3rd Gen 4runner *SPECIFIC* Ebay Front Uniball UCA

[FreshSeabass]

So, awhile back I went ahead and bought the Ebay UCA in order to tell whether they were worth the investment and potential risk of not being perfect. About 5 months later, here I am writing a review:

*Here is a link to my YouTube review*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCI9g9zCwTI



Pros:
- Inexpensive alternative to TC UCA ($350) USD
- Robust
- Improved design over previous model(s)
- Durable

Cons:
- Risk Factor
- Unknown supply
- UCA Thru bolt was 1/2mm too small for bushing sleeve
- May require bushing replacement in order to fit perfect.

My application:
Early model 4runner (1996) 3rz-Fe 5 speed M/T

Fitment:
As stated above the main issue was that the mounting thru bolt for the UCA was 1/2-3/4mm too small in diameter. The remedy for this is to replace the bushings with a bushing and sleeve kit from All-Pro Offroad.

Misc:
I will be the first to say that they were a different color. The current blue color on there is not my taste and they will be getting a fresh stripping and powder coat to be metallic grey.

Conclusion:
If you are someone who does not mind problem solving this can be an alternative to buying $800 control arms. This may also apply if you are a broke college student looking to keep upgrading your rig to get away on the weekends and wheel with your friends whom are out of college making substantially more money than you. I can say, yes, I would recommend these to someone who is willing and able to work around minor imperfections.
My Rating: 9/10 eace:

 

[JayRolla]

So, awhile back I went ahead and bought the Ebay UCA in order to tell whether they were worth the investment and potential risk of not being perfect. About 5 months later, here I am writing a review:

*Here is a link to my YouTube review*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCI9g9zCwTI

View attachment 218213

Pros:
- Inexpensive alternative to TC UCA ($350) USD
- Robust
- Improved design over previous model(s)
- Durable

Cons:
- Risk Factor
- Unknown supply
- UCA Thru bolt was 1/2mm too small for bushing sleeve
- May require bushing replacement in order to fit perfect.

My application:
Early model 4runner (1996) 3rz-Fe 5 speed M/T

Fitment:
As stated above the main issue was that the mounting thru bolt for the UCA was 1/2-3/4mm too small in diameter. The remedy for this is to replace the bushings with a bushing and sleeve kit from All-Pro Offroad.

Misc:
I will be the first to say that they were a different color. The current blue color on there is not my taste and they will be getting a fresh stripping and powder coat to be metallic grey.

Conclusion:
If you are someone who does not mind problem solving this can be an alternative to buying $800 control arms. This may also apply if you are a broke college student looking to keep upgrading your rig to get away on the weekends and wheel with your friends whom are out of college making substantially more money than you. I can say, yes, I would recommend these to someone who is willing and able to work around minor imperfections.
My Rating: 9/10 eace:

Nice write up. Never heard of $800 control arms but for the price those are not bad. I got my SPC for $370 shipped but that was lucky pricing I found.

 

[kolelt]

Nice write up. Never heard of $800 control arms but for the price those are not bad. I got my SPC for $370 shipped but that was lucky pricing I found.

Total Chaos is close to 700$, the HEIM joint are like 800-$900$ , icon are $800, I paid basically $600 for my built right uniball. Which is a trusted brand. A lot of people on Tacoma forums have it. Few guys have it on here. And it's a small shop in Cali that builds custom off road vehicle.

 

[FreshSeabass]

Nice write up. Never heard of $800 control arms but for the price those are not bad. I got my SPC for $370 shipped but that was lucky pricing I found.

Like "k" said, most Uniball UCA's out there are in the $7-800 range. I appreciate the comment!

 

[JayRolla]

Like "k" said, most Uniball UCA's out there are in the $7-800 range. I appreciate the comment!

Only reason I said it was because I got some Icon for $699 and then had them add a discount since the competition is so rough. So easy to get them lower than MSRP.

