JBA upper control arms any good?

So I found some used JBA upper arms for 50$ that would fit my 2006 DC tundra. Looks like I can still get new bushings and ball joints from JBA if I need them. Very impressed with JBAs customer service in answering my questions.

1) Are these a decent brand? Do they last? I've got no experience with them but I like the fact they are grease able and rebuild able. Truck they are on had 104 miles on the odometer.

2) I also have some mild lift springs and billy 5100s I could throw on, but I'd need to lift the rear slightly. Is a helper spring the best way to go? Won't be towing too much until I get a brake upgrade done....

3) pic is showing the amount of lift needed in the rear.

Thanks!

 

Hail yes! You can also sell em for more.

 

I absolutely suck at selling stuff on marketplace or Kijiji... Better at buying, lol!

 

I still like mine after over 2 years. Every couple months i grease em, and they never squeak.

if those are yours in the pics, rebuild em & start planning the tube chassis you’ll need in the future.

i’d skip the helper springs and get an HD leafpack. But if you can junkyard, i helped a buddy build a 6/1 bastard pack out of some extra tundra leafs and was really surprised how well it rode with an empty bed and 2” of lift.

 

If I didn't have SPC on my truck, I would've gone with JBA. I think they're the perfect solution for people who need to correct for lift, update, and stick with a noise-free UBJ. Beat the shit out of any of the big-name tubular uppers on the market.

On the rear, I'd update the leafs with an HD leaf, personally. But if you just need 3/4", an AAL (add-a-leaf) will get you there. But how is the front currently lifted?

 

This is good timing, I’m looking into what uca’s to get.

 

Topic is covered in the "Suspension, wheel and tires ..." section of the megathread. I think these three points cover most of the stuff people need to know.

• Extras... At 1.5" of lift or higher, you'll want extended swaybar links, Suspension Maxx sells, to avoid travel limitations. As you approach 2.5" of lift with 1GT trucks, you're closing in on thresholds of OEM travel and should consider extras to compensate. Examples: You'll want new upper control arms (UCA) to more easily hit alignment numbers. At 3" and beyond, you may need to snug up your OEM CV boots or get ORS extended boots or similar to avoid grease-sling or ripping, and probably add bumpstops, etc. There are a lot of considerations - think about it, or ask questions in the forum if you need a sanity check!
• 1st Gen diff drops are a joke, unless ½° of angle is significant to you? Save your hard earned money.
• When buying new upper control arms, There are a few types, know what you're getting, read more here to help you decide.

 

Thanks @shifty` ive looked through those just seen mixed reviews. I’m on the dobinson/5100s at 2” and 168k miles so definitely could use new ucas I also want to go with solo lca’s. $$

they are also doing an MCB tuning event in Houston soon

 

The Carolina squat pic was taken during the 10 min I tried out some billy 5100 struts with unknown springs giving it a bit of a lift. Right now I'm sitting on worn out aftermarket quick struts. (I found that out when the inner diameter of the coil Spring wouldn't fit on the bill 5100 spring perch!)

I've got Billy 5100 shocks in the back so I theoretically could go with a 1" lift back there. Is there a difference between 2wd vs 4wd rear springs? Would be open to the idea of Frankenstein leaf pack by adding a leaf from the junkyard if I could find a decent how to. Would you use the shortest leaf?
I'll grab the JBAs if I can for future install after I've made sure the lower cam bolts can be adjusted.

Another question, how do I tell if this is a Toyota LCA? I don't want to rebuild it if it's aftermarket.

Thank you all in advance!

 

BTW, that mega thread is amazing!

 

I wanna say that the three dimples on the LCA are rounded rather than pointed on the LCA. I'm pulling from memory and haven't looked at mine to confirm. I think what was on my truck when I got it was pointed and the OEM replacements were rounded. I'm not sure if the part number is engraved like that or not.

 

Here are my factory LCA, with around 75k original miles on them. Conical. Maybe they're rounded on earlier years?

​

 

I probably had it backwards because mines an 06.

 

Why is it everytime I read a thread on this forum there's something I want to buy for my truck?

 

Hey man, this is 1st Gen. We love spending other people's money.

 

Very interesting, I'd say they are both conical, but Shifty's seem to be a bit more pointed.. and these have a stamped part number in the area behind LBJ where Shiftys has a "R".

