Did some one say "what's a ball joint flip"

[Wagonbacker9]

I don't think I'd assume they are 1 ton keys just because they're larger.

 

[Balzer]

I usually try not to assume anything, however in this case it has been replaced with stock TB keys. So I really dont care what the old ones are for/from. All that matters is, they was wrong, and they are gone now.

 

[K15 Blazer]

I can see how this would indeed lift the truck a little...
I jumped the gun and did the different keys. and they are barely even above the adjusting bolt blocks.
but, this makes me wonder... what if you flipped the lower one?... it looks like it would totally correct CV angle....

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[Crash]

If you flip the BJ below the control arm to lift it there is no clearance for the cv joint.

 

[Horns]

I can see how this would indeed lift the truck a little...
I jumped the gun and did the different keys. and they are barely even above the adjusting bolt blocks.
but, this makes me wonder... what if you flipped the lower one?... it looks like it would totally correct CV angle....

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Should have asked first here. 400's stock keys crank way more then you would ever want to. Lift keys are a waste.

 

[dave_erald]

I've got a pic in my albums of it factory flipped on my 3/4 ton and then I added a spacer as well. May not be advised but it works just fine in my opinion

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[K15 Blazer]

If you flip the BJ below the control arm to lift it there is no clearance for the cv joint.

that's the first thing I though as well... that, and it would actually hurt ground clearance....
gawds I wish I knew not to waste the money on the keys though LOL!!

 

[chevydan3]

I can see how this would indeed lift the truck a little...
I jumped the gun and did the different keys. and they are barely even above the adjusting bolt blocks.
but, this makes me wonder... what if you flipped the lower one?... it looks like it would totally correct CV angle....

You must be registered for see images attach

It doesn't lift the truck at all. It just rotates the upper control arm up so the ballpoint lives with less angle. The upper control arm doesn't support the weight of the vehicle so no matter how you space/orientate it from the knuckle, it won't affect ride height.

 

[great white]

It doesn't lift the truck at all ... The upper control arm doesn't support the weight of the vehicle so no matter how you space/orientate it from the knuckle, it won't affect ride height.

Yup, true.

And at the same time, not really.

The lower arm carries the vehicle weight load out to the knuckle, which loads the unitized bearing which carriers it out to the wheel. The weight of the vehicle tries to rotate the lower arm and the torsion bar carries that load back to the torsion bar cross member. The load is them carried to the straightest section of the frame.

Now, out at the steering knuckle, the weight load also tries to tip the top of the knuckle in towards the frame with the weight of the vehicle behind it. Any road loading (IE: bumps, etc) also try to tilt the top of the knuckle in. It might be easier if you try to picture it as negative camber.

At the top of the knuckle is the upper ball joint. This resists the knuckle tilting in (IE: negative camber) and transfers the load to the upper A arm. The A arm is in compression so it can be very light. Metal (actually, pretty much any material) is strongest in compression, that's why the uppers look "spindly". The frame has to resist being "pinched" together at the upper a arm mounts.

So the uppers don't carry all of the vehicle weight, but they do carry a component of it.

Flipping the ball joint effectively lengthens the steering knuckle. It also puts the balls joint bolts in more of a shearing load as the force is actually a side load. Normally not enough to shear them, but it is an increase from oe specs. It also changes the load path on the a arm as instead of the ball joint being inside the a arm it is underneath it. I have never heard of a failure because of it, but you are changing the load paths.

 

[dave_erald]

Adding the spacer and longer shocks allowed me to crank the bars a little more and still get suspension travel out of it. However, if I crank it to much you can see the balljoint angle get way worse. Upper a arm shocks might be a bad idea. Regardless truck is getting a sas next summer, so premature wear doesn't bother me right now.

However, long story short, dont get to crazy modding stuff, especially steering, susp and brakes unless at least more than five out of ten people say its okay. Like lift block on a lift block, apples and oranges but you get my point.

Going to miss IFS for the crazy amount of ground clearance though.

Phewww... that was winded for no good reason.

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