School me on front upper control arm recommendations, plz.

[zgfiredude]

Ok, relative 100 LC newbie here...I am currently working on baselining my new to me 2006 LC. It currently has OME suspension with heavy rear springs, SPC Arms, Slee front diff drop, Trail Tailor extended links, and the Delta VS panhard bar bracket.

I have replaced the upper ball joints in the SPC control arms and in doing so, found that the inner arm mounting bolts were loose. Seems as though the last alignment crew did't tighten things down very well.....so, I'm pondering the following:

1. Replace the inner bushings in the SPC and keep them.
2. Replace the arms with something else....Dobinsons, OME, other?

I have also been through some of the other front end parts: Replaced the sway bar bushings, replaced the front diff mount, and it was me that installed the extended sway bar links. The steering rack is ok currently, but whenever that craps out, I'll be sure to get those bushings at that time. I am wanting to make the front end as good as I can currently and continue to get at bushings as time goes by. It was a South West desert car for the last 5 or so years, and the rubber bit just need refreshing.

So, what's the best thing to do with my current state on the upper arms? Thanks in advance for the wisdom.

 

[MongooseGA]

Am I following you?

Your alignment shop didn't tighten the bolts down properly so you're considering replacing the SPCs with something different? For?

Replace your bushings if necessary and tighten the bolts properly. Unless you just like to spend cash. I can send you my paypal and save you a few hours of work.

 

[Trapper50cal]

Yeah, my thoughts also...maybe some mid-grade loctite.

 

[zgfiredude]

Well, the prior owner's alignment shop was the issue. I guess my basic question is are the SPC arms "worth" pulling and re-bushing for a couple of hundred dollars vs. is there something significantly better out there? I'm not one to throw away money, but now is the time to fix once and move on with the right thing.

I have torqued things down to spec, and there is some play in the inner mounts.....which leads to this whole question. It's a value judgement call I'm asking about I guess.

 

[Bisho]

I have 80k miles on SPCs with no issues. I’d keep them.

 

[MongooseGA]

I have over 100k on mine with new ball joints once and I'd do the bushings soon as well. If I were starting from scratch I might select a set which used OEM joints, but it's definitely not worth swapping to another set, IMO.

 

[zgfiredude]

Thanks, that's what I was after............sorry for the poorly worded ask!

 

[Trapper50cal]

About the only verifiable complaint I've seen about the SPC UPC's is that they might be a bit "overkill"regarding the adjustability.

 

[zgfiredude]

That's where I was wondering about say Dobinson's instead. You can find Dobinson's without ball joints for about $500, and then just source some 555s for less than $100 and you get your Dobinson's for $600ish instead of the $715 you see everywhere.

So, in my head it was $200ish vs $600ish and do you end up with a better situation?

 

[Trapper50cal]

Well, the UCA frame-side bushings should last a lot longer than your's did...do those right and you don't have to address them for a very long time. So with that reality in place, I'd rather have a replaceable ball joint "assembly" that DOESN'T require the removal of the whole arm in order to use the hydraulic press to get the ball joint out.

 

[zgfiredude]

Understood, that seems like the best option. Flexibility of maintenance, and no fatal flaws in the part to begin with....oh, and cheaper, LOL.

 

[Trapper50cal]

The one thing that the SPC's don't have that TrailTailor UCA's DO have is the grease zerks for those frame-side bushings.
(Other "fixed ball joint" offerings may also have the zerks, IDK)

 

[hoser]

If you happen to need to change them, there was an older style inner bushing and a newer style. Newer style fits older arms. SPC XAXIS bushing upgrade kit (Fits 25455 arms) - Slee Off Road - https://sleeoffroad.com/products/spc-25020/

 

[zgfiredude]

That newer one from Slee was what I was leaning towards.............but now I gotta look at Trail Tailors, LOL.

Edit, I don't see them on TTs site?

 

[Trapper50cal]

That newer one from Slee was what I was leaning towards.............but now I gotta look at Trail Tailors, LOL.

Edit, I don't see them on TTs site?

Sometimes he has them in inventory and sometimes he doesn't...depends on when he does a batch.

I can't remember which thread of his keeps track of that publicly.

Edit: Maybe this one?

Trail Tailor Offerings- Racks, Sliders, Control Arms and Misc

Definitely different than the ones I linked, sorry Jason!

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Indiana80]

Ok, relative 100 LC newbie here...I am currently working on baselining my new to me 2006 LC. It currently has OME suspension with heavy rear springs, SPC Arms, Slee front diff drop, Trail Tailor extended links, and the Delta VS panhard bar bracket.

I have replaced the upper ball joints in the SPC control arms and in doing so, found that the inner arm mounting bolts were loose. Seems as though the last alignment crew did't tighten things down very well.....so, I'm pondering the following:

1. Replace the inner bushings in the SPC and keep them.
2. Replace the arms with something else....Dobinsons, OME, other?

I have also been through some of the other front end parts: Replaced the sway bar bushings, replaced the front diff mount, and it was me that installed the extended sway bar links. The steering rack is ok currently, but whenever that craps out, I'll be sure to get those bushings at that time. I am wanting to make the front end as good as I can currently and continue to get at bushings as time goes by. It was a South West desert car for the last 5 or so years, and the rubber bit just need refreshing.

So, what's the best thing to do with my current state on the upper arms? Thanks in advance for the wisdom.

I replaced some old SPCs on my LX back in Feb of this year. Went with new SPCs (xAxis bushings and non-greasable balls). Ever since then…pop, clunk, pop, clunk from driver side UCA. Last weekend I finally tested DS upper ball joint with a dial gauge and found at least .100” of play. Emailed SPC and they immediately responded that for $500 and change core charge, they would warranty claim. Nope, I’m not going down that road again. I’m looking at Dobinsons and Freedom. Haven’t yet made up my mind. Cross my fingers every time I get in the truck to drive on the SPCs.

 

[zgfiredude]

That's my general feeling with the SPCs....just not good enough and replacement bits are pricey! I still have mine, until I find something that's not ridiculously priced (IMHO).

 

[Bisho]

And I have 100k on mine, a lot offroad. Replaced the ball joints at 90k.

 

[Indiana80]

That's my general feeling with the SPCs....just not good enough and replacement bits are pricey! I still have mine, until I find something that's not ridiculously priced (IMHO).

I’ve researched Freedom and can’t find anything bad. At ~ $450 a set, how can I go wrong? Cheaper than SPC and less complicated. Caster correction w/out complexity. No $500 core warranty claim w/out question- only to go down same path in less than a year. Has anyone heard anything bad about Freedom Off Road, aside from possibly s*tty customer service- which, who cares about that at $440?

 

[DuckLN]

Fyi -You can get oem upper control arms from amayama if you decide to go that route.