96-02 toyota 4runner front lower ball joint uniball spherical bearing conversion

[mickeyt]

96-02 toyota 4runner front lower ball joint uniball spherical bearing conversion | eBay

96-02 toyota 4runner front lower ball joint uniball spherical bearing conversion

Has anyone done this & if so what feedback do you want to share? What is the cost difference with this & overall value prop?

Thanks in advance

 

[Dezert4Runner]

There are couple threads floating around regarding people attempting to fabricate this type of LBJ for eventual retail sale, but ultimately those threads ended up going nowhere.

The eBay ad says there is only 1 available, but the description says it's priced per pair and there's a $25 core fee. Not shabby for uniball LBJ's, but I'd want to see some welds and learn more about the testing details before installing these and doing freeway speeds with my family in the truck!

Here's the description from the ad:

Hello fellow toyota enthusiasts. If you know you know, the front lower ball joint is a weak point with the 3rd gen 4runners and tacomas. I have designed and produced in cooperation with FMD (fritchle mechanical design) a solid product to increase durability and overall functionality of the flawed oem counter part.

Im offering a core exchange. I prefer OEM toyota front lower ball joint/steering arm assemblies just for ease of manufacturing.
$25 core credit, buyer pays shipping.

Please note these will take time to make as i will need cores (stock ball joints) in order to start production. Price is for one set (one pair)

Not responsible for mis use of product or product failure property damage and or bodily damage and or harm, item is use at your own risk.

 

[T4R2014]

His grammatical errors don't inspire me. I hope he's got some lawyers in case this backfires. Let's be real, I doubt these will last as long as an OEM ball joint.

 

[octanejunkie]

Plus it's only $425 and $15 shipping when OEM is $100 each with free shipping in most cases

FOLLOWED!

Lol

 

[mickeyt]

Sounds a wee bit suspect

 

[Dezert4Runner]

As long as I could be confident that these were fabricated right I don't care about the cons as much as the pros because these are just like a uniball aftermarket UCA in my opinion. Not for everyone that has rust issues where they live for starters. I'm not part of that rust belt demographic and I live in the dry southwest so they appeal to me. Uniballs probably wouldn't hold up as long as a sealed OEM LBJ and they would need occasional Tri-Flow or similar dry lube BUT they're rebuildable indefinitely and in theory a stronger and safer design. When uniballs develop play they don't let loose, they just start clunking. As long as the Welding was done right and a quality uniball was used, I think it's a nice option for the 3rd gen T4R and 1st gen Tacoma platforms. Especially lifted rigs that see more strain on an already weak designed part.

His disclaimer would apply to any aftermarket offroad product, so that shouldn't scare anyone away in my opinion either. It's not really fair to compare a quality aftermarket UCA to a OEM Toyota UCA because they aren't intended for the same buyers. This product is no different in that regard.

Highly debateable, I know! Everybody's got their own reasons to justify why it's good or bad.

 

[kolelt]

I live in NJ. My uniball looks brand new. No rust on it at all. Been through couple winters. And it's still tight.

But I agree. I'd like to see more photos of how it is done. There was a guy on here who designed one also. But never went all the way as in making them and selling them.

 

[gamefreakgc]

OEM LBJ's will last at least 100k miles, sometimes more before the threat of failure.

Do you really think a home-made ebay ball joint will last that long? I have my doubts.

 

[T4R2014]

OEM LBJ's will last at least 100k miles, sometimes more before the threat of failure.

Do you really think a home-made ebay ball joint will last that long? I have my doubts.

Least? More like 250k+ on average.

Those aren't homemade. It seems like he outsources the work to his local machine shop, which could explain the steep price. These just haven't been tested enough to trust yet.

 

[kolelt]

OEM LBJ's will last at least 100k miles, sometimes more before the threat of failure.

Do you really think a home-made ebay ball joint will last that long? I have my doubts.

When you off road, flex the suspension, rock crawl, and land hard. Or put the suspension in different geometry, then it's really designed for. Yeah, I think it can last.

For example. I had brand new UBJ. They went to poop after like 6 months. Got brand new aftermarket UCA with uniball. Still strong and no play after more then 2 years plus winters. I'd say in the end. If it's designed properly. It is stronger then the OEM LBJ.

