Total Chaos Upper Arm Install (Tacoma)
Date: 9-17-03

Step 1: Set parking break, chock rear wheels, Jack up your front end, support with jack stands and remove your front tires.

Step 2: Remove the cotter pin in your upper balljoint and remove the nut. Then separate the upper arm from the spindle.

Step 3: Unbolt the upper arm cross shaft and remove your upper arm. (You may need to move a wiring harness in your engine bay to get the cross shaft out)

Step 4: Remove your old balljoint from the spindle. The Haynes manual recommends a two jaw puller but if you don’t have one just place a large deep socket over your balljoint and pound it out with a 2.5lb sledgehammer. If it won’t come out just keep hitting, it will!

Step 5: put anti seize on the inside of your spindle and on the uniball adapter and press it into your spindle. I used a combination of a small table vise and a 2.5 lb sledgehammer. Remember to use the supplied snap rings once you get the adapter in!

Step 6: press the bushings into you new arms with some grease and install them the opposite way you took out the stock arm, remember to use the washers that came with the kit you should use four per arm, one on each side of the bushings. An extra hand is needed to hold the arm and washers in place while the cross shaft is put in place. Bolt the cross shaft on and I recommend you use loctite.

Step 7: Almost done! Bolt your upper arms to your spindle.

Step 8: Check to make sure all your bolts and nuts are tight and replace any wiring harnesses that you might have moved.

Step 9: Put your tires back on and put your truck back on the ground and go for a drive around the block.

Step 10: recheck your work and make sure everything is in order; I recommend you check your bolts from time to time especially before and after you hit the Dez.

DISCLAIMER: If you don’t feel confident enough in your mechanical skills get this kit installed by an authorized Total Chaos dealer. This write up is brief and very general, the kit does not come with instructions so be forewarned. Getting the old balljoint out and the uniball adapters in is not a simple task.