are full traction replacement parts worth it?

1672 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by boomer27127, Nov 1, 2010

boomer27127

Discussion Starter · Oct 30, 2010

I currently have a 4" short arm full traction lift and one of the front upper control arm joints has seemed to go bad. I called full traction and they said they do make replacement parts at around $50 a joint. I have never really delt with full traction personally but seem to remember reading things about there customer service not being the best. Two new joints would cost $100 or a new set of control arms are around $250 from rokmen. I would like to just go with the replacement joints but Im kinda afraid of ordering the parts from full traction and it taking months for them to get to my house. So my question for you all is do you think its worth getting the new parts and rebuilding the joint or just get a new set of upper control arms? Also what are your past experiences with full traction? Id like to get the jeep back out wheeling within the next month or so and thats the only reason im really concidering just going with a new set of control arms.

Thanks in advance

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SweetPee

· #2 · Oct 30, 2010

Re: are full traction replacement parts work it?

I see your predicament, and the Rokmen arms are tempting and very nice! I cant offer you any advice on the full traction deal, but what I would suggest is if you decide to rebuild the FT arms, call David @ Northridge. I think he might be able to do you a little better on the price for the rebuild parts.

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gregert12

· #3 · Oct 30, 2010

Re: are full traction replacement parts work it?

I have the FT Ultimate kit and have had great results with their customer service. The key is to contact [email protected] and he will solve any of your issues. I find it strange that their mechanical joint went bad. Was it the metal sleeve or just a rubber bushings? Those can be purchased separately.

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boomer27127

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 30, 2010

so I did a little looking around and full traction calls the joint a spanner joint http://www.fulltraction.com/detail.php? ... 482&NOTES=. it seems to be a lot like a currie JJ. I also found that the spanner joints have a set screw and your are supposed to be able to loosen the screw and tighten the joint up if there is any slop. I havent had the time to pull the jeep apart untill today so hopefully here in a few hours I will be back on here with good news!

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SweetPee

· #5 · Oct 30, 2010

Yea they are just like a RE flex joint which I have. On the RE joints you cannusually tighten them a couple times before you have to rebuild. And when I say tighten... They are pretty frik'n tight!!

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boomer27127

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 31, 2010

I was able to get the time yesterday to pull the upper control arms and i do not thave the "spanner" joints on the frame side of my upper control arms instead its a double groove type joint. it looks to be almost the same but it is not able to be tightened. as much as i dont want to dump more money into the short arm lift I think Im just going to give the guys at rokmen a call tomorrow and order new upper control arms and start fresh. I also just upgraded to the currie JJ mounts on the axle for the upper control arms so they should work well together.

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sleepsontoilet

· #7 · Oct 31, 2010

Price out Clayton, JKS, and currie while you're at it.

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boomer27127

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 31, 2010

I priced them out and here is the list. all the prices do not include shipping. Other then jks they are all somewhat close in price. so i guess its going to just boil down to personal preference. Some day I hope to be able to upgrade to the clayton longarm with a 5" stretch so it would be kinda nice to see what there product is like as far as control arms go. I have ordered there rear shock mounts from them and they seem to be good guys to work with.... decisions decisions.

rokmen 249.99
clayton 238.00
jks 330.00
currie 229.95

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Red Dog Leader

· #9 · Oct 31, 2010

Why stretch it and do a long arm? You just lose clearance between the wheels....

You can play around with the adjustable short arms on the angles and really obtain the same or very similar angles that a long arm gives you.

PM JayDub and ask him about the Full Traction stuff.

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boomer27127

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 31, 2010

haha yeah I have read about what happened to him with his lift. I can also agree with him that the full traction parts are not the best but unfortunatly I didnt know that when I bought the lift. Then again I have herd of a few people that seem to be really happy with there full traction stuff. As far as long arm vs short arm I know they both have there goods and bads. The main reason I have been thinking long arm with the stretch is because I like the idea of being able to run a triangulated rear and no track bar. Also for a lot of the wheeling we do around here the stock wheelbase is good enough but there have been a few times where it would have been a lot better to have a little more. I still have a fair bit of time to debate between the two because Im not buying the new lift for a while and if i do end up staying with the short arm lift atleast ill have a good set of upper control arms to start with right?

For now I just need to fix the current problem so I can actually enjoy the jeep.

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sleepsontoilet

· #11 · Nov 1, 2010

I know Clayton has a great warranty on their products, and seem to have great customer service. I've heard of some people not getting the same service after the sale with other vendors. I myself am happy I never bought a long arm kit. It would be an unrecoverable waste of money now. I snagged some used rough country adj short arms with new bushing for $250 for all 8 from JimmyB. When I stretch I'll just sell th back to him with new bushings. So far theyve worked out well for me. The only thing is if you were buying Clayton under the premise of using the uppers for their front radius setup later, you may want to rethink that. The radius setup tends to bind as well as unload more than a 3 link does. Just food for thought.

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boomer27127

Discussion Starter · #12 · Nov 1, 2010

yeah if i did end up going with the long arm Im pretty sure Id sepend the extra $ for the front 3 link, but thats a long ways down the road.

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