Replacing Camburg Upper Uniball Arms, any suggestions?

The Camburg upper arms on my truck are really rusty and require replacement soon. I can hear them rattling when I hit minor bumps, but only when the windows are down. I've need to get my truck inspected soon, and these rusty upper arms are going to be an issue. I've got somewhere around a 2.5 inch lift, so putting the originals on isn't an option. Any suggestions on what I should look into?

 

What exactly is worn out ? Just the uniball ? If so there is no need to replace the whole arm just get the uniballs pressed out and replaced.

 

I wish it was just the uniball, those are covered by a lifetime warranty. The bushings are pretty rusted out as well.

 

Yuk, I'd replace them but call Camburg and see if you can get a deal on another set and show them your pictures.

 

Poly bushings and the bushing sleeves are cheap just replace them. Do you have any good shops around you ? There is no need to spend $600 on new arms just replace the uniballs and bushings, they are consumable items that need to be replaced as they wear out.

 

I wish that I could just replace the bushings and uniball. However, the condition of the uniball socket is an issue as well. Replacing the uniball would probably not fix the problem. There would still be a slight gap around the uniball and the rattling would still occur.

 

Or maybe ill just get some of these: http://www.suspensionconnection.com/50935-tacoma-arms.html?gclid=CLn-iLmK6ckCFdQYHwodrokJWQ

 

Seems like if you wanted uniball CAs, you would order

http://www.suspensionconnection.com/50930-uni-ball-arms.html

 

If you only have 2" of lift, you could go back to MOOG arms. The benefit is that they do not require much maintenance, which it looks like your existing ones lacked. It's mostly a matter of being able,to get the alignment back to spec. If you off-road a lot, I would definitely get the uni arms for strength and articulation, but ya gotta flush em out and lube em! They will last a pretty long time if you do.

 

They just look dirty as hell. I don't see why they can't just be replaced. Just because the outside looks like hell doesn't mean the inside does. I've torn motors apart that looked like they got dragged through a herpes encrusted battlefield that looked brand new on the inside.

 

Thanks for the input everyone! I am going to contact camburg again first thing monday and find out how much replacement parts would cost. I'll share my concerns with them that replacing the uniball will only fix half of the problem, since the CA uniball socket/attachment point it in rough shape also. A new uniball would probably still rattle around in the CA socket.

 

Where did you hear that? I thought uniballs were a wear item with these LCA's?

 

I heard that from the previous owner of the truck, and confirmed it by contacting camburg and sending them pictures.

 

Well damn! I need to call them to get a replacement set as well.

 

yeah, you absolutely should. I don't understand why the uniball is exposed, making it more susceptible to rust/wear. Camburg makes caps ($40 for a pair) but apparently they are not compatible with the uniball CAs.

 

I think thats why i needed to send pictures before i could get a straight answer. The guy i talked to said that every case is different, implying that not all uniballs are covered by their lifetime warranty.

 

Just keep the uniball clean. I swapped Camburg BJ arms for uniball 2 months ago. A few days in the mountains and I didn't wipe em off after. Should have. After getting around to washing truck today found this


Just superficial, elbow grease got me this


I always heard, but now I KNOW uniballs take a bit more cleaning/maintenance. Just wipe em down after harsh conditions and keep some tri flow handy.

I got new bushings/sleeves with my new arms. Old ones have roughly 12k on em, in great shape. Yours for $25 shipped. I think they're $60 plus shipping from Camburg...

 

I have followed that link, and in bold it states that "These do not fit uniball upper arms and can not be made to fit." Thats gonna be a problem.
The video you posted was extremely useful, thank you for finding that and giving me hope that I may be able to fix these CAs and save myself some coin.

 

Yeah sorry @DoorDing, those don't work with the uniball. When I swapped over my BJ arms I tried to fit the cap. Not even close.

 

Thanks for the offer, I could be interested. Ill let you know once I talk to camburg again on monday.