Cut or Bend...Removing UCA Bolt

I've done both. I say bend.

 

Bend and leave it bent.

You should occasionally remove the bushings for a thorough cleaning and inspection if you play in the muck allot. I flushed mine out with grease plenty of times and even doing that they were very dirty after a little over a year.

I see no gain in destroying perfectly good parts, but to each their own on this one I guess.

 

Exactly!

 

Thanks for the info and opinions. My lift kit with UCAs is on the way. I'm trying to do all of my homework...

 

i assume this will apply to 2016 models too.

 

Maybe. 2006 Here and I Bend.

@darktaco posted a good technique on the first page.

My advice, get it started. Once you see how much you need to clear you can decide which is for you.

If you bend then you will know how to put the bolts back in so they can't fall out by Gravity!
If you cut you will likely stick them back backwards. Better make sure that nut stays tight!

You don't cut fenders for 32's

 

They assemble it before the fenders go on. We are taking it apart in reverse order.

 

Sounds good will try, worse case scenario spend 12 bucks on bolt and install it other way around.

 

I bent the inner fender a little then tapped it back with a hammer afterward.

 

I went with cutting and installing from the rear with two new bolts and nuts @ $24. Even if I bent and went from the front, I felt reusing the bolts and nuts vs $24 wasn't peace of mind. I did use red loctite.

My new JBA UCA,s for un-lifted Tacoma.

 

Ok so Im having a little trouble, Bend and taking bolt out I'm hitting it with a hammer and used a 3 inch bolt to push further, already past the first bushing but the bolt still is really tight
Like I need to hammer it all the way out. Is this normal or my bolt seized?

 

Is your UCA disconnected from your spindle?

 

Yeah it's disconnected, just went to harbor freight for a cheap long reach punch set, hopefully that will push the bolt all the way through. If not then I guess I'm gonna have to cut it

 

I cut them to remove and installed the bolt backwards with Loctite and did a double nut. Honestly, I feel it's safer to do that and inspect them periodically over trusting gravity for my peace of mind.

 

Youll be pounding all the way out.

 

Ive considered having a bolt machined so both sides are threaded and have a castle style nut with cotter pin on each side.
This way removal would be tap one way remove side and tap back the other way to remove other side.
This may only work with hiem pivot uppers though...

 

I bent, were I to do it again (and I may need to in the future to replace bushings) I would have cut.

I also reinstalled the bolts the same way they go in factory, (front to rear) my reasoning was if they come loose gravity and vibration will keep the bolt in place that way even without the nut, however upon reconsideration after the fact, I've never seen one that was torqued properly come loose. Also I used vibratite on the nut further reducing likelihood of loosing the nut.

I didn't check well enough when I was driving the bolts out and pinched a wire for the front impact crash sensor on the right side of the vehicle, fortunately no broken wires or lights, still the pucker factor was at max multiplier.

So in short, having bent and knowing what a pain it was I vote cut.

 

A lot of things make mire sense when you see them put the vehicle together on the line, for instance when they drive the upper A arm bolts in the body is not even in the same vicinity. Makes it pretty easy to put them in then.

Also I think the reason behind front to back installation in this particular application is so if the nut is ever forgotten or vibrates off the bolt will not back out causing a potentially fatal failure.

 

To give you guys an update, my bolt was bent and that why it was so hard to get it out.
Did the other side and that one came off almost with just pushing the bolt by hand while moving the uca up and down.
Went to the dealer for a new bolt 24 dlls just a single bolt and they had to order it. Might as well order it myself online for 16 dlls on ebay.

 

Did the passenger side so far and I would agree that bending and using a punch & hammer helps considerably. Also be sure that front washer stays back to by the bushing otherwise it will bind and make your day hell. I'm doing the driver side tomorrow and was considering removing the battery and it appears that might be a good decision