FYI to those thinking of doing a lower uniball conversion in a similar fashion. I'm about to make the LBJ pucks to hold the 3/4 bolt. it seems like there is only around 11mm of depth the puck can have so that the bolt head can sit flush below the LBJ bracket and does not interfere with the CV.

My measurements say total bracket depth is 30mm, 7 of which are none vertical (lower taper), so that leaves 23 vertical mm to play with, and with an 11-10mm bolt head height, we have around 11-12mm of the puck for the 3/4 bolt to slide through.

So the dimensions of my puck seem like they will be: 37mm (thinking 1.5" round with some sanding will fit) in diameter, 11mm tall, with a 3/4 drilled in the center.

So I have a 99 with MCM fab LT kit and I’m having issues with steering and have been since I installed it. Many many alignments and different shops and all new parts. Still won’t drive straight. I’m confused by your “washer stack” philosophy. My bump steer isn’t too horrible but I’ll look into the toe out thing instead of toe in. I have an issue steering. When I turn left and then back straight the wheel is slightly right. Then straightens out within a couple hundred feet. Vice versa while turning right, wheel will be slightly left until a couple hundred feet. Any ideas? Any would be much appreciated.

The only reason for the washers was to set the outer tie rod at the correct position to fix the bump steer, and by using washers it was easy to quickly dial it in. Once the height was determined with the washers a proper spacer could be swapped in. And the reason I had issues was how I setup the lower uniball and spindle which changed the geometry of everything. If you're using a straight bolt on kit with the stock LBJ I'm surprised you'd have issues with alignments. Are the alignments actually out of wack according to the spec sheet or does it change from one shop to another?

If you can rule out that the suspension isn't actually moving and is maintaining alignment (and that that alignment is straight and "normal"), then it might be a bump steer issue. I can't say I remember mine ever doing that (back in the days of doing lots of testing since my truck was nearly undrivable) but that does sound a lot like the suspension settling where one side changes it's ride height and thus it's toe in and after a bit of driving the tires can splay back out to ride height. Again, I'd be surprised if that was an issue, but there's only so many things obviously.

Are you using a stock LBJ or whatever MCM provides?
What is the steering setup like? Heim outer and inner?
What is the interface to the rack like?
The rear suspension is tight and not walking around?
Have you contacted MCM about that behavior?

I saw that you mentioned you had a setup for a 1st gen. Was that a 1st gen 4runner or a 1st gen tacoma? If it was for the 4runner do you possibly have a cad model for that or possibly the frame mounting positions. For research purposes.

Yes sir. Here are the assembly STEP files:

UCA: Free CAD Designs, Files & 3D Models | The GrabCAD Community Library

LCA: Free CAD Designs, Files & 3D Models | The GrabCAD Community Library

The upper utilized custom mounts on the frame. The lower as I recall fit in the stock location, but it's been a very long time. My friend's build thread is on the site though which might help answer any questions: Cartzo's 87 4Runner Homemade Long-Travel Build

is this the CAMBURG STEERING HEIM CLEVIS KIT you used?

Camburg Steering Heim Clevis Kits – Camburg Engineering

I know the tie rod is different between the taco 4runner but I'm guessing the steering rack threads are the same in the racks?

please advise?

That looks like what we installed. I didn't buy it, but I am positive the steering racks are identical to the Tacoma.

all right we shall see ordered the camburg setup for the taco, also 99% taco tie rod threads are the same as the 4runner.

I also ordered the these today and it hurt a lot but... I think it's solid looking and hopefully will provide the start for a decent long travel steering setup.

Toyota 4Runner 1996-2002 3RD GEN 4RUNNER LOWER UNIBALL CONVERSION - TC HEIM STEERING | TOTAL CHAOS FABRICATION

the only bummer is camburg uses the FK Heim Joints / Rod Ends - JMX-12T (3/4 X 3/4) and TC uses FK Rod Ends 7/8", 7/8" Hole JMX14T-770 PTFE

would have been nice if they would have used the same heims, complicates the tie rod a bit? I want to solve the steering issue before I go long travel. maybe wishfull thinking but I think the Heims on both ends should avoid any binds and destroyed racks.

I asked my friend and he confirmed it's the "Tacoma" clevis kit he bought. I'm sure you could convert the setup to the same heims at some point, the misalignment is really the determining factor for width/bolt size. At the beginning of October we changed the orientation of the spindle side heim so the bolt is horizontal. I would be curious how far the uniball conversion allows the suspension to travel, since it was limiting our droop so we couldn't run a normal straight tie rod, which is why we reoriented the outboard heim so it wouldn't bind and we could use a stronger (straight) tie rod. Just something to keep in mind.

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right you start with the misalignment bolt stack size then pick a Heim.

I guess i was not thinking about the knuckle side but yea I guess that might bind up as well. the TC setup would let me run both heims horizontal with a little grinding and welding.

have you ever considered j-Arms style uppers? I think it's interesting how they also run the uniball horizonal in a lot of cases. makes a lot of sense really. at first I was like hey your uniball is on it's side, then... oh yea hey.

not j-arm but they joint like this example

The 1st gen 4runner arms that I posted in response to that other guy above is actually a true J-arm upper and has the uniball integrated to the upper arm in the orientation you show. Additionally I have a 3rd gen design I've been slowly working on that I call the gen 2 that is very similar to what you posted and utilizes a fully fabricated spindle with 4th gen unit bearings and uniballs in that orientation.

The uniball best reacts loads radially through the race. The uniball being on its side (in regards to the bolt) is mostly advantageous on the top since the top arm is usually shorter and needs more angle capability than the lower. Since the upper has relatively low loads and is only reacting frontal and radial loads at the hub (ie not holding up the truck) it's less critical the orientation of the joint. The lower joint being the more heavily loaded of the two has more argument of the best joint orientation. With that said there are lots of vehicles that run the joint horizontally on the top and the bottom (specifically Ultra4s) where hub frontal loads would be reacted axially in the bolt direction, and plenty that run it vertically (trophy trucks) where vertical suspension loads are reacted through the bolt. Uniballs have lots of load capability in every direction (minus pulling towards the c clip) so maybe it's a moot argument either way, and probably more important to just optimize which way you'd rather not be angle limited---which again is why most uppers at least have the bolt horizontally, since the suspension travel would be limited far more than the steering would be limited.

Wow, that sounds like an amazing adventure! Building your own long travel suspension setup is a cool project, and I can see how it would be useful for off-roading and exploring. I haven't built one myself, but I can appreciate the DIY spirit and the desire to customize your vehicle to suit your needs.Africa could be a great destination if you're planning a long travel plan with your car. Tanzania is specifically known for the Great Migration Safari, a spectacular experience. For more information, check out How to plan a trip for Great Migration safari in Tanzania Travel Tweaks

I've been trying to find something exactly like this for my 3rd Gen 4runner. Are you able to modify it to fit on a 3rd gen? Also, are you able to make it only about a 2-2.5 inch wide long travel?

This is for a 3rd gen 4Runner. Go back and read the first post again if you don't believe me.

No I definitely believe you, I meant do you have a UCA with the J-Arm for the 3rd Gen 4Runner and is it possible to make this kit 2 - 2.25 inches wide instead of 3.5 inches?