Author Topic: BigMike's Big Journey: A 2016 Tacoma Build Thread  (Read 561490 times)

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H8PVMNT

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Yes that is now officially badass.
“I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.”
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looks like one of those arctic  rigs, slammed on 44s with massive flares. even kinda like the Toyota Hilux Top Gear took to the north pole.
:)bestgen4runner [12:45 PM]:   I am so stupid.

Truer words have never been spoken...

Slabzilla

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That's a Great look, Almost makes me want a Taco in my stable, too.  Righteous!   :beer:
'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

emsvitil

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Where's the mud flaps so you don't get a ticket?

 :dunno:
Ed
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NOW we're talkin Mike! well done.
2007 GMC Yukon SLT Daily
5.3L V8, 3.5in Lift, 33X10.5R18 Toyo MTs, Vision Rocker 18x9s powdercoated Mountain Blue Transparent over Speedboat Aluminum

2010 Chevy Tahoe LT Wife's Daily
5.3L V8, 6in Lift, 35s, AMP power steps

2016 Ford F250 XLT CCLB Work/Business Truck
6.2L V8

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redneckcustoms13

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I dig it! Amazing how some non sissy tires can make all the difference in appearance.
83 long bed 2wd sas, 3rz, w56, duals with 4.7 rear, 4.88 elock front, spartan rear, 39.5 iroks
01 double cab hunting truck
06 tacoma street truck

Leonel

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Hey Mike
Do you guys plan on making a diff guard for the rear axle on these trucks(8.75?)?

Leonel

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Big mike
Another question, is there a solid spacer for the third generation 8.75 diff?
Leonel

BigMike [OP]

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Where's the mud flaps so you don't get a ticket?
In California if the vehicle does not come with them from factory then you don't need to install mudflaps. That said, so long as your tires don't stick out beyond your fenders you'll generally okay to lift, modify the truck without getting a ticket. I'm now beyond this point however so I will be installing mudflaps. Currently no immediate plan to do so however.

Hey Mike
Do you guys plan on making a diff guard for the rear axle on these trucks(8.75?)?
Yes.

Time to get this thread back on track!

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

Came across a few pics from Facebook. Here I am in the act of Walking The Crawler





Pic of me filming the above video :D



Lastly, here is a cool shot with the Crawler Truck

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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Climbing up for a nice re-group photo





I love getting out of the city and the Tacoma is making this so much more comfortable



Whooops hahahaha Did this somewhere. Looking forward to tossing these wheels soooooon *Hint: You guys still don't know what I've got going on ;) ;)



Back in 1979 when Toyota introduced the 4WD Hilux it was marketed as the Son of the Land Cruiser. Do you guys think the Tacoma should be marketed as "The Son of the Hilux"?

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)

Next we headed over to a popular obstacle known as V Rock. The hardest line is to the far left (out of the photo), the standard line is up the V (visible at left), and the easy line is what I took here on the right.

Here is a nice series of me going up open-open (no lockers), just pure traction by way of very low gearing (throttle-less slow & steady static friction FTW!)





With the Marlin Crawler TacoBox engaged you can go so slow (no throttle input, no riding the brakes) that a spotter can even rest his hands atop a tire while moving!







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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Next I spun around and climbed a steep ledge to the east side of V Rock. This ledge is fun because as you move right it slowly becomes more steep. There is a point at which my 1981 Hilux will not Crawl it, even with a 511:1 reduction, but yet a long wheelbase Hilux will go right up. So I was eager to take this 20% longer Tacoma up a much steeper section than I've ever tried and that is when this happened...





Everything was going good until the Tacoma began smoking!

So I backed down and waited for it to clear out.....which took quite a while!



It is strange that the smoke is white. This indicates water being combusted, such as a blown head gasket. It is typical to burn oil at severe angles due to oil shifting to the back of the pan and in a way flooding the rear cylinder(s) such that the piston rings cannot prevent oil from passing into the combustion chamber.....but burning oil through an engine results in a bluish smoke. For argument sake, there is a third distinguishable smoke color and that is gray which indicates a very rich fuel mixture.

