Has anyone swapped Rough Country control arm joints with Metalcoak control arm joints?

BrunoPizz97

BrunoPizz97

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The flex ends on my RC control arms sound like they're going bad after 2 years of owning it ( that's bad I know ) but everything else is holding up. Was wondering if It were possible to swap the flex end joint on my RC control arm to an MC joint. Obviously I am not loaded with cash, if I were I would just buy a whole new set of MC control arms and call it a day. Just want to know if this is possible and which joint I should purchase from the metalcloak website. Thanks !
 
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don't know about MC, but I've put Johnny Joints on my RC lower arms.

You need the CE-9114 for the lowers. Not sure on the uppers, you'll have to measure the thread size and pitch and find a matching JJ.

You'll see from the photo that you lose some adjustment range, but if you have a typical shortarm suspension you don't need it. I only have like 1/4" of exposed threads on any of my arms.

IMG_20201210_121852.jpg
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
don't know about MC, but I've put Johnny Joints on my RC lower arms.

You need the CE-9114 for the lowers. Not sure on the uppers, you'll have to measure the thread size and pitch and find a matching JJ.

You'll see from the photo that you lose some adjustment range, but if you have a typical shortarm suspension you don't need it. I only have like 1/4" of exposed threads on any of my arms.

View attachment 252438
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So you get a JJ on one side and then a normal RC joint on the other?
 
freedom_in_4low said:
don't know about MC, but I've put Johnny Joints on my RC lower arms.

You need the CE-9114 for the lowers. Not sure on the uppers, you'll have to measure the thread size and pitch and find a matching JJ.

You'll see from the photo that you lose some adjustment range, but if you have a typical shortarm suspension you don't need it. I only have like 1/4" of exposed threads on any of my arms.

View attachment 252438
Click to expand...
Is that a RC joint? If so what’s the measurement, I’d like fit a set of MC joints on it.
 
If I could fit the MetalCloak joints I’d do it and never look back. They’ll serve you well, especially with the varied weather environments you have on Long Island...
 
the MC inserts are a rubber compound bonded to a ball-sleeve. if you choose to use these joints expect to take them apart every yr and grease them or they won't last long. if the socket dries and the rubber gets any grip to the casing it can tear the bonding from the sleeve and render the bushing garbage.
 
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someguysjeep said:
the MC inserts are a rubber compound bonded to a ball-sleeve. if you choose to use these joints expect to take them apart every yr and grease them or they won't last long. if the socket dries and the rubber gets any grip to the casing it can tear the bonding from the sleeve and render the bushing garbage.
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As someone who has experience with Johnny Joints and MC Duraflex Joints, this type of MC bushing failure would only occur if all of the grease were removed and the control arms were the fully articulated. If you’re going to play in mud or regularly submerge the bushings in water, re-greasing needs to become routine.

The problem with Johnny Joints is that they simple do not hold up when when exposed to road salt. If not greased and fully articulated throughout the winter months, they need to be completely disassembled, cleaned and re-greased every spring.

My choice of Metalcloak over Savvy came down to what would perform well and hold up through the Minnesota winters without extreme maintenance requirements.

Metalcloak = 0 zerk fittings
Savvy = 28 zerk fittings
 
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AjRagno said:
Metalcloak = 0 zerk fittings
Savvy = 28 zerk fittings
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That is another reason I'd never touch a MC joint. In my personal opinion they lie and claim their joints don't need greasing, they mislead the hell out of their customers. Not needing grease and being made so they can't be greased are two different things. Their rubber/Duraflex joints eventually start coming apart because they can't be greased. At least in my personal opinion.
 
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When I ran Currie arms with JJ's I had little luck getting grease into the joints via the zerks. You really need to take them apart and service them. That requires a special tool to relieve the preload in order to take them apart and re-install. Oh, 2 tools. One for the larger lower joint, and one for the smaller upper joint. Now, how often you need to service them is up to how hard you treat them. I've heard of jeepers running them for years without touching them. Others complain they make noise over time and need to service them routinely.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
That is another reason I'd never touch a MC joint. In my personal opinion they lie and claim their joints don't need greasing, they mislead the hell out of their customers. Not needing grease and being made so they can't be greased are two different things. Their rubber/Duraflex joints eventually start coming apart because they can't be greased. At least in my personal opinion.
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Time will tell... I’ve seen a lot of MC criticism, but very few complaints from actual MC users. If the bushings don’t hold up, I’ll report back.
 
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