Project Tacoma: Total Chaos Replacement Upper Control Arms - Trucks 4x4 @ Off-Road.com
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Project Tacoma: Total Chaos Replacement Upper Control Arms"Trails Less Traveled"
Publish date: Jun 1, 2003
By:  Jesse Katz
Source: Toyota at Off-Road.com

Total Chaos has just released their 100% bolt-in replacement Uni-ball upper control arm kit, and it's a perfect complement to any aftermarket coil-over shock upgrade. Benefits include dramatically increased durability and strength as well as the potential for additional, useable suspension travel. Suspension travel and dampening performance varies a great deal between different shocks on the market. Recommended ride height is still determined by CV angles, which these arms will not affect, and should not exceed 2.5" for a 4wd truck with automatic hubs. 2wd Prerunner trucks and 4wd trucks with manual hubs are able to get away with slightly more than 3" of lift without many problems.

The Total Chaos replacement Upper Control Arm kit comes with stock length upper control arms, 1" Uniball's with the slug adapters, replacement urethane bushings, hi-misalignment spacers and grade 8 hardware including zinc plated, lazer-cut washers.


We removed the grease boot from this ball-joint in order to show the angularity and size of the parts that are being replaced. At full extension of the suspension, as in this picture, note the extreme load that is placed on these stock ball-joints. Premature wear is a problem that is accentuated by additional lift, suspension travel and the extra weight of larger tires, not to mention hard off-road use.


The ball-joints must be pressed out of the spindle, either by removing the entire spindle from the vehicle and using a hydraulic press or by creating a simple tool to accomplish the job without any major disassembly. We used two pieces of scrap angle iron, a few old nuts and bolts and a short piece of tubing to make a simple press. This is by far the most involved step in the process, but it is easy enough to drill a few holes in some scrap metal, cut a short piece of tubing, and tighten a couple of nuts and bolts.


Once the ball-joint is removed, lightly grease the spindle and then the included adapter slug can be pressed into place by using the same tool used to remove the ball-joint in reverse. Total Chaos supplies a c-clip that is installed on the adapter slug as a secondary means of retention.

 

The rest of the installation is a breeze, bolting the Total Chaos arms right in with the supplied hardware. The difference in quality is obvious in these two images, and the fault does not lie with Toyota. Ball-joints are adequate for most stock trucks, especially within the range of intended use by the manufacturer. They just weren't designed to compete with the race-bred performance of these Total Chaos components.

 

Once the installation is finished, cycle the suspension fully to check for any interference. Because of the suspension geometry that Total Chaos achieves, on some trucks the spindle will make very slight contact with the upper coil bucket (usually only about 1/16th"). Remove just the sharp edge left from the casting on the backside of the spindle using a die grinder or hand file, to provide at least 1/8" of clearance. Many trucks will not require this step at all.

 

On full compression of control arm we can see the articulation that the massive 1" high misalignment Uni-balls allow for. The Uni-balls are Teflon lined for smooth movement, and do not wear out quickly because Total Chaos uses the highest grade materials and components available. Some of the first customers have already put over 20,000 miles on these components on and off-road without any maintenance needed.

 

The Total Chaos Uni-ball replacement control arms change the front suspension geometry slightly and your vehicle will need an alignment after installation in order to finish the job. Keep in mind that any time adjustments in ride height are made to the vehicle (installing aftermarket coil-overs, etc.) it will need to be re-aligned, so this is the best time to install your coil-overs and set the desired ride height. Read on to find out more about the ultimate Tacoma coil-over installation, using Swayaway's 2.5" diameter, 8" stroke Race Runner shocks.

>>> Swayaway Long Travel Coil-Over Shock Installation

Contact Information:

Total Chaos Fabrication
909.737.9682
 www.chaosfab.com
Email: chaosfab@aol.com
159 North Maple St. Suite J
Corona, CA 92880

Kartek Off-Road
909.737.7223 
 www.kartek.com
 offroad@kartek.com
2871 Ragle Way

Talk about our Tacoma Project in the Tacoma BBS
Send us Email about Project Tacoma
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Source: Toyota at Off-Road.com, 6/1/2003
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