Everything on my gauges looked fine so I reattempted the climb and up she went





I got out and checked my fluids and everything looked great. Oil was normal on the dipstick. As for future news, the next morning I checked the coolant and it was completely full in the radiator and right at the full line of the overfill reservoir. My theory is that I did burn some oil -- not enough to be noticed at the dip stick -- but that the advanced catalyst and emissions system of this truck was able to clean up the blue color resulting in only white smoke from burnt oil? It's a head scratcher for sure...
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

blackdiamond

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CrankyCrawler can teach you a thing or two about smoking (it also seems to be mostly white) in his 84 carb crawler.  He has filled Mickey's Hot Tub completely more than once.
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

toyyota

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Mike, Thank you for posting your new Tacoma out on the trail. Russ and I always like the updates. Time for us to get ready for your Roundup.

BigMike [OP]

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CrankyCrawler can teach you a thing or two about smoking (it also seems to be mostly white)

I think synthetic oil tends to burn white
Hmmmm. Verrrrry interesting. I also run synthetic in my Hilux/3RZ-FE and I've had it steep enough to smoke a few times and had always thought it was the typical blue smoke...

I was also thinking the 2GR has higher compression and a highly efficient burn. Maybe also they've improved the oil rings. Maybe only a little bit got into the engine.

Mike, Thank you for posting your new Tacoma out on the trail. Russ and I always like the updates. Time for us to get ready for your Roundup.
Ohhhhh man Bob! It's gonna be one Awesome winter with you again!! CAN'T WAIT!!  :disturbed: :disturbed: :disturbed:
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)

Around the corner from V Rock is a fun climb called Hollywood Hill. I had previously demo'd the "Auto LSD" feature here a year ago (see replies 229-238). Finally with the TacoBox I was ready to properly run the hill! Here is the only pic I have heading up



Continuing on a club member took me through a pretty nasty section that I opted to back out of. 33" tires and hardly any lift isn't gonna cut it here. Pretty cool shot of the All Pro slider saving my body



Flex is such a relative term!





Glad I backed out. I was in a pickle. My exhaust pipe was also happy I didn't go any further. This is such a lame place for the exhaust. I've already got a nice plan to relocate it.

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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Enjoying the many large exposed granite domes









Something about this AccessCab is still really, really exciting me. So much room here compared to my Hilux!

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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Finally made it to the top of Bald Mountain! This is one of many U.S.F.S. Fire Lookouts and a great place for lunch.



Overlooking Shaver Lake, CA



Few random pics while stopped







Back at camp I pulled out and *finally* put on my first sticker indicating I have a superior Manual Transmission! :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

THK Matt

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soooo get to the good parts of when the new big 37s get put on :D
2007 GMC Yukon SLT Daily
5.3L V8, 3.5in Lift, 33X10.5R18 Toyo MTs, Vision Rocker 18x9s powdercoated Mountain Blue Transparent over Speedboat Aluminum

2010 Chevy Tahoe LT Wife's Daily
5.3L V8, 6in Lift, 35s, AMP power steps

2016 Ford F250 XLT CCLB Work/Business Truck
6.2L V8

2001 Ford F350 Lariat CCLB Work/Business Truck
7.3L Powerstroke w/ Banks Turbo

Instagram @ taytershubby13

BigMike [OP]

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^ lol I'm work'n on it okay :yupyup:


Later that evening the main run for this event as you can imagine for an event called Moonlight Madness begins at dusk. I was part of the Trail Committee, providing support for the hardest obstacle known as Posi Hill.

Leaving camp



Beautiful sunset on the way back up the trail





Ohh yeah first time night wheel'n the Tacoma!! DUDE!! These fog/driving lights are awesome!! I get the forward light from the highly efficient LED daytime running lamps and then nice, essentially Rock Crawling nearby flood lighting courtesy of the small lower driving lights. No headlights needed--I LOVE THIS. Very, VERY nice touch with this Toyota -- Obviously not designed for this, but very cool to use it while slowly Crawl'n on the trail.

