Total Chaos Second Generation Coil-Over Caddy Kit (Off-Road Magazine)
Published by Trails Less Traveled on May 3rd, 2005
INTRODUCTION
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Automotive styling trends are a curious thing. Most late-models trucks and SUV owners seem more concerned about making a fashion statement with their vehicle as a lifestyle accessory than modifying their vehicle to actually perform well off-road: we’ve published countless feature-vehicles with chrome undercarriages and other modifications better suited to the pages of a show-truck magazine. Let’s talk about what’s going on in the world of aftermarket high-performance IFS systems, as we return the focus of Off-Road Magazine to performance-oriented off-road vehicles and modifications.
How did it come to this? Automotive manufacturers build trucks that appeal to mainstream consumers and as the OEM straight-axle truck market died-out, drop-bracket lift kits allowed enthusiasts to hold on to the aggressive ‘look’ of their familiar old off-road trucks. Unfortunately, most drop-bracket kits simply lower the stock suspension components to clear larger tires, offering no real performance benefits. In fact, poor ride-quality and handling, accelerated drivetrain wear and reduced gas mileage, are some of the negative attributes many of these kits display.
Straight-axle conversions can be difficult to execute when a truck’s chassis was not designed to accommodate a straight-axle suspension or drivetrain. Whether the transfer-case output is on the wrong side or the drive-shaft doesn’t clear the oil-pan, there will certainly be obstacles to overcome. Depending on the intended use of the vehicle, straight-axles may not offer the best performance either. We would actually prefer (modified) IFS to a straight-axle truck for almost anything but a dedicated mud-bogger or rock-crawler.
Desert-racing-inspired long-travel suspension kits are NOT lift kits. Let’s abolish the idea of lifting trucks in order to clear larger tires. The goal is to maximize wheel-travel and maintain a low, wide stance for improved handling at both low and high-speeds off-road. Although these long-travel suspension systems are designed to tolerate abuse at wide-open throttle in the desert, they are equally at home during the morning commute on the freeway. Say goodbye to the death-wobble forever.
Of all the compact pick-ups, 86-95 Toyota 4WD trucks are especially well suited to these types of suspension modifications. There is a surplus of these trucks in good condition all over the country and getting into one will only set you back a few thousand dollars at most. The Total Chaos Gen II Caddy Kit increases the front suspension travel from just 7” to 12” of usable wheel-travel by using 3.25” wider (per-side) A-arms and 2.5×8” race-quality coil-over shocks. Total Chaos Fabrication designs their long-travel suspension kits to retain as many of the factory mounting points and components as possible while maximizing suspension travel and quality. This makes Total Chaos’ long-travel kits easier to install and relatively affordable. With many optional accessories available, upgrades can follow as budget permits. In addition to installing Total Chaos’ new second generation Caddy Kit, we chose to install their optional lower Uni-ball upgrade as well as the super-strong steering idler-arm. Total Chaos also offers a beefed-up Heim-jointed steering link kit and several other optional components, including a weld-in IFS sub-frame truss.
Although installing the Total Chaos Second Generation Caddy Kit is fairly labor-intensive and does require some basic welding and fabrication, the end result is well worth the time and money. The off-road performance is incredible. On-road handling and ride quality is also noticeably improved. Being able to mount coil-over and bypass shocks while retaining 4WD makes for an incredibly versatile truck that is equally at home flying through the desert or exploring backcountry trails.
REMOVAL
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The Caddy Kit replaces the stock torsion-bars with coil-over shocks, so the first thing to do is remove the torsion-bars. Begin by loosening the rear mount and removing the mounting bolt. Then disengage the torsion bar from the front torsion socket and remove it from the vehicle.
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Remove the castle-nuts from the inner and outer tie-rod ends on the steering-links; then use a pickle-fork or ball-joint puller to pop the ball-joints free and then remove the outer steering-links.
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Next, remove the center-link from the idler-arm and pitman arm if the Total Chaos idler arm is being installed. Then the stock idler-arm can be removed from the frame.
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Remove the castle-nut from the lower ball-joint and use a pickle-fork or ball-joint puller to break it loose. Then unbolt the lower control-arm from the frame and remove it from the vehicle.
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Remove the outer half of the locking hub to access and remove the outer CV retaining bolt.
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The six studs that retain the inner CV to the front differential on this truck were previously drilled-out and replaced with standard grade-8 hardware so that we could replace broken CV’s without removing the spindle. This is a simple upgrade that can save a lot of time replacing broken CV’s out on the trail.
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The stock lower ball-joint is only held in-place by four bolts, but might require a little bit of force to knock it loose. This would probably be easiest to do after the spindle has been removed from the vehicle. NOTE: The stock lower ball-joints only need to be removed from the spindle if the optional lower Uni-balls are being installed.
