70-16 on stock suspension

_________________
MUDD'S MOTORSPORT'S We do IFS lift installs ,
03 OVERLAND EDITION /Kilby-Skidrow-Mopar-4XGuard skids/ 2.5 inch TOTAL CONTROL JBA coilovers -JBA Arms/MOABS-31 FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W / 4.10's etc, 04 Kilimanjaro Edition loaded, plus 05 KJ limited

Have you consider a clevis/spacer lift up front and spring isolators in the rear? It won't net you as much lift as the Daystar but it won't make your suspension worse (as the spacers will do) and it doesn't cost too much to do at all. Some call if the "Wesway" lift. From what I've gathered you get around an inch of lift. But that and new suspension parts should be a pretty good improvement.

I'm in a similar situation to you, I need to replace the suspension on mine, but don't want to go full on with OME or ironman as I'll be trading it in in a year or two. I'd rather stick with stock parts and be able to remove the spacers and isolators. Also Rockauto.com has assembled struts for like 130, which for me is cheaper than my local shop pressing everything together.

Jordan

Kind of like putting a 2 inch bandaid on someone who just cut their arm off
Sure may give you some lift for a very short time but the springs and shocks are worn out, you still have a crappy ride, poor handling and in a couple of months back down to the height you were

_________________
MUDD'S MOTORSPORT'S We do IFS lift installs ,
03 OVERLAND EDITION /Kilby-Skidrow-Mopar-4XGuard skids/ 2.5 inch TOTAL CONTROL JBA coilovers -JBA Arms/MOABS-31 FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W / 4.10's etc, 04 Kilimanjaro Edition loaded, plus 05 KJ limited

I meant for the OP to still install a new stock suspension and also the spacer lifts. That way they get the benefit of a renewed suspension and a little extra lift.

I did research the clevis lift. I still don't like the idea of it. I know the stock clevis mounting position would allow it to be moved down (or the strut up) but I think it would put more leverage/stress on the strut. Kind of like "choking up" on a baseball bat as compared to holding on to the end.

I ended up getting replacement struts with a lifetime warranty for $145 ea.
And the daystar kit.
And dakota rear shocks.

Everything arrives today and tomorrow. Hoping to get it all on this weekend. I appreciate all of the advice on the better lift kits, the price just wasn't feasible at this time. I let you all know how the install goes.

On a side note: 3 evenings this week I took off my tires and painted my rims. The front suspension was so worn out that my stock jack pretty much maxed out before the tire could leave the ground. It just kept pulling the tire in and in and in, never leaving the ground. I Had to get out the floor jack & raise from a lower point.

So the price of the "front strut setup was almost the same price as new front springs
the Daystar was more than the rear springs, plus you're buying new rear shocks, so all you would of had to buy extra was front shocks
Oh well we tried , good luck

Oh and the clevis doesn't hurt anything , I ran 3/8 inch on my first OME setup for 100,000 miles without any worries. Lots of others run the same setup. There's been over 25 come through my garage with the clevis and top plate added and no issues ( just for added information)
If something doesn't work none of us promote it on here
If it works great then we all try to share our years of knowledge to new folks

_________________
MUDD'S MOTORSPORT'S We do IFS lift installs ,
03 OVERLAND EDITION /Kilby-Skidrow-Mopar-4XGuard skids/ 2.5 inch TOTAL CONTROL JBA coilovers -JBA Arms/MOABS-31 FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W / 4.10's etc, 04 Kilimanjaro Edition loaded, plus 05 KJ limited

So if I don't drop 760 on the best Liberty lift, I get picked on. Got it.

You seem to think that the only variants to pay attention to when purchasing a lift, are quality & off-road capability. But from the get go, I've said price/quality is my main concern. If I just wait and save up more I could get "X". Then if you save up to get "X", why not save up to get "XY" & if your saving up to get XY, why not SFA. Then why not Rockwells. This can keep going and going and going. I enjoy my jeep habit, but I leave that kind dreaming to my cj7, not my DD liberty.