« Last Edit: Aug 23, 2017, 04:45:10 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.
"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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Here we are working Posi Hill. This can be as hard as you make it. Around to the left are a couple less challenging ledges and to the far right is what many refer to as the "Buggy line": Two big ledges that are a wheelbase hole for many vehicles. It's pretty nasty to the far right.

The Crawler Truck and my Tacoma ready to provide assistance.



There were some people definitely using too much skinny pedal resulting in some carnage. This was the only roll over pic I got, this one a UTV. There were three or four roll overs. When you don't have low enough gearing, the only option is to gun it and hope for the best. It's unfortunate.



There were lulls from time to time when we'd be waiting for different run groups to make their way to Posi. During one of these lulls I decided to give it a go in the Tacoma: Attempt Posi Hill on the left side without having any posi lockers!!!


After I made it up this diesel-powered military Hummer came up to attempt the same line. He was also open-open....and....he....failed....over....and....over....again....and....again! He must have tried for a solid 10 mins. He then turned around and left the area and people came over to me very impressed how my Tacoma was able to make it up. :D MAN I love my Marlin Crawler!!!

« Last Edit: Jan 17, 2018, 05:10:00 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.
"The worst of both worlds, the best of neither." -abnormaltoy
"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you see." -Nanaki

redneckcustoms13

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I belive his first fail was buying a hummer, 2nd putting gangster wheels on a hummer, 3rd attempting to follow a Toyota.
83 long bed 2wd sas, 3rz, w56, duals with 4.7 rear, 4.88 elock front, spartan rear, 39.5 iroks
01 double cab hunting truck
06 tacoma street truck

BigMike [OP]

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I belive his first fail was buying a hummer, 2nd putting gangster wheels on a hummer, 3rd attempting to follow a Toyota.
:talkingn:
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

blackdiamond

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I belive his first fail was buying a hummer, 2nd putting gangster wheels on a hummer, 3rd attempting to follow a Toyota.

I thought they had limited slips that required power braking to work well.  Was the Hummer really not capable or was it the mall crawler skill of the driver?  I am remembering back to my old Rick Russell videos.
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

BigMike [OP]

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I thought they had limited slips that required power braking to work well.  Was the Hummer really not capable or was it the mall crawler skill of the driver?  I am remembering back to my old Rick Russell videos.
Well, we did have spotters. Maybe he just had a very off night. It wasn't for a lack of trying. He kicked up a lot of dirt and at times his truck was engulfed with dust. It took me some time to get up of course due to me going so slow and when he was approaching I was thinking, "Ohh great now I'm gonna look like a fool for going so slow with the Crawler." He didn't even make it up to the point of my video. Next year I'll definitely attempt the "buggy line".
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

emsvitil

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Hummers have torsen limited slips.    You need to apply brakes to bias the diff for torque transfer to the opposite wheel.
Ed
SoCal
86 SR5 XtraCab
22RE  W56B
31x10.50R15

redneckcustoms13

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We had one that wheeled with us once. Absolute joke. A bone stock ext cab z71 on 31" all terrains outperformed it in every task. Of course neither could make it through the obstacles like the little Toyotas and samurais.

Anyhow big Mike, where are the 37s? We want to see more of that wheeling.
83 long bed 2wd sas, 3rz, w56, duals with 4.7 rear, 4.88 elock front, spartan rear, 39.5 iroks
01 double cab hunting truck
06 tacoma street truck

BigMike [OP]

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July 2, 2017: Hauled my biggest load to date

On July 2nd I hauled 1,080 pounds of patio stones for my mother. This is the largest load I've hauled to date.



The All Pro 3" springs were very much not happy with the load, Fox Shox 2.0 fully compressed.

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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With a couple trails out of the way it was time to get going with Stage 2!

July 3, 2017: Stage 2 has officially begun!

