Installing a Total Chaos Suspension - Toyota Brand Pages

The Dunes are a great place to practice jumping. The sand gives a nice soft landing, and there are ever-changing jumps. The old Clampster lost a taillight, the tailgate, and the old aluminum topper off the back, plus the helmeted head of our pal took out the back window on one of the landings, but amazingly we cleared over 30 feet. Even after the abuse, Clampy's frame didn't crumble and the darn truck still runs like a champ. The Total Chaos suspension and Sway-A-Way shocks helped the front of the truck land great, and we can only imagine how well the truck will take rough roads once we address the rear suspension.

The Dunes are a great place to practice jumping. The sand gives a nice soft landing, and t

Disclaimer--What we did to the truck should be duplicated, because it worked great. What we did with the truck once the installation was finished should not be duplicated, unless you realize that you could get hurt. (Now that we've gotten the legal crap out of the way, let us tell you how we tried--and failed--to kill our free farm truck Clampy.)

It was a cold, dark, and stormy night, and we needed to do a story on a quick install. We looked at the sad state of our truck and decided that our tRUSTy old truck Clampy was going to be the recipient of a quick and easy IFS suspension installation, or so we thought. We had seen and heard good things about the Total Chaos Caddy IFS kit for '86-'95 Toyota trucks and 4Runners, and planned on installing it on our rig over the weekend, but there were a few glitches.

Most of the problems we encountered were because this truck started its life in New York state (where we think it was permanently towed behind a salt truck). To explain to all our West Coast readers, in New York and some other Eastern states they drop salt on the roads in the winter to fight the snow and ice, and to help destroy the value of nearly every vehicle within a few short years due to rust. Clampy was no exception, and we spent most of the installation just trying to deinstall the original IFS parts. But once we had the new long-travel front suspension on Clampy we were more than happy with all the work.

Yes, we know that we always say IFS is lame, and that you should just cut it out and make a solid-axle rockcrawler, but we felt that since Clampy now resides in Southern California, it would be interesting if we could make it into a SoCal prerunner-type truck which requires a go-fast independent suspension. Plus, then we could jump it. (If you have never jumped a truck, you are really missing out. It's way cool!) Independent suspension works great for going fast since it has less unsprung weight to control than a solid axle, and thus can react to the terrain quicker, plus each tire can react independent of the opposite tire. The Total Chaos kit, when installed with a set of Sway-A-Way shocks, torsion bars, and T-100 axleshafts, allows for up to 12 inches of wheel travel to really soak up bumps and jumps.

So within about a week we had the ol' Clampster torn down and rebuilt into a better, faster Clamp. Well, at least the front half. We are now debating what to do with the rest of the truck. It keeps running (aka it can't be killed) so we just may spend the time and money on making the rear suspension work as well as the front. Though the rust holes in the rear section of the frame do have us a bit worried, we feel that we owe it to the old beast. And then maybe nitrous. Stay tuned.

The Total Chaos kit comes with new upper and lower welded 4130 chromoly A-arms, stainless steel brake lines, and all the bushings. It also includes tie-rod extensions and upper shock hoops that need to be welded to the frame (not that hard of a welding project if you are a novice), and some weld-on droop mounts. You will also need to track down a set of replacement T-100 front axleshafts since the longer A-arms require them. We called around and finally found them in stock at a local auto parts store, but most stores will need to special order them.
The Total Chaos kit comes with new upper and lower welded 4130 chromoly A-arms, stainless
You will be reusing the upper pivot shaft from the original upper A-arms. The one on Clampy was so rusty that we picked up two new uppers from a local recycling center (junkyard). We also got some used factory bumpstops since ours had rotted away years ago.
You will be reusing the upper pivot shaft from the original upper A-arms. The one on Clamp
To really get the best control out of the Total Chaos kit, we used these 2 1/2-inch, remote-reservoir Sway-A-Way Race Runner shocks with 10 inches of travel. The valving can be adjusted to give just the control and rebound desired, but for now we left them at the factory settings, and they worked flawlessly. We also replaced the old torsion bars with a new set from Sway-A-Way.
To really get the best control out of the Total Chaos kit, we used these 2 1/2-inch, remot

Finally, we headed to nearly every auto parts store in town to track down all the little bits that needed replacing after 200,000 miles. Ball joints, steering joints, brake lines, calipers, rotors, pads, bearings, grease, everything for the steering that could wear out, and a bunch of rust-penetrating and grime-cleaning chemicals.
Finally, we headed to nearly every auto parts store in town to track down all the little b
The old parts were a mess. The brakes alone should have gotten us arrested, if not killed. The steering tie-rod ends had so much slop that steering was like stirring soup. The A-arms made some very scary noises at every bump in the road. We had grown used to all this from our time in the saddle of old Clampy, but we felt that there had to be a better way to go down the desert trails without beating ourselves to death.
The old parts were a mess. The brakes alone should have gotten us arrested, if not killed.
We knew that we would need a hand on the install, but it was actually the removal of the old parts that took the most time. Luckily, we convinced a buddy to let us take over his driveway for a few days and drink all his cold beverages. Our first step in removing the IFS was to get the top A-arm off, and this required disconnecting the torsion-bar mount, unhooking the shocks and sway bar, and unbolting the old upper pivot shaft and upper balljoint. Then we could remove the knuckle from the axleshaft and the lower A-arm.
We knew that we would need a hand on the install, but it was actually the removal of the o

