UCA Question for a minimal lift

this is so damn true. my SPC's were originally installed incorrectly because i didn't use a truck shop to install them. the drama that lead to for me would bend your mind. 2 months of it with shit breaking everywhere. the SPC's are great, tough & adjustable, but you must do them correctly. i have lived & learned the very hard way. 4 shops, 8 alignments, and over $2500 in fees to diagnose this shit.

and ironically the truck is coming out of the bay as i write this... all done now. sorry if I'm jacking the thread.

 

How can they be installed incorrectly? Sounds like the original shop should pay those bills.

 

I'm not even getting into this story. it's horrible and complicated. I'll take the hit for poor planning. can't offload that blame. the SPC's are great and get me the caster numbers i like.

 

I hear ya. I'm hoping the JBAs are more idiot proof for installation lol.

 

The difficulty installing SPCs comes from choosing the proper setting for the ball joint. This is simple if you have the instructions in front of you, but most shops throw away instructions

 

exactly what happened, in fact.

 

At that height i would say don't even worry about it. Firestone did my alignment and they did whatever they do. I did not request anything special. Zero issues and handles great. It aligned just fine. I have stock upper control arms. If you do get an upper control arm i would say to still not worry about it because the alignment tech will get it in spec no problem. I had adjustable upper control arms on my 350z. Never had to provide any numbers.....the upper control arm allows the alignment tech the additional adjustment he needs to get it into spec.

Honestly i would say to not spend the $$ on upper control arms if you are going 1.5 max. Spend the money you saved on the part and labor and purchase an OVtune.

 

Another bonus of having adjustable UCAs like the SPC is that you can still get an alignment once your alignment cams seize a couple years down the road. Also I dont get how people have so much trouble getting the UCA bolt out... I have installed about 5 sets of SPC UCAs on 2nd and 3rd gen Tacomas without trouble... cutting the old ones out takes longer..

 

I would go with SPC uppers. Insanely adjustable, easily rebuildable. I've got my castner at +4.5 * with no rubbing. They wont have any negative effects even if you were running stock suspension. And you're right, buy once, cry once...

 

i was running 5.2deg caster on the passenger side last chapter before i had these issues. all issues fixed now, but I'll be sticking with 4.5deg both sides with tomorrow's alignment.

 

I went with camburg ball joints. Alignment was a breeze and they work like tajin with Mexican beer....magical.

 

Camburgs are great uppers, but, with the uniball exposed, it's more susceptible to debris and moisture bc it's open to the environment with can lead to corrosion and premature failure. Enclosed joints, i.e. SPC, JBA and Icons Delta joint (ball joint type) have much more longevity and SPC has much more adjustability.

 

My Camburgs are sealed with Moog ball joints.

 

Your right! That’s why I went with ball joint camburgs.