Q) Can the six stud steering arm be used on a four stud stock knuckle?

A) Yes, four and six stud arms and knuckles can be interchanged. You can bolt a four stud arm to a six stud knuckle and a six stud steering arm will also fit on a four stud knuckle. This allows you to upgrade your steering system in stages, doing either the knuckles or the steering arms first.

Q) Why are there two sets of caliper mounts on the knuckle?

A) Each knuckle has two sets of caliper mounts to allow the knuckle to be used on either side. One set is used when installed on the passenger side and the other set is used when mounting it on the driver side.

Q) Is the knuckle stronger then stock?

A) Yes, the knuckle is thicker around the studs. Larger gussets have also been added at the steering stops and caliper mounts.

Q) Why is there no fill plug for knuckle grease?

A) Toyota intended the knuckle to be completely filled with grease. Off-roaders have found that excess grease makes changing broken Birfields on the trail a huge mess. We recommend only using enough grease to lube the bearings and Birfield. This reduces the amount of grease that will need to be removed the next time your in the knuckle for service.

Q) What hardware do I need to install the knuckles?

A) In addition to the six stud arms and knuckles, you will need a few parts from your stock knuckle. This includes the lower bearing cap, studs, shims and steering stops. You will need to purchase four additional knuckle studs, nuts and cone wwashers.

Q) How should the knuckles be shimmed?

A) We recommend following the factory service manual shimming procedure. As a starting point, we have found that using a .020 shim on the bottom and a .010 shim on the top works well. We recommend setting the knuckle tension at around 15 lbs of force, assuming no axles or steering are installed and the felts are removed from the back of the knuckle.

Q) What about the caliper backing plate?

A) The stock backing plate can not be used due to the extra width of the steering arm. The back of the arm will interfere with the backing plate. The backing plate is needed for proper component spacing. One solution is to cut out the center section of the backing plate and use just the center as a spacer, discarding the outer part. The other solution is to use our backing plate eliminator to replace the backing plates.

 

 

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