Charlie Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 I keep hearing about problems with the Automotive Customizers upper control arms. What are these problems? I was wanting to do the lift, and at only 300 bucks for the whole kit sans shocks, this seems pretty reasonable to me. I used the search but after an hour and a half I am giving up. I know that you can order the control arms separate from a few companies, and use JGC coils, but having it all in a kit would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeV Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Did you do a body lift yet? even cheaper from AC and those parts don't bend... If you need UCA's get rough country or if you have the extra dime get calmini... Okay a bit more than a dime but bulletproof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 So if I am reading this right, the control arms bend? That would be no good. I want to do the suspension lift now, because I think that it will serve to build a better foundation for a solid rig. After I do that, I will do a body lift and tires. With a three inch sus. lift and a three inch body lift, some people have said I can clear 35's. Is that true? I have 31x10.50's on it now and they articulate and tuck just fine, and all I have done is tighten the torsion bars to level the truck out. The control arms are not on either bumpstop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Here's the thing. AC's UCA's, though sturdy, aren't any longer, or any different design than stock. So when you crank the torsion bars to gain the lift, you'll have the same alignability issues that you would with stock UCA's. RoughCountry arms (rebranded superlift) are excellent. They're longer than stock, and also bend near the ball joint mount to allow for proper ball joint angle after lifting. Calmini, while more costly, are NOT better. They're prone to premature bushing failure, and even when the bushings are okay, they squeak like hell. I'd shy away from them, especially considering they cost far more than the RoughCountry arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyb33 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I heard calmini fixed their bushing problems? maybe not, but i could swear i heard that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 They may have fixed the squeak, but anyone I know of with Calmini UCA's, whether they have the new, or the old bushings, still have to replace them WAY too often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Ok, so no Calmini UCA's. With a 3 inch suspension lift, i should clear 33's pretty easily right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 NOPE. Not easily at all. Only a 33x9.5 would clear, and even that would be very tight. (some trimming involved) I run a 285/75R16 tire (33x11.5) and I have a 3" suspension lift and a 3" body lift and still get some rubbing. A general rule of thumb with our trucks.... 3+3=33. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth1 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 The bushing issue can be easily solved by using the right lube. Granted it took a while to figure it out. If anyone is destroying bushings it is their fault for running them dry; if it's squeaking it's not lubricated. I was going to add zerks to mine the next time I had them off to grease, but that was like 2 years ago- I'm still on the same grease, and bushings. Anyone with Calmini arms or any poly bushings should use a super thick marine grade lube like NEO, problem solved. My opinion, but the Calmini arms are by far the best arms out there. Just look at them. Sure they cost more, but you get what you pay for. Every time I get an alignment the techs are like "jesus those are beefy". If you can spare the change for the Calmini UCAs and want an indestructable upper arm, get them. Especially if you're wiling to pay the price of the AC kit; the calmini arms and some jeep coils will only cost you about $50 more. Calmini seems to have developed a stigma on forums by a bunch of people spreading rumors with no experience with the product or the company. I've ordered from them twice and had nothing but excellent service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 The bushing issue can be easily solved by using the right lube. Granted it took a while to figure it out. If anyone is destroying bushings it is their fault for running them dry; if it's squeaking it's not lubricated. I was going to add zerks to mine the next time I had them off to grease, but that was like 2 years ago- I'm still on the same grease, and bushings. Anyone with Calmini arms or any poly bushings should use a super thick marine grade lube like NEO, problem solved. Not true. I know folks running them on Xterras that grease them WEEKLY and are killing the bushings every year. Heavily wheeled, they don't hold up, from what I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tincan4X4 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Where can you get just the arms? All I can find are complete kits for the hardbody. And they are just 1.5-2" lifts, so I guess the extra lift is from tweeking the torsion bars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Call RoughCountry. They may quote you a really high price. Call back again. Mine were about $170USD shipped, that was last Christmas. The lift is ONLY from cranking the T-bars. Arms themselves provide absolutely no lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth1 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I would bet they aren't using the grease I'm talking about then. The stuff is ridiculously thick, thicker than honey and it's teflon based so water proof. It has held up for ever on mine with wheeling through water, mud, dust, heat, cold. Not to mention Magnesium Chloride, and regular blastings with a pressure washer. I used to hate my UCAs till I started using it. I was also greasing weekly if not more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Now that may