aftermarket UCA's

[DSM_guy]

ok, well i have been looking at doing both a BL and a SL. i have been reading about ways to raise the front end after the JGC SL. i have seen posts about calmini and a few others brands of 3" lift UCA's. here is my question....does bolting on one of those automatically GIVE you 3" of lift? or is that UCA engineered to correct everything in the event of a 3" lift from say.....aftermarket torsion bars? sorry if it sounds confusing, couldent find a better way to put it. tia!

[GrimGreg]

They are engineered to allow proper distance between the UCA and bump stop after you crank the T-bars(aftermarket T-bars not required). The aftermarkets also are made so that your truck will be able to be alligned with the 3" crank.

[Guest Deathrunner]

Do you actually gain any wheel travel with these kits.

 

If so what is stock wheel travel and what is after wheel travel?

[GrimGreg]

Not really, you're limited by the range of travel the CV has. What the lift basically does is put you towards the limit of your droop on the front, rather than sitting more centered in your travel range like stock.

[Mr. Pickles]

They are engineered to allow proper distance between the UCA and bump stop after you crank the T-bars(aftermarket T-bars not required). The aftermarkets also are made so that your truck will be able to be alligned with the 3" crank.

I don't know about the UCA to bumpstop distance, but could be. I just put on Superlift UCA's over the weekend, and actually LOST some distance to the bump stops slightly compared to stock UCA's, but the new UCA's change suspension geometry so I could be wrong. A gain of travel could happen though, as I haven't measured. The nice thing is that the aftermarket UCA's correct the angle of the upper ball joints (which I replaced as well), as they get pretty badly tweaked if you lift via the torsion bars without the new UCA's. I had already done the aftermarket Tbars (SwayAway from AC) but many others have done fine just leaving the stock bars. Also, your truck should be able to be aligned with the stock bars and UCA's being lifted by cranking the Tbars. I've done so for 2 years. The problem is, you're wearing out other parts that can be spendy and a PITA to replace.

 

Oh, and I've got the 3" BL as well.

Edited August 24, 2005 by Mr. Pickles

[DSM_guy]

ok....so just making sure i read correctly, aftermarket UCA's do NOT give any lift. they only correct the BJ angle when you lift your front end whatever distance they are designed for?

 

and another comment above sparked a question. as far as factory t bars go...i thought you could only get about 1.5-2" of lift outta them? is that because of the stock UCA's? if i upgrade to aftermarket UCA's will i be able to get more lift out of the stockers? thanks guys..yall have been a huge help

Edited August 24, 2005 by DSM_guy

[jj big shoe]

ok....so just making sure i read correctly, aftermarket UCA's do NOT give any lift. they only correct the BJ angle when you lift your front end whatever distance they are designed for?

Right. All the front lift is attained by adjusting the torsion bars. The new UCA's correct the BJ angle.

You don't necessarily need to replace the torsion bars, just crank' em. If they hold the height and don't sag after a few days you're set. If you can't get the height you want, try re-indexing them.

BTW, I have an '87 that most likely has the original t-bars and they are holding up fine after I cranked on them.

[Mr. Pickles]

Also, word is that a if you compared the same ride height with stock T bars vs heavy duty aftermarket ones, you'd have a rougher ride cause as the bars are cranked and more twist is applied, they give stiffer movement (or something to that affect, somebody can probably explain it better). So basically the aftermarket ones wouldn't be "working" as hard to hold the height. Does that make sense?

[DSM_guy]

makes perfect sense. the best solution (and it will happen) will be to just replace with heavy duty t-bars im sure. thanks a million guys, there has been much help given here. hopefully this will clear up a few other peoples questions in the future as well.

[Guest Deathrunner]

Well, the uca lift sounds like a terrible idea then.....basically you're just getting the poor flex and stiff ride of a torsion crank lift, except you save balljoints and make alignments easier.

 

Cranking bars gives lift, yes that is nice....but the only benefit.

 

You also get a rougher ride and since the arms are preloaded so much, you will probably never flex to the point of touching the bumpstops.

 

If I am wrong, someone please post a picture of a similarly lifted rig touching the bumpstops.

[88pathoffroad]

This one is awful close. That's with reindexed stock t-bars and Superlift UCA's.

 

 

 

The ride's not that much stiffer, even with RS5000 shocks. At least, it doesn't bother me. If it bothers people that much, they're probably better off not lifting it anyway. Personally, I like the way mine rides. It's kinda wallowy and loose, but able to roll over hills three feet tall without much problem. I might go stiffer with an SAS, but the added height would be worth it.

 

Also, you could run your tires a little lower if you wanted it less stiff...

[DSM_guy]

correct me if im wrong...but arent aftermarket UCA's pretty much needed to do the lifting job right? you might sacrifice one thing for another, but welcome to cars. you change one thing...you may lose another. i mean, i know you can use the BJ spacers for the stock arms...but i was under the assumption that if you wanna do it RIGHT, you need to pony up the dough and get aftermarkets?

 

also, another question that was raised...if you use lift UCA's, do you get more lift from your stock t-bars? as i mentioned earlir...i thought stockers were only good for about 2" of lift max. after you swap uca's do you get more lift then? or is that where re-indexing come in?

 

and dang 88, your pathy looks HOT! that is some flex! and all you did for that is the bl, sl, shocks, and tires?

[Guest Deathrunner]

This one is awful close. That's with reindexed stock t-bars and Superlift UCA's.

 

 

 

The ride's not that much stiffer, even with RS5000 shocks. At least, it doesn't bother me. If it bothers people that much, they're probably better off not lifting it anyway. Personally, I like the way mine rides. It's kinda wallowy and loose, but able to roll over hills three feet tall without much problem. I might go stiffer with an SAS, but the added height would be worth it.

 

Also, you could run your tires a little lower if you wanted it less stiff...

Shoot....I couldn't see your pictures, the links are broken.

 

How do you re-index your torsions. This can't be doen on toyotas from what I know because of teh the over the frame trosions.....

[GrimGreg]

To Re-index you just reinstall the t-bars so they are pre-wound a little. There are a couple methods for doing it on our trucks.

[Mr. Pickles]

Like 88 says regarding the stock Tbars, you'd be fine with them and maybe reindexing. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably spend the $200+ (can't remember exactly) for the aftermarket Tbars on something else first, like doing the UCA's. But hey, that was one of the first swaps I did after getting the truck. Comparing the stock UCA's with the nasty angles of the upper balljoints cause of the lift, and appreciating the bit of a pain of replacing the BJ's cause I was too cheap to do it right the first time, I'd suggest the UCA's for piece of mind. You get your lift but the angles stay like stock= no bad wear. And if nothing else, they look sweet.