Found a Shop Willing to Install OME Lift Now I Need to Pick Tires

[Hedsic]

JBA is your only option. There is another option out there that I won't even mention who becasue you are better off not even knowing they exist.

 

[tlrtucker]

It's not necessarily the A arm that goes out, it's the bushing and the ball joint. On stock A arms you cant just replace the ball joint (or bushing for that matter). The ball joint and A arm is one assembly. There are cheaper non-OEM ones out there but they are junk. Stock replacement arms from Jeep are the way to go, but at $180/each it makes more sense to spend the extra $40 and get the JBA Arms. The advantage of the JBA arms is not only eliminating UCA and spring contact, but also that the ball joints are easy and affordable to replace - just a couple of bolts. Spending $360 on quality OEM arms leaves you once again with arms that aren't rebuildable when the ball joints fail.

 

[TomAllyn]

Ironmans reportedly have a little better ride, are cheaper and it is possible to get the same height as with OME. Plus now I want to add a-arms which is going to increase the entire cost significantly. I would really appreciate your help. In speaking with JBA earlier he mentioned that if I go the Ironman route I'd want to use the heavy OME springs (I believe he said only up front). This is getting a little more expensive than I'd been expecting so I'd appreciate clarification.

Would the following be the right set up from JBA for 2"-2.5" inches of lift above new stock height.

Ironman Front Strut | J.B.A.
OME Front Coil Springs | J.B.A. in 927
Ironman Rear Shocks | J.B.A. or would I need the longer Ironman shocks?
OME Spring for Rear | J.B.A.
02'-07' lifted Jeep Liberty Upper A-arms

Is there anything I'm missing or need to get at least 2" above new stock height when my vehicle is currently at 18.25 inches from middle of wheel to flare.

 

[tommudd]

Springs are the same price no matter what you get ( spring rate wise)
Yes you need the longer rear shocks
bumpstops for the rear two hockey pucks per side ( total 4 )
bumpstops for the front Teraflex ( total 2)

 

[tlrtucker]

Ironman Rear Shocks | J.B.A. or would I need the longer Ironman shocks?

Yes, DEFINITELY get the longer rear shocks. I have the standard length shocks and they top out over damn near every bump :happy175:


You might also want to consider adding a 1/4" JBA top plate, and maybe even some clevis spacers for the front. Gives it an extra 1/2-1" lift up front and will clear the 245's that much easier. Plus if you decide you want to add it later you have to tear everything apart again. My set up gave me right at 2.5" when settled in, but I also clear everything by a good 3/4-1".

 

[TomAllyn]

Via email I asked Marlin about getting the longer Ironman shocks for the rear and the following is his reply.

"Tom,

The shocks only control speed of the compression and rebound of the springs. (removes the energy and controls the ride quality)

Longer shocks are needed for taller lift kits only.

NO, I do not recommend them on a Jeep with less than a 3” lift.

You will bottom out the long shocks on a 2” lift. (Bottoming out the shock will wreck the seals and blow out the cylinder)

Thanks

Marlin Gehman"

Figuring this is all out is becoming more of a PITA and more expensive due to needing a-arms then I expected. I think I'll likely end up going with the JBA OME or possibly Frankenlift II since All J pre-assembles the struts. Plus with Al J I don't have to purchase anything else besides a-arms.

Since Marlin says no on the longer Ironman shocks and tlrtucker says he bottoms out all the time I'm definitely not going with the Ironman kit. I sure wish some body with a good reputation offered an actual complete kit including a-arms included for KJ's.

I find it a bit missleading to sell a "kit" and then tell someone by the way you really need these additional pieces. After all if Marlin hadn't told me right before I was about to give him my order about needing a-arms at an additional $395.95 I wouldn't have known and would have been seriously p'd off when my a-arms needed replacing in 2-3 years, because the lift "kit" I bought was actually incomplete.

 

[Hedsic]

Via email I asked Marlin about getting the longer Ironman shocks for the rear and the following is his reply.

"Tom,

The shocks only control speed of the compression and rebound of the springs. (removes the energy and controls the ride quality)

Longer shocks are needed for taller lift kits only.

NO, I do not recommend them on a Jeep with less than a 3” lift.

