Identify Old Style SPC Light Racing UCA?

Hello, I just ordered a new set of SPC UCA's when my old ones wore out (bushings and balls).

In the short period of time since then, I have read about the safety issues with certain old-style SPC UCAs, and I have thus been in contact with SPC customer service to find out whether mine are a part of that bad batch.

Here's the deal, my SPC rep tells me that the UCA's in the photo below were never manufactured by them?! I already got a little snippy with them about their ability to identify their own products, but I want to confirm with others what I believe (that these are SPC UCAs) before I go any further.

This whole situation is making me question whether I want to install the newer UCA's when they finally arrive.

Edit: To be clear, I do have a receipt that says I paid for SPC UCAs, but the rep stated that these are possibly counterfeits; which doesn't make any sense because he also said SPC never made any like this... so it is a counterfeit of nothing? LOL.

 

Those look like SPC’s to me. Might want to use some jack stands...

 

Isn't the holr for the ball joint supposed to be slotted on spc arms? To make it adjustable for camber.

 

They look pretty similar to mine.

 

Those are definitely SPCs. I've had two pairs (one on my last truck and one on my current) that looked exactly like that. Unless I was/am also running counterfeits.

 

OP those are definitely the first gen SPC UCA's with bonded rubber style bushings on the frame side. People that had "failures" installed these spc arms incorrectly (which have similar style bonded bushings as OEM). The main bolt that holds the UCA to the frame on your style has to be torqued down at ride height because the bushings are not a free spinning like their 2nd and 3rd gen arms.

The thing that might be throwing people off is in the picture you took, you cant see the slotted hole because there is a washer sitting on top disguised with a bunch of grease / dirt.

The newest style of SPC arms are pretty baller and i have considered selling my 2nd gen for the 3rd gen arms because they have zerk's at the ball joint and the joints on the frame side are essentially sealed heim joints that dont need lubing

 

You took a nicer set of pics when you sent them to the rep right? Probably would’ve helped your case.

 

So, perhaps the used set of SPC's I just picked up are either part of a bad batch or counterfeit? That's reassuring...

 

I'm still waiting on what the rep says about what makes them counterfeits. I've been running this older style since about 2010 (and have seen people running them on this forum since 2008), so if they are counterfeits, surely SPC would have caught on by now.

 

I honestly have never seen a "counterfeit" SPC arm... I have seen many a "counterfeit" UCA based on TC arms etc, because parts and design is way easier to mimic.


FYI those arms are 2nd gen SPC UCA's with the free floating "specride" bushing. Same version i have. They work great but the inner bushing does need greasing from time to time which is a pain because you have to remove em completely. Be sure to pack the bushing and ball joint with proper grease before installing.

 

Yes I have the old style SPC arms which are half tubular. The balljoint Mount is supposed to be slotted for camber adjustment and allows for you turn the balljoint to adjust caster forward

 

Again, OP's is slotted, if you look the top washer is sitting on top of the slot making it look like its just a hole.

 

It looked like the hole wasn't slotted to me. But upon further investigation I see it now. Thanks for the mind refresher though

 

I assure you, there were four jackstands in contact with the frame just outside of that frame. I don't trust anything so always leave my lifting jack in contact as well.

 

Yes, that was one of their arguments. The round hole visible there is the bushing that rides in the slot under the nut. Everything rusted so badly here that it all looks like one piece of metal. Lol.

 

My impression is that I am dealing with someone who is either not informed, or who is playing damage control to get rid of easy complaints.

He stated:

"The picture below is what one of our ball joint mounts looks like for a 2010 Toyota. Yours is not this style and we have never made one for your model that looks like your picture.

Unfortunately with a company like ours we sometimes get counterfeit parts sold on the market. They may say they are SPC but were not manufactured by us."

If he can say that, based on the picture above, then there is no way he could even identify his own product when fully assembled and clean (when slot is not visible at all).

I am not going to take my suspension apart again to show him a picture of the underside slot for balljoint, which is what he sent me. Lol.

I need to talk to someone else.

 

Thanks everyone for the Information and photos. I feel better about being aggravated now that I've seen other SPCs.

Special thanks to nd4spdbh for the detailed info. That helps alot.

And yes, I agree better pics would help, but I took these to show my buddy why I wasn't able to have a beer with him, not for the purpose of identification. Unfortunately the truck is buttoned up now and parked until the new UCA's are in.

 

If you have a proof of purchase from a reputable vendor I don’t see how they can say they are fake either. Unless you ordered from eBay, or even sometimes Amazon.

 

I agree, but have not gotten to that point yet; after his flat denial based on the photo, I didn't think a receipt would convince him. As of last night the rep was continued the baseless assumption of "we didn't make it" while also ignoring my pleas to be forwarded to someone else. When i get time, I will attempt another (hopefully more objective) avenue of communication through a different department.

 

To be fair, your picture is at an odd angle where you can't really tell. I'd say pop your wheel off and take a picture with the ball joint actually on the UPC. If it were me I would have taken pictures of every angle of the thing, not just a single one.