 

[FreshSeabass]

Only reason I said it was because I got some Icon for $699 and then had them add a discount since the competition is so rough. So easy to get them lower than MSRP.

That's awesome! I was on a pretty tight budge now being completely independent and paying for college, unfortunately I couldn't go name brand...
Anyways, I like to find stuff out like whether these would actually work so, I went ahead, bought these and I also bought a full rear link set from the same seller, they are pretty spot on! I will post about the rear links as well! :eyebrows:

Here's a few quick shots of the rears:

They're of close to top notch quality!




When the heims go, I will upgrade them all to FK heims.
All in all $400 is an expense I was willing to take for what I got! So far they ride really well! :bump:

 

[FreshSeabass]

Bump

 

[CDNsldr]

Subbed for a review and install of the rear links!

 

[toyzoku]

Any links of where you found these items?

 

[4rFrog]

That's awesome! I was on a pretty tight budge now being completely independent and paying for college, unfortunately I couldn't go name brand...
Anyways, I like to find stuff out like whether these would actually work so, I went ahead, bought these and I also bought a full rear link set from the same seller, they are pretty spot on! I will post about the rear links as well! :eyebrows:

Here's a few quick shots of the rears:
View attachment 218353
They're of close to top notch quality!
View attachment 218354

View attachment 218355

When the heims go, I will upgrade them all to FK heims.
All in all $400 is an expense I was willing to take for what I got! So far they ride really well! :bump:

How are the rear control arms holding up?

 

[FreshSeabass]

How are the rear control arms holding up?

They've held up incredibly. Over 20k miles, no problems. Time due a rebuild, note you will need to find misalignment spacers for the Toyota hardware because the misalignments that are on there are not the correct inner bore. They are super strong. It pays to be a guinea pig every now and again

 

[raty4R]

How many miles do you have on the UCA's? Do you drive with full confidence in the UCA's? There were lots of threads a while ago with a lot of people questioning their quality. I bought a set almost a year ago but haven't installed them yet. Mine are silver.

 

[FreshSeabass]

How many miles do you have on the UCA's? Do you drive with full confidence in the UCA's? There were lots of threads a while ago with a lot of people questioning their quality. I bought a set almost a year ago but haven't installed them yet. Mine are silver.

I have been extremely hard on these uppers. There's no other way I can describe how I have treated them. I have easily done 4,000 miles of dirt driving in rough terrain here where I live. On top of all of that, a lot the rough driving I have done has been at a high speed. I will admit there have been moments where I hit corrugations thinking my whole truck would rattle apart. I was pleasantly surprised when I did my torque inspection to find that everything was within spec. Its been Over 20,000 miles since the installation.

 

[Scramble]

I paid $460 w/ shipping for my All-Pro UCA's. The extra $100 is worth it for peace of mind while driving. Glad you're having good luck with them.

 

[4rFrog]

View attachment 310020

They've held up incredibly. Over 20k miles, no problems. Time due a rebuild, note you will need to find misalignment spacers for the Toyota hardware because the misalignments that are on there are not the correct inner bore. They are super strong. It pays to be a guinea pig every now and again

Impressive!

 

[Chrslefty]

View attachment 310020

They've held up incredibly. Over 20k miles, no problems. Time due a rebuild, note you will need to find misalignment spacers for the Toyota hardware because the misalignments that are on there are not the correct inner bore. They are super strong. It pays to be a guinea pig every now and again

Were did you find your misalignment spacers that work with them?
Are they still holding up well, I'm thinking about picking up a set .

 

[FreshSeabass]

I have a friend with a machine shop and he as an expert machinist guided me along the process of
turning some. One other thing you could do is get a set of 7/8" size misalignments that step down to 3/4" bolt holes and turn down the 7/8" side .009". 22mm and 7/8" are almost the same size.

Were did you find your misalignment spacers that work with them?
Are they still holding up well, I'm thinking about picking up a set .

 

[nameless4runner]

I've been eyeing these myself as well, not sure how I can get a set of stepped down bolts though, you have any links to the maker?