Frankelift IIP problems and questions

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun May 23, 2010 11:04 am

gmoney2626 wrote:

tommudd wrote:

Can't use the stock top plate and the rest of the frankenlift due to the spacers.
With the OMEs only you'll have about two inches of lift so 21 inches or so.

2" from factory spec which is somewhere around 18" -19" center wheel to flare? With this setup I shouldnt have to worry about it settling again since the springs are a year old?!?!?!?

"Around" 19 inches is stock, 2 inches would be in the 21 inch area :wink:

gmoney2626 · **Posted:** Sun May 23, 2010 11:07 am

tommudd wrote:

gmoney2626 wrote:

tommudd wrote:

Can't use the stock top plate and the rest of the frankenlift due to the spacers.
With the OMEs only you'll have about two inches of lift so 21 inches or so.

2" from factory spec which is somewhere around 18" -19" center wheel to flare? With this setup I shouldnt have to worry about it settling again since the springs are a year old?!?!?!?

"Around" 19 inches is stock, 2 inches would be in the 21 inch area :wink:

Is it true that 1/4" of space in the strut will equal 1/2" of lift? Would I be able to use the Franky top plate with my stock iso and OME HD springs and struts?

InCommando · **Posted:** Sun May 23, 2010 11:20 am

I said top plate but what what I meant was the 3/8" Boiler-style spacer plate on the stock components. Sorry.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun May 23, 2010 11:26 am

gmoney2626 wrote:

With the OMEs only you'll have about two inches of lift so 21 inches or so.

"Around" 19 inches is stock, 2 inches would be in the 21 inch area :wink:

[/quote]

Is it true that 1/4" of space in the strut will equal 1/2" of lift? Would I be able to use the Franky top plate with my stock iso and OME HD springs and struts?[/quote]
Yes 1/4 inch of clevis or top plate will give you 1/2 inch of lift
and for the third time, no you can not use the Franky top plate and stock iso's use stock top plate and OME springs....................................

I still want InCommando to tell who else he knows that did away with the Franky? :wink:

gmoney2626 · **Posted:** Sun May 23, 2010 9:52 pm

tommudd wrote:

gmoney2626 wrote:

With the OMEs only you'll have about two inches of lift so 21 inches or so.

"Around" 19 inches is stock, 2 inches would be in the 21 inch area :wink:

Is it true that 1/4" of space in the strut will equal 1/2" of lift? Would I be able to use the Franky top plate with my stock iso and OME HD springs and struts?[/quote]
Yes 1/4 inch of clevis or top plate will give you 1/2 inch of lift
and for the third time, no you can not use the Franky top plate and stock iso's use stock top plate and OME springs....................................

I still want InCommando to tell who else he knows that did away with the Franky? :wink:

[/quote]

Tom,

Thanks for clarifying... I wasnt clear on not being able to use anything from the franky. I remember last year Quinn was talking about some combo of franky parts and stock parts to make the franky lower. I have seen people on this forum talk about using daystar top plates and havent seen what one looks like. I assumed that it was similar to the franky and thought maybe a thicker top plate could be added to stock gear. Do you know what components come with a 2.5 lift kit from OME? Is it just the springs and shocks or do they send new isolators that are thicker then stock? Do you think I would be doing any harm by re-using my stock isolators that had 60k miles on them? Do you happen to know what the bottom isolator measurement should be in a franky?... measuring around the bump stop pad for the upper ball joint.

In regards to your question about who else removed a franky because of problems.... I did find someone ... his screen name was lost_ne and he had the same problems I am experiencing. He said that he removed the lift because of the boot ripping problems and binding noises he was hearing. I realize that there are hundreds on here that can pipe up and talk about the mileage and wonderful experiences they have had with the frankenlift, but for some reason there are a few of us out there that it doesnt appear to be working for. I am not sure if that is because all frankenlifts are not created equally or if it is because not all Liberty vehicles are created equally. I do find it interesting that measuring two different bottom spacers in two different frankenlift struts at the exact same spot showed one at 1 5/8" and the other at 1 1/2". Not saying that the 1/8" difference is causing all my problems but it definitely isnt helping.

Boiler · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 3:39 am

I assume you have your stock top plates and isolators? The stock spring isolators should be fine. If you're not so concerned about being the highest you possibly can, go back to stock top plates, iso's, new springs and struts like everyone has said. That's all that should be in the compressed assembly. Do not forget: you'll need an alignment after making this change.

Now, since that should probably get you into the vicinity of 21 inches, as some have mentioned do a clevis lift and a top plate spacer lift. Like peole have said, adding 1/2" to your front suspension will yield aproximately an inch of lift. Since your springs are already broken in, once you drive around the block a couple times and hit a few pumps, new lift settings should remain relatively constant. So you should be able to dial it into a certain height and it will pretty much stay there. So if you're not overly concerned with getting to the exact highest point you can , set it up to be about 22-1/4". Start with a 3/8" top plate spacer and 1/4" of clevis lift (2 conduit nuts?). You may want to add or remove a conduit nut down the road if your setup does not exactly hit the height you want. Weight and such could make heights vary slightly.

