Why you should use aftermarket upper control arms on your leveled 99-06 GM half ton
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2024
- Installation notes and review of Spindle Source upper control arms for the 99-06 GM half ton, and why I think more companies should be including these with their leveling kits.
This video was what ive been waiting for. I want to decrease the hard angle and not have to be swapping an oem UCA every few years. I look forward to purchasing these soon!! AWESOME VIDEO!
Glad you found it helpful!
It's not the OEM UCA you'll be replacing TRUST ME. you'll go through about 4 ball joints a year guaranteed unless you drive like my grandma and never hit bumps. The stock UCA is actually really really strong even with torsion and slamming the rips at the river. It holds up. It's the angle of the stock UCA that gives the ball joints nasty angles... A 1/2 inch when it comes to camber and caster adjustment for your balljoint on 4x4 is a LOT.
This video and your input/review is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Do they still make these arms ?
Would you have a link for these ?
@@christopherhernandez9115did you ever find the arms?
I run those control arms on my 2000 1500 with Rough Country level kit. I like them.
2wd?
What brand are the UCA?
@@kareembrooks4094 4WD
Your trick looks remarkable.
Classic chevy at its best.
Every thing you said is exactly correct. But convincing me to take the $540.00 hit will be difficult until you said with the old arms steep angle sends all the energy into the frame that one comment solved my problem with this suspension setup and it’s ability to take potholes. It’s that upper control arm angle. I have a 2wd coil spring 1500 7” pro comp lift. Installing these is the solution for sure.
How do u like the 7 inch pro comp lift
Paul it being lifted 7” higher is great but the shocks it came with were not good. They were the lower end pro comp shocks that came with the kit. If I had to buy another kit I’d but one that utilizes 4” lift spindles and coil spacers instead of the pro comp coil springs provided with the kit. I see a lot of companies selling the same kit but with Bilstein shocks and coil spacers. After I replaced the pro comp shocks with bilstein 5100 series it was night and day. I did purchase these uppers but I accidentally bought the set with the dual shock mounts so I sent them back. I found another aftermarket set for$250.00 I’m going to use. They look the same. Check out Spindle Source on eBay.
One inch ball joint spacers fit under upper control arms come with longer bolts 🔩 and gives better ball joint angles plus raises uca away from frame but must make sure that the alignment tabs are nocked out when you get an alignment if you have tabs most chevys have tabs by removing tabs you get more room for camber and this will help
Would you be able to provide a link to the forum discussion on this? Great informative video!
Also, I love the styling on your truck. Those style wheels and two tone paint are peak 90s in the best way! You're giving me ideas, man!
Thank you for a great Video. Well filmed and narrated. One question, if you find the time. I am installing 2" to 2-1/2" level with keys and a new upper control arm for this amount of 2" to 2-1/2" level supposedly. Should I expect to run longer sway bars links that match the increase from the torsion keys? I have heard that I should want to keep the sway bar end and the lower control arm parallel? Any thoughts? Thank you Sir.
I haven’t done that on mine but that’s excellent attention to detail that might eliminate some binding on the tie rod ends. I would say more likely that not it’s not enough lift to cause a problem. I want to go check mine now to see if there’s any binding there… thanks for the comment! I will say that my 4” lift kit (I haven’t installed yet) came with longer tie rod ends so at some amount of lift this is a necessary step.
I just wanted to mention that I could not locate any control arms that gave more clearance at the droop stop, except for 3/4 ton and 1-ton truck. So I cut the the center of the droop stops out and installed limiting straps. With my 03 Avalanche (with new Bilsteins) I didn’t want have any place to bolt the limiting strap upper bracket. I attached the lower limiting strap bracket to the shock bolt where the lower eye of the shock is installed. I welded a tab on the upper control arm shock mounting bracket as in-line with the lower shock mount as possible. I had pre-drilled a hole and attached the upper bracket of the limiting strap to it. The shock, when fully extended, measured 17 inches and I wanted one and a half inches of stretch for the the limiting strap (1/2” per foot of shock length) at full droop before bottoming out my shock. and took off another 1/2 inch to be safe. Works great. No bumps, no grinds, and near full extension with it’s the protective limiting straps. If I ever experience a short strap life or any bottoming out my shock, I can always weld a droop stop at the lower level. With fully extended control arms and shock, I picked up a 3-1/2 “
increase in overall travel, so all’s well. Thank you for your videos sir.
