Non-uniball UCA advice needed

Hello Tacoma enthusiasts I have a question regarding suspension, specifically the UCAs. I am currently running on my 4wd Access Cab: Icon 2.5 extended travel coilovers up front and Icon remote reservoir shocks in the back with dakar leafs and total chaos uniball UCAs.

The Icons replaced Fox 2.5s that I broke a coil on and despite my best efforts became covered in rust in a short time. I also replaced the uniballs in the total chaos UCAs with FK stainless uniballs.

This truck is a daily driven work truck that sees light to moderate offroad use 5-6 days a week in a lot of mud and rock, specifically clay mud and a good deal of sand in Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee.

The uniballs have a service life that just doesn't make economic sense to have on a truck driven at high miles in mud day in and day out. Replacing them left me out of service while I located a press and added an extra day to what should have been a 1 day leisurely suspension replacement. In short I think I'd be better suited with a sealed balljoint.

When the time comes I am considering replacing my icons with OME mainly due to cost and ease of replacement. I just cannot afford to be out of commission for a week or two while I have shocks rebuilt in California. I'd much rather have some spare shocks on hand and if anything breaks fix it immediately.

My question is, with an OME setup, without any extra lift spacers other than the trim packer to even out the driver's side, is it possible to run the stock UCA, which I still have or do I need to look at a light racing or camburg ball joint?

Does changing the balljoint on the light racing uca require a press? It looks like it's bolted in from pictures.

Is it possible to run a balljoint uca, stock or otherwise, with the extended travel icons? I know they're designed for uniball ucas so I figured I'd ask.

Thanks a bunch.

 

Your stainless uniballs are going to last much longer. Light racing upper control arms have more range of motion like a uniball. OME as a back up suspension while work is being done is why I got my OME suspension and a good idea IMO. Why did you replace an entire coiliver assembly when you could have just bought new springs? Or did the shock body have corrosion too? The stock UCA can be used with OME if you don't run 886 coils. You would be better served with light racing UCA though. Yes you can tun the Icon with standard UCA... you just cannot go over 2.5" lift and lose the extra travel.

 

Thanks a ton! To answer your question, the shock bodies were rusted but the reservoirs were even worse than the shock bodies and were pitted very badly.

I entertained the idea of selling them online for a massive discount to someone who wanted to try and fix them and have a nice budget suspension but I decided if they were to do a crappy job and end up in a wreck I'd feel awful about it.

 

Get a uniball that has a covered uniball.......allpro has some or icons billet alumn ones! LR will work with the extended travel shocks too! Did you get the protective coating on the icons? That's a great way to go but in general the icons don't seem to rust like the other brands!

 

No press needed to change a balljoint with the LR UCA.

You mentioned mud. This is the inside of my LR UCA balljoint boot after one year. I avoid mud at all costs. Looks a little dirty yea? Cool thing about SPC (company that makes LR UCAs), is they offer replacement boots for cheap and replacement balljoints for a reasonable amount.

 

SPC has redesigned their bushings and their BJ boots. The new boots fit much tighter and I have no concern of contaminates. My last set, warrantied by SPC, wore the bushings and a ball joint out in under 1 year. SPC and Wheelersoffroad were great to deal with and I had the new ones in in like 1.5 hrs so simple fix really.

IMO with any OME setup you'll be needing aftermarket arms. SPCs ball joints are easy to swap out though, two nuts, a cotter pin, and a tapered ball joint, bang on both sides of the spindle at the same time and it'll pop free.

I'd think it'd be easier and cheaper to grab a used OEM setup with a 3" preload spacer, to swap in interim until you get your icons back from service.

That's what I'd do anyway.


Yes you can run stock arms but alignment may be off and you will lose travel.

Yes you can run LR UCAs with any lift but you won't have as much travel as uniball but more than stock.

The new bushings on the LR UCA are supposed to fix the bushing wear problem, hopefully it does, if not, they make a kit, or if they're gone in under a year, they'll send you new ones on their dime, with a return tag, on their dime. Or they did for me anyway.

 

I've actually still got my oem trd stuff laying around. Can you run the trd offroad suspension with dakar leafs in the back? I wouldn't mind the factory stuff but I can't do without my dakars.

 

The RIGHT kind of uniballs will out last a ball joint 100 x over. Teflon lined is the way to go, that poly mold injection horse shit is a joke.