I'm assuming you're quite familiar with the clevis lift, but to reiterate, it involves leaving a little bit of space between the top of the clevis and the bottom of the strut, typically 1/4" or 3/8". Most people slide something onto the strut prior to mounting the clevis, such as a stack of two or three conduit (or some peolpe, more) nuts. This forces the clevis to not slip back up the strut.

As for the top plate spacer / shim, people make or buy a contoured plate with holes in it, that slip over the bolts on the top plate. This goes on after the spring assembly is complete, so it goes on right when you're going to bolt the assembly into place and just spaces the spring assembly away from the mounts on the jeep. The picture below is an example. You need one pair: one spacer per side.

If you don't want to make your own, there are places to buy them online, and I have a stack of them in my garage which I sell too. Check the link in my signature for more info.

Sorry to anyone if my info isn't exactly correct. I just tried to make what has already been said a little more clear. It might have been a little confusing to piece together all of the various answers.

gmoney2626 · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 8:47 am

Boiler,

Thanks for the pictures. I haven't heard of putting a spacer on the top plate side but have seen the write ups and photos of clevis lifts. Ideally for this vehicle I think I need to be 21.5 - 22"... no taller then 22". I will have to see how the car settles out before I figure out how much to add. With everyone saying that I should be "around" 21" I will need to see if I am above or under 21" before I can start figuring out what I need to get me where I want to be. Do you know if there is a maximum limit I should not exceed on the clevis side?

The place I am planning on having the work done has a water jet as well and he did talk about fabing up spacers to get the vehicle where I need it. Do you think a simple drive around the block, hitting bumps would be enough to get a settled measurement or should I drive it a day flexing it? I was hoping to have all the work completed in the same day so I wouldnt have to keep getting alignments.

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 9:52 am

"If" I was you I would do stock parts with the OME springs / your shocks you have now, then add 3 conduit nuts for the clevis, this should put you where you want to be. OR you could forget about the clevis and use a plate similar to boilers or use his for the same amount. Conduit nuts are way cheaper though!

InCommando · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:05 am

My formal apologies for questioning the Frankenlift and/or any labor costs associated therewith.

Boiler · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:32 am

Yeah, 3 conduit nuts will get you somewhere between 21-1/2 and 22 probably. In a pinch you can make a 3/8" spacer plate to go higher, if needed. You could make one ahead of time and just use that, and add the clevis conduit nuts to make your adjustments too.

Also, I think peope do 2-3 conduit nuts on the clevis pretty regularly, I've heard of people doing more, I tend to think that 1/4 or 3/8" is all I'd want to do on mine personally.

Finally, it isn't going to take much to get a measurable height, a drive around the block with a couple of fast starts and stops is plenty, since they are already broken it. It's just that if you set it down off the jack softly, it will sit higher than it normally would.

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:34 am

InCommando wrote:

My formal apologies for questioning the Frankenlift and/or any labor costs associated therewith.

Just a discussion what kinds of lifts etc, not a problem as I see it??

InCommando · **Posted:** Mon May 24, 2010 2:27 pm

You would think so, but obviously not.

gmoney2626 · **Posted:** Wed May 26, 2010 12:27 pm

Am I going to need a bump stop for the upper ball joint on this strut assembly? The frankenlift has one and if I remember correctly the stock assembly doesnt offer anything. I also have a set of JBA UCA ver 4.5 installed.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed May 26, 2010 1:24 pm

Frankenlift does not have a bumpstop really, they have something to keep the UBJ from hitting the spring, thats is, yes you should have a bumpstop just for cheap insurance if nothing else.
teraflex makes them

gmoney2626 · **Posted:** Wed May 26, 2010 2:13 pm

tommudd wrote:

Frankenlift does not have a bumpstop really, they have something to keep the UBJ from hitting the spring, thats is, yes you should have a bumpstop just for cheap insurance if nothing else.
teraflex makes them

Sorry to have called it a bumpstop. My concern is the lack of a pad by the UBJ when I remove the Frankenlift bottom ISO and replace it with a stock ISO. I looked on teraflex.biz and only saw their spacers and bumpstop.... no pad by the UBJ. Do you think there would be a problem with not having this? I guess I run into it contacting when the suspension is at full droop?!?!?

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed May 26, 2010 3:42 pm

You will not have a problem without it, the set up you are going to does not need the piece that they include on the Frankenlift. It will provide full drop without any problems.
Just give Teraflex a call and they can mail them out to you. Goes in place of the stock bumpstop.

Frankelift IIP problems and questions

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