Author Topic: BigMike's Big Journey: A 2016 Tacoma Build Thread  (Read 561540 times)

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BigMike

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I'll include these plus a few more in a trip report post later. Here come a few more to conclude the Tacoma's first experience featured at an exposition!









I'm planning to discuss this more in my trip report, but just as I experienced on the trail, a handful of people looking at the Tacoma told us that had they known the new Tacoma can do trails like the Rubicon then they would not have purchase a new Jeep.

Side note: While passing in opposite directions on the Rubicon, I had three different Jeep JK owners explain how they wanted to buy a Tacoma but bought the Jeep because they didn't think newer Tacomas could run trails like the Con. This is precisely my mission with this truck! To get respect for the Tacoma + IFS on the trails! :hattip:

« Last Edit: Feb 03, 2018, 10:26:12 AM 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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October 1-2, 2017: Tacoma Featured at the Pomona Off-Road Expo (continued)

Driving back home after the Expo I took some interesting comparison pictures with the #1 most wheeled Toyota pickup in the world.

Both parked neck-and-neck...



...but look at the length difference! :o This is the first time I've done this. Both trucks have bobbed beds and the Crawler Truck is (originally) a longbed (longer frame & wheelbase). My 1981 shortbed is shorter than the Crawler Truck. Man. The Tacoma is crazy long.



Check out the crazy ground clearance difference



I realize this isn't the best angle for this, but no wonder visibility is limited so much out of the Tacoma. Keep in mind also that the seating position in the Tacoma is both lower and farther away from the windshield further compounding the issue.



And that's it for the 2017 Pomona Off-Road Expo!
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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November 6, 2017: Got into my first Magazine!

The Toyota Land Cruiser Association ran an article for their premier event (http://rubithon.com) and included a picture of the Tacoma and I both with huge smiles exiting the Little Sluice :D



Thank you TLCA!!

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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Memories of 2017

Before I continue I'd like to share a few misc pics from this year as a way to say thank you and Farewell to the current Tacoma! :wave:

June 30: The last month of Stage I on 33s, at our old apartment nose-and-nose with my 300 horsepower MR2



August 22: My Stage II build on 37s parked next to my friend's stockish '16 DC. This is after my first trip through the Rubicon.



August/September parking lot pics...





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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And lastly, final pictures as it was during it's second trip through the Rubicon (about a 1/2-inch higher)



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

V-Man

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So when can a tacoma fan go to the store and get a crawler(4.70 gear)box for he's 2016 with a sweet manual.

Hate the manual in heavy traffic, but love it when even jeep guys are like  :respect: just because they can't drive a manual.

Rusty Hilux

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Way to take full advantage of new tech w/ that camera on the cross member!! Next level.  :smokin:  I've been reading this build thread from the beginning to end. Finally caught up. Killer build all around.  :turtlehead:

BigMike [OP]

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So when can a tacoma fan go to the store and get a crawler(4.70 gear)box for he's 2016 with a sweet manual.

Hate the manual in heavy traffic, but love it when even jeep guys are like  :respect: just because they can't drive a manual.
Awww come on man it's not that bad in traffic! ;) We are waiting for more 4.70s to arrive from Japan and we'll be building TacoBoxes again. Installing into a manual is easier because the TacoBox shifter can more easily be incorporated in the cab.

Way to take full advantage of new tech w/ that camera on the cross member!! Next level.  :smokin:  I've been reading this build thread from the beginning to end. Finally caught up. Killer build all around.  :turtlehead:
Thank you Rusty Hilux! I'll tell you what, having that front facing camera is a real godsend. Especially with uphill climbs. The hood on this thing goes out for a mile in front of the driver. Toyota needs to bring back the Minitruck!
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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At this point the wheel'n & event season was over which means it was time to put the Tacoma back under the knife!!