You will bottom out the long shocks on a 2” lift. (Bottoming out the shock will wreck the seals and blow out the cylinder)

Thanks

Marlin Gehman"

Figuring this is all out is becoming more of a PITA and more expensive due to needing a-arms then I expected. I think I'll likely end up going with the JBA OME or possibly Frankenlift II since All J pre-assembles the struts. Plus with Al J I don't have to purchase anything else besides a-arms.

Since Marlin says no on the longer Ironman shocks and tlrtucker says he bottoms out all the time I'm definitely not going with the Ironman kit. I sure wish some body with a good reputation offered an actual complete kit including a-arms included for KJ's.

I find it a bit missleading to sell a "kit" and then tell someone by the way you really need these additional pieces. After all if Marlin hadn't told me right before I was about to give him my order about needing a-arms at an additional $395.95 I wouldn't have known and would have been seriously p'd off when my a-arms needed replacing in 2-3 years, because the lift "kit" I bought was actually incomplete.

I take it this is your first rodeo with Jeeps and offroad? A lift kit is just that, The parts for the lift, Springs/shocks the end. You can either keep it a modest lift and be good but if you want to go higher you have to start replacing parts outside of a kit. This includes control arms, Brake relocation kits, Bump stops etc. Many of these companies put these kits together under the assumption if you are taking on the task than you have well educated yourself in the mechanics of what is needed while at the same time trying to keep it simple to understand.

There is nothing misleading about any of it. They all clearly state what is included in the kit. If you are taking on the task then you should be doing the research to see what else is needed(which you are doing). Otherwise you should just leave it alone. They are lift kits so they include whats needed to lift it. Not all the other parts on a Jeep that might need replaced or is recommended to replace. They expect the customer to do the research.

Sometimes you will come across a company that does add extras for a full kit. JBA offers a full kit with control arms etc. Obviously this kit will cost more becasue it comes with more.

You should see all the crap you have to replace on a JK just to do a 2.5" lift that you would never know about without doing research. I wanted to go 4" on my lift until I realized I'd have to replace 8 control arms, both driveshafts and plenty more. Costing well into the the thousands. None of the kits said anything about needing to replace drive shafts. Even with 2.5 I was still advised to replace the front since I have a 2 door. It took research to figure that out though.

Lifting ANY Jeep the correct way is not cheap. Those jokes you hear about "Just Empty Every Pocket". There is a lot of truth to that. Gotta pay to play.


Tommudd's Econo 3.5" Lift Kit KJ | J.B.A.

 

[tommudd]

I really think you need to back up some and rethink some of the things that you are saying and posting
There are complete kits out there, we have walked you through what you need, we all know what we are talking about, heck we've done close to 30 KJ lifts here at my place and no one has any issues with theirs.
If set up with correct bumpstops etc you will not bottom out since you hit the bumpstops first.
Frankenlift is a good kit BUT its no different than any others except you don't have to have someone compress the springs for you.
UCAs are only needed over 3 inches or so, stay below that and you can get by with stock.
I've ran almost every conceivable setup on mine and know whats working / whats not plus work closely with Marlin at JBA on setups

Hedsic beat me to it

 

[tlrtucker]

I know I'll catch hell for this comment, but I've gotten misleading/contradicting info from Marlin in the past as well. To be fair though, a lot of it was "cover your ass" answers, which is kind of understandable. But I'm not getting into whether JBA is a reputable company or not. Many many members on this board have spent good money there with good results.

All I will say is that the shorter Ironman shocks WILL easily top out (meaning they fully extend as the rear axle drops) if you're running a lift. I am under 3" of lift in the rear and the shocks are darn near fully extended with the jeep sitting on on level ground. When turning right into a parking lot very slowly it's enough to fully extend them, giving me a loud thunk. Who knows how long I'll be getting away with it, lol. If I took this thing offroad I'm sure I'd be coming back with both rear shocks blown.

If you're looking to pinch penny's, and get a budget lift - you're going to get low quality parts that will only last maybe 10-20,000 miles before they fail, or you hate them so much you end up spending the money on a quality lift anyway. KJ's aren't like Wranglers, or older Cherokee's, or many other vehicles where you can spend $300 bucks on a budget lift and it's fine for on road use for years and years.

If you want a quality lift that will ride well and will last as long as you own the jeep then you're going to have to go with a quality lift. The only lifts that have long term success with KJ's are the Ironman, OME, and JBA Adjusta struts. Everything else has a long history of being crap.

But if you dont want first hand advice, I'm not sure what to tell you. We've told you what works so it's up to you if you want to heed that advice...

