Author Topic: BigMike's Big Journey: A 2016 Tacoma Build Thread  (Read 561515 times)

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Slabzilla

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They did a Killer job on that bob, you'd almost think it was a factory bed. Kudos to the skills involved in that transformation. Your departure angle is awesome, lose that log of a rear bumper and she'll be perfect in her proportions, front to rear. The bob make her symetrical in visual weight.   :biggthumpup:
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300k

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I still think mine is the cleanest home done one.

Sorry Rory, I think I have you beat by a mile :rofl:



and for the record, I had NOTHING to do with that. it was the previous owners work...and best part? He bobbed so much that the tailgate doesn't clear the frame rails, so it has to be on lift blocks while the body is on the frame. Sorry for posting my garbage on your thread, mike :)
:)bestgen4runner [12:45 PM]:   I am so stupid.

Truer words have never been spoken...

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Well yeah, done by a body shop(looks awesome).....I still think mine is the cleanest home done one.  :gap: But then if I didn't think mine was cool, well that would be silly.  :shades:


I'm certainly not bagging on anyone's home brew job if it's worthy of being categorized in my previous statement.   :bowdown: It's just there are so many other "Bobbed" beds out there that are so unfinished looking that I'm tired of seeing it. Work like that is not inspiring for anyone to want to try doing it themselves. I'm no body man to want to tackle a sheetmetal job like this but it doesn't scare me to try when I see a very nicely done job. In fact, it challenges me to want to do such a job now that the standard is high enough for me to want to accept that challenge and try to meet that standard of build.  :beerchug:  BTW, home brew bed bob...Well done, Sir!  :clap2:

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Yes.
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– Steve McQueen

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"I plan to hit 300k in this truck"  :)bestgen4runner

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I love the bed bob Mike.  Now I'm curious what the new bumper will look like.
"A friend will help you move.  A real friend will help you move a body."

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Hey mike, does bob have any experience bobbing 4runners? :willynilly:  :yupyup:

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cut the rear quarters and get a tucked up wrap around bumper
plate would look best with the new body style

cutting the rear quarters will create great clearance on the sides and give better appearace with a wrap around bumper
got another 85 runner. build coming soon!!

dropzone

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They did a great job on your truck, way more involved than i expected.

Bobbing the bed on my trekker was pretty straight forward with the fiberglass bed, getting the top bobbed was a PITA.

Looking forward to see what you come up with for  the bumper
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build thread: http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=86346.0

1994 4Runner - Long Term Expedition type Build

BigMike [OP]

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Hellllllo Crawler Land!

I'm a bit behind with updates. Been very busy over here ;) ;) ;)

June 19, 2017: Drilled new bumper holes in frame

Here is 6-inches of the frame to be removed



Here are the 5 bumper bolt holes I need to move forward on each side of the frame



The first two will just b-a-r-e-l-y make it



But the rear-most frame and lower attaching bracket would be moving waaay too far forward





One thing which was amazing is that the lower attaching bracket has two dowels that align it in the frame, and they are almost exactly 6-inches apart! So what I'll do for the lower attaching bracket is just slice it in half and use one bolt.

The result will be 3 bolts per side instead of 5. For now this is perfectly acceptable. I don't plan on towing anything for a while, and once I purchase a rear bumper I like (haven't found one yet) or build my own rear bumper, I'll either add an extra hole or use stitch welding. (For reference our old Marlin Crawler Hilux tube/Rock Crawling rear bumpers attach with 4 bolts per side.)

So I'll be drilling two new holes into the side of the frame and one new hole along the bottom for the lower attaching bracket.

Let the drilling begin!

Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
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BigMike [OP]

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June 26, 2017: Bed Bob Finished!

It would be another week until I could work on the Taco. With the holes drilled it was long overdue to get this project wrapped up!

Bumper off, preparing to cut the frame



Decided to use our plasma cutter. Here is a pic before grinding it down and quickly spray painting



Then we cut the bumper brackets (sorry I never took any pictures of this). We cut each bracket so that only the rear-most three bolt holes remain. The lower front hole of these three had to be slotted due to it mounting flush against the leaf spring shackle hanger bracket.

With both frame and bumper brackets cut, it was time to test fit....



...and install!



But holy crap that was very difficult!! The Bumper brackets are tapered outward such that they are pulled into the frame as the bolts are tightened. This meant the bumper itself was tapered, so when we cut the bumper bracket shorter, now the bumper was no longer wide enough to fit over the outside of each frame rail.

It took a loooooooooooooooooooot of hammering to get the shorter brackets spread for the frame. We even considered heating up each bracket with a torch but I didn't want to weaken the steel nor risk damage to the plastic and electronics in the bumper.

