P1000 P1K5Dave's TTC 3" Lift and Fox Shock Install

[Scoop]

You're never gonna grow up little man.

As is the case for most of us on here. We'll grow old, but never grow up.

 

[Admin]

 

[JenElio]

You're never gonna grow up little man.

That's the plan!!!

And hey!!........ I'm not little, I'm fun sized!!....😬 😂😂😂

NoMo!!!!

 

[GolfCart]

That's the plan!!!

And hey!!........ I'm not little, I'm fun sized!!....😬 😂😂😂

NoMo!!!!

My plan was, if I didn't grow up by the time I was 40 I didn't have to. Well past 40 now and you can guess the outcome.

 

[JDAZ84]

Hello all!

SUPER embarrassing question...what damn tool did you use to get the castle nut on the front lower A-Arm tight?! Nothing I've tried (socket or box wrench) will fit in between the space on the hub assembly to get this thing snug! Any ideas?!

 

[P1K5Dave]

Hello all!

SUPER embarrassing question...what damn tool did you use to get the castle nut on the front lower A-Arm tight?! Nothing I've tried (socket or box wrench) will fit in between the space on the hub assembly to get this thing snug! Any ideas?!

You have a TTC kit? It's open-end wrench only for me.

 

[P1K5Dave]

I've been meaning to getting around to grinding a box-end wrench thinner to get in there, that would be ideal.

 

[WagginTail]

I've been meaning to getting around to grinding a box-end wrench thinner to get in there, that would be ideal.

Grinder will take care of that

 

[P1K5Dave]

I've probably mentioned before that I don't like the standard upper ball joint utilized on the TTC arms. Here's some info and what I'd like to do about it:

On both the upper and lower ball joints, the standard TTC kit uses automotive tie rod ends.
Upper: Moog ES2848LT (fitment: late 80s Dodge Ramcharger)
Lower: Moog ES437L

The uppers are the ones I have the biggest issue with. I think they take a lot more abuse than the lowers. They'll start rattling around 1,000 miles. Pics for reference:

These joints thread into the end of the TTC arm. Installation is a bit easier than Honda ball joints because there's no pressing in.

 

[P1K5Dave]

I've talked to TTC about them, and they do have a "Keller ball joint upgrade option." Now, instead of an automotive tie rod end, they're threading a hoop-style end into the a-arm and pressing a press-fit ball joint into it.

I'm assuming this would be the same size press-fit ball joint as the standard Honda OEM joints, but I'm not sure on that. This crappy zoom/crop of a TTC image is the best I could come up with to give you an idea what they look like:

 

[P1K5Dave]

So I asked TTC about switching my machine over to the press-fit upper ball joints. What I learned is that they don't thread into my arms. I would have to either buy another set of arms, or I can go through a good bit of machining to make these fit.

I would need to:
1) Drill out the existing threaded hole
2) Re-thread it to a larger diameter / different thread to accommodate the new end
3) Shave about 1/4" off the end of the arm (where the threads go in)
a) This is because of the longer length of this style ball joint

This is the tentative plan for this off-season.

Just a bit of advice for TTC shoppers: Save yourself the trouble and go with the ball joint upgrade. An automotive tie rod end is not up to the task for your upper ball joint.

FTR: I did see that TTC now has another option to "replace" ball joints with big Heim joints. They market these especially with their giant kits designed to go with portals. I can see where these may be an option with a low mileage mudder, but for people who put trail miles on their Pioneer, I think these things would be rattle-prone as well....

 

[ToddACimer]

So you're saying none of these are fool proof. My struggles continue with the Superatv arms but I'm hoping the 12mm upper a-arm bolt will fix it. I haven't had ball joint issues and that looks harder or at least as hard to fix

 

[P1K5Dave]

So you're saying none of these are fool proof. My struggles continue with the Superatv arms but I'm hoping the 12mm upper a-arm bolt will fix it. I haven't had ball joint issues and that looks harder or at least as hard to fix

I think those press-fit ball joints are more up to the task. If you ran the TTC kit with them (and go with the two-bolt upper mount option) I think you'd have a pretty good setup.

There's still the UHMW bushings, though... I don't like them. If I do all of the machine work to convert my arms this Winter, I'll probably also plan on machining some Oilite bushings as well.

 

[P1K5Dave]

I don't know if I made it very clear, but the press-fit ball joints are an option when you buy the TTC kit. So if you order it that way up front, I think you'll get a better setup.

I'm just looking at converting to them after the fact.

 

[P1K5Dave]

Following up on the automotive-style upper ball joints used with the TTC kit:

The first set I got (supplied with the kit) were garbage. No grease zerks, and they failed in no time. TTC admitted they sent what they could get at the time (PandeMania supply shortages.)

Then I started running the Autozone Duralast joints, because they had a lifetime warranty. I returned a few of each after 1000 miles or so...

Then I tried a Moog joint on the driver's side. Somewhere along the way, I also removed the 1.5" spacers from the front wheels. I've now run a lot longer on front ball joints than I expect to. I haven't dug in there to really check them out, but I haven't been haunted by that familiar rattle in a long time.

I'll report back after my next front-end maintenance.