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

[Ritchie]

Hey Big Mike,
How is the rear 3 link working?
Wyatt is currently making the required parts for my rear 3 link. The new FOX CO's are out a couple weeks.
Hope to get my truck into his shop by the middle of September.
He is a busy guy for sure.

[Hilux_Max]

Mike,

What does the front of the standard transfercase look like?

I know with my previous model Hilux, your dad amd Wyatt had to convert the J-shifted transfer case from a forward shift to a top shift in order to mate up the crawlbox.
Is it safe to assume that these solenoid activated transfercases do not have that issue since they are shifted from a rear mounted solenoid mechanism?

so in theory, the adaptor plate and crawlbox would just bolt straight up to the front of it?

Thanks in advance....am working out whether I should purchase a previous model J-shifted chaincase for future crawlbox build (would require more work) or save and just get one to suit existing factory solenoid shifted case like yours?

Spent Feb and early Mar finishing up and launching our new website, so didn't have anytime for the Tacoma.

March 29, 2017: The Meat of the matter

Finally I had reached the first day of the most important project for this truck.

Back on the MC lift



Oh, hello thar.



Whoops, was this not supposed to fall off?

[bordain]

Nice truck! Any more updates?

[BigMike [OP]]

Looks like its final stage turned out great. I'm glad that despite falling through your ceiling you were still able to get out and enjoy some wheeling. Now stop rubbing it in our face and sell us the darn things!!!!

Thanks man. It's about late Nov 2020 now and I still cannot sleep on my left side. Right side is okay. Everything else seems to be about 95% back to normal, just some minor lingering discomfort in a few positions. I can't imagine how difficult this injury is for people with fractures or breaks many times worse than mine.

You're just making people envious by parking next to their Tacomas.    

What kind of battery is that?

Hahaha I'm trying to inspire them!! Thanks for asking about the battery. I briefly mentioned it at Page 23 - Reply #687: It is a Bosch Platinum Advanced AGM that I have been highly impressed with. (Reply #687 has more details about it.) They cost less than Optimas (which have lost a lot of respect in the industry ever since Interstate purchased them) and we have been using them for a while here at work. I installed it ~2.5 yrs ago and so far I have been very impressed!

Hey Big Mike,
How is the rear 3 link working?
Wyatt is currently making the required parts for my rear 3 link. The new FOX CO's are out a couple weeks.
Hope to get my truck into his shop by the middle of September.
He is a busy guy for sure.

That's awesome man, I have no doubt you're going to absolutely love it. I assume by now you've already gotten it installed, and if so, now it's my time: How are you liking it??

so in theory, the adaptor plate and crawlbox would just bolt straight up to the front of it?

10-4. Since it's electronic there are no rails or shifter bases to mess. MC11 adapter is a direct bolt-on. The only thing we change, at the moment, is on a 6spd manual like mine, we swap out the t/case input for an automatic input to fit our dual case coupler.

Nice truck! Any more updates?

Well... since you asked, here comes a few updates!

[BigMike [OP]]

Goals for 2020!

I've got a LOT planned for @SlowestTacoma in 2020 and hope to finally get it close to 100% finished!!

Here is a run-down on my Build schedule, all planned to be completed before my next Rubicon trip / third week of June:

• Get our final RCLT HD prototype (v3) installed
• Finish front end articulation (up-travel clearancing)
• Install On Board Air
• Install Winch
• And finish four final big & exciting projects that have been on my TODO for a while

And here is a run-down of scheduled events I'll be driving SlowestTacoma to and from in 2020:

• King Of The Hammers (SoCal)
• CAL4WD Convention (CenCal)
• Four Wheeler Adventure Expo (SoCal)
• Toyota Jamboree (Texas)
• TLCA Mud-N-Yer Eye Frolic (NorCal)
• 4WDF Blue Canyon Poker Run (CenCal)
• TLCA Cruise Moab (Utah)
• Feature SlowestTacoma at Overland Expo West (Arizona)
• The Gear Shop Moab Event (Utah)
• Moonlight Madness (CenCal)
• TLCA Rubithon (NorCal / Rubicon)
• PMC Swap Meet (NorCal)
• FJ Summit (Colorado)
• UTOR Expo (Utah)
• CAL4WD Sierra Trek (NorCal / Fordyce Trail)
• Cantina for the Con (NorCal / Rubicon)
• Marlin Crawler Round-Up (NorCal / Rubicon)
• Pamona Off-road Expo (SoCal)
• SEMA Show (Las Vegas)
• TLCA Southern Cruiser Crawl (Arkansas)
• CAL4WD Panamint Valley Days (SoCal)
• Valley Children's Toy Drive (CenCal)

