Here is a part I have been waiting on for a while. ReadyLift part number 67-23010. ReadyLift has made these upper control arms and sold them with their SST level and lift kits for many years. But the upper control arms were not available for purchase separately so that you could use them with other brands of kits. Now the arms finally have their own part number and can be ordered on their own. As soon as we heard this we got some ordered for our 2013 F-150.
This truck was already leveled with a Bilstein 5100 shock package. We have the shocks set at about 2" of lift. These control arms are good for trucks with 1.5" to 4" of front lift. They are designed to help correct the camber and ball joint angles. The heavy duty ball joint is greaseable and replaceable if you can wear it out. The frame mount bushings are maintenance free and self-lubricating like the OE bushings.
Here is how it started. Stock arm with a Bilstein 5100 shock with stock coil spring. These arms have 136k miles on them and the ball joints are worn out. If we would have had these arms to install with the level kit it would have saved some work. To install the upper control arms you need to remove the spring and shock assembly the same way that you would to do the level kit.
Now that the arm is removed you can see the differences in the stock arm and the ReadyLift arm. The ReadyLift arm is made from DOM tube steel. The OE arm is more of a molded steel.
In that last picture the arm is missing the ball joint dust boot. Ya I did not notice until after the arm was installed that it fell off in the box. But it helps you see the added length of the ball joint stud. This helps correct the ball joint angle and prevent binding and premature wear.
The arms come with 2 large washers and 2 small washers. The large washers go on the ball joint stud, between the knuckle and the dust boot. The small washers go on the ball joint stud above the castle nut. Then the included cotter pins are used to lock the castle nut in place.
When installing the arms be sure to leave the control arm to frame bolts loose until you get the wheels back on and have the truck set on the ground. You want to torque the control arm to frame bolts with the truck sitting at ride height.
Here is the completed project. Dont forget the big washer between the ball joint boot and the spindle/knuckle. I wasnt sure what that washer was for until I could contact ReadyLift Tech Support. Our kit did not come with instructions because it was one of the first shipped out based on the new part number availability and they did not yet print and package the instructions for kits sold as arms only.
Last step is install the stickers if you choose to do so. I tried and messed mine up but I called ReadyLift and they are sending me a new set of stickers.
The truck will need an alignment after this installation is completed. If you are thinking about doing a level kit and upper control arms you will save time and money by doing them at the same time. You will only have to remove the shocks and spring assembly once and only have to get the alignment done once.
These arms will fit 2009 to 2020 Ford F150 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. There is another part number for 2021-F150 trucks. They will work for most any level kit or lift kit. The one thing they will not work on is a stock height truck.
ReadyLift 2009-2020 Ford F-150 Tubular Upper Control Arms – Strapt Performance Diesel And Offroad
ReadyLift 2021-2023 Ford F-150 Tubular Upper Control Arms – Strapt Performance Diesel And Offroad