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The OFFICIAL Answer......... MOPAR Front Upper Control Arm (UCA)

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Lawdog

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So I had the opportunity early this morning to speak to a retired engineer from Mopar and told him I was trying to figure out the difference between the "Stock". 2019 1500 UCA and the MOPAR one in the 2" kit. He said he did not know..............but"........he could find out as he still has friends there. I gave him my number and he called me back early this afternoon with the answer"".............. Tell you all tomorrow.....






Just kidding, He said the arms are IDENTICAL. However, the Mopar arm has a higher angle travel ball joint compared to the stock arm."......... that is the official word I got today from an insider.
 
Just so I understand completely, the ball travels further than the stock one? or is there an angle to the joint that we can’t see in pictures?
 
troutspinner said:
Just so I understand completely, the ball travels further than the stock one? or is there an angle to the joint that we can’t see in pictures?
Click to expand...
ball joint has a larger working angle. JBA builds their own ball joints for their control arms, There's a cool video of them showing the operating range for their ball joint. It'd be nice if they built control arms for the new Rams.

 
So... do the new ball joints with the higher working angles work in the stock uca?
 
Does anyone know how high of lift, the improved factory UCAs will accommodate? Will they provide enough travel for 3"spacers?
 
Last edited:
For a visual difference with how the UCA effects suspension geometry (UCA, axle, sway bars, etc).

My Mopar 2" lift with Mopar UCA lift:
539d2101-dbdf-4a0f-a02f-bde18d05d9de-jpeg.137454


2" level kit with OEM UCA:
0570d589-a2ba-4c2c-afe9-51d21d5fba18-jpeg.137448
 
Billet1500 4x4 said:
looks the same
Click to expand...

Um, you might want to look at the angle of the UCA compared to other objects in the picture. The OEM UCA is angled down way more aggressively compared to the Mopar one. I don't have shots of the underside to see axle angles, etc, but it would be a similar difference.

Untitled.png
 
AnthonyD1978 said:
Um, you might want to look at the angle of the UCA compared to other objects in the picture. The OEM UCA is angled down way more aggressively compared to the Mopar one. I don't have shots of the underside to see axle angles, etc, but it would be a similar difference.

View attachment 9116
Click to expand...

It was a joke because there were no pictures attached to your original post. I'm guessing the pic on the right is your truck, where did the picture on the left come from? What Size tires are on each truck? The angles are more extreme on the left but so is the distance from the top of the tire to the coil bucket where you have circled the break line. Geometrically speaking the arms are identical the only difference is the working angle of the ball joint, there is likely more than 2" of lift on the photo on the left
 
Billet1500 4x4 said:
It was a joke because there were no pictures attached to your original post. I'm guessing the pic on the right is your truck, where did the picture on the left come from? What Size tires are on each truck? The angles are more extreme on the left but so is the distance from the top of the tire to the coil bucket where you have circled the break line. Geometrically speaking the arms are identical the only difference is the working angle of the ball joint, there is likely more than 2" of lift on the photo on the left
Click to expand...

Oh! Probably cause the pics were linking to another forum that 5thgen blocks.

Pic on the right is my truck. Pic on the left is a truck on the other forum that said it had a 2" level. Tire size should not effect the suspension geometry. I'm not sure I understand your comment about the distance with the brake line. My truck on the right is just zoomed in more. Look at the top hat bolts in both pics. The pics were taken at basically the same perspective and if you zoomed in on the pic on the left it would basically be a perfect match for the pic of my truck on the right.

Having said that; I would not be surprised of the truck on the left did not truly just have a 2" level. Maybe someone else with only a aftermarket 2" lift or level can confirm with a pic of their own??

EDIT: I stand corrected. I found other pics of that truck. It does appear to have more than a 2" level. I would say it has a 3.5" lift (with level). The pic was originally provided to me 3rd hand.
 
AnthonyD1978 said:
Oh! Probably cause the pics were linking to another forum that 5thgen blocks.

Pic on the right is my truck. Pic on the left is a truck on the other forum that said it had a 2" level. Tire size should not effect the suspension geometry. I'm not sure I understand your comment about the distance with the brake line. My truck on the right is just zoomed in more. Look at the top hat bolts in both pics. The pics were taken at basically the same perspective and if you zoomed in on the pic on the left it would basically be a perfect match for the pic of my truck on the right.

Having said that; I would not be surprised of the truck on the left did not truly just have a 2" level. Maybe someone else with only a aftermarket 2" lift or level can confirm with a pic of their own??

EDIT: I stand corrected. I found other pics of that truck. It does appear to have more than a 2" level. I would say it has a 3.5" lift (with level). The pic was originally provided to me 3rd hand.
Click to expand...
1543438072537.png

Not that the tires would effect suspension geometry but the distance in yellow should be the same if the tires are close to the same size with the same amount of lift regardless of UCA angle. I saw your edit and I would say that is 3-1/2" or more and that's an ugly angle even for an extended range ball joint. At the very least you'd want aftermarket UCA's to re-index the cup, no telling what the CV and tie rods look like. Trouts pic above is 3" over a stock 4x4 and with room to spare. @troutspinner you wouldn't happen to have a pic of your factory strut part number sticker or even just the the part number would you? Curious as to how much FCA wants for a set.
 
So is it confirmed for sure that the Mopar upgraded control arms do have a higher working angle ball joint?
 
Bam2880 said:
So is it confirmed for sure that the Mopar upgraded control arms do have a higher working angle ball joint?
Click to expand...

That is the word I got from a retired Mopar Engineer who called his old friends still working. They told him that the arm is identical but has the higher angle joint. he got the info and called me back personally.
 
Billet1500 4x4 said:
The question was whether or not the upper ball joint from the Mopar 2" lift upper control arm could be swapped into the factory control arm. The Mopar upper control arms that are included with the Mopar 2" lift can be purchased separately, the complete arm is 47 dollars. Not after market control arms.

https://www.moparwholesaleparts.com/?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all&search_str=68323530
Click to expand...

No, I understood. I was after the link to the $47 ones. I looked online and, couldn't find them. Thanks for the link.
 
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