Innocent Fool

Anyone running Ball Joint spacers in their trucks? What do you think of them. do they make your truck handle "wierd" or anything?

Are you able to hold an alignment etc...?

I've got a 91 PU 2wd I want to lift. was trying to buy the Fabtech 3" spindles but they're out of production. Want to get about 2-3" lift out of my rig but don't want to have to replace A-arms etc if I don't have to...

Looks like 1.5 -2" spacers might be the way to go

If anyone has experience running Ball Joint spacers (esp 2wd) I'd like to hear their thoughts on them

Cheers!

kcrunner

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...+Joint+spacers

Here's a thread that should answer all your questions.

Innocent Fool

Thanks for the reply!
Did a search but pretty much all the results were for 4wd and concerned CV joints etc...

Think I'll give it a shot!

norcalsvx

i run them on my 4x4 and pretty much anytime you are wheeling a IFS toyota you are going to be needed aligments more often, i dont see why you would have any problems with a 2wd.

Djlarroc

I installed them on my truck, loosened the t-bars and the ride is cuuuuuussssh....

ozrunner

Many of you people seem to have balljoint spacers but do you run diff drop kits as well?

The only balljoint spacers I've found which are easily available in Australia seems to come in this kit which also lowers the diff but changes the driveshaft angle. It looks kinda cheapo and dodgey, is this kit ok?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Ball-joint-sp...QQcmdZViewItem

norcalsvx

i dont run the drop diff on mine check SDORI for the bj spacers

CC_yota

I don't run a diff drop on mine and every thing has been fine. I don't think the diff drops make that big of a difference considering they only lower the rear of the diff.

There was a thread on here somewhere about the effectiveness of diff drops you might see if you can't find it.

nmtoy

You can't use a diff drop with the Sonoran Steel IFS brace but you don't need the diff drop if your torsion bars are relaxed.


Robb

DaveInDenver

Running SDORI 1.5" spacers with Sway-A-Way 25mm bars. I have stock upper bump stops. I adjusted my torsion bars so that they have have 2 full turns beyond the point the bolt pulls the nut tight enough that I don't need a wrench to hold it. I wanted enough twist on the torsion adjusting bolt that at full droop the bolt still has a little preload, seemed bad to be slamming that bolt from zero tension to tension a lot off road. Above the nut I have about a finger's width of threads showing.

I sit at 15" rim to fender lip and can fit my hand between the upper bump stop and upper control arm. My lower control arms are pointed roughly the same angle as if you were to crank the stock torsions up. No diff drop (Sonoran Steel IFS truss). I had extra arms that I modified, so when I put the BJ spacers in I had my torsion disconnected and could cycle the suspension. With stock upper bump stops the CV axle doesn't seem to bind as I turned the hub by hand.

Luvmeye22re

Dave gave me a great deal on my radiator for my truck and I got to see his truck in person. The way he has it set up it is pretty tall and definitely has some good ground clearance with enough room for 33x10.5s. I wouldn't be suprised if he could fit a 34x10.5 on that truck just the way it sits.

I may crank a little more lift into my truck with the stock bars or run the OME bars but would still like to end up right at the same height.

olharleyman

Got pics? hard to picture what your saying here for the new to bj spacers people

95RunnerSR5

i got em on my rig and they're fine. should loosen my t-bars tho cause of alignment probs

norcalsvx

some pics w/ bj spacers and OME torsions w/ fenders and 33x10.50



some action videos

DaveInDenver

Seems the key with BJ spacers is not to crank in lift, just torque the torsion rods enough to ride at stock height or slightly above. No matter how you lift the front end (BJ spacer or cranked torsions), roughly 1.5" is about all the lift you can get safely without really jacking up the alignment, riding like heck or breaking tons of stuff. I found that to keep the CV from binding I needed to stack a ton of washers under my low profile poly bump stops, so I just went back to stock rubber upper stops and the thing rides great with the SAW bars as soft as they can go. No way my truck would ride as low as nocalsvx's, even with the Budbuilt skid and ARB bull bar, the SAW are just too stiff (bought them thinking that I would get a winch, which hasn't happened in 4 years now). But I'm also still using stock fenders and inner skirts, so I rub enough as it is.

olharleyman, will snap photos next chance I get.

norcalsvx

i am 25.5" form the low part of the bumper to the ground and about 11" from the low part on the a-arm.

ozrunner

So can I hope for a 1.5" lift with torsion's slackened off or will this only add travel with slack torsions? I'm asking because my car is lower in the front at the moment and I want to gain a tiny bit of height and some flex.

Djlarroc

You can only gain a 1.5" lift with installing the spacers and not touching the t-bars.

If you look at my bjspacer writeup. I have several photos. When I started, my truck wheel lip to fender lip was at 14". After, (in photo) it was at 15.5", I loosened the t-bars and am now at 14.25" after driving it a bit.

yakamoto1988

I have a 2wd yota truck and I have the SDORI 1.5" spacers. It was very easy to put them on. I didnt bother to touch the torsion bars so I probably got only a 1 inch lift.
After I was looking at my front suspension for a while trying to figure out the cheapest way to get a good amount of lift, this is what i came up with and am planning on doing.-- Keep the 1.5 bj spacers on, lower my upper snubber gussets(bump-stops), and get downeys 24mm torsion bars. I hope to get about 3 or more inches lift over the stock front suspension on a 2wd. Then for the rear end I am probably going to get the 2inch lift leaf springs from downey plus the lift shackles.

On top of all of this right now I have a 3 in body lift!

abecedarian

84-95 2wd 3" lift spindles:
http://obsessedmotorsports.com/toyot...d_spindle.html