I find it a bit missleading to sell a "kit" and then tell someone by the way you really need these additional pieces. After all if Marlin hadn't told me right before I was about to give him my order about needing a-arms at an additional $395.95 I wouldn't have known and would have been seriously p'd off when my a-arms needed replacing in 2-3 years, because the lift "kit" I bought was actually incomplete.

This comment worries me and I'll go ahead and say it. If a couple hundred extra dollars is going to make your life so difficult, I dont think you should lift anything. Leave the jeep alone. Lifting vehicles, espically older KJ's with higher mileage, will flush out all kinds of weak spots on your jeep. You're going to spend ~$800 on a lift, $80 on an alignment, ~$600-900 on tires, THEN you're going to find bad wheel bearings, bad tie rods, cv's, driveshafts.......Should all of this be included in your "kit"???

Lifted vehicles can be very expensive, more than just the lift kit and tires.....consider that

 

[uss2defiant]

Sorry to hijack OP's thread but am I understanding this correctly?
Based on all the different threads and posts I've read, the rear shocks of the 1.5" ironman lift kit is not an appropriate one?

Thanks.

 

[tlrtucker]

I'm running Ironman rear springs and the non-extended Ironman shocks. I AM running an extra iso in the rear, but am still just under 3" of lift. With my jeep sitting on the ground trying to install the rear shocks, the shocks were fully extended and needed a decent tug to extend them an extra 1/4" or so JUST TO BOLT THEM UP. So they're basically fully extended just sitting there. Even though I'm running an extra iso in the rear, I find it hard to believe that extra 1/2" makes all the difference.

just my observations...

 

[TomAllyn]

I sincerely apologize if I have stepped on toes and offended you all.

 

[TomAllyn]

Okay so I know that hockey pucks make perfect bump stops, but I'm wondering if these I found on Amazon would work. They are 2.2 inches and they are cheap enough and already have a bolt and nut attached so the only part to drill is a hole in the center of the spring perch.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspen...id=1408158207&sr=1-1&keywords=rear+bump+stops

 

[CzarKJ]

Don't see why not. I think pucks look better though

 

[Hedsic]

They look just like a shorter version of the JBA rear bumpstops.

 

[TomAllyn]

Don't see why not. I think pucks look better though

They look just like a shorter version of the JBA rear bumpstops.

Thanks for the replies, but this actually doesn't matter any more, because I've made up my mind and am going to get the Frankenlift. Matter of fact I wasn't able to contact All J until 4:00 yesterday, but Heather emailed me last night that even though today is Saturday she is going to call me to take my order some time this morning.

I really appreciate everyone's help and the awesome knowledge of tommudd. I almost feel the need to apologize for not going with JBA, but being told I need an $395+ part that is completely unnecessary is actually what made up my mind.

I'll likely buy skid plates from JBA - as even though I don't plan on ******** wheeling I want the protection just for the peace of mind.

 

[CzarKJ]

I love my JBA trans skid. I always get positive comments on it. Well unless the guy has to take it off haha. Bonus to protection is that it keeps a large amount of salt off your underbody in the winter!

 

[John3seventeen]

Thanks for the replies, but this actually doesn't matter any more, because I've made up my mind and am going to get the Frankenlift. Matter of fact I wasn't able to contact All J until 4:00 yesterday, but Heather emailed me last night that even though today is Saturday she is going to call me to take my order some time this morning.

I really appreciate everyone's help and the awesome knowledge of tommudd. I almost feel the need to apologize for not going with JBA, but being told I need an $395+ part that is completely unnecessary is actually what made up my mind.

I'll likely buy skid plates from JBA - as even though I don't plan on ******** wheeling I want the protection just for the peace of mind.

And you still might need the JBA A arms to stop UCA contact

 

[TomAllyn]

I love my JBA trans skid. I always get positive comments on it. Well unless the guy has to take it off haha. Bonus to protection is that it keeps a large amount of salt off your underbody in the winter!

As promised Heather called me about 30 minutes ago and Wed or Thurs I'll have my kit. I'm going to head to the shop after lunch and see whether I can get an install appointment for next Sat.:mexsmoke:

I'll get tires then too.

 

[TomAllyn]

And you still might need the JBA A arms to stop UCA contact

Interesting, because I was told by one of the guys at All J on Friday morning that I absolutely will not need them as long as I stay below 3" of lift.