Gonna be a busy and exciting year and I've got a LOT to do so let's get started!

[BigMike [OP]]

Jan 28, 2020: Final RCLT HD Prototype (v3) installed onto KOH 4Runner

With SlowestTacoma still on jackstands, I traveled down south to install our final prototype RCLT HD onto the King Of The Hammers race 4Runner. This has been such a long journey...



Here come some Prototype Knuckle comparisons. Left is V2 Prototype that my Tacoma ran from April to December of last year

Right is the final V3 Prototype design that will be going onto the Race 4Runner, as well as my Tacoma. So the first KOH race was using Prototype version 1 and now the second KOH race will be using Prototype version 3!



As you can see, I've been focused on steering strength upgrades



TRE hardware difference is insane.



I needed help just to torque that puppy down!

[BigMike [OP]]

Jan 28, 2020: Final RCLT HD Prototype (v3) installed onto KOH 4Runner (continued)

Say Hello to the FINAL PROTOTYPE!!!



From V1 to V2, there were over 100 improvements.
From V2 to V3, there are around 40 improvements.

Major improvements from V2 to V3 include...

• An extra bend to the bottom LCA plate for a smoother radius and improved ground clearance
• Secondary shock mount included by default
• An adjustable caster feature of the UCA enabling +/- two degree caster flexibility
• Steering hardware strength is greatly increased (see previous post)
• Turning angle capability has been improved by almost another 5-degrees!!
• Down travel capability has been increased through improvements to both CV boot clearance, UCA design, and TRE attachment angle
• Alignment-maintaining ability through full suspension travel, something RCLT HD already greatly excels at compared to most all other LT kits, is improved further for extreme downtravel scenarios. This feature won't be fully realized for a while since it requires additional parts to be designed and tested. More on this later.
• Dropped my stupid water drainage system
• And finally, continued improvements to manufacturing and Jig assembly

RCLT HD is KOH bound once again!!

[BigMike [OP]]

Jan 31 - Feb 2, 2020: Final (v3) RCLT HD Prototype nearly installed!

Back at our shop, while the rest of the crew had left for the King Of The Hammers, I stayed back a few days to get @SlowestTacoma's IFS up to date!

----------------------------------------------

EDIT: I forgot to discuss the removal of my factory frame bumpstop brackets.

This is an optional step with RCLT HD, however, due to the flipped nature of our lower control arms that are inverted in order to gain ground clearance, the arm comes into contact with the factory bumpstop very early in it's stroke greatly limiting uptravel. What we did on the KOH 4Runner, where strict race laws of the Every Man Challenge class prevent the removal of frame brackets, we inset an air bump into the factory bumpstop bracket which worked out nicely.

On my truck, because I'm running 40s, during up travel my tires contact the front cab long before the lower control arm contacts the factory bumpstop bracket. Knowing I'd eventually be modifying my cab for more tire uptravel, I left the bumpstop issue alone and simply removed only just the factory rubber bumpstop itself, leaving the frame bracket bare yet intact, still remaining on the frame.

So now is the time to finally get my front uptravel of these 40s addressed so off came the factory frame bumpstop brackets The plan will be to weld something like Radflo's Pinch Mount Air Bump Brackets to the frame and run their 2" air bumps.

Before:



After:



All ready to go!



----------------------------------------------





I'll discuss this feature in more detail at a later date, but if you look at the upper uniball, you can see that it is not centered to the UCA. This is our new caster feature, and as shown this is in the +1 degree fixed position for maximum caster angle.



All done!!





