Frankenlift & shocks question

jpsandberg · **Joined:** Sun May 18, 2008 3:03 pm **Posts:** 25

Hello! This is my first time posting here, but have been lurking for about a year!

Anyway, I just stepped up and installed a 2 1/2" Frankenlift over the weekend. Something I noticed when installing the rear Rancho shocks, at the top frame mount, the shock is much more narrow than the mount. What I mean is, if I just tighten the bolt without sandwiching the frame shock bracket, the shock could easliy mover 1/2" back and forth. Is this normal?

What I did to fix the 'problem' was just tighten the bolt down until it sandwiched into the chock eyelet until tight. Probably would have been better to install some washers to take up the extra gap, but I didn't have any and was excited to get done and go test out my new lift!

One issue I have now is that there is a rattling/clunking coming from the rear passenger side. It happens at most any spead and sounds sorta like a loose inner mud flap or something. Maybe it's the shock being just a little loose on that side and could use a washer in there. Anyway, anyone else see this small problem with these shocks?

One final note, the lift rides AWESOME! much better, more stable and way smoother than stock! Of course it was a little funky at first before the springs settled, but after taking it through some decently difficult trails and whoops, they have leveled out nice in front, and the ride on and off road is much better than I expected!

One other thing I noticed is the front springs settles about 1/2" or more after that initial run. Does this also sound normal to most?

(BTW, I ordered the base lift with the Rancho 17505 Front Struts, OME927 H/D Front and Rear OME948 H/D Coil Springs, Rear Rancho 17004 Shocks)

Jonathan

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 11:05 am

First welcome and congrats on your first post and getting a great lift!

Yes it will settle some after a few miles/ days of driving that is normal, thats why its good to drive it for a while before you get an alignment.

Rancho shocks usually fit pretty good, what you should of done though was put on large washers in between the shock and the mount to take up any of that room, thats what you have to do with Rustys shocks as they do not fit well at all! I would take them (the upper shock bolts) out and slide some washers in the ASAP and the retighten them. Thats the noise you are getting. You can do it even with out taking the tires off a little harder but can be done. MIne looseened up some after the first off road little adventure but I was able to just retighten some and they were fine
You have a great combination there and will give you a great ride for a long time. I put over 60,000 on mine with Ranchos/OME HD springs with no problems

jerbacher · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 11:39 am

tommudd wrote:

First welcome and congrats on your first post and getting a great lift!

Yes it will settle some after a few miles/ days of driving that is normal, thats why its good to drive it for a while before you get an alignment.

Rancho shocks usually fit pretty good, what you should of done though was put on large washers in between the shock and the mount to take up any of that room, thats what you have to do with Rustys shocks as they do not fit well at all! I would take them (the upper shock bolts) out and slide some washers in the ASAP and the retighten them. Thats the noise you are getting. You can do it even with out taking the tires off a little harder but can be done. MIne looseened up some after the first off road little adventure but I was able to just retighten some and they were fine
You have a great combination there and will give you a great ride for a long time. I put over 60,000 on mine with Ranchos/OME HD springs with no problems

Tom,
Would it be quieter to use poly bushings or something instead of just washers?

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 12:24 pm

Jon, yes if you could find some that are narrow enough to slide in and hold up those would be great, know of any place to buy them??

Tom

jerbacher · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 12:34 pm

tommudd wrote:

Jon, yes if you could find some that are narrow enough to slide in and hold up those would be great, know of any place to buy them??

Tom

Well, not specifically. Energy Suspension (http://www.energysuspension.com) sells tons of that stuff. It would just be a matter of searching through all the crap to find something that might fit. Maybe its a replacement bushing for the shock eyelet thats wider that would do the trick?

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 12:36 pm

jerbacher wrote:

tommudd wrote:

Jon, yes if you could find some that are narrow enough to slide in and hold up those would be great, know of any place to buy them??

Tom

Well, not specifically. Energy Suspension (http://www.energysuspension.com) sells tons of that stuff. It would just be a matter of searching through all the crap to find something that might fit. Maybe its a replacement bushing for the shock eyelet thats wider that would do the trick?

mmmmmmmmmmgreat idea Jon, I wonder

have to do some searching won't.....you :wink:

jerbacher · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 1:53 pm

might be something in here
http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/sk_bsp1.html

im at work, so probably shouldnt do an extensive search right now! :lol:

jerbacher · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 1:56 pm

check out the universal flange bushings too
http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/univ1.html

Jeep Dawg · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 2:04 pm

Welcome to the L.O.S.T KJ site.
You got your self a good lift. I my self have the Frankenlift II with rancho rear shocks and HD OME springs.

