Topic: BigMike's Big Journey: A 2016 Tacoma Build Thread

[BigMike]

March 1, 2018 (continued): Tire-to Body-Clearancing Day No.5



(I did seal the area at both body mount bolts after these pics)



And wa-la!



Can't even tell!

[BigMike [OP]]

March 1, 2018 (continued): Rear Fender Supports

Because I had to remove rear inner fender bracing (got lobbed off with the fenders), I needed to replace some support. I thought these stainless steel TIG welding rods turning out nicely

[yota_2128]

You going to the summit again? Can't wait to get to see this again

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[V-Man]

As a general rule I am not a fan of tube bumpers, but with late model rigs the plate style bumpers are so large and bulky to cover everything I have not seen one that really looks good to me.  For example, the pictures posted earlier in this thread by V-man show a massive plate bumper that, to me, looks best suited for elk "hunting" (i.e. running them over on the highway) or a staring role in Mad Max. Your tube bumper is the best looking option that I've seen so far.  I like things to be covered up, but also lean and clean which is a hard combination with most of the new rigs.

My "Massive" plate bumper weights less then 190LBS.  Sits very high on the frame so it gives lots of ground clearance and a approach angle of almost 50 degrees.  I can also idle up to a snow/creek bank and slide the truck up on the bumper till the wheels grip.  As for elk....not a lot of them around here, but deer, coyotes, bears, wolves.  It's a strong bumper and I have already had a woman drive across the face of it and open the right side of her car like a cheap aluminum can on the shackle mounts.  She wrote off her car and I had to spend $12 on spray paint. 

[blackdiamond]

My "Massive" plate bumper weights less then 190LBS.  Sits very high on the frame so it gives lots of ground clearance and a approach angle of almost 50 degrees.  I can also idle up to a snow/creek bank and slide the truck up on the bumper till the wheels grip.  As for elk....not a lot of them around here, but deer, coyotes, bears, wolves.  It's a strong bumper and I have already had a woman drive across the face of it and open the right side of her car like a cheap aluminum can on the shackle mounts.  She wrote off her car and I had to spend $12 on spray paint. 

Sorry to call you out and wasn't intending to question the quality or functionality of your bumper.  The look of a bumper is all personal preference it was an excellent example to refer to in my post simply due to it's proximity in the thread.  I don't like many tube bumpers, but from what I can tell the one BigMike made for his Tacoma looks really good and for my preferences one of the best looking bumpers I have seen so far.  I was fortunate enough to get one of the last (the last or 2nd to last) front bumper from FROR for my 4Runner that looks about as close to stock as possible and is very light though I have never weighed.  The ARB bumpers have always been a favorite for looks, but they are quite a bit more heavy than what I have and cost more.

I should weigh my bumper the next time it comes off, so hopefully never...

[V-Man]

Sorry to call you out and wasn't intending to question the quality or functionality of your bumper.  The look of a bumper is all personal preference it was an excellent example to refer to in my post simply due to it's proximity in the thread.  I don't like many tube bumpers, but from what I can tell the one BigMike made for his Tacoma looks really good and for my preferences one of the best looking bumpers I have seen so far.  I was fortunate enough to get one of the last (the last or 2nd to last) front bumper from FROR for my 4Runner that looks about as close to stock as possible and is very light though I have never weighed.  The ARB bumpers have always been a favorite for looks, but they are quite a bit more heavy than what I have and cost more.

I should weigh my bumper the next time it comes off, so hopefully never...

Well it does not matter if you were intending to question my bumper or not.....I am going to pretend to be insulted. 

ARB bumpers weigh a ton, but they are designed to push 1200 to 2000lbs cattle around on a station( what the aussie call a ranch). 

There are just no tube bumpers out there for newer trucks. With so much expensive parts hanging out front you can see why.  I bought the premium full coverage with tube hoops to protect the lights and grill from limbs. I will also be adding limb risers to lift tree limbs up and over the windshield.

[V-Man]

Mike can I add the MarRack to my Tacoma without having to change all my control arms and other steering parts.  I will not be running tires over 35's ( 35's are larger then most overland trucks normally run)but the strength increase would be great.

