87' 2wd upper control arm bushings

[Taylor Giovanni]

I'm replacing my upper control arm bushings and was initially alarmed at the amount of play between the sleeves and the shaft. That's when I took a closer look at the old bushings and found these thin metal inserts that press into the sleeve and tighten the bushings up against the shaft. The ones that were in the old bushings are almost completely rusted and disintegrating and my new bushings didn't come with replacements. No mention of them in my manual or in any diagrams that I can find. Does anybody know what these are called or where to find them?

[Headhunter38]

Aren't they supposed to be bonded to the rubber bushing? You may have bought the wrong ones

[Taylor Giovanni]

Hmmm yeah definitely possible. Also possibly poorly copied aftermarket bushings. I compared the old and new ones with a caliper and everything is the same, even the sleeve diameter.. :?:

[Cali Cruiser]

I would suggest replacing the entire upper control arm assembly, instead of messing with the bushings. It costs only a few dollars more, and comes with a new ball joint. It's quicker to install, and you don't have to press the old bushings out and then new bushings back in.

[JR M.]

does anyone have any information on aftermarket part numbers for the upper control
arms or upper control arm bushings?????

[timsrv]

Hi JR,

Due to my experience with these I also recommend replacing the entire arms. Aftermarket ones are fairly easy to find (at least right now), as there was evidently an overabundance of these and it appears the parts houses are starting to give deep discounts. This means they likely don't want to stock them anymore so anybody who thinks they might need these in the future should buy now. I'm thinking these are available in multiple places because the 1st 2 places I checked (rockauto.com and Amazon have them for cheap) Here are some links:

Lowers: https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Pro-Control-Compatible-1984-1985-Passenger/dp/B09QW3G9ZV/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1G8GYIXEC9RAL&keywords=toyota+van+control+arm&qid=1680200610&sprefix=toyota+van+control+arm%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-5

Uppers: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/toyota,1987,van,2.2l+l4,1279784,suspension,control +arm,10401

For the uppers 2wd ones are the 1st 2 listed (the rest are 4wd).

Fair warning: I'll give this a couple of weeks to allow anybody interested to purchase what they need, but after that I'll go in and buy a half dozen each.......especially the $12 ones on rockauto. With these discounted prices I suspect in 5 years you may not be able to find these anymore. Tim

[timsrv]

If you're replacing the lowers, you should review this thread: https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?1822-Lower-Control-Arm-Bushings. That's oriented towards 4wd's but some of the same problems exist on 2wd vans. FYI, I would not attempt to replace the lowers without having new camber bolts on hand. These notoriously get stuck in the bushings and usually need to be destroyed while removing. Febest makes replacement bolts: https://www.ebay.com/p/227337431. 2wd drive vans use one bolt per side (2 total) and 4wd vans use 2 per side (4 total).

Here's another thread worth reading: https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?2060-Wheel-alignment

[JR M.]

just ordered the set, thanks for your time, research greatly appreciated!

[Headhunter38]

2wd drive vans use one bolt per side (2 total) and 4wd vans use 2 per side (4 total).


Does that means 4wd and 2wd both use the same camber bolts?

[timsrv]

Yes, same bolt for both 2wd & 4wd.

[Burntboot]

Hey Tim, what are your thoughts on those Turkish 4WD uppers?

They look beefy compared to the Febest, but not sure if thats an upgrade?
(added unsprung weight, added shipping costs...)

[timsrv]

??? :cnfsd: ??? I am unaware of anything other than the Febest ones. Are you talking about one of those listed on rockauto?. To be honest I know nothing about the Febest either, except they've been out for a while and I know people have used them. Evidently they are okay??? I have a couple sets of the Febest ones and they look nice (haven't installed them on anything yet). My only concern with an aftermarket suspension part would be with alignment after installation, but that's probably not a big worry as you'd think they'd be made to spec. Beefier might be better. I doubt having a few more pounds of unsprung weight would matter much. If there's more meat then perhaps they'd work better for the 4-runner ball joint mod? Tim

[Burntboot]

Rock auto, from your link, they're under "Daily driver"



"Complete Arm w/ Ball Joint; Steel

[timsrv]

Huh, very interesting. I didn't look close enough to realize they were from Turkey. Having new parts surface is encouraging and they look worth trying (price seems reasonable too). If anybody gets these please let us know how things work out. Tim

[JR M.]

Lowers: https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Pro-Control-Compatible-1984-1985-Passenger/dp/B09QW3G9ZV/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1G8GYIXEC9RAL&keywords=toyota+van+control+arm&qid=1680200610&sprefix=toyota+van+control+arm%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-5

TIM my van is a 1989 are these compatible?

[timsrv]

Yes, but these are much cheaper. I got 5 of each (10) last week for under $100 :dance2:.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ND1LFCD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ND1X64G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[JR M.]

thanks tim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[timsrv]

Hold up........I just checked part numbers and there is a discrepancy (may not fit)! Let me compare and I'll post in a minute.

[timsrv]

Okay, I just pulled a lower arm for 86 - 89 vans off my shelf and compared with one these 85 arms. I can see there are a few minor changes. The one listed for 85 vans has a smaller clearance hole for the lower shock mount. In my opinion, the only reason for the larger hole would be for ease of replacing shocks (could insert shock up from the bottom). Other than that, the bump stop mount holes are a tiny bit smaller and slightly farther outboard (about 3/16"), but in looking at my van and checking the place it contacts, I can't see how that could make any difference. If the bump stop holes are too small, you could run a drill bit through to enlarge. If you want the larger shock hole you could cut that for more clearance, but I don't think that would be necessary (although might be nice while changing shocks). Other than that, all other dimensions are identical (IMO interchangeable). Tim

[Taylorious]

Hey @Tim…

You have any of those uppers for 2WD laying around?

I’d sure pay for a set… my 89’s got a mighty need.