Lower control arm questions (1 Viewer)

[PhuckItImDone]

Getting ready to start repairs, or have it sent it to be repaired, as it were, and lower control arms are in order. Slee had suggested going with stock toyota parts. Looks like my other 2 options are camburg or total chaos. Anyone have feelings or opinions one way or another? Quite a price difference. The shop said they like the camburgs, which are right in the middle price-wise. That's not too much the concern, more so, what's good, what do guys regret? Also a cam tab gusset kit? Thought opinions and jokes welcome. TIA.

 

[afgman786]

I went stock when I replaced mine. They weren't that bad at 200k, why not keep OEM again was my logic. They are more than strong enough to handle the beating I've been giving them

 

[tbisaacs]

Unless you're gonna be jumping / going long travel / making a dirt monster I see little value in TC or Camburg.

 

[Volunteer]

I had the same question and I can always count on Mud for the answer . I also have 200K on the OEM control arms and the bushings are shot. Calling up my favorite Toyota parts guy. Thanks

 

[04UZJ100]

What happened to your stock arms?

 

[PhuckItImDone]

I broke a bunch of stuff at LCDC and have been trying to find a shop for repairs. So far slee has been able to tell me it's probably the arms. Otherwise it's been sitting since then.

 

[turbo8]

I broke a bunch of stuff at LCDC and have been trying to find a shop for repairs. So far slee has been able to tell me it's probably the arms. Otherwise it's been sitting since then.

Pictures? The stock arms are very strong.

 

[PhuckItImDone]

The best shots I have are the one up top showing how far out my wheels were/are, with broken tie rods and whatnot.

 

[turbo8]

Might want to check the eccentrics to see if they moved which would throw your alignment off. A broken tie rod would make it pretty difficult to drive down the road, maybe a bent tie rod?

SPC UCAs hitting fender well

So I’ve done some fairly heavy wheeling the last few days and my SPC UCAs have actually punched though my fender well under compression in my 13 LC. Has anyone else had this issue?

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[PhuckItImDone]

Tie rods were replaced, it was an interesting ride. The cam eccentrics are frozen which is another problem on the list.

 

[Volunteer]

Tie rods were replaced, it was an interesting ride. The cam eccentrics are frozen which is another problem on the list.

Damn, sorry to hear it. I was thinking the same thing maybe knocked and bent the cam bolts definitely not something you hear of happening very often bending tie rods or cam bolts. Are you in a salt area? This picture comes to mind comparing the inner tie rods of a 200 to a Taco/4R/FJ. The 200 Series frontend is very beefy I hope you get yours resolved without much headache.

 

[linuxgod]

Stock arms are $600/pair. I'd just go with those. I'll be interested to see the final answer about what went wrong, but my *guess* would be that your arms are actually OK (unlikely to be bent) but the cam moved and because yours are frozen you can't adjust it back. That'd be my hunch, anyway.

To get them off you have to sawzall between the frame mount tabs and then hammer out the remaining bits.

 

[bemerritt]

I have a pair of stock arms. Did a tundra swap. $50+ shipping and they are yours.

 

[PhuckItImDone]

At this point, it's just sitting. I have neither the knowledge or time to try to fix it. I smacked it off a boulder in CO, so thats the origin of breakage. I do live in a salt area, Northeast, so im sure that contributed to the frozen parts. I know things have to be cut out and whatnot, but again, can't find anywhere. I drove it home with the wheel vertical instead of horizontal, the tires are ****ed im sure, it's not ideal. One shop had hinted they'd do the work, and then stopped contact, so who knows.

 

[linuxgod]

Swapping an LCA is actually pretty easy. Pretty much just removing a few bolts and knocking the balljoint loose with a big hammer. The trick is when the LCA bolts seize you have to take a sawzall to them, which apparently adds a couple hours to the job.

If you truly can't find a shop around you, consider shipping it somewhere. I suspect if you called Eric at Ed Martin Toyota in Indianapolis they'd arrange to have it picked up and brought to them for repair. I'd guess shipping would be $500 or so. Rick @ Chi-Town 4x4 by me was going to cut mine off as I thought they were seized (based on a sh*tty alignment tech's notes from another shop) but it turned out mine were fine. I'd trust him with the repair but again you'd have to have it shipped (and he's a small shop so I don't think he'd be able to arrange that for you).

 

[PhuckItImDone]

Yea, that makes sense. I trust the eccentrics and what cams are frozen, that's per slee whom I trust. It's whatever else is going on that they didn't diagnose (they we're able to see me without an appt and we're great), and going from there. I was close to taking it to the toyota dealer I trust with other things, but don't know how out of thier wheelhouse this will be. I'd rather it end in somewhere who knows LCs, 200s, and isn't guessing. Luckily I have a daily driver, so its not leaving me short, but having it before snow would be nice

 

[bemerritt]

I would trust Toyota with lca replacement, pretty hard to mess that one up.

 

[PhuckItImDone]

The arms are tempting, but everyone is so anal about installing "customer provided parts" I know they'd end up on a shelf in the garage with the other parts. It's a reliable Toyota dealer, who's comfortable with modified Toyotas, so they may end up with it.

 

[CharlieS]

My guess is that it won't be the LCA swap that'll be the issue, it is getting the frozen parts out in a minimally destructive way.

SPC makes a special removal tool (40915). I've heard opinions vary, but personally, I'd put on the upgraded SPC bolts/cams with the teflon sleeve.

My sense is that an independent Toyota specialty shop would do a better job than a dealer. WIthout the special tool to remove the sleeve, a sawzall may be the best option.

 

[linuxgod]

My guess is that it won't be the LCA swap that'll be the issue, it is getting the frozen parts out in a minimally destructive way.

SPC makes a special removal tool. I've heard opinions vary, but personally, I'd put on the upgraded SPC bolts/cams with the teflon sleeve.

My sense is that an independent Toyota specialty shop would do a better job than a dealer.

I bought those SPC bolts but the shop here (in salty winter Chicagoland) said that just coating them in anti-seize will be fine, which is what they ended up doing for me. It's a pretty common thing with LC/Tundra/Sequoia.