G
Guest
·Ok, here is my latest mod. I installed the Total Chaos Upper Control Arms and Pre-Runner Greg's 2" Spacers.
To begin always make sure you have all the parts in your kit.
Here is a pic of what comes in this kit from PRG Products.
Note that you will be cutting away one of the bolts that mounts the driver
side UCA to the frame, so you need to purchase an extra bolt if one did
not come with your kit.
You need a 14mm x 90mm 1.50 bolt but you can substitute
a 9/16 x 3" grade 8 bolt if necessary, this is what i did, to avoid special
ordering the metric bolt, and it works perfectly.
Next, check that you have all the proper tools.
You will need:
Air tools really speed up the operation but are not mandatory.
I used an air ratchet and impact wrench in my install to speed things up.
To begin always make sure you have all the parts in your kit.
Here is a pic of what comes in this kit from PRG Products.

Note that you will be cutting away one of the bolts that mounts the driver
side UCA to the frame, so you need to purchase an extra bolt if one did
not come with your kit.
You need a 14mm x 90mm 1.50 bolt but you can substitute
a 9/16 x 3" grade 8 bolt if necessary, this is what i did, to avoid special
ordering the metric bolt, and it works perfectly.
Next, check that you have all the proper tools.
You will need:
1. 17 & 19mm open closed end wrenches - 2 ea
2. 12, 14, 17, 19, & 22mm sockets
3. 3/8 drive ratchet
4. ball joint separator
5. torque wrench/breaker bar
6. heavy duty floor jack & standard nissan jack (under back seat)
7. two jack stands
8. two wheel chocks
9. grease gun
10. hack saw or sawzall
11. rubber mallet
12. pry bar
13. grease, pb blaster
Air tools really speed up the operation but are not mandatory.
I used an air ratchet and impact wrench in my install to speed things up.
For the first step, make sure the truck is on a level surface. Set the parking brake and chock the rear wheels.
Loosen - but don't remove - the lug nuts on both front tires.
Jack the front end up and place the truck on jack stands, be sure the
front tires are off the ground and place the jack stands under the frame
of the truck, not the suspension.
Remove the lug nuts and remove both front wheels.
Next remove the front sway bar. I have removed the front sway bar
previously, so there is no pics of this step, but using your 17 and 19mm
wrenches, remove the connecting rods from both ends of the sway bar
and tilt it up out of your way.
*i borrowed the pic from dan, since i didn't do this step today.
Now you are going to remove the coil over shock assembly. Loosen the nut on
the lower shock mount, and using your light jack under the lower control
arm, move it up until the bolt will slide free. remove the bolt and lower
the jack down.
Using the 14mm socket, remove the 3 nuts on top of the coil perch. Do
not loosen the middle nut, as it holds the spring in place. And remove the
whole assembly. Adjust the steering as necessary to get this part out.
Now just slide on the spacer, to the top of the coil over, and use the
factory bolts. torque those bolts to 22 ft-lbs.
Set the coil overs to the side and get out your ball joint separator.
Remove the cotter pin and use your 22mm socket with breaker bar to
pull off the bolt on the ball joint.
If you truck is new enough the ball joint may come apart easily, but
it is best to have a ball joint separator on hand, since you can get a free
loaner from advance auto or any of the auto parts stores in your area.
Make sure to put your light duty jack under the lower control arm before
removing the ball joint, to avoid putting stress on the brake line.
Once you have the ball joint broke free, you can pull the steering knuckle
out of your way. be sure to keep that jack under the LCA until you put it
back together.
Now reinstall the coil over. Insert the bottom end first and then position
the top end with spacer into the bucket. you will have to reposition the LCA using your jack as needed to get the assembly back in there. once
it's in place install the top 3 bolts first then the bottom bolt. torque specs
on the top bolts are 22 ft-lbs and the bottom should be torqued to 160ft-lbs.
Pull the bolts from the top of the Upper control arms. The driver side rear
mount point will be close to the steering components so extra care is
required when working with that bolt. you will remove the nut, then pull
the bolt about 1/2 way out, so you can use your hack saw or sawzall to
cut the bolt. a sawzall is highly recommended, but a small hack saw
will work. be very careful not to cut the rubber boot on the steering
which is about 1 inch away from the bolt you will be cutting.
Now with both UCAs removed, put the TC UCAs together.
Apply a teflon lubricant or grease to the bushings and sleeves to ease
installation. a rubber mallet may be helpful to tap the bushings in.
Make sure when threading in the zirk fittings, you do not overtighten them,
or you may break them off at the threads.
Now that you have the UCAs assembled, install them on the truck. use
your 14mm x 90mm bolt that you purchased separately, on the driver
side rear mount. make sure to put the bolt in from the rear, and use
caution when working around the brake lines that are right behind there.
Tighten the UCA mounting bolts to 60ft lbs. Apply grease to the zirk fittings.
Remove the stock bumpstops, and replace with the ones provided from
PRG> you will have to use a dremel or drill to widen the mounting hole
slightly on the LCA. Tighten the bolt just till it's snug. no torquing is necessary.
Now you will assemble the uniball, make sure your high misalignment
spacers are seated properly, and use your light jack to aid in positioning
the components. once you have them together, you can tighten the bolt
down to 90ft-lbs and your install is complete.
Reinstall your wheels and lug nuts, then lower the truck and torque lugs to spec.
Be sure to check and re-torque all your hardware after you drive
about 100 miles on it.