I have a 01 Tahoe that I installed the 3 inch leveling kit on all the way around. I take it off-road often and the sway bar end link was the first thing to go! Which I believe caused my tie rod to bend! I would recommend to replace the upper control arm because it’s metal on metal just sitting naturally with this kit. I’m gonna install new upper control arms as we all longer sway bar end links and maybe stronger tie rods! I just don’t know which hardware to buy but so far everything that fits a Silverado fits the Tahoe as well with an exception for some things.
I have those on my sierra I was.the trial person for them. And I love them made a big difference
That's cool! And great to see others out there having the same experience.
Looks good. I am trying to decide on my 96 burb. Thank u for this video
Thanks, glad it helped!
This video was awesome! I was going to replace the ball joints on my 06 2500hd but I definitely will probably just get the control arms! My truck is leveled and this would be better. Couple them with some better tie rods and I think I’ll be set! Very helpful video, your 1500 is set up perfect btw, very beautiful truck!
So my RWD/ 2WD 06 Silverado is in need of a suspension update. Mind you, my truck has a coil spring suspension, and I intend to add coil spring spacers to lift the truck 2inch. Would I need an upper control arm such as the one in the video?
Beautiful truck! I’ve got a 1 owner 2002 GMC sierra 1500 z71
Damn that is a good looking truck. I have an 01 myself.
Great info. I wonder if this upc arms being beefier would work with the coilover conversion kit
Its unexplored territory but I think they will. I'm planning to try it at some point.
Nice truck....what are your wheel/tire sizes on it??....I like the set up.
Thats truck is supper clean love it
Great explanation. Thank You!
Late comment, but what size wheels and tires you running, I’ve got 16s with 265/76 and I’m wanting to jump up to a 33 which is a 285/75 or 295/75?
Your video saved me a hassle thanks
That ball joint look so nice to take out
Wayyy easier than press fit ... aka replace the whole control arm
I hope I am not bothering you again. With a two inch front level I ran problems problems with the BDS aftermarket upper control arms (even with tires on the ground and backing up on level surface), without my front tires off to ground my UPAS have been pushing down or intermittently bottoming out on my front droop stop. This has resulted in the control arm bracket cracking and separating just under the rear adjustment cam on left and right sides. Did you experience any contact with your control arm and droop stop? Do you have clearance between yours and your new controllers arms? Thank you Sir
Adjust your keys. If your control arms are hitting the stops you have them turnd up too much
How are the Spindle Source Upper Control Arms working out for you so far? I am about to order a set for my 2001 z71 to complement a leveling kit I just installed.
They are still working great!
Truck looks great
thinking about buying these. glad i found your video.
Glad I could help!
Did they correct the ball joint angle also? I couldn’t really tell if the arm was angled up more where the ball joint is to keep it straight.
And what brand ball joint is it
@@caseybaggett1109 The balljoint angle is improved indirectly as a result of the ball-joint being taller. It's like having a taller spindle. It does not completely correct the issue but it significantly improves it.
@@caseybaggett1109 I wish I had a confident answer for this. It's whatever comes bundled with the UCA's. They're either making it themselves or outsourcing it through another manufacturer. It's a greasable ball joint and I haven't heard of any problems with them.
I wish I could show pick but I bought a used Chevy Silverado and they added a lift kit with the bolt on uppers fro the struts and now my control arms are smashed on the stoppers just clanking I can't believe they left it like this. I'm probably sol.
So don’t bother with rough country? What’s your full setup? These control arms and what? Any blocks? Any keys? What suspension?