I am sitting on a 3 inch lift, and have uniball upper arms, but the rest is stock. Axles we need axle to please.   For all the IFS trucks...please.

[THK Matt]

Mike can I add the MarRack to my Tacoma without having to change all my control arms and other steering parts.  I will not be running tires over 35's ( 35's are larger then most overland trucks normally run)but the strength increase would be great.

I am sitting on a 3 inch lift, and have uniball upper arms, but the rest is stock. Axles we need axle to please.   For all the IFS trucks...please.

and MarCVs

Money!

[BigMike [OP]]

MarCVs

MarCVs - Has a nice sound to it! haha love it. RCV has some awesome axles however the stock CVs do hold up pretty well, even with 35s.

Mike can I add the MarRack to my Tacoma without having to change all my control arms and other steering parts.

Thank you for asking this. While it is certainly possible, my design criteria is for the Rock Crawler and as such will have very specific Rock Crawling features that I have not shared publicly yet that will not be compatible with unmodified vehicles.

Regards,
BigMike

[300k]

Is there something in the works for upper arms with All Pro leaving the scene?

[V-Man]

While it is certainly possible, my design criteria is for the Rock Crawler and as such will have very specific Rock Crawling features that I have not shared publicly yet that will not be compatible with unmodified vehicles.
Regards,
BigMike

How much do you think I would have to change. Tie rod ends, stabilizer ends, pitman arms? 

It's great when you find things that are stronger/better then stock,  but not so great when you have to modify your truck from bumper to bumper just to add a fender flare..

[redneckcustoms13]

Vman, I do not want to hijack this great thread about the ground breaking new face of the MC family. I would like to only make this one post regarding the rack and pinion. Mine in my 06 has over 350k on it. Bone stock and has had over the last 100k with 35s and 33s that are on 12" wide wheels. Mine is a pre runner but I live over a mile down an extremely rough dirt road and baja the crap out of this thing. All I have replaced is the stock worm out tie rod ends at about 325k. I believe your stock rack and pinion will hold up to 35s just fine if your doing trail riding and overland type rides. They are quite tough from my experience.

[V-Man]

I believe your stock rack and pinion will hold up to 35s just fine if your doing trail riding and overland type rides. They are quite tough from my experience.

I am sure it will. My wife's 2004 4runner has done great for 14+ years with only now needing stabilizer ends. The question is "Can I make it better" then stock.

If you never need to upgrade that is fine, but that does not mean you should never improve on what you have.

[zippo]

I'm somewhat confused. Why not just get a charlynn valve and just full hydro?!?!?! I would give you mad props, and that is really all that matters.

[redneckcustoms13]

Very little feedback and not street legal would be my assumption.

[zippo]

Very little feedback and not street legal would be my assumption.

I looked and found no state law prohibiting full hydro. Maybe if you shared your references.

http://www.liftlaws.com/is_full_hydro_steering_street_legal.htm

[300k]

I looked and found no state law prohibiting full hydro. Maybe if you shared your references.

http://www.liftlaws.com/is_full_hydro_steering_street_legal.htm

I don't think it's actually illegal i think it just sucks to drive around with so most people don't do it.

[redneckcustoms13]

Read your link. Tennessee it is illegal. I got stopped in my yellow full hydro Toyota and got a warning from a state trooper for the steering having no mechanical linkage from steering wheel to knuckles. Maybe in the state that finds everything a cancer causing agent it is legal but in alabama and Tennessee it cannot be driven legally on the road.

[zippo]

Read your link. Tennessee it is illegal. I got stopped in my yellow full hydro Toyota and got a warning from a state trooper for the steering having no mechanical linkage from steering wheel to knuckles. Maybe in the state that finds everything a cancer causing agent it is legal but in alabama and Tennessee it cannot be driven legally on the road.

You would be surprised the limited knowledge most police have about specific technical laws. Police give warnings all the time for things that aren't really against the law. It's the reason you got a warning and not a ticket.

Also big current setup would already be illegal in the example you gave.

