Dude, get yourself a breaker bar. You don't want to put 125 pounds of force on that 3/8" ratchet. I guess it's a testament to Gear Wrench that you didn't destroy that ratchet.
Just did this yesterday. I took a honing stone and smoothed off the bottom of the old spindle where the 4 bolts go thru. There were some high spots that smoothed off. Wanted to make sure that they mated perfectly with the new conversion.
I think just for piece of mind they're worth it, I understand they're expensive and I probably wont get them (at least not until I fix some other issues with my truck). I think with these you won't have to worry as much, checking after every trip, once they start to get loose I'm sure they will still hold together just wont do you any good and I'm not 100% but they look rebuildable.
I agree and what really sold me on doing them. They are 100% rebuildable but TC hasn't came out with an installer tool yet since the uniball is loaded in at an angle
I believe the issue was that those ball joints were mounted upside down, when worn it would pull through when hitting a bump, where in a normal installation the only way a ball joint can pull through is catching some monster air, even then it would have to be pretty heavily worn. This kit while a bit heavier duty, it's still upside down, may last longer but when worn it can still pull through. Not sure what Toyota was thinking there, they did go to a traditional setup on later generations
yes, it has no fail safe like the later gen do. this design was carried over from the pickup and 4runners when it had torsion springs. the load was on the upper arm so the lower arms didnt see as much down force outside of the weight of the vehicle. being carried over to a coilover design using the lower control arm means more forces on the LBJ. since we are building heavier and using heavier springs (700lbs in my case) means the LBJ was pushed even beyond its limits which wasnt originally designed to have a coilover suspension push down on it anyways. while uniballs doesnt fix the design issue it does introduce a stronger option for todays builds. the overall system is stronger and easier to carry replacement uniballs.
Never torqued to 125ft.lbs. *Laughs in heavy equipment tech* Haha, great video man. I just had a lower ball joint fail after about 9 months and maybe 5,000 miles, considering this upgrade now. Don't trust jobber parts!
Wish I had the money to put this stuff on my 4runner. Love those lcas Finally got some 6112s and a nice rear end setup after years of waiting lol. Now to spend several days installing it all 😅
Yeah, its alot of money but took me 10+ years of building to get it to this point. Mine didnt happen overnight like most "overland" builds these days lol
Has this control helped with articulate? Height? Also is this for long travel?? Last I checked you didn’t have long travel. Would you recommend this for double cab 1st gen tundra? Great videos and awesome truck!!
These are meant to be direct replacements to the factory LBJ. Will work with LT, Solo motorsports stock length arms or OEM arms. They wont change height. The LBJ wasn't ever a limiting factory in articulation (the cv axle is) I would recommend the Uniball conversion
As OP said, it doesn't change articulation but TC says, "These lower uniball conversions are designed to be installed on a vehicle with 2"-3" of suspension lift. Installing them on a vehicle with more or less lift height may result in alignment issues."
Hey brother. I have an 03 Tacoma resto project going on. Just painted it coyote Tan bedliner, new engine on the way. Previously put a TRD Elocker & truetrac front Diff in it along with a Northwest off-road trails custom front bumper. The Suspension has 5100 at stock setting with OME 0884 springs. The UCA are SPE with the adjustable upper ball joint set at max Negative caster. I’m curious how you like your Solo LCAs? The TC ball joint swap may be in my future as I already had a Moog “problem solver” break. May go with the Solo LCA when I do the swap.
They are a little noise but it was expected. I love them so far as it allowed me to upgrade to poly bushings. They also do offer a little more ground clearance and able to dial in more caster
You don't want to seal the uniballs because you have to play PTFE dry lube to it on a regular basis. They deliberately don't put a seal on it because it's the same type of maintenance you need to use on your control arm uniballs.. so that is the reason why they leave it open. I'm friends with them and their Chief fabricating engineer is a wizard. They are great people and they will help you in respond back fast were there any questions or concerns you may have. The owners will personally respond. Nicole actually followed my build and helped with it during the process also their Chief fabricating engineer and Pat from T.C. amazing people 👍🏼💪🏼
@@ORShenanigans6186-c1x yeah Ill be keeping mine open. I know a lot of other people want to do a cover on them. I’m still waiting for the service too to be able to swap uniballs when the time comes
Ive seen some videos of guys talking about the cost benefits and they always bring the maintenance because those don't have "weather" protection...what kind of maintenance would it need?
@@pedrozalves I have had upper control arm uni balls for 11 years now and I just pressure wash them to keep them clean and spray wd40 when they make noise. I will be doing the same with the lower ones.
I'm looking to get that lbj conversion next year. Do you still recommend the solo Motorsports LCA? I'm factory upper/lower with 5100s but looking for a smoother ride offroad. Looking at ADS for front and rear shocks. How do you like your UCA? Thank you!