Rough country is fine, I just consider any leveling kit incomplete if it doesn't address the upper control arms. This setup was rough country keys with spindle source UCAs. My rear axle has an add-a-leaf so the boost in height came from that.
Im looking to level the front end of my '01 1500. I think a 2" lift is what i need. Will these work. Ive heard people say the leveled the front and the quality was terrible afterwards
Great information thx so mych
I have a 03 GMC SIERRA. I want to get a 1.5-2 inch lift. Do you have any suggestions for what brand lift kit to purchase?
Are those shocks taller or original height? I had a Ford that I put slightly longer shocks when I lifted it and was wondering what you ran for shock length on the chevy?
The shocks i used are for a 2" increase in ride height.
@@whynotmotoring they look like bilsteins but whats the model of the shocks?
Are those 17inch series 69 pro comp wheels? If so what backspace and offset are they? I can't seem to find any of them with less than 4.75 backspace.
What size tires do you have in this video and what size rims and depth im looking for that same setup for my silverado thanks
285/70/17 on 17x9 pro comp 069 wheels
@@whynotmotoring Are you experiencing any rub? They look great!
@@lucaspgordon they just barely scrub the inner fenders at full lock
That's a good looking truck
Thank you!
Great video , thanks
What’s the offset on your pro comp wheels and how much do they stick out?
4.8. They're about flush with the fender flares. Without fender flares they would poke out a bit.
I like those UCA'S shame they dont have them for my 95 silverado
Did you use lift blocks in the back?
And also do you have lift keys on the front along with the A arms?
At the time of this video I had an add-a-leaf in the rear (added 2-3") and swapped the stock 2" block out for a 1" to reduce the amount of lift a little bit. In the front I had keys yes. They were set just slightly higher than what the stock keys maxed at. There was still quite a bit of adjustment thread left.
@@whynotmotoring Thanks. I am going to be purchasing a complete lift from spindle source. It comes with 1 to 3 in keys for the front. 3 inch blocks for the back. And it also comes with the a arms in your video and also front and rear shocks. Do you think that your tire rubbing the brake line bracket was due to having wider tires than stock and rims without enough backspacing to move it further away from the A arm?
@@davidcady6589 Nice, thats the kit I was referring to in the video. So that was a completely stock wheel and tire that was rubbing on the brake line bracket. I heard a rumor that they modified the design, because from what I was seeing just about everyone was cutting them off. Its possible that an aftermarket wheel with more (less) offset would be less likely to do that, but generally you'd be running a wider tire too.
Are the spindle source control arms holding up well for you so far?
Yep! No issues at all yet.
@@whynotmotoring have you taken your truck off road for any thing? Or used it in 4wd?
@@cesarleon8851 Around my parents property and I take it on the sand dunes once a year. Don't get me wrong, I haven't torture tested them, although I intend to at some point lol.
Did you have any problems getting an alignment?
None, worked great.
What size tires and what is the before and after measurement at fenders? You still look to have to much positive camber.
Wish i could help but the setup has been changed since making this video. Tires are 285/70/17s.
Do you have a link to where you purchased them?
spindle-source.com/99-06-chevy-silverado-sierra-1500-tubular-upper-control-arms-for-2-3-keys/
@@whynotmotoring Thank, was just making sure I was looking at the right ones.
I’ve got a question ever since I installed these on my 2005 Chevy Tahoe whenever I hit the breaks the front end drops down and wheels go in I’ve replace everything on the front end and torsion bars and still doing it anyone know anything??
What window visors do you have
A half in won’t do much IMO. I would jus keep og UCA unless your starting to go crazy heights above 3-4 in
Do you think these will fit a 4.5 in spindle lift? Still haven’t found any ucas for my 99-06 Sierra 1500 2wd that will fit a spindle lift
Unfortunately I'm not familiar with 2wd interchangeability, but, my best guess is that they would not work. You could contact them and ask.
I have a 98 silverado 2wd I installed a 4inch spindle lift but my upper control arm angles were bad so I ended up getting 1 inch ball joint spacers that fit under upper control arms and now my upper ball joints are perfect upper control arms are 2 inches away from frame and are almost sitting level you can find them online for about 80 dollars
Where did you get them from?