So far here is how my build has gone:

Stage I (completed November 1, 2016 - June 26, 2017):
Marlin Crawler TacoBox Dual Case Setup
All Pro Upper Control Arm Kit
All Pro Rear 3" Springs
Nitro Gear 4.88:1 diff gearing
BFG All-terrain 33" (285/70R17) tires
Bed bobbed 6-inches

Stage II (completed July 3, 2017 - September 12, 2017):
All Pro Long Travel +2" IFS Kit & 1" shock spacers
All Pro Rear 3" Expedition Springs & 1/2" blocks
RCV Ultimate 300M Full Chromo IFS Axles
BFG KRAWLER 37" (37x12.50x17) tires
ARB Air Lockers F&R

I've had to make adjustments in planning due to unknown variables, but here is how the next chapter is shaping out to be:

Stage III (planned):
Front prototype Marlin Crawler tube bumper
Cooper Discoverer SST Pro 40" (40x13.50x17) tires
New Heavy Duty Steering system
Capable on-board air (OBA) system
Plus a half dozen or so special things I'll post once they're done ;) ;)

There are a number of other things on my list such as a rear bumper but not sure when I'll be getting to them. I'm arranging to have more time for the Tacoma in 2018 so I plan to make big progress on it. :D

November 11, 2017: Stage III begins!!

Time to get the ball rolling!!

First things first, I'll get my 40" tires from page 16 finally installed as well as a custom front bumper built. I'm glad the bumper company I was originally trying to purchase from and mentioned in reply #526 yanked my chain for three months earlier this year. Their exact reply was, "Can't wait to see what you come up with."

In hindsight this was a really great thing because now I'll get to build my own bumper!

LET'S DO THIS!!

If you haven't noticed, I'm not competing with anyone with my Tacoma. For example, I've owned it for more than a week and still don't have a lightbar. So in coming up with ideas for a front bumper, I tried very hard to distance my design from what's out on the market.

For starters, my #1 goal is to pay homage to the classic Marlin Crawler Tube Bumper of yesteryear. Here is an example from our 2nd and 3rd gen Hilux bumpers we once sold:



and of course the classic design from 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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I've never been a fan of plate bumpers. Yes, I realize they work great at concealing the massive, gaping holes that these newer vehicles have once their plastic shells are removed. But I'd much rather have a lightweight tube design that can pull off a unique look!

The most noticeable difference between the older Hilux and newer Tacoma is that when you remove the factory Hilux bumper you get a nice, straight line beneath the grill. Not so with the Tacoma as the grill is a hexapod. First idea was to simply cut the Tacoma grill straight across. I like how this looks and it still is my preferred choice. The issue is that there are so many custom aftermarket grills that once we start manufacturing these bumpers there is no way we'd expect customers to cut them up. So I had to compromise.

A few images I was playing around with

Center is the typical cut I've seen many people do. At right it is a straight across cut like we'd normally see on older trucks



Here on the right I tried to compromise by cutting across but leaving the grill insert in place so people can retain their custom grills



Same thing here, unmodified grill insert



I like a straight across design but it's not practical so I'll have to do something else...

:(

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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After I had messed around in Photoshop for a while it was time to actually get to work!

Knowing this would be a lengthy process that would also involve additional body work, I turned to my good friend Bob who bobbed my bed earlier this year. His son, Russel, does great bumper and exocage work so I knew this would be a great match to get the job done. It would also be nice the Tacoma wouldn't be tied up in our shop for a while. I pitched to Russel that I'd like him to help me build a prototype bumper that I'd possibly one day want Marlin Crawler to manufacture and he said he'd be honored to help, and the rest as they say is history!

November 16, 2017: Tacoma Delivered

Bob's house is a 2-1/2 hour drive for me and to get the Tacoma to Bob's I planned to load all four 40s in the bed and just drive over with my wife as the chase vehicle. But Bob has a truck that is scheduled for work at MC, so, despite the fact I dislike towing my own vehicles as towing is highly unmanly, it worked out well. The Tacoma is too wide to fit on our trailer so I had to rent one. We pulled down my SST Pros that have been waiting patiently for me up in our warehouse, loaded em up in the back of our company tow rig, and that evening I made it safely back to Bob's!



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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November 29, 2017: Stage III officially begins!

After Thanksgiving I returned to Bob's and Russ and I got underway





Slapped the 40s on the front and yanked the bumper off so we can start reviewing designs



It looks WAY better already!

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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I was very pleased to see the front axle isn't too far back from the front of the frame. This wasn't so obvious with the factory warthog bumper on. We can work with this!



You'll see my original TRD Sport grill on the ground a few pics up. I brought it along so that we didn't damage my precious SR grill during fabrication.

I like this huge gaping area here. I really wanted to leave the entire bumper off which includes the color keyed area beneath the headlight. This would reduce a lot of work during installation. No jigs, No cutting up your truck. Ability to resell your factory bumper...