Solo arm is recommend if you plan to adjust your caster positive past oem specs and/or you LCA bushings are shot. UCA all are the same if you go with brand name uniball ones. Mine are camburg but I wouldn’t mind swapping to solo UCA to match brands lol
@@Wonger559 That makes sense, my lca's are still fairly new. Matching would look pretty sweet. Thanks bro I appreciate it. I look forward to future videos🤘🏻
OEM outer tie rods, Oem rack and pinion. no issues as long as you center your rack during install. I had plenty of threads on both sides and was fairly even
Hey, you have issues with your steering rack much? I had my steering rack go out and rebuilt it through solomotorsports. Then I went on a camping trip 12miles or so off road pretty bumpy but went slow and now I have play in my rack and inner tie rod has play too! It like my truck can’t handle rough roads, lol
No issues with my steering rack. I do have a brand new OEM rack and pinion and fairly new oem outer tie rod ends. If you watch my newest video. I was jumping and hauling on some pretty rough roads at 20 psi. I typically run 15psi or less but with as much miles we had to cover on dirt, it was a compromise to get some better mpg lol
@@Wonger559 thanks, probably should air down more…. Have you tried any quick disconnect links for sway bar? I seen redrunner makes some that look like they will work.
@@heismyrefuge1027 you get used to it after a week or so. the fox 2.5 with the compression turned up has helped with gaining about 50% of what the sway bar did before
Good to know. I doubt I would ever use one because I really dont want to chew up the Lower Control Arm lol Lucky for now its bolted in place and removal of the TC uniballs will be easier
Dude, get yourself a breaker bar. You don't want to put 125 pounds of force on that 3/8" ratchet. I guess it's a testament to Gear Wrench that you didn't destroy that ratchet.
haha that is a 3/8 snap on ratchet. I have a 1/2 snap on ratcheting breaker bar but wasnt needed.
@Wonger559 I guess Snap does make good tools.
Just did this yesterday.
I took a honing stone and smoothed off the bottom of the old spindle where the 4 bolts go thru. There were some high spots that smoothed off. Wanted to make sure that they mated perfectly with the new conversion.
I think just for piece of mind they're worth it, I understand they're expensive and I probably wont get them (at least not until I fix some other issues with my truck). I think with these you won't have to worry as much, checking after every trip, once they start to get loose I'm sure they will still hold together just wont do you any good and I'm not 100% but they look rebuildable.
I agree and what really sold me on doing them. They are 100% rebuildable but TC hasn't came out with an installer tool yet since the uniball is loaded in at an angle
@@Wonger559 i wonder how much the tool is gonna cost haha :)
@@stock23 haha at my point of the build. I got to pay to play
Ive been eyeing this kit for my Sequoia. Thanks for making this video.
@@stevencarter7999 thank you for the watch. It’s a nice combination
Awesome video, I've been looking for info on fitment with other LT kits on the market and this answered all my questions. Thanks!
I believe the issue was that those ball joints were mounted upside down, when worn it would pull through when hitting a bump, where in a normal installation the only way a ball joint can pull through is catching some monster air, even then it would have to be pretty heavily worn.
This kit while a bit heavier duty, it's still upside down, may last longer but when worn it can still pull through.
Not sure what Toyota was thinking there, they did go to a traditional setup on later generations
yes, it has no fail safe like the later gen do. this design was carried over from the pickup and 4runners when it had torsion springs. the load was on the upper arm so the lower arms didnt see as much down force outside of the weight of the vehicle.
being carried over to a coilover design using the lower control arm means more forces on the LBJ. since we are building heavier and using heavier springs (700lbs in my case) means the LBJ was pushed even beyond its limits which wasnt originally designed to have a coilover suspension push down on it anyways.
while uniballs doesnt fix the design issue it does introduce a stronger option for todays builds. the overall system is stronger and easier to carry replacement uniballs.
Just keep in mind that the BOLTS are also a failure point which is why I haven't swapped over to the uniball setup.
@@MJay581 those only snap when they are not installed correctly. If they get lose. That’s when they snap.
Never torqued to 125ft.lbs. *Laughs in heavy equipment tech*
Haha, great video man. I just had a lower ball joint fail after about 9 months and maybe 5,000 miles, considering this upgrade now. Don't trust jobber parts!
@@Chromedragon79 haha. Wasn’t a fan of heavy line work. I prefer interior and electrical diag and repairs lol
Wish I had the money to put this stuff on my 4runner. Love those lcas Finally got some 6112s and a nice rear end setup after years of waiting lol. Now to spend several days installing it all 😅
Yeah, its alot of money but took me 10+ years of building to get it to this point. Mine didnt happen overnight like most "overland" builds these days lol
True. pretty expensive especially for non-US purchase.
@@hokz7283 yeah anything overseas is expensive
Has this control helped with articulate? Height? Also is this for long travel?? Last I checked you didn’t have long travel. Would you recommend this for double cab 1st gen tundra? Great videos and awesome truck!!