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Pinch off the brake line with vice-grips and disconnect the brake line from the caliper, then remove the castle-nut from the upper ball-joint and break it loose from the spindle with a pickle-fork or ball-joint puller. Set the spindles aside.
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Remove the three bolts that attach the upper A-arm cross-shaft to the frame and remove the whole assembly from the vehicle.
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Remove the torsion-bar socket from the upper arm to gain access to the rear cross-shaft nut. Use a punch to pop-out the safety-crimp in the large pivot-shaft nuts and then remove both nuts from the cross-shaft.
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We used an acetylene torch to heat up the area surrounding the rubber bushings so that the cross-shaft can be removed from the stock upper arm. Then we heated (melted) the rubber bushings to remove the inner metal sleeves (two of which must be reused).
INSTALLATION
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It’s easy to see the difference in quality and strength between the stock equipment and the Total Chaos Caddy Kit components. The Caddy Kit is intelligently designed to use stock T-100 CV shafts, which are 3.25” wider per-side. T100 CV’s are readily available and much less expensive than custom assemblies.
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Apply grease to the largest red urethane bushing and press it into the upper arm. Then grease the metal inner sleeve and press it into the urethane bushing.
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Slide the cross-shaft through the smaller end of the control-arm and then slide the larger diameter end of the cross-shaft backwards into the larger diameter end of the control-arm. Grease and install the other urethane bushing and metal inner sleeve. Reinstall the large factory nuts and re-crimp them with a punch.
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The stock upper shock-mounts must be cut-off to allow clearance for the new coil-over shocks. We trimmed the stock mount (as shown here) using an angle-grinder with a cut-off wheel. Then we bolted the new upper control-arm assembly back onto the frame.
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The tapered ball-joint hole in the lower A-arm must be drilled-out to a straight 3/4” hole to accommodate the massive 1” Teflon-lined Uni-ball’s grade-8 hardware. Then bolt the Uni-ball onto the lower arm. Be sure to use semi-permanent thread-locking compound for added security.
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Grease and install the urethane bushings and metal sleeves into the lower control-arms and bolt the arms on the truck. We set the camber bolts to a neutral position, knowing that the front end must be professionally aligned immediately after completing the suspension installation.
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The upper ball-joint hole in the spindle also needs to be drilled-out to a straight 3/4” hole to accept the Uni-ball hardware. Then bolt the spindle to the upper A-arm (which also uses a 1” Uni-ball) using the included 3/4” grade-8 hardware and high-misalignment spacers. The lower Uni-ball bolts to the spindle reusing the factory hardware. The T100 CV’s install just like the stock parts, but be sure to install the CV’s before bolting the spindles into place if you haven’t replaced the inner CV studs with regular hardware.
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We had to drill-out the stock idler-arm hole in the center-link to 5/8-inch so it would accept the hardware for the new Total Chaos idler-arm. The replacement idler-arm bolted right into the stock location on the frame and then we reinstalled the center-link.
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Steering-link extensions are included to match the additional width provided by the Total Chaos upper and lower control-arms. Once the extensions are installed, reattach the outer steering links to the center-link and the knuckles.
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Install the included DOT-approved extended braided stainless-steel brake lines and bleed the brake system.
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New upper shock mounts must be installed in order to accommodate the longer, race-quality 2.5×8” stroke shocks that this kit is designed to use. Because different shocks all have slightly different eye-to-eye measurements, the laser-cut plates may need to be trimmed slightly before welding. Proper placement is critical to ensure that the shocks to not limit travel or bottom-out, so make sure to cycle the suspension from full compression to full extension. Also make sure that the shock mounts do not interfere with the motor mounts or steering shaft on the driver’s-side. The shock tower shown here is very similar to the production kit, and bolts into place after welding it together.
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The bolt-in shock towers must be used in conjunction with weld-in shock hoops to provide the additional bracing required to support the weight of the vehicle. Total Chaos now offers a pre-fabricated universal upper shock mount for this application, but those parts were not available when this installation was performed so we made our own.
With the coil-over bolted into the shock tower, we took some measurements and bent-up the shock-hoops out of 1.75x.120” Chro-Moly tubing. After fitting the main hoop in place, we trimmed them to length and tack-welded the hoops to the frame. We added another vertical brace where the secondary upper shock mount would be located and then finished welding everything after the placement of the secondary shock tabs was finalized.
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We cycled the suspension again with the shocks installed (with the coil-springs removed) from full extension through full compression and lock-to-lock steering to insure that there was no interference or binding. Then we welded-on the included droop-stop perches and installed the urethane droop-stops. The stock mounting holes for the compression/bump-stops need to be elongated slightly to reposition them to make full contact with the tubular Chro-Moly A-arms.
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Here is the completed installation with a 2.5×8” King coil-over and secondary 2.5×8” King triple bypass shock. Now it’s time to mount the 33×10.5” BFG tires, take it to an alignment shop and then hit the dirt.
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This Article was originally published in Off-Road Magazine June 2005
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