be. However, even regular grease, while they still may squeak, should lubricate the bushings properly with constant use like that. What I mean by that is that the thicker grease wouldn't help the bushings any more than the other grease they have used, as often as they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Im not overly defending AC, but my arms have worked great. I was able to get the alignment within specs and they dont sqeak too often now that I installed grease zerks. I do regular checks on the bolts and nuts to verify everthing is properly tightened and make sure there are no other problems. I did notice a little bit of wear on the bushings when I rebuilt my right CV, but I also had the torsions overcranked(I have Sway-Away bars). Dropped it down a little, regreased and all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Are your upper balljoints at extreme angles though? That's my issue with AC's arms. They aren't bent to correct that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 They may have been a little extreme before I lowered the front a touch. But the joint boots are fine and it doesnt take a tonn of effort to turn. I dont know, maybe I got lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 I called Rough Country today, and they quoted me $158 for UCAs, bushings, and zerks. Checker also has JGC coils for $77 for the pair. And how come 31's clear just fine with completely stock suspension, I mean absolutely no modifications, but 33's won't totally clear even with a 3inch suspension lift and a 3 inch body lift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I clear 33x10.5 BFG M/T's with the 3+3. I did some trimming, but that was only because i wanted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krmiller07 Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 So if I am reading this right, the control arms bend? That would be no good. I want to do the suspension lift now, because I think that it will serve to build a better foundation for a solid rig. After I do that, I will do a body lift and tires. With a three inch sus. lift and a three inch body lift, some people have said I can clear 35's. Is that true? I have 31x10.50's on it now and they articulate and tuck just fine, and all I have done is tighten the torsion bars to level the truck out. The control arms are not on either bumpstop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krmiller07 Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 I just bought a set of Rancho UCA's on ebay are these any longer than the stock arms? I 'm only going after about 2.5-3.0 inches of lift probably using JGC springs. My main concern is the proper geometry to attain the correct alignment and keep the ball joints from binding and or breaking. Any info on those arm's? I would have to agree on the choice of grease with poly bushings. My experince with these bushings or any poly type of material is to use a grease which contains " Teflon" or PTF, I have also used anti-sieze lubricant or assembly lube. This works great lasts along time and wont wash away. I fact it's nearly impossible to get off with brake clean !!!! It has molybenendum or"moly" in it along with grafite. Just don't wipe it on your pant or wash your shop rags in the wifes washer and dryer, you'll never hear the end of it. It sticks to EVERYTHING !!!!! krm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Here's the thing. AC's UCA's, though sturdy, aren't any longer, or any different design than stock. So when you crank the torsion bars to gain the lift, you'll have the same alignability issues that you would with stock UCA's. RoughCountry arms (rebranded superlift) are excellent. They're longer than stock, and also bend near the ball joint mount to allow for proper ball joint angle after lifting. Calmini, while more costly, are NOT better. They're prone to premature bushing failure, and even when the bushings are okay, they squeak like hell. I'd shy away from them, especially considering they cost far more than the RoughCountry arms. Im not overly defending AC, but my arms have worked great. I was able to get the alignment within specs and they dont sqeak too often now that I installed grease zerks. I do regular checks on the bolts and nuts to verify everthing is properly tightened and make sure there are no other problems. I did notice a little bit of wear on the bushings when I rebuilt my right CV, but I also had the torsions overcranked(I have Sway-Away bars). Dropped it down a little, regreased and all is well. Rought country and Superlift are the same thing, just different paint/zink coating. I thought I heard that the Rough countries are discontinued though?? Also there seems to be some question as to if the AC UCAs are sufficiently angled to correct the upper ball joint alignment when the truck is lifted (the whole point). Many people have run them without mishap though... B Probably not the best thread for it, but we can cross link in the future... For what it is worth, the difference between the Superlift (aka Rough Country) UCAs compared to the Explorer (aka AC UCAs). Batteries not included, for ages 5 and older and mileage may vary... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I've had no problems aligning mine with the AC arms on mine either. The tires still wear funny but that is my fault for driving with loose steering parts and worn bushings. the ball joint angle isn't all that bad either. Still relatively flat. I guess I got one of the good sets like derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowser Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I'm going to have to call Rough Country and Complain. My set never came with that Wrench you got Precise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 or the corner of a no running by the pool sticker with the stupid slip and fall silhouette person. Boy those silhouettes are dumb... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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