I did not use any washers in the back. All I did was drive the bolt in with an impact air gun untill it closed the gap. (NO PROBLEMS)

On my wife's 04 KJ I installed rough country shocks and they did not fit at all on the top so I added washers but that really did not do the job too good. So I used the air gun on hers too and fixed that small problem.

You are rite about the ride. It is so much better than the stock suspention.
As for setteling, Mine really did not settle too much. Maybe just shy of 1/4" all around. I am not sure if it is due to me using the HD springs.

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 3:35 pm

Welcome and congrats on your first big mod.

For the life of me I will never understand why people will pay that much for something and have to "Make It Fit."

I used the Old man emu shocks because they were designed for the KJ and not the durango. The fit EXACTLY as they were supposed to fit. No extra washers or bushings.

Not dissing the Frankie, but why?

Once again welcome and send pics soon.

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 4:02 pm

WoodysKJ wrote:

Welcome and congrats on your first big mod.

For the life of me I will never understand why people will pay that much for something and have to "Make It Fit."

I used the Old man emu shocks because they were designed for the KJ and not the durango. The fit EXACTLY as they were supposed to fit. No extra washers or bushings.

Not dissing the Frankie, but why?

Once again welcome and send pics soon.

I have the Ranchos and they fit no problem, I had one come loose a little but I never had to add washers or "make it fit!" Plus some people do not follow the herd but try other things that work just as well! :wink:

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 4:29 pm

tommudd wrote:

WoodysKJ wrote:

Welcome and congrats on your first big mod.

For the life of me I will never understand why people will pay that much for something and have to "Make It Fit."

I used the Old man emu shocks because they were designed for the KJ and not the durango. The fit EXACTLY as they were supposed to fit. No extra washers or bushings.

Not dissing the Frankie, but why?

Once again welcome and send pics soon.

I have the Ranchos and they fit no problem, I had one come loose a little but I never had to add washers or "make it fit!" Plus some people do not follow the herd but try other things that work just as well! :wink:

Not say they should "Follow the heard". Tom you and I have had this exchange before.

Before I do something to a 20,000-30,000 dollar vehicle I want to be sure it WORKS as i expect it to and as it is advertised to. Trying new things is not the issue. Hell that's why we all put on a lift. common sense and safety is the issue.

Let's not make this into one of your soap box rants. I was just saying that I don't understand WHY people try to use equipment on a 2,500 lbs vehicle that is OBVIUOSLY not designed for that vehicle. Simple statement.

If they didn't fit like the OEM shocks in the craddle then I would not have them on my KJ. I would find out why. wrong part, changed mount, what ever. I sure as hell would not be driving around like that.

But feel free Tom to dispute MY opinion.

I am not pushing Old Man Emu. I just know they work and they fit the way they were designed to fit. and designed for the KJ not the Durango or god knows what ever it was designed for.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 5:39 pm

Torque those mounts to 100ft lbs and it should be ok. Ive never read about the rancho shocks not fitting nice and snug, thats usually a problem with the rustys shocks.

raceinfan · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 6:13 pm

I have had the Rancho's in for over 1 1/2 yrs now & NOOO issues at all & they fit just as good as the factory shocks they replaced

oh ya I have Rusty's lift also

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 8:57 pm

WoodysKJ wrote:

Let's not make this into one of your soap box rants. I was just saying that I don't understand WHY people try to use equipment on a 2,500 lbs vehicle that is OBVIUOSLY not designed for that vehicle. Simple statement.

I agree but what 2500lb vehicle are you talking about?

1998-03 Durango: 4500lbs

02 kj: 4000lbs

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Tue May 20, 2008 10:13 pm

Jeepjeepster wrote:

WoodysKJ wrote:

Let's not make this into one of your soap box rants. I was just saying that I don't understand WHY people try to use equipment on a 2,500 lbs vehicle that is OBVIUOSLY not designed for that vehicle. Simple statement.

I agree but what 2500lb vehicle are you talking about?

1998-03 Durango: 4500lbs

02 kj: 4000lbs

the KJs weight more than that dont they?? last time I was on a scale I thought it said my KJ was about 4500#

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Wed May 21, 2008 6:13 am

Okay Okay Okay. I got the weight wrong.

The point is...

I am not dissing Ranchos either.

I am just saying that I would not have the KJ, How ever much it weighs, on the ground rolling with shocks that fit as described. He obviously got the wrong shock, one way or another. I am not one to "Try and make it work" If it didn't fit I would be on the phone or in somebody's face finding out why. Ranchos, OME, Monroe, WHATEVER.