+ you're not fully calculating the math. As stated, I needed springs/shocks on all 4 corners. How is buying a strut for ALMOST the same price as a spring AND THEN turning around & having to buy a strut/shock for probably more, economical?!?
I'm leaving out buying new rear springs & going with a stronger shock. With life time warranty.

Get real, we can't all afford (nor want to) turn our liberty's into rock crawling beasts.

I was asking about all of this to see if it works, compatability wise. Is this a liberty forum or OME ONLY ZONE. I wasn't asking what's the best most expensive route I can take.

I'll state again for the upteenth time, I recognize the quality & accolades that the OME kit offers. But price wise, it's not for me & level I wheel my liberty at.

thanks again for the input

I've got a 2004 KJ, 4wd. It is my main transportion with maybe 1 weekend every month or 2 doing trail riding/logging trails and exploring around some of the rivers here. My suspension has been worn out for about 8 months. I started noticing a squeaking noise in the steering & then my front tires wore down pretty quick on the insides of both tires. I need to replace the front strut assemblies and the rear shocks as well. While I'm in there replacing things, I'd like to see if I can throw in a little bit of a lift. Here is my plan:

Dont think they were pickin just tryin to help you realize the goal you stated.

_________________
2003/3.7 SOLD

2007 Wrangler - traded

2010 Wrangler Rubicon

LibertyMax
I think you're taking it the wrong way. Just trying to help save you money in the long run. Seen so many over the years go cheap only to remove it due to bad ride and handling a few months later and spend more money. Its not always about what you have to spend today, its what will work best in the long run.
My first lift took me over two months to buy parts and get everything together, but I wanted to do it right the first time. ( just the way I've built all of my rigs the last 41 years) 100,000 miles later I took it off and installed V-2. Now I am on V-3, I keep upgrading one end and then the other end as I have the money. So its taken me since September 21, 2004 to get this far. Not everyone can do it overnight so that is not what we are saying at all

_________________
MUDD'S MOTORSPORT'S We do IFS lift installs ,
03 OVERLAND EDITION /Kilby-Skidrow-Mopar-4XGuard skids/ 2.5 inch TOTAL CONTROL JBA coilovers -JBA Arms/MOABS-31 FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W / 4.10's etc, 04 Kilimanjaro Edition loaded, plus 05 KJ limited

Man, nobody is picking on you. We are just trying to save you money and headache in the long run. Spending money on suspension parts is a big choice. If I was about to spend my time and money on a product I would want to hear what people that had used it, had to say about it. Just my Do what you want though, it is a free country

_________________
2005 Jeep Liberty.....SOLD =(

1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ





http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3897619/2005-jeep-liberty-sport-sport-utility-4d

Look, I appreciate that everyone was trying to save me from future problems. That doesn't mean that I'm able to spend 200 more extra dollars on a lift when I need to replace my suspension now. As much as it was thought that I was not listening to the warnings, nobody was listening to me saying I can not afford the OME lift at the moment. Money is tight for me right now, doesn't mean it will be later. But I have to do the suspension right now. It's barely drivable & all tires are pretty shot. I can't put new tires on until I deal with the suspension.

The good news is I got lifetime warranties on everything except the lift, so if it starts prematurely wearing out, I can swap them out for new parts & not reinstall the lift.

It's been a stressful few days

You had to do what you had to do. I've been piecing together a lift a shock at a time for seven months now. Started with Ironman set of springs ordered in January. (298 shipped). Now I'm just praying for a miracle to get tires before the inspection runs out in three weeks. If that doesn't happen I'll be picking my friend's tire pile for a set of inspect-able ones. There's a set of 5 inspect-able Nokian's sitting back there that a government vehicle had replaced a few months back due to the fact their budget called for it. Probably 15,000 miles on them. Pinching pennies sucks for sure.....Good luck! And happy exploring!

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Ironman HD springs, Bilsteins, MLL's, Mopar skids 245 75 16 Treadwright Claw's.

A few shots from the lift.

Before shot.



Back installed




Everything together with the original tires still on.



All finished up.









New meats. 245/75 r16 Bigfoot AT.




Pinch welds pounded. Just to get it out of the way.





Thanks to all of the great info on this site, everything went together with ease.