We played for a while trying to get my idea to work which included intricate/compound tube work up and over to the outside. Bending limitations nullified my ideas and I refuse to settle for the "easy way out" of plate-steel.



Some of my plans went out the window and we did the typical cut here on the factory bumper



There is an added bonus of reusing the bumper and that is added support beneath the grill



Here is the compromised design of the main tube

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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December 6, 2017: Test driven with 40s for the first time!

The next week we got so sick of still seeing the 37s on the rear of the truck we dedicated our time to getting this truck rolling on 40s

When I tried mounting the 40s earlier this summer I couldn't even lower the truck off our lift. The fronts were okay but the rears directly contacted each fender.

Here are a couple pics of the fronts installed





For the rear fenders what we did was trim one inch above which was blended into 2 inches front and back



Installed and the truck on the ground for the first time ever rolling on 40s! :D :D :D



Lengthwise shot. Looks worse due to no flares in the rear. The rear probably needs spacers. The rims are 17" x 9" and 4" (solid axle type) backspacing

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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OHHHH MAN I THINK I CAN GET USED TO THIS!









I took the truck out for a spin on the 40s!! Yes I was limited on how much I could turn but it wasn't a problem out on the open road.

Power
Power far surpassed my expectations. I was concerned about the horrible gearing for the stick-shift 3rd gen as 4.88s only provide a 14% reduction (vs. 25% reduction for you auto guys). I pulled out in front of traffic and it accelerated right up to cruising speed. All you 3.5-liter haters can suck it! I love this engine

Brakes
Brakes are rock solid and O.P.; Can't feel any loss in brake power

Of course loaded down in the hills will be more challenging for both systems. I have two tricks up my sleeves for both factors, reserved for later this year.

We spent the rest of the day working on my rear bumper design to figure out if I'd need to order any special tooling for it. As such the rear bumper will be missing in some upcoming pics. More on that for a later date ;) And that was it for the day!
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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December 13, 2017: Lower frame plate mocked up

The next week we built our first frame plate and figured out how we'd be hanging the side supports



While I won't be keeping my factory tie down point, we will keep this as much bolt-on as possible



Testing different ideas for side bracing

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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December 29, 2017: Bumper now self-supported

After Christmas I made the journey back to the Taco and we made some great progress.

Russel bent-up the final main tube and we redesigned the lower frame plate. The main tube is made out of 2.0-inch DOM USA-steel.



I'm really liking how this is turning out!!





We built an updated lower plate, now using the typical eight bolt points





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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Main tube tack welded and standing on its own!! The lower bracing is also 2.0-inch DOM USA-steel. Many mfgs use flat plate steel down here to reduce cost and manufacturing time. We'll have some plating but I'm trying to focus on tube where ever possible.





Side view

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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Welcome to 2018!!

January 4, 2018: Started on a winch mount

The next week we were back at it this time getting a winch mount incorporated. My entire wheel'n career I've never had a winch. Of course I like to say this is because I never get stuck hahahe but that's not true for anyone who has done some actual wheeling. I've had my share of being winched out of tough pickles, yes even by Jeeps. Also I've had my share of moving out of the way to get a rig up front with a winch. Marlin raised me with the 'help others first' mindset and it's painful when I cannot help someone because I don't have a winch. Looking forward to surpassing this with the Tacoma.



Figuring out how high up we can stash a winch to prevent losing too much approach angle



Many a rock is going to fall prey to this approach!!



How the triangular plating will look behind the lower tubes

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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My MR2 worked hard taking me back-and-forth a total of nine times (almost 50 hrs of driving!!) so I've gotta include at least one pic of its services. Thank you to my awesome first vehicle, now spending its 19th year with me. Popup headlights FTW!

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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January 10, 2018: CUT IT UP BABY!!!!!!!!!

I finally did it!! I trimmed my fenders like I should have back in July! OHHHHHHHH man I was super nervous doing this but it turned out better than I imagined!

My original concern was that I wanted to retain the original flares. I like them. They give the truck it's nice shoulders & stance. So I was going to order a complete set of four new flares and Bob was going to use his plastic welder to combined 8 flares (4 used, 4 new) into 4 new, wider flares that we'd mount higher up on the vehicle. Man oh man that sounded like so much work to me but Bob was like, "Sure Mike, it wouldn't be a problem at all." Professional body guys are crazy! Talent I can't even dream of having.

