Flipped Balljoints with pics

So many people ask about flipping balljoints, so I thought while I was dropping my truck again today, I'd get pics for the newbies.

Upper Stock


Upper "flipped"


Lower stock, (except it's already had the hump cut out previously)


Lower "flipped" sorry this pic isn't better I'd almost forgot to take it.


Oh yeah, and here's a pic of the torsion splines. You'll notice I marked mine with a Sharpie before adjusting.


My results from an afternoon's work?

From this


To this

How much lower will flipped ball joints alone make the front end? And does it work the same as how a drop spindal does? Just by lifting the spindal hence lowering the ride height? Thanks heaps. Nick

I would say that it makes about a 1" to 1 1/2" drop. I don't fully know because I ran a spindle along with the flip. After I did mine I used a 16" wheel. Since it does split the two control arms apart, I don't know if you can run a 14" wheel.

I know you can run a 14" wheel on flipped ball joints. my first truck was like that and so is my back up daily.

The flip I did isn't that "flip" lol. I've done that before, but it wouldn't work with Pathfinder wheels. I thought about doing it like that now though with my 16" Chevy wheels. Just kinda was worried it was safe or not. You do have to retaper your spindles like that as well though.

I just did the "small" flip, as in just put them on the other sides of the control arms, but faced the same stock way. This gives you only a half inch or so.

Like yours Sierra, did that help out the camber as well?

Did you have toyota spindles? ? Why did you physically flip the ball joint, Sierra. . . I had to physically flip mine ove because I have toyota spindles. . But you should jus bring the bj to the top side of the arm if you have mazda spindles. . . unless you have to flip em like that cuz of the drop spindles? ? ?



-Josh

much better

The spindles that I had were already tapered that way. As far as safety, it is the same any way you flip the ball joints. When stock the Ball joints force goes through the four bolts supported by the control arm since the BJ is under the arm and it points down. When you flip it like in the original post pics, the BJ is now on top pointed down so the force goes just through the 4 bolts. The same goes for the way I did it, BJ under the control arm but it faces up, so the force only goes through the 4 bolts.

I worked great for the 2 summers that I had it like that with no problems.

With the spindle on.


This is the what is camber and everything looks like with the wheel on.

I had flipped bj's on Kermit for a little while and it was the worst suspension mod I did. The truck rode like a sack of crap and had so much camber I chewed through a set of tires in 200 miles.

Currently, I have 14s and my torsion bars cranked and this is how it sits. No bj flip and no spindles. I don't see why I would need to flip my bj's at all. Even when I go to reindex my bars, it will sit just as low but without the bolts hanging down in the danger zone below the frame. Tires are 205/65/14


Monoleafed, 3" blocks and cranked bars. That's it.


Oh, and Hotdawg, your truck is lookin sick! Nice work.

Personally I liked the spindles and flipped BJ's. I actually had suspension in the front. I had lots of travel and I don't think that I ever bottomed out. The worst thing that I had was the tires rubbing the inner fenders. Yes, and the poly bump stops are a must.