But.... for some drivers. A uniball can last 10k miles. But those 10k miles can be like 5k miles on OEM. As in, you can beat the crap out of it. And get 10k. Or you can beat the crap out of it, and get 5k.

 

[Dezerts10]

I could throw this topic out to my friends at Camburg engineering and see what they think. I am not very knowledgeable on suspension and Toyotas in general but wondered why no one made a long travel kit with a lower uniball.

Id sort of think it has to do with the tapered shank but that's totally do able with CNC and CAD software.

a long time ago I had a long travel kit on my S10 and cut the lower bj out with a hole saw and welded in a uniball cup. Drilled out the taper in the spindle and ran 3/4 inch bolts. Its fairly easy to do if you have worries about the ball joint failing, the biggest issue was getting the uniball cup to sit at something close tot he same angle as the lower BJ did.

I have a little worry but ive grown up a lot since that S10 and don't plan on jumping and driving to crazy with the 4runner once the Camburg long travel is on it.


EDIT: after looking at my pictures I was sent the Lower BJ is part of the spindle. not part of the arm like on a chevy.

Still probably doable just would take some engineering or like the ebay dude did some sort of modification of the OEM unit.

 

[Dezerts10]

also, that ebay seller has terrible pictures. It would be nice to see the top / bottom of the part then you could see a little better what he did.

welding the cup to cast part or maybe the cast part was machined into a cup and the uniball is held with the snap ring and no welding?

Dezert4runner the ebay user name is tamiyatrophytruck and is from vista. I have never seen that username on any of the off road or desert racing forums. Do you know him? I do not have an ebay account to contact him but he is between you and I. Id like to see this in person and I wouldn't be opposed to running it if I knew the person or could ask friends in the industry if they knew the person.

There are some smart people who do stuff out of there home shop and garage

 

[Dezert4Runner]

I could throw this topic out to my friends at Camburg engineering and see what they think. I am not very knowledgeable on suspension and Toyotas in general but wondered why no one made a long travel kit with a lower uniball.

Id sort of think it has to do with the tapered shank but that's totally do able with CNC and CAD software.

a long time ago I had a long travel kit on my S10 and cut the lower bj out with a hole saw and welded in a uniball cup. Drilled out the taper in the spindle and ran 3/4 inch bolts. Its fairly easy to do if you have worries about the ball joint failing, the biggest issue was getting the uniball cup to sit at something close tot he same angle as the lower BJ did.

I have a little worry but ive grown up a lot since that S10 and don't plan on jumping and driving to crazy with the 4runner once the Camburg long travel is on it.


EDIT: after looking at my pictures I was sent the Lower BJ is part of the spindle. not part of the arm like on a chevy.

Still probably doable just would take some engineering or like the ebay dude did some sort of modification of the OEM unit.

Solo Motorsports makes an optional uniball lower add-on to their fully fabricated 4WD spindle. Does NOT work with factory Toyota spindles. You could run a LT kit with that but would be in it for over $5k after you added your choice of c/o's to the Spindle, Uniball upgrade, and LT kit purchases. Ouch.

https://www.solomotorsports.com/sho...toyota-1-lower-uniball-heim-steering-upgrade/

also, that ebay seller has terrible pictures. It would be nice to see the top / bottom of the part then you could see a little better what he did.

welding the cup to cast part or maybe the cast part was machined into a cup and the uniball is held with the snap ring and no welding?

Dezert4runner the ebay user name is tamiyatrophytruck and is from vista. I have never seen that username on any of the off road or desert racing forums. Do you know him? I do not have an ebay account to contact him but he is between you and I. Id like to see this in person and I wouldn't be opposed to running it if I knew the person or could ask friends in the industry if they knew the person.

There are some smart people who do stuff out of there home shop and garage

I saw that too, but I don't recognize the guy from any of the forums I'm on either. I just went to look up the one big thread that Z-4runner started to show you the fabrication and welds he had, which were top notch, and I found that our eBay guy actually posted his work on this thread just last month! See post #131 http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/215009-lower-ball-joint-uniball-conversion-9.html

Looks like Z-4runner's version has a uniball cup welded into the OEM bracket and Tamiya's is just drilled out and attached via a snap ring or something?