 

I think it’s the angle. I suspect mine has that number also. I drove the truck today, running errands. Totally forgot to look.

we actually both have R’s in the same two spots. I suspect we are both running OEM. Not that it matters necessarily. But those OEM bushings last an eternity compared to Moog and other brands.

 

These particular ones were off an 08/ 2005 DC built for the Canadian market if that makes any difference. Out of the 4 bushing, I think I'd replace one. The rest seem fine. At least by sticking a long drift punch in the bushing and trying to wiggle it around. (1 feels softer and has more movement that the rest). The arms also seem to have less rust than mine.
Good to know about the Toyota bushing. They are spendy... But I hate doing stuff twice!

I was able to grab the JBA UCAs, they will need new bushings though. Ball joints seem fine. Def had been greased well!

 

on the topic of UCAs, there are some TC UCAs near me for 800 on marketplace, or I could get JBA for about 600, what do you guys think?

 

All I know is the customer support for answering questions at JBA is top notch!

 

I’ve been debating going with solo stock length lcas or oem when I redo mine. I want to finish up refreshing the front end. Bushings are really the only thing I’m thinking, how old do you think the new old stock of oem lcas are I wonder if the rubber is all dried out or not.

 

American company. American-made product. American pride at play.

And to think, this is how everything used to be, before corporations decided to destroy American manufacturing by offshoring production to countries using subpar workmanship and materials...

People 35-40yo and under may never know how good it once was to be a consumer, buying American goods.

 

Don't replace only one, then call it a day. If you plan to replace one, replace them all, just refresh it now, and know you'll be good for another 20k-30k miles. And since they're polyurethane bushings, be sure to get some poly-compatible grease, and slather it all over them before install, I like Super Lube poly-safe products. Poly has a penchant for squeaking like a SOB any time it touches metal, unless you grease them.

And don't torque their bolts down until the truck is on the ground. If you torque them to spec while still in the air, you'll pinch the poly bushing tight. Then, when you drop the truck, guess what happens to the bushing? TWIST! That's how you destroy a poly bushing.

It's not. Rubber degrades with oxygen, aka "oxidizes", and with UV as well. A lot of parts get bagged and boxed to avoid oxidation and UB exposure. I seriously doubt Toyota is leaving their parts out to open air, and in the sun, while waiting for purchase.

To put that in perspective though, as someone who, for decades, worked on vintage bikes, using vintage bike parts. I have some 5-year old rubber brake blocks for caliper brakes in a box. They stayed in the same plastic bag their whole life. They are just as pliable as they were when they were made in central Europe back in the 70s. On the contrary, I have some old brake calipers that weren't bagged, using the same rubber pads, probably made in the same decade, and those pad blocks are hard as a friggin rock.

The big issue these days is, "they don't make rubber like they used to (unless they make a point of it)". In a lot of the cheaper brands, like Moog, Carquest, NAPA and such, they're using "chubber" (Chinese Rubber) which is made as cheaply as possible, oxidizes very quickly, and can't hold up to the conditions over here, especially in the south. Bushings (esp. LCA bushings, ir seems) blow out within 1-2 years and show signs of major cracking, if "chubber". Examples are available in our 1st gen "hall of shame" thread, which serves to highlight shitty/failure aftermarket parts for our trucks.

JBA, you'd be fucking crazy to buy the TC units. Don't get me wrong. Great quality, stout as a MFer.

But are you aware of the added maintenance and potential noise you'll deal with on something that uses Delta or Uniball joints? If not, or you live in a very sandy/salty area, do yourself a favor and look into 'maintaining uniball joints'. Posting one video below, I want to say the recommended interval is 3k-5k miles with normal use? RTFM, or defer to someone who has them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udUaFDCwGAA​

 

I had JBAs on my 4Runner and our Tundra, great customer service. My only gripe was the powder coating job, it starting flaking within the year of installation, contacted them and they made it right. In your case it doesn't matter, buy them, rebuilt them and repaint them whatever color you want.

 

Sorry, for the confusion, I was talking about the lower Toyota rubber bushings. I think they are around 200$ each up here.
WRT the JBAs, I'll be replacing all of the Poly bushings. Very impressed with their customer service!!

 

Yeah, honestly, they cost 60% of what a new set of arms with the bushings installed cost. It's wild. Most people just buy new arms and call it a day. But they wait for sales.