Frankenlift help

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604KJ

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Hi,

I'm looking for some advice & help regarding the Frankenlift II Premium kit for the gas KJ. I live in Vancouver Canada, after getting this thing shipped & paying the duties to Canada, it adds about $500 to the cost. I have quotes from local off road shops out here that have told me they don't have the Frankenlift but could quote me on the individual parts, below is one example for what I have been quoted;

OME front HD strut, = OME90009 = $203.80/strut + tax
OME coil = OME2927 = $194.39/per pair + tax
OME rear coil = OME2948 = $194.39/per pair + tax
OME rear long travel shock = OME132L = $125.22/shock + tax

Subtotal: $1046.82 + tax

This is a much cheaper way for me to do it since i wont have to pay for any shipping or duties, what I'm stumped on is will the above parts give me the same outcome as buying the Frankenlift? The only parts not included from local quotes are; Proprietary Poly parts, Strut Top Plates, All hardware needed, rear extended bump stops & the Frankenlift decal. I don't know what the Proprietary poly parts are exactly, & the local places out here have said i can use the strut plates that are already on there.

buying parts separately would come not assembled, is that a difficult thing to assemble with little knowledge?

What exactly is the difference between buying the kit and buying the parts separately? If anyone could give me some advise, that would be awesome.

Thanks
 

Snail Farmer

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You don't want to assemble the front coils on your own. More trouble than it's worth. Take them to a shop. The bumpstops for the rear, you can use 2 hockey pucks per side. That's what most everyone on here uses.
 

tommudd

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Hi,

I'm looking for some advice & help regarding the Frankenlift II Premium kit for the gas KJ. I live in Vancouver Canada, after getting this thing shipped & paying the duties to Canada, it adds about $500 to the cost. I have quotes from local off road shops out here that have told me they don't have the Frankenlift but could quote me on the individual parts, below is one example for what I have been quoted;

OME front HD strut, = OME90009 = $203.80/strut + tax
OME coil = OME2927 = $194.39/per pair + tax
OME rear coil = OME2948 = $194.39/per pair + tax
OME rear long travel shock = OME132L = $125.22/shock + tax

Subtotal: $1046.82 + tax

This is a much cheaper way for me to do it since i wont have to pay for any shipping or duties, what I'm stumped on is will the above parts give me the same outcome as buying the Frankenlift? The only parts not included from local quotes are; Proprietary Poly parts, Strut Top Plates, All hardware needed, rear extended bump stops & the Frankenlift decal. I don't know what the Proprietary poly parts are exactly, & the local places out here have said i can use the strut plates that are already on there.

buying parts separately would come not assembled, is that a difficult thing to assemble with little knowledge?

What exactly is the difference between buying the kit and buying the parts separately? If anyone could give me some advise, that would be awesome.

Thanks
You will not be as high as what a Franky is
But since I don't see JBA UCAs I assume you don't want to be high enough to need them anyways
Just with the above springs /shocks you will get about 2.25-2.5 inches of lift over new stock height. A Franky gives you about 3.50-3.75 when settled in. Now you can get to that height with a 1/4 top plate and 3/8 inch clevis BUT again then you'll need the JBA arms

Wow thats high just for those parts since down here they are 750-775 but then I guess you have to pay to live in Canada . You should check JeepinByAl and see what those parts are plus shipping/etc
 

Gyro

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OUIPACK ARBCANADA Quality 4x4 accessories is your best bet.
OME 927/948 spring sets are $167.50ea+tax and about $75 shipping from Montreal.(NO duty)
Get some Bilstein shocks locally to save some shipping costs.
Any place that sells Daystar spacers should have the front bumpstops.
Top plates you may have to get from JBA.

Good luck

Gyro
 

604KJ

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Thanks for the info Tom, So when i spoke with Boulderbars they said the Frankenlift will give me 2.5 over stock, when your saying 3.50 is that the appearance depending on if I'm sagging below stock 0 right now? and with that said, if i do get the Frankenlift do i have to buy the jba uca's? Boulderbars said they wont be necessary.
 

