Are Metalcloak control arms any good?
- Thread starter thekidwithquestions
- Start date
Have a full set on my Jeep, saw someone bragging about them on here some time in 2018, MC marketing did the rest.
I don't rock crawl, slide, twist, bang, tea bag, hump or what ever else fetish most of you have here for rocks.
Only complain so far is one of the UCA seizing up, after days of banging, torching and kroiling it, i completely mutilated adjustable end beyond being serviceable again.
Since then i have been reading on here, and came to few conclusions:
1. Get double adjustable, at least uppers. If you ever end up searching for proper angle, you will thank yourself later. Difference in price is only like 40 snickers bars.
2. Unless you have above mentioned fetish for a rock, no need to go fetish on your wallet. If i am not wrong, someone not long ago on here swapped Rough Country joints for johnny joints and ended up being happy.
I don't rock crawl, slide, twist, bang, tea bag, hump or what ever else fetish most of you have here for rocks.
Only complain so far is one of the UCA seizing up, after days of banging, torching and kroiling it, i completely mutilated adjustable end beyond being serviceable again.
Since then i have been reading on here, and came to few conclusions:
1. Get double adjustable, at least uppers. If you ever end up searching for proper angle, you will thank yourself later. Difference in price is only like 40 snickers bars.
2. Unless you have above mentioned fetish for a rock, no need to go fetish on your wallet. If i am not wrong, someone not long ago on here swapped Rough Country joints for johnny joints and ended up being happy.
With MC joints you can’t service them in pieces, it’s all or nothing (aside from the housing), since the ball and race are bonded.
My Jeep, Only Better ... say no more MC !
Just ordered 32 joints and 5 gallons of their MC lubricant
Shit, their marketing got me again !
I’m not sure what you’re trying to show there, are you agreeing? As I shared, the ball and race are bonded together and you apparently even have to use their lube to not void the warranty.
Comparing that to a JJ you have:
1. snap ring (same as Duroflex)
2. Washer (same)
3. Race half
4. Ball
5. Race half
6. Washer (same)
My comment you replied to was aimed at 3-5, which in an MC joint is one unit.
There’s a common misconception on this forum that those of us that comment on and question the difference are suggesting one is superior, however I’m only commenting on construction and what I’ve seen of the joints.
Other than sharing what I’ve seen or experienced myself, I don’t really care which people choose unless they go off the rail and kill a day of wheeling.
02GreenTJ
TJ Enthusiast
I have half MC arms half JJ's are my rig and can't complain with either. I bought the MC arms to set my rear pinion about three years ago and the joints still look brand new. The JJ's I run because I got a good deal used and also can't complain. You really can't go wrong. So if you want to add me to that list go ahead. Hopefully I don't get blacklisted. The one advantage too is not needing an expensive tool to service them.
02GreenTJ
TJ Enthusiast
Also I believe the OP is a 14 or 15 year old in North Carolina. I don't know if he necessarily needs to have his Jeep built like a race buggy, but I could be wrong. I doubt you'd really have issues with the MCs, but if you want the forum approved tried and true you won't be disappointed with JJ's either unless you go through some southern clay and end up with a creaky Jeep from your super expensive arms 
. I'm done I'll leave this to the professionals.
. I'm done I'll leave this to the professionals.
I’ll just say there’s the expensive tool they sell, and building one for about $12 or so in parts.
02GreenTJ
TJ Enthusiast
A ball joint press in a vice works well enough. Just find a pair of deepish sockets that presses the washer but let's the snap ring come off.
02GreenTJ
TJ Enthusiast
in the comments section an MC rep stated that the lube is available at autoparts and other retailers
Replacement joints are $29 each. That's $406 if you had to replace them all. If you had to replace them all at once, that might hurt. However, if you had to replace them all at once, you might want to rethink your purchase. I'm betting I won't have to replace them all at once.
I think you just made a bad comparison, you compared the maintenance of a JJ to replacing a MC joint. Repairing the JJ involves replacing the races but could (rarely) involve the ball as well. The maintenance of either involves taking the joint apart and lubing them at regular intervals. I have two arms with a JJ at one end and a MC on the other one arm has been maintained properly and the other no maintenance at all with the joints just like they came from the manufacturer.
As for your comment I hope you’re not trolling or you know what you can do with your 5 gallons of lube.
You're forgetting the significance of the JJ's preload.
Also, I don't really care what others run. That doesn't change the fact that based on what I've seen and based on how I understand things work, the JJ is the superior joint.
Can anyone explain why we don't see Metalcloak bushings in Metalcloak track bars? How does this fit in with their marketing since track bars are a control arm?
JJ this response is to the group think here and not specifically to you.
There's been a shift to elitism here. Go back and read some of the earlier build threads. Kinder, gentler, not the hate.
You can set your watch to any question comparing MC arms vs Currie. MC will be trashed within a few posts.
It's never enough to say why they like the Currie JJ's without going into a MC bashing fest.
It's like politics, I cant really say what I like about my candidate, but your candidate sucks.