I am very pleased with the final outcome!



Additional note is that the spare tire no longer fits under the bed: The trailer hitch has been moved so far back that it contacts the spare. Not much of a surprise plus 1) I'll eventually get a lower profile rear bumper with more under the bed spacer, 2) I'll be moving up to larger tires soon and probably won't be able to carry a large enough spare under there anyhow, 3) future rear suspension plans will interfere with the spare anyhow, and 3) it gives me a ton of space for my under-the-bed on-board air setup.
Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
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"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

BigMike [OP]

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June 26, 2017: Bed Bob Finished! (continued)

I've been working so fast on projects that for the most part I've been slacking in the department of before-and-after specs/measurements. So I made sure to get this covered this time around :)

Before and after! I've gained an entire line on the camera

Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
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Things are only impossible until they are not.
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"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

BigMike [OP]

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June 26, 2017: Bed Bob Finished! (continued)

Departure Angle comparison

The setup...



From rear tire contact point to bottom of trailer hitch



Before:



25.9 degrees departure angle



After:



30.5 degrees. Picked up 4.6 degrees which is really good!

Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
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"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

toyyota

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Nice job on the rear bumper. Fit looks perfect.

Slabzilla

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Nothing like breaking out the old BFH Wrench to get that perfect fit, nice job Mike.
 :biggthumpup:
'85 Xtra-cab, 4.5" Downey Off-Road lift, 12-15 KM2's on American Racing Baja's, Marlin's-4.88's & 4.7's, Downey Off-Road CAI, Marlin rear bumper & sliders

BigMike [OP]

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June 21, 2017 (continued): New Stickers!

That same evening I got some new stickers installed :D

First was my windshield sticker that I had mocked up about a month ago: "World's First Dual Ultimate 3(rd) Gen Tacoma"



Quick Q&A

Question: Dual?
Answer:
A Dual Case setup is where you've added an additional stock low range gear set to your truck (2.28:1 Hilux ratio). The term "Dual Transfer case" is tossed around but we don't have two t/cases, rather a total of two low range gear sets. It looks like this: Engine > Transmission > Low Range #1 (inside of the Marlin Crawler) > Low Range #2 (inside of your Transfer case) > Ring & Pinion.

Question: Dual Ultimate?
Answer:
A "Dual Ultimate" is when you have one stock low range gear set (in my t/case: 2.57:1) but you've upgraded to our 4.70:1 Total-Spline Chromoly low range gear set (in my Marlin Crawler). The name comes from what Marlin believes is "the Ultimate gear ratio", which, based on drivetrain and R&P, falls in the 200-250:1 range for manual trucks and 140-170:1 for automatic trucks. The name was created by Marlin and is used to describe the best of our products.

Question: Isnt't there something called a TacoBox?
Answer:
A TacoBox is what Marlin invented in 2001 when he built the world's first Tacoma dual transfer case setup. Back in the 1990s we had a Dual T/Case setup for Land Cruisers that we called a "ToyBox", so "TacoBox" was the natural progression from there. As some 4Runners, T100s, Tundras, and FJ Cruisers share the same bolt pattern as the Tacoma (what the TacoBox was originally designed for), we still call it a TacoBox. We have many TacoBoxes running around in Toyota models other than Tacomas.

Question: What about a TacoBox Supreme?
Answer:
A TacoBox Supreme is simply a TacoBox fitted with our 4.70:1 low range gears. This is synonymous with the above "Dual Ultimate" and is the Ultimate setup for a Tacoma. The origin of this term is easy to guess: I used to love Burrito Supremes from TacoBell and that's where we got the name from!

Good Question: Why does my windshield sticker read "Dual Ultimate" instead of "TacoBox Supreme"?
Answer:
I plan to make a vehicle wrap for the Tacoma which will include TacoBox Supreme. This way I've got both bases covered, plus anyone from the older truck market who is considering a new Tacoma would be comforted to know that a Tacoma Dual Ultimate exists.

Last Question: Where the hell is my apostrophe??



Not only 1) was I missing the apostrophe, but 2) the sticker was not slightly curved as requested, and 3) we've ordered windshield stickers before and they are never in sections like this...

Well, I guess one nice thing about the sections is that it was easier to angle the sticker around the curve of the body



In the end I think it turned out okay. (p.s. from the future: I've already notified our sticker guy and he is sending me the missing apostrophe.)



And lastly I made this flip'n sweet sticker for the back window. I've always wanted something like this on my 1981 Hilux (I made one for it also, "36 speed / 511:1") so I was excited to get this on the Tacoma. I made it 7-inches tall but after applying it I was thinking 8" or 9" tall would be a better fit. I also ordered an eBay sticker indicating I'm driving a manual equipped truck but at this time it still had not shown up.