Luke

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The Franky will put you at 4" over stock to begin with in the front... that's 23" hub to flare ... It has been almost a year (30k) and I am still at 23" on the pass side. The drivers settled about 1/2" so I added spacers at the clevis to compensate.

The proprietary parts are the ********* "spring perch" at the bottom of the coil.

As for the UCA's if you can swing it, buy them ... you won't really know if they are mandatory until your done and try to get it aligned.... every KJ is just different enough. I had no choice.

Hope that helps ... :D

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tommudd

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OUIPACK ARBCANADA Quality 4x4 accessories is your best bet.
OME 927/948 spring sets are $167.50ea+tax and about $75 shipping from Montreal.(NO duty)
Get some Bilstein shocks locally to save some shipping costs.
Any place that sells Daystar spacers should have the front bumpstops.
Top plates you may have to get from JBA.

Good luck

Gyro
Daystar does not have front bumpstops
 

tommudd

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Thanks for the info Tom, So when i spoke with Boulderbars they said the Frankenlift will give me 2.5 over stock, when your saying 3.50 is that the appearance depending on if I'm sagging below stock 0 right now? and with that said, if i do get the Frankenlift do i have to buy the jba uca's? Boulderbars said they wont be necessary.

Thats what they advertise but yes you will end up with about 4 inches of lift when new and it takes quite a bit of time for it to settle down even to 3.5 inches . This is from new stock height, not where you are now.
With the UCAs yes they say you won't need them but I'll tell you that you will have a heck of time getting a good alignment without them.
 

604KJ

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hmmm, i wanted the ucas too but after figuring out it would cost me $500 all in to get them here, i had a change of plans. Originally i was going for toms econo 3.5" from JBA but i heard blistein weren't that good and ome were far better. Getting the JBA kit will run me 2K all in, so will getting the Frankenlift & UCA's separately. Im glad i posted something, looks like my plan is slightly delayed.

How about the cv axles at that height, i think I've read other forums where people have said you need to cut them down after 3" of lift ?
 

Luke

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If your estimating 500 (in brokerage GST etc) for both the Franky and the A'arms that's pretty close to what I remember.

The cv's I can only tell you my experience... if they are original to the KJ (ie +/- 8 yrs) they won't last very long at that height. If/when that happens throw in some re-manned OEM cv's and you'll be fine.

P.S. It's worth the wait ... Franky, JBA or do it yourself OME :waytogo:

Oh forgot IronMan ... hear good things about them too ;)
 

tommudd

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hmmm, i wanted the ucas too but after figuring out it would cost me $500 all in to get them here, i had a change of plans. Originally i was going for toms econo 3.5" from JBA but i heard blistein weren't that good and ome were far better. Getting the JBA kit will run me 2K all in, so will getting the Frankenlift & UCA's separately. Im glad i posted something, looks like my plan is slightly delayed.

How about the cv axles at that height, i think I've read other forums where people have said you need to cut them down after 3" of lift ?

Bilstiens are not a bad shock at all
Now OME and Ironman are equal, possibly Ironman a little better since they have some extra length over OME / Bilstein and stock
You can read a lot of different forums, some good some bad some pure garbage , ask around and make the best choice for you
 

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hmmm, i wanted the ucas too but after figuring out it would cost me $500 all in to get them here, i had a change of plans. Originally i was going for toms econo 3.5" from JBA but i heard blistein weren't that good and ome were far better. Getting the JBA kit will run me 2K all in, so will getting the Frankenlift & UCA's separately. Im glad i posted something, looks like my plan is slightly delayed.

How about the cv axles at that height, i think I've read other forums where people have said you need to cut them down after 3" of lift ?

