Can a stamped steel upper control arm be replaced?
If your truck has stamped steel upper control arms and you want to level or 6″ lift your truck—you will need to install either an aftermarket upper control arm OR purchase the factory aluminum upper control arms to replace your stamped control arms. There is no failure issue with the factory aluminum control arms, the ball joints are the same.
Are there different types of upper control arms?
Stamped steel and aluminum arms have a larger ball joint that fit the same knuckle. Steel knuckles with forged steel control arms had smaller ball joint holes that match the cast steel arms only.
Can you replace the upper control arms on a Chevy truck?
There is no failure issue with the factory aluminum control arms, the ball joints are the same. If your truck has stamped steel control arms, you can install our ReadyLIFT 4″ SST Lift Kits which replaces the upper control arms and all problems are solved.
Can a GM 1500 be leveled with stamped steel?
To safely level your GM 1500 with stamped steel control arms, you can use our 66-3085 leveling kit. However, we recommend that you augment the installation with a set of aftermarket upper control arms to prevent factory ball joint failure.
If your truck has stamped steel upper control arms and you want to level or 6″ lift your truck—you will need to install either an aftermarket upper control arm OR purchase the factory aluminum upper control arms to replace your stamped control arms. There is no failure issue with the factory aluminum control arms, the ball joints are the same.
Stamped steel and aluminum arms have a larger ball joint that fit the same knuckle. Steel knuckles with forged steel control arms had smaller ball joint holes that match the cast steel arms only.
To safely level your GM 1500 with stamped steel control arms, you can use our 66-3085 leveling kit. However, we recommend that you augment the installation with a set of aftermarket upper control arms to prevent factory ball joint failure.
When do GM 1500 upper control arms come out?
If these cups distort, the ball joint fails and falls out. GM 1500 trucks built after April 1, 2016 are stamped steel arms mated to smaller steel knuckles with the larger of the two ball joints. Basically, they are using the larger ball joint from the aluminum arm and putting it in a stamped arm and mating it to a smaller steel knuckle.