In exchange for letting us make a junkyard of his driveway, our friend got to cut parts off our truck with his torch. The flame was used mostly on the lower A-arms, where some of the bolts would not come apart due to years of rust and abuse.
In exchange for letting us make a junkyard of his driveway, our friend got to cut parts of
With the IFS removed and the frame wire-brushed clean, we had to remove some old brake-line brackets, shock mounts, and droop stops to make room for the shock hoops and upper A-arms. An air chisel makes short work of this, and is loud enough to get all the neighborhood kids interested in the project, but a grinder or reciprocating saw can also get the job done.
With the IFS removed and the frame wire-brushed clean, we had to remove some old brake-lin
To clear the shock hoop you will need to trim the inner fenderwells. We recommend clearing any wires or hoses from the backside of the fender first. Don't freak out--Schlossberg usually wears gloves when he saws metal, but here he is just showing what he removed for the picture. Notice, though, that he did remember his safety glasses. About now is a good time to assemble the A-arms. The upper A-arm uses the old pivot shaft as we mentioned, but gets all new bushings. A good coating of synthetic lubricant helps everything go together easily.
To clear the shock hoop you will need to trim the inner fenderwells. We recommend clearing

Here is the new shock mount welded in. You will need to install the A-arms to figure out exactly where you want the shock mounting tabs and where to put the new droop stops, and then remove them to do the final welding.
Here is the new shock mount welded in. You will need to install the A-arms to figure out e
We released the nitrogen charge in the Sway-A-Way Race Runner shocks through the Schrader valve to allow us to cycle the shock by hand.
We released the nitrogen charge in the Sway-A-Way Race Runner shocks through the Schrader
With everything painted nice, we reinstalled the A-arms and then bolted in the T-100 shafts. The new shafts have the same-sized CVs, so they may not be much stronger, but the extra 3 inches makes for more travel out at the wheel.
With everything painted nice, we reinstalled the A-arms and then bolted in the T-100 shaft

Notice how the red torsion-bar mount is already on the backside of the upper A-arm. Our torsion-bar mount had a small cast tab on one side that represented where the keyway in the splines was, and this was mounted down.
Notice how the red torsion-bar mount is already on the backside of the upper A-arm. Our to
Some grease was added to the inside of the spindle and we were putting everything back together. We took the old knuckles and cleaned and painted them to look like new.
Some grease was added to the inside of the spindle and we were putting everything back tog
The front brakes got all new hard lines down to the stainless steel flexible lines. Be sure that the lines are routed well out of the way for the complete cycle of the suspension.
The front brakes got all new hard lines down to the stainless steel flexible lines. Be sur

We also replaced the hard lines from the back of the knuckle with new replacements from Toyota of Glenn Burnie. Notice how spray-painting regular calipers red gives them that zoom-zoom go-fast look (we're sure Clampy is a half second faster now).
We also replaced the hard lines from the back of the knuckle with new replacements from To
With everything ready we put the truck back on its wheels and set the truck down. Next we adjusted the Sway-A-Way torsion bar to give a firm ride, yet still soak up the bumps and sit level. Finally we charged the Race Runners with 200 psi of nitrogen and headed off for an alignment.
With everything ready we put the truck back on its wheels and set the truck down. Next we
The alignment is adjusted by turning the two lower A-arm attachment bolts so that the eccentric washers turn and adjust the track of the tires. We swung by The Tire Store in Paso Robles, California, to get dialed, and then headed to the dunes at Pismo Beach.
The alignment is adjusted by turning the two lower A-arm attachment bolts so that the ecce

One last stop was made before the big day. That involved installing one of All-Pro Off-Road's internal cages for Toyotas. This 1 1/2-inch by 0.120 wall DOM tubing kit requires a drill, a welder, a chop saw, and some basic handtools to install.
One last stop was made before the big day. That involved installing one of All-Pro Off-Roa
Fitting the cage in Clampy takes a bit of head scratching, but can be done. It seems that there is only one way to make everything fit perfectly. Our friend Chris Durham stopped by to give us a hand measuring and cutting the tube to get a good fit. If you haven't done any tube work, take your time with this because even though it's just cutting and welding, you would hate to remove more than need be.
Fitting the cage in Clampy takes a bit of head scratching, but can be done. It seems that
We had to install some plates on the floor for the down bars. Though the kit comes with enough plates, our rear plates interfered with the body mount, so we made these slightly larger pieces to get a good, sturdy mount. This probably wouldn't be an issue with an Xtra Cab or 4Runner. If your body is rusty, we would recommend fabbing up some runners from the frame to the bottom-side of the mounts.
We had to install some plates on the floor for the down bars. Though the kit comes with en

Once the cage is tacked into place, it can be removed and given a final weld outside of the truck. If your truck is really nice, be careful when welding inside to protect the interior. After welding, the cage is put back in and bolted together. Though we didn't plan on using it, we figured that the cage would give us peace of mind to really jump the truck without a care.
Once the cage is tacked into place, it can be removed and given a final weld outside of th
To get some good air under the old Clampster, we enlisted the help of our pals Schlossberg and Durham. Schlossberg sells widgets and Durham is a pro rock buggy driver, but neither had ever been in such a high-performance vehicle as Clampy. We gave them this manual on Toyotas and they brought their own helmets.
To get some good air under the old Clampster, we enlisted the help of our pals Schlossberg