my franklin lift horror

1roy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:59 pm **Posts:** 38

ok i have a 04 i bought the franklin lift from all js in parts. i wanted the best struts and shocks so i bought the ome struts and rear shocks. i went with the 926 medium front coils and the 947 light rear coils. the front struts went together easy with the custom made strut plates and the big rubber bottom coil spacer bushing. what a nightmare i had to get this front strut setup in. i had to take off the lower control arm to get the clevis arm back in. then i had to jack up the lower arm so much the hole front of the jeep was off the ground. i barely got the upper control arm bolt back on. something is wrong here this setup is maxing the lower control down so hard it will kill the ball joints. so after its all done i drop the jeep down on both wheels i got like 5 inchs of lift up front. i drove it around i hit every bump to make it settle. but still over 5 inchs up front and it drives like a tank the cv angles are so far off. i dont know what happen here. i took the front struts back out took off all js top plate and big spacer bushing. i put the ome springs back with the stock 4 coil spacer bushings and stock upper strut mounts. and i put on top of the strut that steel 1/4 spacer bushing. this set up is what the god father lift is from rockyroad. rockyroad told me the godfather lift up front is the old man emu 926 spring and the 1/4 inch steel spacer on top of the strut. and they told me it will give you 2 1/2 inchs up front. and it did i got about 2 3/4 up front and 2 3/4 in back. right now my jeep sits perfect. with my stock suspension i had 18 1/4 from under the front flare to the center of the rim now i have 21 inchs. the back i had about 18 1/2 now i have 21 inchs. like i said i dont know what happen here maybe i got a over size lower coil spacer bushing from all j.

Calvin56 · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 1:59 am **Posts:** 345

Did you call All J's for help? Not sure what went wrong, but the install isn't that hard.

Got any pix of the install?

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2006 2:44 am

You should post a pic of the spacer that All-J sent you, or better yet the complete strut assembly they sent you, with a coil, strut, and spacer.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

1roy wrote:

ok i have a 04 i bought the franklin lift from all js in parts. i wanted the best struts and shocks so i bought the ome struts and rear shocks. i went with the 926 medium front coils and the 947 light rear coils. the front struts went together easy with the custom made strut plates and the big rubber bottom coil spacer bushing. what a nightmare i had to get this front strut setup in. i had to take off the lower control arm to get the clevis arm back in. then i had to jack up the lower arm so much the hole front of the jeep was off the ground. i barely got the upper control arm bolt back on. something is wrong here this setup is maxing the lower control down so hard it will kill the ball joints. so after its all done i drop the jeep down on both wheels i got like 5 inchs of lift up front. i drove it around i hit every bump to make it settle. but still over 5 inchs up front and it drives like a tank the cv angles are so far off. i dont know what happen here. i took the front struts back out took off all js top plate and big spacer bushing. i put the ome springs back with the stock 4 coil spacer bushings and stock upper strut mounts. and i put on top of the strut that steel 1/4 spacer bushing. this set up is what the god father lift is from rockyroad. rockyroad told me the godfather lift up front is the old man emu 926 spring and the 1/4 inch steel spacer on top of the strut. and they told me it will give you 2 1/2 inchs up front. and it did i got about 2 3/4 up front and 2 3/4 in back. right now my jeep sits perfect. with my stock suspension i had 18 1/4 from under the front flare to the center of the rim now i have 21 inchs. the back i had about 18 1/2 now i have 21 inchs. like i said i dont know what happen here maybe i got a over size lower coil spacer bushing from all j.

I had the EXACT same problem with it sitting too high. It did settle though. I now have 22" from center of wheel cap to bottom of fenderflare. That is with the 927 springs which are even heavier, yours should be a little lower once it settles. However I hear the OME stuts make it sit about 1/4" higher than the Rancho, do to the placement of the clevis clamp stop.

It took some time to settle though and it really needed to be driven HARD to get it to settle. I mean really HARD, not just big bumps. I got her airborn a couple times.

I had a similar set up to what you have now, OME 926, OME Struts and 1/4" top plate and it ended up settling too much over time. I had do about 5/8" clevis lift just to get her to sit level.

Check out this thread.
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... php?t=3396
I can take pictures of what it looks like now if you want.

Yes, it is kind of a pain to get the strut assemblies back in do to the increase lenght with the top plate. But this is what allow more droop and relieves some of the pretension from the poly spacer.

boxhead · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:14 pm **Posts:** 186

I went Daystar up front and OME springs in the rear. I had similar installation issues, so I called Quinn. There's a neat trick with a crow bar to get the clevis fork back on without removing the lower A-arm. Basically, your use the crow bar to get the front of the clevis fork on, then you pin it with a scredriver or something. You reverse the process to get the rear on, and then put the bolt through. The first one was tricky, the second not bad at all.

We too jacked up the lower A-arm until the Jeep as beginning to lift. Then we pulled the upper A-arm down and everything connected fine.