I've always wanted to make stickers like these for all our customers... Have a text field on our website or an easy to use calculator where you can enter in your truck's details and then we have a sticker made, but making this die-cut sticker one-at-a time cost just over $20... per sticker!



At this point my truck was look'n pretty good to hit another trail which was a good thing because two days later I returned to Bald Mountain!
« Last Edit: Jul 11, 2017, 02:32:42 PM by BigMike »
Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
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"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

THK Matt

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make a poll to see what the majority of people have for crawl ratios and setups.. and then you could order stickers in bulk for the ratios/gear count for the majority, say 5 setups and see how they sell. dig the stickers man
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Question: Dual Ultimate?
Answer:
A "Dual Ultimate" is when you have one stock low range gear set (in my t/case: 2.57:1) but you've upgraded to our 4.70:1 Total-Spline Chromoly low range gear set in your Marlin Crawler. The name comes from what Marlin believes is "the Ultimate gear ratio", which, based on drivetrain and R&P, falls in the 200-250:1 range for manual trucks and 140-170:1 for automatic trucks. Please note the name only refers to a Marlin Crawler setup because otherwise it wouldn't be "the ultimate" (two of our competitors use particularly weak components and this is why you never, ever, ever see Triple setups coming from them) (my Tacoma will get triples this winter).

I think this definition is revoking the "Dual Ultimate" status of many of your customers.  Has the 4.70:1 gear set always been Total-Spline and Chromoly?   MY 4.70:1 rear transfer case was built by Marlin Crawler back in 2002 or 2003, I think.  I tell people that I have "Dual-Ultimate" gearing because I have an Inchworm crawl box mated to a Marlin Crawler built 4.70:1 transfer case.



1989 4Runner: Dual Ultimate (Inchworm front & Marlin 4.70 rear), Marlin Twin Stick, 1200-lb clutch, 4.88 R&P, Aussie Front, Detroit rear, 30-spline Longs, Long hub gears, ARP hub and knuckle studs & 35x12.50 Cooper STT PRO tires.  Marlin rear bumper & sliders.  FROR front bumper.  SAS with Alcan springs & Rancho 9000XL shocks.  Budbuilt Bolt-on traction bar.  Custom Interior Cage by Those Guys Rod and Customs.

Moab Tested & Rubicon Approved

H8PVMNT

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Man it's really looking good.  It is a comfort to know you are making it possible to use these new trucks with good gearing.  I don't think I would have wasted any time making the stock bumper fit back on.  Kind of fun to run it though because people will really have to look hard to figure out what happened to the back of your bed since it looks so factory trimmed.
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BigMike [OP]

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make a poll to see what the majority of people have for crawl ratios and setups.. and then you could order stickers in bulk for the ratios/gear count for the majority, say 5 setups and see how they sell. dig the stickers man
We've talked about this but we feel it's gonna open up a big can of worms due to how many different ratios there can be. Especially with people moving the 1st gen Tacomas and newer 4Runners there are a ton of variances in final drive ratios...

I think this definition is revoking the "Dual Ultimate" status of many of your customers.  Has the 4.70:1 gear set always been Total-Spline and Chromoly?   MY 4.70:1 rear transfer case was built by Marlin Crawler back in 2002 or 2003, I think.  I tell people that I have "Dual-Ultimate" gearing because I have an Inchworm crawl box mated to a Marlin Crawler built 4.70:1 transfer case.
Hey Jon, thank you for the reply & keeping me focused. You are right that gears prior to 1999 were not Total Spline and further Dual Case adapters prior to 1997 were not double-roller yet we still called them the Ultimate. I revised my sentence and removed the trailing part. I haven't spoken out like that in a while. I'm still trying to get past the chip on my shoulder that Toyota used our own word to describe the low range feature of the automatic trucks (Crawl Control). If only Marlin had trademarked these things. Then we've got a competitor across town claiming they are selling Crawl Boxes. I argue that they sell Dual Case Units, not Crawl Boxes. Crawl is a term derived from our company's name that we should have legally reserved way back in the day...

I don't think I would have wasted any time making the stock bumper fit back on.
You make a good point but while I have found at least one front aftermarket bumper I like I have not found any rear aftermarket bumpers I like. I'm expecting to run the factory rear bumper for a while, maybe until even I build my own and we resume our bumper product line. :dunno:
Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
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"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

V-Man

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how long till you will have a bolt on taco box ready for the 3rd gen Tacoma world, or maybe a parts kit.? :headscratch:  Seems like you have most of the bugs worked out. :thumbs: Just need the parts kits with adapters, since I have a couple VF1A T\C already.