 

[Roc Doc]

There are couple threads floating around regarding people attempting to fabricate this type of LBJ for eventual retail sale, but ultimately those threads ended up going nowhere.

The eBay ad says there is only 1 available, but the description says it's priced per pair and there's a $25 core fee. Not shabby for uniball LBJ's, but I'd want to see some welds and learn more about the testing details before installing these and doing freeway speeds with my family in the truck!

Here's the description from the ad:

Hello fellow toyota enthusiasts. If you know you know, the front lower ball joint is a weak point with the 3rd gen 4runners and tacomas. I have designed and produced in cooperation with FMD (fritchle mechanical design) a solid product to increase durability and overall functionality of the flawed oem counter part.

Im offering a core exchange. I prefer OEM toyota front lower ball joint/steering arm assemblies just for ease of manufacturing.
$25 core credit, buyer pays shipping.

Please note these will take time to make as i will need cores (stock ball joints) in order to start production. Price is for one set (one pair)

Not responsible for mis use of product or product failure property damage and or bodily damage and or harm, item is use at your own risk.

I guess that begs the question are the LBJ's really weak? I'm not jumping my Runner, but do like to drive fast on dirt roads when I can. And if the OEM's are lasting 100k or 200k or whatever, does some baja driving really shorten their life...assuming proper bumpstops etc.?

We've all seen pics of Runners with a broken LBJ, but it's not like it's an epidemic. The move to Uni's up top is as much about getting range of motion, but is this also the case in the lower?

 

[kolelt]

Solo Motorsports makes an optional uniball lower add-on to their fully fabricated 4WD spindle. Does NOT work with factory Toyota spindles. You could run a LT kit with that but would be in it for over $5k after you added your choice of c/o's to the Spindle, Uniball upgrade, and LT kit purchases. Ouch.

https://www.solomotorsports.com/sho...toyota-1-lower-uniball-heim-steering-upgrade/




I saw that too, but I don't recognize the guy from any of the forums I'm on either. I just went to look up the one big thread that Z-4runner started to show you the fabrication and welds he had, which were top notch, and I found that our eBay guy actually posted his work on this thread just last month! See post #131 http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/215009-lower-ball-joint-uniball-conversion-9.html

Looks like Z-4runner's version has a uniball cup welded into the OEM bracket and Tamiya's is just drilled out and attached via a snap ring or something?

I showed that topic to total chaos. And they said, they run stock OEM LBJ on their long travel kit ! And something about the unibal wouldn't work because of the 4wd. Don't exactly remember. But basically the said no.

If total chaos uses stock LBJ. Then it has to be strong ??

 

[Dezert4Runner]

I guess that begs the question are the LBJ's really weak? I'm not jumping my Runner, but do like to drive fast on dirt roads when I can. And if the OEM's are lasting 100k or 200k or whatever, does some baja driving really shorten their life...assuming proper bumpstops etc.?

We've all seen pics of Runners with a broken LBJ, but it's not like it's an epidemic. The move to Uni's up top is as much about getting range of motion, but is this also the case in the lower?

If you’re already running uniball UCA’s I think the cv is going to limit your range and bind before the Uniball LBJ could get any extra range of motion.

Without a uniball UCA, the stock UBJ would limit your travel before the uniball lower’s range of motion would increase over what a stock LBJ would give you. The real idea here is the strength and design not letting loose in such a violent fashion.

Most OEM LBJ’s last 100-200k+ miles, but how much of that is after the rig has been lifted and wheeled? My guess is at least half of those miles are while in stock form, which is less strain on them. If I were to install a set of OEM LBJ’s on my rig the way it sits and the wheeling I do, I’d be getting nervous about longevity long before I approached 100K!

 

[linkedtamiya]

Thanks for the interest in my product

 

[kolelt]

So anyone on here actually but these yet ??

 

[Kelevra]

Thanks for the interest in my product

Perhaps you could provide us some more insight on your product..

 

[tx_shooter]

First; I want to know who the heck is getting 100,000 or 200,000 miles out of stock LBJs? I did good to get 60,000 out of mine. I daily drive the hell out of it and off road/ overland with it on a pretty regular basis.


Second; I am interested in this product so I want to see what the engineering is. What material and grade is everything made of? tolerances?