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Ask A Pro \  Uni Balls VS OEM Ball joints

Uni Balls VS OEM Ball joints

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e10pvmt   +1y
Edited: 10/11/2008 4:12:29 PM by e10pvmt

Ok max got another one for ya......and maybe this is a questions others have or will have

On my front suspension i am using Afco upper arms. Not haveing enough movment to clear a 22 i changed the arms to a set of Afco's that have th eballjoint at a 10 deg angle. Cycling my suspension i noticed the UCA had enough movement in the ball joint to lay a 22. However, after switching to these arms i am now lacking lift. I noticed in a couple of threads you said uni-balls dont get any more articulation than an OEM ball joint. I also found a time when you said a 1" uniball does give more travel.(i feel like a politician citing you previous comments...lol) What are my options with uniballs? Is there a brand of kind of OEM balljoint, matching a moog K772, that will give me more articulation?

I have checked Kartek and Poly Performance and they sell the uniballs as parts individually(i assemble) so what parts do i need? Bearing, sleeve, clip, and misalignment spacer? I also found a company that sells troyer a-arms and they use a uniball setup....it is significantly cheaper than the off road uniballs but they are built for stock cars. I am waiting on a response from them basically asking the same ?'s......below are links to what i have found. Do the poly perf. ones need to be pressed into the optional sleeve or can i skip the sleeve and weld the joint in? Hvae you heard of the Troyer products and if so are the comparable to the off road uniballs?......Please point me in the right direction

thanks


Poly Performance


N.E. Racecars stock car arms



e10pvmt   +1y
man i suck at html....fixed link
thacru78   +1y
Hey man I would give Barely Legal Fab a call they make these uni-joint kits.....

I have a standard unijoint kit without the flush cap. I get 14 inches of travel with 9 inch long upper arms. I could actually get a little more if it weren't for the nut on top of mine. The flush cap like I posted should get more travel...I'm looking to upgrade to that soon mainly for looks...as I get more than enough lift. They also can machine a chromoly shaft for you that will bolt directly to your spindle like a balljoint. These kits are a diamond in the rough...i'm surprised more people don't run them.
post photo
thacru78   +1y


This is what I used on my upper arms...the flush mount cap came out after I already bought mine....I think mine was one of the first ones they sold as a do-it-yourself kit. I have aluminum spindles so welding a misalignment spacer to the top of my spindle was out of the question.
NC Dave   +1y
http://www.hm-engineering.com/index.html

Hm Engineering are good 2 deal with. they get Uni-balls out 2 ya fairly quick
BioMax   +1y
I much prefer uni-balls, but I design around them. Quiet often the joint will me mounted verticle so that the travel isn't limited only the steering is. On most of the trucks out there the whole point is to lay as low as possible on a big wheel and that by it's very nature will limit travel. So I will almost always choose to limit travel rather than travel.
thacru78   +1y
Man Max the more and more I see Uni's used horizontal the more I want to redo my front suspension. Maybe one day....
e10pvmt   +1y
Max-i think you meant you will always choose to limit steering rather than travel...its cool i understood. As for the uniball, the NE race cars arms use a 3\4 uniball but no one has any pics i can find so i guess i will wait on a response from them unless you do not recommend a 3/4 ball. Whne i do order them i need the bearing, sleeve, clip, and spacers right? And is there a place that will sell to the public that you recommend?

Big-I like the barely legal kit but cant get past the almost $400 price tag.....especially when i can get a uniball setup for around $100 a piece. I wish there was a little more inexspensive option but i guess spend the cash now rather than later

thanks guys
BioMax   +1y
Haha. Sorry, yeah I meant limit steering not travel.

I would use a 3/4 uniball as an uppper ball joint comfortably on anything for the street.

Just as Dave posted earlier, HM-engineering.com can supply you anything that you need.
stumbledin   +1y
Originally posted by e10pvmt



Edited: 10/11/2008 4:12:29 PM by e10pvmt

Ok max got another one for ya......and maybe this is a questions others have or will have

On my front suspension i am using Afco upper arms. Not haveing enough movment to clear a 22 i changed the arms to a set of Afco

You dont need more articulation, you need the travel to start and end at the proper angles. By that I mean that IF your balljoints (no matter what kind) are bottomed out when layed out you will have enough travel going up to clear the wheels. Howe Racing screw in balljoints have more travel than a Moog or other screw in but they are about 60-80 bucks each. They do have several sizes and they can be taken apart and have parts replaced.The use of a uniball or other balljoint of that type is really only a looks thing. The down side is that these are not sealed and dirt gets in and grease gets out. Even ones with a Teflon liner will get chewed up with dirt particles.

Your best bet is a screw in balljoint with the proper angle at layed out.