[Rockcrawlintoy]

Read your link. Tennessee it is illegal. I got stopped in my yellow full hydro Toyota and got a warning from a state trooper for the steering having no mechanical linkage from steering wheel to knuckles. Maybe in the state that finds everything a cancer causing agent it is legal but in alabama and Tennessee it cannot be driven legally on the road.

Sounds like high steer would be illegal as well as a Drop J arm too.

[Hilux_Max]

We have the same issue here in Australia. Hydro steering is illegal for onroad use because there is no mechanical link.

But having said that....the new Toyota Camry has an electric steering system with no mechanical  link, so how to vehicle manufacturers get around that?

[300k]

I got stopped in my yellow full hydro Toyota and got a warning from a state trooper

OK, let's not act surprised that you got stopped in that thing. The frame rail was like 7 feet off the ground lol

[blackdiamond]

Sounds like high steer would be illegal as well as a Drop J arm too.

I am not sur I follow. With high steer the steering box is direct to the steering wheel and fixed length links to the Knuckle arm. Even without the power steering pump working you can manually turn.

[Rockcrawlintoy]

I am not sur I follow. With high steer the steering box is direct to the steering wheel and fixed length links to the Knuckle arm. Even without the power steering pump working you can manually turn.

Click the link. In Tenn it is illegal to modify the original steering at all.

[AZ Rockit]

Looking good 

[V-Man]

Sorry mike.. I asked about the MarRack, but I did not think the thread would get hi-jacked like this.   

Guys maybe we can start a thread about the other stuff.   

[BigMike [OP]]

Looking good 

You going to the summit again? Can't wait to get to see this again

Thanks guys, and yessir I will be at FJ Summit with the Tacoma!!

Sorry mike.. I asked about the MarRack, but I did not think the thread would get hi-jacked like this.   

No problem at all, I appreciate the extra discussion and it only adds to the thread as a whole

I'm somewhat confused. Why not just get a charlynn valve and just full hydro?!?!?! I would give you mad props, and that is really all that matters.

Very little feedback and not street legal would be my assumption.

I am not sur I follow. With high steer the steering box is direct to the steering wheel and fixed length links to the Knuckle arm. Even without the power steering pump working you can manually turn.

But having said that....the new Toyota Camry has an electric steering system with no mechanical  link, so how to vehicle manufacturers get around that?

Click the link. In Tenn it is illegal to modify the original steering at all.

Thanks for the comments guys. I have not read the law myself, but have been told numerous times by many prominent figures in the industry that full hydro steering is illegal for on-road use in what I've always taken to understand as in most States.

To redneckcustoms13's point, the lack of feedback is why I don't even run hydro assist on my 1981 (I've never had a lack of steering power with the stock 3RZ pump + cooler + 37s)

To blackdiamond's point, this is how I've understood it is that there is no redundancy and is therefore deemed unfit for road going vehicles

To Hilux_Max's comment about the Camry, that is very interesting. I wonder if it is truly 100% electric or if there is some sort of mechanical fall-back system...

To Rockcrawlintoy's point, it goes beyond this in that actually most all aftermarket parts could be considered illegal: Just ask Hilux_Max!! Forget about the fact they can only go +1" taller tire (yes only one inch!!), but they cannot even alter the factory width of their trucks in Australia. Also, to get aftermarket products approved for road use, as Max has told me, they have to take it to a government approved driving course and have an extensive engineering report performed before it can be sold en mass.

When you think about it that way, as much as I like to hate on California and our State government, we (ie. Marlin Crawler, a California company) are quite fortunate that we can specify "Off-road use only" and legally cleared from any on-road issues. Even something like an ARB Bumper, which you'd think has been researched to death and must be so safe, but look how it violates 5 MPH pedestrian impact laws (I'm speculating here, I don't know the law myself, but I hope you get my point -- I'm sure even Rock Sliders are illegal in most states if you were to boil it down to the nitty-gritty).

The scope of the MarRack
At the end of the day I need to develop something that has the most amount of potential clientele and yes as it's not already being used by the masses it will require marketing and product showcasing to move the mindset of the new crowd who-enjoys-watching-Toyota-commercials-of-Tacomas-pulling-guys-on-couch-sofas-in-sand-dunes to realize that there is another world that can be fun and challenging and thrilling that we call Rock Crawling.