1roy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:59 pm **Posts:** 38

hey eddo you say you have 22 from front fender flare to center of the rim. i have 21 even at 21 the cvs angles dont look good. for all you lifted kjs out there running with these bad cv angles do the cvs hold up. i dont feel no binding but it sure looks bad. also with these ome springs what a better ride it has it drives more like a truck now soaks up the pot holes 100 times better then stock. also my steering wheel is straight and drives straight no pulling.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

1roy wrote:

hey eddo you say you have 22 from front fender flare to center of the rim. i have 21 even at 21 the cvs angles dont look good. for all you lifted kjs out there running with these bad cv angles do the cvs hold up. i dont feel no binding but it sure looks bad. also with these ome springs what a better ride it has it drives more like a truck now soaks up the pot holes 100 times better then stock. also my steering wheel is straight and drives straight no pulling.

Actually w/ 22" they are not really that bad. They are not level, but way better than the picutres in the thread I posted. Just take a look at the angle they get put at when you turn the steering wheel. Way worst than what is pictured. I haven't heard of many problems so they must be holding up quite well.

Here is what my CV looks like now. Don't confuse the boot with the actual CV joint. Also take a look underneath some Nissian pickups or something and the CV angle is very similar to this.

skrracing · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2006 2:14 pm

Hey Roy, to be fair about this...you call it a Frankinlift but to be honest it ...you bought parts to do this yourself. So we need to start out by asking if you have the parts assembled right? It would help if you would post some pictures of what you have assembled. There has been hundreds and hundreds of the complete kits and not had but a couple of problems and I would say they are solved very easy by just placing a call to the vendor first to talk to them.

Maybe you added an additional rubber spacer or something...We will try and help you out but please dont let this message come across like the Frankinlift is bad when you did not even order the kit...just parts.

I am not upset about this...I just want to be sure that all the vendors get a fair shake on this... Not just All J Products but all of them.

I have done well over 200 KJ lift just myself and am willing to help so let's get a pictures of the parts you put together and go from there. Thanks man. Later...Clint

ManicMechanicJoe · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:43 pm

by "custom made strut plates" are you refering to daystar plates or something you fabbed up yourself?

1roy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:59 pm **Posts:** 38

very easy to put the front strut together for me. i am a mechanic and did the work in my brothers shop. i put the large spacer on the bottom under the coil and the stock spacer on top of the coil. i did not even have to compress the coil that much to install the strut nut. everyone running this set up i think is using the rancho struts. i used the old man emu strut i belive that was my problem. right now in the front i am using the ome setup only 926 springs and the 1/4 inch steel spacer on top. why did i get almost 3 inchs of lift with this setup. it has to be something with the ome struts.

1roy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:59 pm **Posts:** 38

ManicMechanicJoe wrote:

by "custom made strut plates" are you refering to daystar plates or something you fabbed up yourself?

i mean the custom made franklin top plates

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

1roy wrote:

very easy to put the front strut together for me. i am a mechanic and did the work in my brothers shop. i put the large spacer on the bottom under the coil and the stock spacer on top of the coil. i did not even have to compress the coil that much to install the strut nut. everyone running this set up i think is using the rancho struts. i used the old man emu strut i belive that was my problem. right now in the front i am using the ome setup only 926 springs and the 1/4 inch steel spacer on top. why did i get almost 3 inchs of lift with this setup. it has to be something with the ome struts.

OME struts do result in more lift, because of the clevis clamp stop position. Essentially like doing a clevis lift on the Rancho struts.

However, I had the exact same set up as you originally (even with the 1/4" plate) and was lucky to get 1.5" My OME setup like yours (w/ the plate) was originally about 2.5" and settled down to 1.5". Also, I ended up adding bars, and all the skids once I lift so I'm sure that make it come down a bit too.

My frankenlift started at probably 4.5" and settled down to about 3-3.25" However, once they initially settle they don't sag anymore, but it takes more then just a few big bump to break them in and settle. You really have to beat on it over give it quite a bit of time. More than I though.

When I originally threw my frankenlift on it was WAY to high. I knew it need to settle so I hit some bumps, flexed out the front a couple times and it was still way high. I though it should have been more than broke in by now, cause I though I was hitting it pretty good. So I called Quinn and he said it takes time and it really take more than just some big bumps and flexing to get it to settle right away. He said when he installs them himself he goes out and hits a pretty good drainage ditch behind his shop a couple times at about 40mph to get it to start to settle. So finally, I went out and just looked for stuff that use to bottom out my old OME stuff and just hit that stuff even faster over and over. Then after that and about 500 miles she sits just about perfect.

So in short I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with your springs or spacer. They take time to settle. And yes the OME struts do result in 1/4-3/8" more lift over the Rancho ones.

1roy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:59 pm **Posts:** 38

well if the my front settles down to much. maybe that top steel plate is the fault. i will just buy the whole complete lift kit from all js. start all new

fdezone · **Posted:** Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:37 pm

My advice is like everyone else's, post pics and call Quinn before you spend any more money. There's a wealth of knowledge on this message board. Provide more info and collectively we should be able to pin point your problem.