I did a lot research and question asking before I got my lift Tomm is a great source for info and help. I aswell was hesitant to get the Mudd Econo lift from JBA but after all the input from Tomm & others on this forum I decided it was best to put out the 2k instead of buy parts separate and having issues down the road. I am really happy with the lift I also have the JBA UCA's
IMO- Do it Right the first time just my 2 cents
 

604KJ

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I just realized the Ucas are made in the US so it wont be as bad as the frankenlift for Duties. Just need to figure out if i need the shaved down cv's or not now. Sounds like i will need them sooner or later so i might as well put them in along with the UCas. Wow this is getting expensive. Do i have to buy cvs or can i take mine to a shop or something? The jeep is an 04 with 90k on it...
 

Cardhu

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I just realized the Ucas are made in the US so it wont be as bad as the frankenlift for Duties. Just need to figure out if i need the shaved down cv's or not now. Sounds like i will need them sooner or later so i might as well put them in along with the UCas. Wow this is getting expensive. Do i have to buy cvs or can i take mine to a shop or something? The jeep is an 04 with 90k on it...
for estimating costs.
TheFinalCost.com - Canadian total shipping fees calculator (brokerage, duty, customs)

Run your stock cvs till they give you trouble. Then wait till you cross the border again and get the napa remans. then bring the core back later if their pooched.

Personally, i'd just buy the frankenlift front and rear 948s, jba uca and be done.

Ouipack is great to deal with in canada and you just pay shipping.

I ordered 927 and 948 OME coils and all other stuff in signature from JBA, and was around the price on the Mudd eco lift when done. It really is hard to go wrong as long as your buying a full spring lift.
 

Wulfhound

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ok guy's I go the 3.5" econo lift- what is this cut CV's thingy ya'll keep talking about.?
Can someone explain it to me Please :)
 

Luke

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JBA sells a version of the OEM CVs with the face of the inner housing machined down 1/2". This allows for the cvs to operate at a steeper angle.

I still however, don't have any idea how they keep the race and ball bearings in the housing since the groove for the retaining clip would be ground away. Rev Mudd?

It's hard to get the picture unless you've seen what they look like inside. Once I cracked my first one open it made sense.

Oh and ... Napa sells a re manufactured OEM CV axle but they are talking about in the US of A ... I ordered my from Detroit axle. Prices up here are just insane.

To add to what Cardhu said about running what you have until it breaks .. sometimes the CV is just fine but the boot wears out due to the fact that it hardened or binds on itself and wears a groove and splits... and shoots grease all over the place. 15 bucks for a new boot and 1/2 hour of your time and it's as good as new. If they get noisy or the race/balls are damaged then you need a new one.
 
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wheeee32

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ok guy's I go the 3.5" econo lift- what is this cut CV's thingy ya'll keep talking about.?
Can someone explain it to me Please :)

Cut CV's refers to the CV joints being (cut) a different length than the normal stock ones. They are cut to a different length because of the extra angle created by the amount of lift. The stock CV's can only go so far. I believe the limit for the stock ones is right at 23.50. Higher than that then of course you need the cut CV's. From all I've read most don't need the cut CV's. Did I leave anything out?:favorites13:
 

TwoBobsKJ

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Cut CV's refers to the CV joints being (cut) a different length than the normal stock ones. They are cut to a different length because of the extra angle created by the amount of lift. The stock CV's can only go so far. I believe the limit for the stock ones is right at 23.50. Higher than that then of course you need the cut CV's. From all I've read most don't need the cut CV's. Did I leave anything out?:favorites13:

Read Luke's explanation above - the cut refers to the inner housing being cut away.

There are however CV's that have been cut down in length - but not on purpose. They're garbage from China or some half-*ss manufacturer that doesn't care about quality. They're usually not long enough and wobble and grind and generally create a massive headache for the KJ/KK owner. That's why NAPA remanufactured ("remans") are recommended - they take OEM units and reman them so they fit like a factory CV for less that 25% of the cost of buying one from Mopar.

Bob

Bob
 

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