The next day this project was kicked off by the arrival of these:



ATX AX757 Chamber Pro II beadlocks, size 17" x 9" wide with -24mm (-0.95") offset which results in a total backspacing of 4.06".
Mfg info: http://www.atxwheels.com/wheel/33129/ax757-chamber-pro-ii

These wheels were strongly recommended by a friend who has a lot of experience with tires larger than anything I've ever wheeled before. *hint



Wow these wheels are BEEFY. The ring is MASSIVE. They make my Allied Beadlocks look like a cheap trick. I'm already way in love them
« Last Edit: Jan 30, 2022, 05:13:16 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.
"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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So what is my Stage 2? First some background

Here was my original timeline with this truck:
Oct 2015: Take ownership of the new 3rd gen Tacoma (didn't happen)
--Ended up taking 261 days, see page 1

Winter 2015/2016: Finish Stage 1 in time for a few easy annual events (didn't happen)
--Didn't get the truck home until nearly May

Summer 2016: Finish Stage 2 in time for Rubithon/June (didn't happen)
--Having only owned the truck for 1 month there was no way I could be ready for Rubithon. It wouldn't have panned out anyhow: Crawler not developed for new 3rd gen yet, R&P not developed for new 3rd gen yet, lockers not developed for new 3rd gen yet...
--Once I missed Rubithon in June and the wheel'n season was in full swing, it was pretty much a wash for me all the way through our annual Marlin Crawler Round Up event/September and the Pomona Off Road Expo/October.

So 2016 was a bummer for sure. The next best time to get it done is now!

My goal for Stage 1:
Drivetrain: Marlin Crawler TacoBox (goal accomplished)
Tires: 33" tires (goal accomplished)
Suspension: 3" All-Pro UCA lift (goal accomplished)
ARB air lockers F&R (installed but not connected, no on-board air yet)
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With a Crawler, slight lift, 33" tires, and lockers F&R the Tacoma should be capable to do all of the easy stuff. I could have just stopped here. I could have left the truck on 33s and ended up looking like 90% of all other Tacomas on the trail. But that's not me. That's not the Marlin Crawler iconic truck way. I need to do something that is really going to stand out, and most importantly something that is going to challenge the opinion people have of the Tacoma.

My goal for Stage 2:
Drivetrain: Marlin Crawler TacoBox (carry over from stage 1)
ARB air lockers F&R (carry over from stage 1 + get these puppies working)

Tires:
I love the look of 37" tires on my Hilux so my goal has been to retain the same aspect ratio on the Tacoma. Here is what this means: The 37" Interco IROK tires on my Hilux measured 36.5" new. The body of the Tacoma is 25.6% longer, 19.4% wider, and 21.7% taller for an overall average size increase of 23.0%. Now take my Hilux tires 36.5" X 23.0% body size increase of the Tacoma = 44.6" Stage 2 tire size holy crap that is huge! I couldn't even do this if I tried as California only allows up to a 44" tire for highway use. When I calculated this I was really bummed. I love driving "to the trail and back" but can't see myself driving 44" tires across multiple state lines for events. So I thought, ok, how about we meet in the middle which would be a 40.5" tire and the compromise I like: I will run 40" tires.

Suspension:
Since day one everyone has been asking me when am I going to Solid Axle Swap the Tacoma, and while my comment on P1 said at least not for the first year, my answer since earlier this year is now never. Here is why: Anyone can SAS a Tacoma and go run X Y and Z trail and make it look easy & sexy. But what I am going to do is run the same X Y and Z trail while retaining IFS while on crazy huge tires to prove that with the incredible control and safety of the Marlin Crawler, a Tacoma doesn't have to have a SAS in order to hit some very challenging trails. I see a market here that no one is exploiting in this industry. Everyone I've shared Stage 2 with thinks I am out of my mind and I LOVE it. This is what will drive us to push the industry forward & make some awesome improvements to the IFS system to prove that IFS + our TacoBox can take you anywhere!
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And that's it for Stage 2. I've already got a Stage 3 planned for winter 2017/2018 (World's First Triple cased Tacoma [of ANY Tacoma 1st/2nd/3rd gen], Front & Rear Bumpers [to be marketed and sold by MC], and a significant bump in power *hint), some of this is already underway ;)
« Last Edit: Aug 23, 2017, 09:50:58 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.
"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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