Total Chaos Uniball Lower Ball Joint Conversion
The Problem: The Tacoma Lower Ball Joint Design
The lower ball joints (LBJ) on the First Gen Toyota Tacoma - as well as 3rd Gen 4Runner - are a known weak point on these otherwise stellar overland vehicles.
The factory design places excessive shear force on the ball joint, ball joint stud, and the ball joint retaining bolts. Under harsh off-roading conditions, or if the lower ball joint is not replaced at frequent enough intervals, it can fail by either the ball separating from the cup, the stud breaking from the ball, or the retaining bolts loosening and breaking.
Depending on the situation in which the lower ball joint fails, this could be catastrophic, as the wheel and spindle assembly can fold underneath the vehicle or depart the vehicle entirely.
After our first off-road shakedown trip in our new First Gen Tacoma Overland Build, which consisted of 100 miles of fairly harsh off road driving and mild rock crawling, we found that the (recently replaced) driver’s side lower ball joint was only holding on by a thread! 😬
The Solution: Total Chaos Uniball Lower Ball Joint Conversion
Needless to say, we became extremely apprehensive about trusting the Tacoma’s factory designed lower ball joint for off roading and overlanding as a family.
The typical recommended fix is to replace the lower ball joints more frequently using OEM Toyota models and new retaining bolts with blue loc-tite on the threads. However, after our experience with our virtually brand new OEM lower ball joints nearly failing this didn’t seem like much of a viable fix. Plus OEM lower ball joints run $125+ each to replace.
So we began looking for a better long-term solution and, as fate would have it, the perfect solution was literally just released by one of the most reputable companies in the off-road industry: Total Chaos Fabrication!
Their new totally redesigned lower ball joint conversion utilizes a high-quality 1” Stainless Steel Uniball (the same one used in their popular Upper Control Arms) as well as a beefy 5/8” through bolt in place of the traditional ball joint design. This integrates seamlessly with the Tacoma’s factory lower control arm and has a raised collar (see image below left) that registers into the spindle to help take the shear load off the LBJ retaining bolts.
The Uniball LBJ conversion also corrects the angle of the steering tie-rod by flipping it 180 degrees from its stock orientation to the top of the lower ball joint assembly (see image above right), reducing wear and taking stress off the steering system on lifted Tacomas.
Installation and Testing:
Installation of the Uniball lower ball joint conversion for the Tacoma is a very straight-forward bolt-on affair, and Total Chaos provides excellent detailed installation instructions with clear images of each step. Just be sure to use Blue Loctite* thread locker on all of the retaining bolts during installation (see below), torque all fasteners to their stated torque spec in the instructions, and remember to re-torque all fasteners after the first 500 miles.
You will also need to take your Tacoma in for a wheel alignment after install due to the changes in tie-rod positioning, and if you’re using the conversion on the 3rd Gen 4Runner you’ll need to swap to First Gen Tacoma outer tie-rods.
Total Chaos tested their new Uniball lower ball joint over 35000 miles of on-and-off-road use (and they are NOT easy on their trucks) so we felt confident in the new design. We’ll be testing ours on our overland travels going forward and will update this post periodically with our personal experience.
So far we’ve been really happy with the new Uniball lower ball joint converison we did on our Tacoma, though we did find that the 1” Uniballs were pretty tight at initial installation making positioning during install a bit of a bear and the steering stiff, but now that we’ve put some miles on them they’ve broken-in and smoothed out nicely.
Maintenance and Replacement:
Unlike the OEM lower ball joint that it replaces, the Total Chaos Uniball Lower Ball Joint Conversion does require more routine maintenance. Similar to other automotive spherical bearings - like those found in aftermarket coilovers or heim joints - the Uniballs must be regularly rinsed free of debris and lubricated with a PTFE dry lube such as Tri-flow Teflon Lubricant*.
Even though the Uniballs used in the conversion are a stronger design than the Tacoma’s OEM ball joint, they are still a wear item and will inevitably need to be replaced. Thankfully new 1” Uniballs can be sourced at a fraction of the cost of a new OEM ball joint. Total Chaos even makes a handy Uniball press tool that makes changing them out a simple process.
We’re blown away that a company like Total Chaos continues to support, and put in the effort to come out with new product solutions for, our little old First Gen Tacoma. Not to mention, solving a 20+ year problem!
Now we can focus on our overland travels, both on and off road, as a family with a little more piece of mind. If you’d like more details on Total Chaos’s Uniball lower ball joint conversion for your 1st Gen Tacoma or 3rd Gen 4Runner, check out their site HERE.
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