Got Franks? (Frankenstrut mini write-up with pics)
 

Well, I have been lifted for almost a year now running different combinations of OME 881s, N91S, and spacers. In the quest for more flex and off road-ability, I decided to ditch the OME coils and give the infamous sschaefer-created Frankenstruts a try. I have concluded that OME 881's are just too stiff to compress very far without a winch/bumper combo up front.

So, I spent some time reading Steve's write-up (thanks for answering my questions, Steve!) and looking over the parts I have and the parts I needed to build the Franks. It turns out I didn't have to buy anything. I already had the CB 1" spacers, and the only difference in my 1" spacer and the 1.5" CB spacer (these are the "old style" that replace the factory top plate) is that the 1.5" spacer has a 0.25" thick rubber ring added to it. This plus the factory rubber isolator ring measure about 5/8" (0.625), based on the isolators I have. I also had a set of Daystar 1" spacers/isolators, so I just shaved them down to this desired thickness, have a look:

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...ystar_crop.jpg

The next piece of the puzzle is the top out spacers. I could have ordered the Revtek parts, but since I had already made my own out of scrap aluminum, i thought I'd just use those. The Revteks are 3/8" thick, so I made one pair of 1/8" and one pair of 1/4". I had made these a few months ago trying to resolve un-even lift from my OME 881s, the drivers side was lower than the passenger side...Using 4.5" and 2.75" holesaws in a drill press and a 0.5" bit and a jig saw, you can get these:

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...pouts_crop.jpg

The last part of the equation is the coils. I dug out my old stock '98 coils, and much to my surprise, they had the same number of turns as the '99 coils that Steve recommends, so why not give them a try. Here's the assembled strut (I gave the bottoms of the shocks a quick coat of paint, since they were kinda rusty :hillbill: )

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...mbled_crop.jpg

I was alittle worried about the Daystar poly spacers not having as much "squish" as the rubber ones from CB or the stock isolators, even though when uncompressed they have the same measurement. But, since I am using used coils, I figured it would kinda "balance out". Well, once I got the struts back on the truck and drove it around the block so that things were kinda settled and repositioned, I ended up with 2.25" of lift. The best part so far was that the truck was now even from side to side, yeah :bigok: no more driver's side lean.

I have had this set-up on for about a week now and I must say I really like the way it rides. Its a little more forgiving yet more "controlled" on the road than compared to stock, but not quite as firm as the OME 881's. I even tested it a little off road. More pics to follow... :booty:

O.k., on to the money shot...

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...test5_crop.jpg

Lots of droop on the d-side and on the bumpstops on the p-side. No way I could get this much compression out of the OMEs...Here's some shots from the side:

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...test3_crop.jpg

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...test6_crop.jpg

Like I said, so far I really like this set-up. I think it will work quite well for the kinds of trails I will be running. I still need new tires, though...

anybody want some OME 881s
 

Here's a pic of the OME881's. Notice that they have 10 turns, instead of 8 or 9 like most stock coils, also the rate is quite a bit higher, I believe I read that it was like 500 lbs/in were as the '99 V-6, 16" wheel stock coils are around 420 lbs/in. Just thought that was worth mentioning. :)

http://pics.montypics.com/jayson/200...ME881_crop.jpg

looks good! I wish we could modify our torsion bar IFS for flex like how you guys can modify your coil sprung IFS, without costing an arm and a leg.

Frankenfurter
 

Looks good Jayson! That's some nice flex, but I'd be hard pressed to trade in my OMEs (882s) with the ARB/M8000 up front and still have the lift I got now. It rides great, flexes well and does the trick for now. Rides much better than stock ever did.

:guitar:

Yeah, but you don't have the Frankenstein Flex

http://gallery.zemudaville.com/album...J018.sized.jpg

Good deal, It does not matter how you put it together, that stuff works just as good as the parts I used, in the end it's all the same.

:woo: :woo: :woo: :woo: :woo:

Thanks for the compliments, guys. I should clarify that I am not trying to bash OME or the use of their stuff, just that after running the 881s in the front for a year, they just weren't doing it for me, since I don't have any extra weight up front. I still have my 891s in the rear, and have been really happy with them.

I have been really pleased with the on-road performance as well. I think there is an assumption that if you have something that will really flex and perform well off road, then the on-road performance will suffer. I think that is only partially true. In the case of our 4Runners, where we aren't lifting the suspension more than about 3" (except for SteveO and the SAS guys), this is a really good compromise. With the sway bars connected, I can still take turns on the highway pretty fast without a lot of body roll. The combination fo the OME shocks and the pre-load spacers on the stock coils is really nice, on and off road. :banger:

Looks good Jayson. Nice job!

Peace.
G

lookin really good.

stay tuned for my new setup... ;)

I'm jealous... Good write up, thanks to everyone that contributes write ups. Although I haven't lifted yet, I do frequently refer to all kinds of write ups, you guys are lifesavers.