I just know that when I ordered the OME shocks I was getting a shock designed FOR the KJ. and it fit perfectly.

jpsandberg · **Joined:** Sun May 18, 2008 3:03 pm **Posts:** 25

Hello all, thanks for all the reply posts!

Jeep Dawg wrote:

I did not use any washers in the back. All I did was drive the bolt in with an impact air gun untill it closed the gap. (NO PROBLEMS)

Well, this is what I had done, and it got rid of the sound. At first I was thinking of using washers in the event I go back to some stock shocks, but then I slapped myself in the head and said "Self, why would you want anything less than you already have!!" haha
So, I just figure if I need to replace shocks, I'll just replace with what I have and they should fit my, um, 'custom' new frame mounts

Jonathan

jpsandberg · **Joined:** Sun May 18, 2008 3:03 pm **Posts:** 25

WoodysKJ wrote:

Okay Okay Okay. I got the weight wrong.

The point is...

I am not dissing Ranchos either.

I am just saying that I would not have the KJ, How ever much it weighs, on the ground rolling with shocks that fit as described. He obviously got the wrong shock, one way or another. I am not one to "Try and make it work" If it didn't fit I would be on the phone or in somebody's face finding out why. Ranchos, OME, Monroe, WHATEVER.

I just know that when I ordered the OME shocks I was getting a shock designed FOR the KJ. and it fit perfectly.

I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it's much of a big deal. Way I see it, the rancho shocks weren't 'designed' with only the Liberty in mind. If I'm correct, they, like all the other brands of shocks out there, are a commonly used shock on more than one vehicle, so there's a chance they won't fit every vehicle correctly. They are just valved for different weights and come in different lengths. Unless I am wrong, the person putting together the lift just picks the best one that fits closely to the application/lift they are intending them for.

Also, since shocks don't hold the vehicle up, and if one failed, or by some freak chance fell off, it's not going to cause a life threatening problem. Might not even notice right away. Had it happen on my rock crawler samurai, and didn't notice until I hit some whoops, but wasn't life-threatening in any way, was kinda fun actually!
On my install, the mount is now solid and the bolt is in tight. It's just that there was a gap where the upper shock mount fits into the frame mount. The shock bushings weren't wide enough to fill the entire space inside the upper box mount at the frame. So, I just torqued it down with an air ratchet squeezing the frame mount closer to the shock eye until the space was gone

Nothing to worry about, and not going to cause any wrecks (I hope! haha). No need for me to 'get in anyone's face'. It works now, rides great and I'm going to go test it some more this weekend up in the mountains!

Thanks again everyone!

Jonathan

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 8:35 am

jpsandberg wrote:

I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it's much of a big deal. Way I see it, the rancho shocks weren't 'designed' with only the Liberty in mind. If I'm correct, they, like all the other brands of shocks out there, are a commonly used shock on more than one vehicle, so there's a chance they won't fit every vehicle correctly. They are just valved for different weights and come in different lengths. Unless I am wrong, the person putting together the lift just picks the best one that fits closely to the application/lift they are intending them for.

Also, since shocks don't hold the vehicle up, and if one failed, or by some freak chance fell off, it's not going to cause a life threatening problem. Might not even notice right away. Had it happen on my rock crawler samurai, and didn't notice until I hit some whoops, but wasn't life-threatening in any way, was kinda fun actually!
On my install, the mount is now solid and the bolt is in tight. It's just that there was a gap where the upper shock mount fits into the frame mount. The shock bushings weren't wide enough to fill the entire space inside the upper box mount at the frame. So, I just torqued it down with an air ratchet squeezing the frame mount closer to the shock eye until the space was gone

Nothing to worry about, and not going to cause any wrecks (I hope! haha). No need for me to 'get in anyone's face'. It works now, rides great and I'm going to go test it some more this weekend up in the mountains!

Thanks again everyone!

Jonathan

If you like it that is fine and I wish you all the luck in the world. I only have one thing to say and that is, GOD help you if you take that attitude on other more serious and potential safety centered mods. I hope you like your KJ. I love mine and look forward to haveing it around for a long time.

I do not care what others think or do to their KJ's Just my opinion. I would hope people would want to put suspension and mechanical parts on their vehicles that were actually designed to work on that vehicle, thus being safer.

You are kidding yourself if you think Jerry Rigging your shock to work is not a safety issue. Maybe not as serious as your brakes or steering but still an issue and I would hope that this philosophy will not carry into your additional future mods. For your family's sake anyway.

Just my opinion. Let the bashing begin.

Frankenlift & shocks question

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