Would this work for a 4 inch lift?
Hey man, how did the truck align after you installed it?
Perfect, zero issues.
@@whynotmotoring sweet, thanks
Another question, did you keep the factor torsion keys or did you upgrade to aftermarket ones? I can't remember from the video😅
@@silvercoaststacker2247 Rough Country lift keys. They're adjusted only a little bit higher than the stock keys maxed out at .
@@whynotmotoring sweet thanks man
Where can I order those for my 2000 Silverado Z71?
eBay or spindle source.com
Will it be good for a stock 2000 Silverado 1500 4wd?
They are not needed for stock height. Whether or not they are necessary is entirely determined by the angles of your suspension. So if your stock suspension is turned up (“leveled”), then they would be beneficial. Likewise if a lifted suspension is turned up.
Do you know if they use moog ball joints or not ?
Moog joints were an optional upgrade from the manufacturer if I am remembering right, so i think so!
Hey do you still recommend these ? Thanks !
Yes! They are no longer on my truck as of a couple months ago, i changed up to a new setup i’ll be reviewing soon. But for the time they were on my truck i had zero issues and it handled/rode great.
Thanks for your help !
Where did you get these what’s the link
I think he said spindle source
I did a 3" level kit on my last truck a 2009 silverado 1500 4x4.
Not worth it lol, rode like shit, ate the upper ball joints to hell within a couple months. and had to replace the outer CV boots on the front axles, twice. The joints and CV were way out of geometry. The boots kept creasing and rubbing on itself and they would eat thru. After awhile I just put it back to stock. Just get a real lift kit lol
3" is really pushing the limits in my opinion, so that doesn't surprise me. These UCAs help address the ball joint angle but it only does so much for you. The problems increase exponentially the higher you go. The first 1" usually doesn't even change the ride quality, 2" will start to get firm, and at 3" you are getting into lumber wagon territory. At the height im at, the angles are still pretty mild on the CVs, but I am changing to a full lift kit soon anyway.
@@whynotmotoring I agree, it made the ride super firm lol I thought of doing a 1" or 2" on my 2018 Z71 but it sits good enough as it is lol Thank you for the content on this btw!!
What brand are the control arms?
Spindle Source
Will this fit with a coil over conversion?
I can't say for sure, but I doubt there would be an issue. In theory, having a better angle there would create more room for the coilover, but the aftermarket UCA has a larger diameter than a stock one. So it could go either way. Eventually i plan on doing coilovers so I'll reply back if I find out.
What hard ware did you use?
I just went to my local hardware store and found grade 8 versions of the bolts that came with the kit.
Can I get the wheel and tire specs on your truck?
285/70/17 17x9 069 Pro comps
@@whynotmotoring thank you! Do you happen to know the wheel offset?
@@HawkLad 4.75 and -6 i believe
And my wheels are bowed like crazy
What brand of tires are those bud
Federal MTs 285/70/17. Good tire with one downside for the affordable price… they’re rather noisy. Worth mentioning, the quality of this brand is not consistent between sizes. Some of the bigger sizes (like 35s) are prone to randomly exploding on the highway, but this size does not. Make sure you check reviews specific to the size you want before buying them. Overall id buy them again for an off roader but not something primarily street driven.
They have way better designed arms for about $170 that take stock replacement ball joints and bushings all that bolt and spacer shit is a disaster waiting to happen vs a solid tubular arm with a pressed in joint that corrects the ball joint angle the real problem is the danger of the ball joint actually breaking from being forced to the limit of it's pivot you don't need all that spacer stuff you just need to correct the angle anything beyond that you need to just buy a lift kit
Run a bigger wheel or spacers
So on an older 88-98 OBS why are they flipping the upper control arms? Does that give a better angle or more room to crank the keys?
It’s just a cheap way to get more travel out of the factory equipment. If you’ve got the 300 or so bucks for aftermarket control arms buy them.