The easiest step would be to just trim the fenders first and then decide what to do about the flares later. I'll spare the suspense: I won't be keeping the flares.

Removing the front flares for the first time in history



Whew, my fenders sure took a beating from the 37s + no trimming



Passenger side not as bad



As I've mentioned earlier I wasn't too concerned about this because within minutes this happened:



HELL YEAH BUDDY!! I'm gonna make these 40s work with IFS or die trying!!

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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Rear with two possible cuts. We wanted to have the height of the rear fender lower than the front



Russel laid out tape for me and I took an air powered body saw and did the trimming. Thank you Russ! I couldn't have done this without your guidance! Russel later reminded me how it's much easier when it's someone else's truck. Hahah so true buddy!



Ohhhhhh my :o



There will be much wheel-well modification before the truck can see another trail. For now we just painted it black



Animated before and after!

(GIF, size: 452KB)
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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January 12, 2018: Stinger mock-up

Two days later Russel had a short stinger mocked up. Looks great!! The throwback design is coming together! Follows a few of the factory body and grill lines while paying homage to the classic Marlin Crawler bumpers



It's dark in these pictures but Russ finished up the winch mount. It is a 1.75" DOM USA-steel lower tube hoop with plated steel pedestal for a winch


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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January 13, 2018: Prototype Marlin Crawler 3rd Gen Tacoma Front Bumper finished!

The very next day Russel had it all finished and Bob professionally painted is using Rust-Oleum. B-I-G Thank you Bob!!! I returned in our chase car with my wife and got this puppy installed!!

Russel widened the lower frame brace to add additional support for the side tubes but this meant the bumper could no longer be slipped over the factory lower-right tie down point which is now required to be cut off the frame before the bumper can be mounted.

I didn't weight it but the bumper is so light one person can easily install and remove it if needed. I love how it all came together! I love it!

I'll just let the pictures do all the talking!











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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There was only 1 hour of daylight remaining and on my way back through the city before merging onto the final highway I had THREE people at red lights talk out their window saying how awesome the truck looks :o :o

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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January 14, 2018: First day back at home on 40s and prototype Marlin Crawler front bumper









That first day back home I couldn't even run to Starbucks without a guy stopping me in the parking lot asking questions about the truck. I showed him the TacoBox Crawler and the work I've done to make this happen, gave him my business card. While chatting I noticed bros wearing flatbills in their lifted American-brand full-size pavement pounders gazing over at the Taco while slowly driving by.

Heck yeah!! Get'n respect for the new 3rd gen like never before!! But there is A TON OF WORK still remaining to get this truck trail worthy again. Currently it's just eye candy. The next Rock Crawling event is in March. I'll work very hard to get it ready by then!

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

V-Man

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Not trying to steal your thunder, but how do you like this bumper.
It is a 2nd Gen bumper with the front fenders trimmed to make it fit.
This tucks the bumper up under the grill and leave huge holes in front of the tires.  I still have to trim the front body/radiator mount to gain the last few inches. But when trimmed the only three things a rock can hit is
1) left tire
2) right tire
3) bumper/skid plate.
Oops pics to follow.

brettf

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This thing looks great.  Must have taken hours and hours to work the tube shapes in just right... both on the top for the contour of the third gen grill/lines and on the side/support tubes.  From my screen here in Colorado the 40" knobs look like they'd be all up in the side tube's business, so I know you guys worked it, tested, measured, and adjusted, tested, rinsing and repeating until done!  Looks clean and simple, betraying the hours that went into that sucker.

Great job.  Keep the updates coming.  Stoked to see where the fenders end up going.

H8PVMNT

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Thank you for making a real bumper for this thing.  The giant, fender integrated plastic set of lips on the more recent Tacomas is one of the reasons I could never imagine using one as a build platform.  Now I can see past it  :biggthumpup:
“I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.”
– Steve McQueen

"Except for maybe Seattle."  -H8PVMNT

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

 "I'm jealous of your shop. It has concrete and doesn't smell like pickles like the old shop  "  300K

BigMike [OP]

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Oops pics to follow.
Let's see em!

January 16-22, 2018: Miscellaneous pics around and about town

Random pics enjoying the new setup

1/16: Carrying an 8-foot folding table back to the shop



Cropped version of the above

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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