I'm currently thinking about buying a set of ball joint spacers for my rig and was wondering if any one that had them would like to comment on what they like or dislike about them? Also what is the best setup for the rear suspension to match(lift,shocks etc..) Oh its for a 89 truck. Thanks in advance.

-Tony

 

Love them. No negitive comments here

I used a 2" AAL in the rear to match the front ( new springs comming)

and I run procomp es3000's specd for 1.5" of lift over stock.

 

They are good.

For moderate use, they work great in the lifted set up.

For heavy use, the torsion bars must be relaxed to keep your steering from crapping out constantly.

 

True, I don't wheel mine that hard.

 

I meant no insult. Just simply stating my experiences.

 

I was getting 1 full weekend of FSR driving on a trussed idler (brand new OEM) and a friend of mine with out BJ spacers ran his idler for 2 years and its still going strong. We both 4x4 togeather and do the same trails, I have all new BJ, rod ends and still have this happening all the time.

The BJ spacers are getting taken out and replaced with a proper diff drop IFS lift.

In the summer I 4x4 every weekend mainly FSR and nothing I would call extream. My t bars have 1/2" of thread showing.

Now after saying that if you just want the lift for around town and very mild 4x4ing then give it a shot.

Jeremy

 

No insult taken

 

Wheelingnoob: What sized tires were you running? Your friend? If you relaxed your torsionbars down to stock height, the BJ spacers wouldn't put any risk to the idler arm, no?

 

Thanks for all the input and if anyone else has any keep'em coming. Are there any issues with alignment/ tire wear?

 

To all of you that are running them what brand??? are you using?

 

There is no "issue" with alignment, but you do have to align the truck after the install. Instructions are provided on the website. Once aligned, the tires will wear normally.

There is a company called SDORI (San Diego Off Road Innovations) that makmanufactureses them exclusively I believe. A man by the name of Frank (can't remember his handle) owns the company. He is very helpful and I'm sure if you dropped him a line he'd be able to address your questions and concerns. Perhaps he will chime in.

 

Thanks a lot. I think that I've browsed his site before, just didn't know that was the route that I would be taking.

 

I'm very happy with mine. I plan to go low profile bump stop so that my tires can travel up more - seems like that would be the biggest benefit off road.

 

They do pull the upper BJ in a little (it throws off your camber), so the bottom has to be moved in also when they do the alignment. If your tire is close to the upper arm on the inside, you'll want to make sure it's not rubbing after the spacer is in. Just make sure you take it to a good oldschool shop, especially one that deals with altered rides.

 

Please tell me why when they push your lower arms away from the bump stops, everyone thinks they need shorter bump stops? The bump stop is positioned about a third of the way out on the arm, so if you have an inch of clearence you would have 3" of travel. Here's a pic of mine and I installed energy suspension stops that are an inch bigger.

 

Jeremy, I'm trying to better understand your failure situation but need a little more info. What does FSR stand for? Also, exactly what part of your front end is failing? Do you have a front locker? How much total lift do you have right now up front?

I might suggest you search a bit regarding the "proper" diff drop lift. I ran one for many many years and between bending and out right braking the lift brackets on what were really mild trails I won't run another. Also, they shift and alter the alignment often. That kit is what got me to figure out how to align my own truck hence the instructions on our site.

Frank

 

[QUOTE=James Dean;50766217]Please tell me why when they push your lower arms away from the bump stops, everyone thinks they need shorter bump stops? The bump stop is positioned about a third of the way out on the arm, so if you have an inch of clearence you would have 3" of travel. Here's a pic of mine and I installed energy suspension stops that are an inch bigger.
/QUOTE]

James, we run the low pro stops so our suspension can travel upwards more easily. What you have is a good desert higher speed set up. However, if you look at our site you'll see some pictures of customers flexing their trucks. Running the spacers with 1-1.5" of lift and low pro bump stops makes for a very flexy setup (for IFS of course). If you want a compromise you can use the low pro stops with Doetsch 8000 series shocks which have extra bumpstops integrated, you can have the best of both worlds.

Another observation, you appear to have more than 1.5" of lift up front. That's fine but turning a 1.5" lift kit into, for example, a 3" lift kit is exactly why some people have lots of idler failures and some while most of us have none. Again, if you do mostly desert stuff the idler is no issue. However, on the trail those steep tie rod angles are what bends the idler arm.

Frank

 

FSR is Forrest Service Road. Up here in BC that constitutes a gravel road with lots of big potholes, usually filled with water.

 

My TB are at stock position. The picture angle is deceiving. I only have 1.5" of lift. When I installed my BJ spacers, my stock stops were 2.25" away from the hits. The whole idea of a stop is to stop the travel before your suspension has reached it's max point. I understand everyones wants to get as much travel as possible, but if that's what your looking for, factory IFS is not the way to go.

 

I'm not sure I understand that James Dean.

I understand larger bumpstops to eliminate rubbing on the truck, but if you don't rub, there is no reason not to get low pro.

I plan on removing my bumpstop brackets and moving them upward to stop the a-arm when the CV axle is at is maximum upward angle. I will tub the fenders to fit. The CV's are no where near maxed out in the upward position. There is a ton more travel to be had there.