These are meant to be direct replacements to the factory LBJ. Will work with LT, Solo motorsports stock length arms or OEM arms.
They wont change height. The LBJ wasn't ever a limiting factory in articulation (the cv axle is)
I would recommend the Uniball conversion
As OP said, it doesn't change articulation but TC says, "These lower uniball conversions are designed to be installed on a vehicle with 2"-3" of suspension lift. Installing them on a vehicle with more or less lift height may result in alignment issues."
Hey brother.
I have an 03 Tacoma resto project going on. Just painted it coyote Tan bedliner, new engine on the way. Previously put a TRD Elocker & truetrac front Diff in it along with a Northwest off-road trails custom front bumper.
The Suspension has 5100 at stock setting with OME 0884 springs.
The UCA are SPE with the adjustable upper ball joint set at max Negative caster.
I’m curious how you like your Solo LCAs? The TC ball joint swap may be in my future as I already had a Moog “problem solver” break. May go with the Solo LCA when I do the swap.
They are a little noise but it was expected. I love them so far as it allowed me to upgrade to poly bushings. They also do offer a little more ground clearance and able to dial in more caster
You don't want to seal the uniballs because you have to play PTFE dry lube to it on a regular basis. They deliberately don't put a seal on it because it's the same type of maintenance you need to use on your control arm uniballs.. so that is the reason why they leave it open. I'm friends with them and their Chief fabricating engineer is a wizard. They are great people and they will help you in respond back fast were there any questions or concerns you may have. The owners will personally respond. Nicole actually followed my build and helped with it during the process also their Chief fabricating engineer and Pat from T.C. amazing people 👍🏼💪🏼
@@ORShenanigans6186-c1x yeah Ill be keeping mine open. I know a lot of other people want to do a cover on them. I’m still waiting for the service too to be able to swap uniballs when the time comes
Do you have stock brakes? I see you have a 16in wheel. I heard the gx460 brake upgrade only fits a 17in wheel.
@@heismyrefuge1027 stock brakes on 16” wheels. I don’t want to give up my fj80 wheels.
@@Wonger559 haha! Ya, I get it! When you’re sold on something, it’s hard to give it up.
Dont locktite everything use copper coat to keep it all from seizing in place.
Ive seen some videos of guys talking about the cost benefits and they always bring the maintenance because those don't have "weather" protection...what kind of maintenance would it need?
@@pedrozalves I have had upper control arm uni balls for 11 years now and I just pressure wash them to keep them clean and spray wd40 when they make noise. I will be doing the same with the lower ones.
I'm looking to get that lbj conversion next year. Do you still recommend the solo Motorsports LCA? I'm factory upper/lower with 5100s but looking for a smoother ride offroad. Looking at ADS for front and rear shocks. How do you like your UCA? Thank you!
Solo arm is recommend if you plan to adjust your caster positive past oem specs and/or you LCA bushings are shot.
UCA all are the same if you go with brand name uniball ones. Mine are camburg but I wouldn’t mind swapping to solo UCA to match brands lol
@@Wonger559 That makes sense, my lca's are still fairly new. Matching would look pretty sweet. Thanks bro I appreciate it. I look forward to future videos🤘🏻
What outer tie rods are you using to have enough thread through the uniball bracket for the castlet nut?
OEM outer tie rods, Oem rack and pinion. no issues as long as you center your rack during install. I had plenty of threads on both sides and was fairly even
I am running Heim tie rods. That's what total chaos recommends Heim steering conversion Heim joint steering upgrade...👍🏼
Hey, you have issues with your steering rack much? I had my steering rack go out and rebuilt it through solomotorsports. Then I went on a camping trip 12miles or so off road pretty bumpy but went slow and now I have play in my rack and inner tie rod has play too! It like my truck can’t handle rough roads, lol
No issues with my steering rack. I do have a brand new OEM rack and pinion and fairly new oem outer tie rod ends. If you watch my newest video. I was jumping and hauling on some pretty rough roads at 20 psi. I typically run 15psi or less but with as much miles we had to cover on dirt, it was a compromise to get some better mpg lol
@@Wonger559 thanks, probably should air down more…. Have you tried any quick disconnect links for sway bar? I seen redrunner makes some that look like they will work.
@@heismyrefuge1027 no sway bars here since the start of the build lol
@@Wonger559 I have mine out now and not too bad but on the highway it could be bad in emergency swerve situation.
@@heismyrefuge1027 you get used to it after a week or so. the fox 2.5 with the compression turned up has helped with gaining about 50% of what the sway bar did before
Will this set up fit 16's or are 17's required?
I have 16" and they fit just fine
@@Wonger559 thank you!
The picklefork style from harbor freight is thinner and should work
Good to know. I doubt I would ever use one because I really dont want to chew up the Lower Control Arm lol
Lucky for now its bolted in place and removal of the TC uniballs will be easier
Im just studding the design...and defenetly I would pay