I've only been around newer Tacoma/4Runner/FJ Cruiser events for only a year or so and from day one you realize that many still ask how to use the 4WD High Range select knobs on their dashes and who think 33" tires are 'extreme!!'. Try this: Read the Trail Rating definitions for both FJ Summit (https://www.fjsummit.org/trails.php) and the Texas Jamboree (https://www.lonestartoyotajamboree.com/#trails). The Summit lists for the most difficult trail: "Stock vehicles may be ok", and the Jamboree lists that 3-black diamond trails require "Large, aggressive tires" but yet 4-black diamond trails require "tires of at least 31-inch". So even a 31" tire is considered large and aggressive. You learn real quick that the new crowd has never been to the Rubicon, has never been to the Hammers, thinks everyone needs a wider light bar to go "trail riding", least of all to try to find and sell someone on a Char-Lynn valve!

Sorry, now I'm on a rant of my own lol Ok let's get back to business!!

[BigMike [OP]]

March 2, 2018: Updated RCV axles and Front Differential back in, finally test driving!

The keen observer will notice a beautiful object in the background of my last picture, and that would be RCV's new updated Ultimate outer CVs! Since last winter they redesigned both the outer CV and boot, now using a more compact design for both. I LOVE it! Much better design, thank you RCV!! They require less to be ground off of the lower ball joint bolt, and hopefully these boots will last more than 1 wheeling trip!!

BTW, since we are on the subject, remember how I mentioned RCV 100% guarantees these shafts up to a size 40" tire? Well, it turns out these are the same outer CVs used in their Dana 60 Ultimate Axle kit!! I can't repeat what I've been told, but just know that on the D60 setup they guarantee up to a larger tire. Much larger. They are extremely confident in their 40" tire guarantee. Thank you RCV for making these axles for us IFS guys!



Now that I've got my axles back, the differential went in and the truck was ready for some daily driving testing.

At this time, I was waiting for parts to be machined and really wanted to get the truck back out on the road. I found some tie rod ends that would work by drilling out and flipping their insertion into my steering arms. This of course is not the final design and will cause all sorts of handling issues, but it allowed me to get some miles on the MarRack to monitor how it's doing.



This spring my factory Toyota battery had been struggling. In fact the black box in my engine bay above is a battery charger. Well, it finally gave up the ghost. It lasted only 2 years.

I didn't spend as much time as I should have with this but I knew I didn't want another Optima due to reduced quality (they were much better in the early 200s). So I went with this Bosch Platinum Advanced AGM/EnergyLife battery. I went with one size larger than what the book called for which fit with no problems and had slightly better amperage ratings. The part number I went with is 24F-710BAGM (group size 24F), and specs are: CCA @ 0* F: 710, CA @ 32* F: 850, and a 120 minute reserve capacity.

A regret from this was that because I plan on relocating the battery under the bed in June (similar to what I did with my Hilux), I wished the stock battery had lasted a few months longer so I could have picked any size battery available (they do make a 770 CCA version that I would have got instead).

[BigMike [OP]]

Anyway, enough yacking, it's time I express my experiences in daily driving with 40" tires!

From March 2 until April 8 I was driving the truck all over town. The incorrect steering geometry was quite difficult to manage, as expected, so I actually never went over 60 MPH even on the highway. So my experiences for the moment are limited. But when driven normally, the ride is good, the tires are much more quiet than the old 37" BFG KRAWLERs, braking power feels good, and while acceleration has been reduced, you only notice this when you lug the engine around. If you let it get over 3,600 RPM or so where that power band hits then it pulls hard, no problem at all. But if you short shift and try to lug the engine at under 1,500 RPM it just doesn't want to do anything.

Here is my wife staring at it with equal amazement as me! (haha probably she is so tired of me talking about it all the time)

[BigMike [OP]]

Got dinner with my friend Holly and her awesome 3rd gen 4Runner (my favorite 4R body style of all time!)





Parked next to CruzrDave's LX450 on 35s



The 40s even provide a nice nesting place for birds ^__^