
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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