Wilmo · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:07 am

Why does everyone continue to talk about '2.5' or '3' inches of lift - because as I understand it, every KJ is different in height when it comes from the factory. For example, the Petrol 2005's we have seen here are all invariably around 680cm or 27 inches from the wheel arch to lower rim. The CRD's are 710cm or 28 inches stock! There's probably a multitude of variance in between.

So a 3 inch lift on a car that is high from the factory, IS going to be too much. 3 inches from a car that's low from the factory is probably about right.

Its time the moderators started list of lifted ride heights to work out the average after lift height from a Frankenlift,as measured from the arch to the lower wheel rim (assuming you are running the 16inch stock wheels). If not this then some other measurement such as a max cv angle etc that can be used as a standard bechmark by which each lift can be assessed. Someone with more experience than me might be able to suggest a useful measurement?

There is so much misinformation on the board at present its not funny and hard to deduce any useful information as to where your own car is at compared to what's 'safe' and not going to cause CV hassles down the track.

my 2 cents......

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:49 am

Wilmo wrote:

Why does everyone continue to talk about '2.5' or '3' inches of lift - because as I understand it, every KJ is different in height when it comes from the factory. For example, the Petrol 2005's we have seen here are all invariably around 680cm or 27 inches from the wheel arch to lower rim. The CRD's are 710cm or 28 inches stock! There's probably a multitude of variance in between.

So a 3 inch lift on a car that is high from the factory, IS going to be too much. 3 inches from a car that's low from the factory is probably about right.

Its time the moderators started list of lifted ride heights to work out the average after lift height from a Frankenlift,as measured from the arch to the lower wheel rim (assuming you are running the 16inch stock wheels). If not this then some other measurement such as a max cv angle etc that can be used as a standard bechmark by which each lift can be assessed. Someone with more experience than me might be able to suggest a useful measurement?

There is so much misinformation on the board at present its not funny and hard to deduce any useful information as to where your own car is at compared to what's 'safe' and not going to cause CV hassles down the track.

my 2 cents......

I think all these differences in height between all Liberties, years 2002-2006, are a result of suspension components. Replacing the all the suspension compenents like the Frankenlift does results in different height gains due to different stock heights. Pre-lowered KJs, as we know, sit somewhat higher than lowered KJs; this is due to a reduction in height of the stock spring after early 2003 Libs. Replacing the spring in any setup will result in the same amount of lift, but not always the same height gains, specially if your pre-lowered KJ is taller stock than other stock KJs. CRDs are a whole different story...they are heavier, and probably have different stock suspension components than gas KJs. This stock difference means the same lift will produce different height gains.
Last time I heard, the folks at All-J will tailor the Frankenlift with whatever kind of OME springs up front (light, medium, HD). This helps for people with bullbars and/or winches. The differences in these springs means settling will be much different than what they normally sell the Frankenlift as (I'm pretty sure they normally use medium springs up front and Rancho struts). If you change any of the suspension components from what they normally sell the Frankenlift as, you can count on not getting the same height gain as everyone who has the regular Frankenlift.

Still need pics of the front strut assembly. You should get a pic of your KJ with the lift installed, I want to see a KJ with a 5 inch lift :twisted:

EDIT: a few minutes after posting this, I found this:
http://www.boulderbars.com/frankenlift_faq.htm

Wilmo · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:05 am

I would have thought that all the components other than the springs themselves are pretty much the same dimensions, so the biggest factor is the springs on a stock car.

It sure would help to have a benchmark method by which all KJ's can be measured to give a ride height. Someone please come up with one?! I for one am going crazy with all the posts in inches of lift only that can't be referenced to anything.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

Here you go

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=226

All spacers will give 2.5" reguard less (unless you use a 1.5" spacer or something).

For spring lifts, it all depends on how the KJ sat before, how heavy or light of a spring you use. For me the Frankenlift ended up with about 3-3.25" of lift. That is probably because my limited was pretty darn low from the factory. In general most lifts give 2.5-3"; a half of an inch is really not too big of a deal, you lose or gain that from just having gear and passengers inside the jeep.

Wilmo · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:13 am

Eddo wrote:

Here you go

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=226

All spacers will give 2.5" reguard less (unless you use a 1.5" spacer or something).

For spring lifts, it all depends on how the KJ sat before, how heavy or light of a spring you use. For me the Frankenlift ended up with about 3-3.25" of lift. That is probably because my limited was pretty darn low from the factory. In general most lifts give 2.5-3"; a half of an inch is really not too big of a deal, you lose or gain that from just having gear and passengers inside the jeep.

Yep, know all that. Still doesn't explain what the maximum safe lift is, because there is still no reference benchmark.....

Fouros · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:20 am

the general consensus is 2 1/2 is the safe maximum, due to angles on the cv's, I know Suburban sells thier 3 1/2" ome lift but again I recon thats a load of bull as it sounds a lot like the frankenlift at 2 1/2 inches,

there is an interesting bit of info on the boulderbars website mate

http://www.boulderbars.com/frankenlift_faq.htm

have a look mate see if that helps any

my franklin lift horror

Who is online