BigMike [OP]

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Three days later was one of our largest local summer event called Moonlight Madness, an event put on by the Clovis Independents 4WD Club (event info)

June 24, 2017: 4th Trail Run: Moonlight Madness 2017

This is my second return to Bald Mountain since first buying the truck last year (see video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fcM-FUmVbs).

I am way behind with trip reports at Marlin Crawler so again I'll have to spare everyone the details, get them posted up later once I post our official trip report.

For now please enjoy some random wheel'n pics! I'm going to be out of town and very busy for the next three weeks so I won't be able to post for a while. Hope you guys enjoy!!

The first return to the Dinky Creek Trail Status board since last year!





Always such an awesome feeling to be back out in the forest! The smell, the cool, crips air. Love it!



We were invited to do a Vendor Appreciation run of which there were about 10 rigs. Mine was the newest, most stock, but thanks to the Marlin Crawler was quite capable.



The confident feeling you get when you have the World Famous "Crawler Truck" in your group is so impressive. To know that no matter what happens, no matter what brakes, you've got one of the best trail recovery vehicles on the planet.

Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
"The worst of both worlds, the best of neither." -abnormaltoy
"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

BigMike [OP]

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how long till you will have a bolt on taco box ready for the 3rd gen Tacoma world, or maybe a parts kit.? :headscratch:  Seems like you have most of the bugs worked out. :thumbs: Just need the parts kits with adapters, since I have a couple VF1A T\C already.
Yes! We have everything ready and will be taking pictures and updating our T/Case page in August :) More info is available by phone or email, sales@marlincrawler.com
Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
"The worst of both worlds, the best of neither." -abnormaltoy
"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

BigMike [OP]

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June 24, 2017: 4th Trail Run: Moonlight Madness 2017 (continued)

Basic, exposed terrain of our pretty High Sierra Nevada mountains. The elevation for this trail ranges from about 6,500 to 8,000 feet.



It wasn't long until I got a chance to REALLY APPRECIATE just how awesome the Bed Bob is!!

Check this out! The stock trailer receiver cleared without contact! (if gif doesn't load, then try this link)



The best thing about this with a Marlin Crawler: NO BRAKES, just let the greatly magnified engine compression braking hold the truck back while idling. The Marlin Crawler ads such great vehicle control to the driver. No feet on any pedal with amazing, smooth, slow, precision Crawling.
Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
"The worst of both worlds, the best of neither." -abnormaltoy
"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

BigMike [OP]

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The young new kid Tacoma showing some of the older trucks how to CRAWL.









Look ma, no hands!



Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
"The worst of both worlds, the best of neither." -abnormaltoy
"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

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very nice Mike, watching history. very impressive.
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V-Man

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Yes! We have everything ready and will be taking pictures and updating our T/Case page in August :) More info is available by phone or email, sales@marlincrawler.com
Guess I had better go sell a kidney or something..shipping is going to kill me.  Maybe I will have to stop by and pick one up...Preordered of course.

BigMike [OP]

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Wassssssup guys,

Whew!! I've been quite busy the last few weeks over here. I should probably consider getting this thread updated....maybe....sometime.....possibly......たぶん。。。。いつか。。。。もしじかんがあります

:D





Check out our new Rock Crawling Videos!
2016 56-speed 580:1 Tacoma Rock Crawler   
1981 36-speed 511:1 3RZ-FE Rock Crawler
1987 6-speed Supercharged 4A-GZE MR2
Instagram: @SlowestTacoma
Things are only impossible until they are not.
"The worst of both worlds, the best of neither." -abnormaltoy
"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

Toyotadon

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Wow, the Instagram feed has been teasing us, and now you're doing it here!

Willard

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Are those walker evans wheels? Wow looks great. Good job on this one!!!


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90'4runner......lots of goodies.

daniresch

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Are those walker evans wheels? Wow looks great. Good job on this one!!!


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I believe they are. On 37x12.5x17 BFG Krawlers.

This is my favorite picture of your rig so far Mike. Been following you on FB, hope you don't mind me sharing:
1988 Blue Std Cab: SAS, Longs, HP/ARB/5.29 Front, ARB/5.29 Rear, Marlin Dual Ultimate w/ 23 Spline MC07XD-R10, Marlin 30 Spline Front & Rear Output Shafts, Dave's Triple shifter, FROR crossmember, Bilstein 12" f+r, RUF w/ 63s, 7in bob, 40x13.5x17 MTR's on Racelines Monster Beadlocks 17x9.5

build: http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=80954.510

 
 
 
 
 

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