I didn't have time for an alignment so I just manually set the toe, loaded up booth and display items, and was ready to rendezvous with the rest of the team down south!

[BigMike [OP]]

Feb 3-7, 2020: King Of The Hammers

The next morning I was up early and off to Johnson Valley!!



Filling up in Tehachapi



That stainless steel RCLT HD plate is so much nicer than the sticker we used on the previous prototype!



Made it safely! Check out the difference when you Marlinize your ride

[BigMike [OP]]

Getting setup!





Busy at the Crawler Booth like always!



Here is a RCLT HD vs Stock IFS display I made. Having these sitting side-by-side was SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE



Here is my growing collection of broken stock inner tie rods I've helped repair on the trail from other 2005+ Tacomas and 2003+ 4Runners, including one of my own!

[BigMike [OP]]

The display was so impressive that it caught the eye of one Shannon Campbell!

He looked at the two IFS setups and was seriously impressed with RCLT HD. I asked him for a quote and he said, "This is a really great design", which was awesome coming from the 3-time champion himself!



Shannon became the first public figure to endorse RCLT HD



He was very impressed that RCLT HD can be removed and all factory parts easily reinstalled, and discussed how IFS is paving new grounds in competition Rock Crawling and that the industry is overdue for an IFS product strong enough for Rock Crawling. He thinks we really hit a home run with this setup. Thank you Shannon!!

[BigMike [OP]]

Not too long thereafter, @SlowestTacoma and car #4602 got to meet for the first time! We now had two rigs with RCLT HD installed in our booth at the same time!! This was a huge moment for me.



Speakings of car #4602, I discussed this at Reply #134 of the main RCLT thread, but figured I'd add a few pics from their historic day of becoming the FIRST IFS in KOH's Every Man Challenge history to finish both the high speed desert sections and rock crawling sections without breaking down! They took a 10th place finish, which was a huge success for RCLT HD and we are looking forward to many more!



Final prototype looking gooooooood

[BigMike [OP]]

A couple action shots I found online

[BigMike [OP]]

And finally here is 4602 back at camp after the event. They had a few issues here and there but nothing too serious, and still moving under it's own power! A world's first for an IFS EMC rig!



HELL YEAH! WORLD'S FIRST IFS KOH EMC SURVIVOR!

[BigMike [OP]]

This is how I parked my Tacoma at night...



...and one night while out in the booth we had a very, very special visitor!!!

It was AWESOME meeting you @BAZZI!!!!!!!! Bazzi is from Iceland and is one of our oldest forum members, registered back in 2004! Wished I could have hung out more with ya



And that was it for KOH '20! Here I am back on the road at a crisp 4:29am Friday morning! (Yes, I left early and missed the main Friday event. Duty calls!)



Fill er up



And back home by 9:38am!! Averaged 20.1 MPH driving solo on the highway!! I'd like to see a Solid Axle Swap Tacoma on 40s do that!



Thanks Dad

[Prismo]

Awesome Mike, I have really enjoyed reading your journey with this. Bazzi needs to come visit us up here in rainland one of these days.

[Wainiha]

Guys on the mainland show shaka now?

[Ritchie]

That's awesome man, I have no doubt you're going to absolutely love it. I assume by now you've already gotten it installed, and if so, now it's my time: How are you liking it??

Have yet to start. Wyatt has been moving his shop to a larger facility.
Supposed to begin in early December.

[BigMike [OP]]

Holy cow, I completely forgot to include a video I made while at KOH.

Video description:

Here is a quick overview of our new & upcoming RCLT HD Long Travel Heavy Duty IFS System, recorded at the cold & windy 2020 King Of the Hammers event, Johnson Valley, California.

Product info: https://www.marlincrawler.com/rclthd
Development info: https://board.marlincrawler.com/rclt
Applications: 2003+ 4Runner/FJ Cruiser/Lexus GX470, and 2005+ Toyota Tacoma
--


(Side note: We finally now have wireless lapel microphones with windsocks so audio on our future videos won't be so bad )

[Wainiha]

This video is torture

[BUDDERS]

BigMike, I see on the website that you're planning on doing a round 2 of the RCLT for the 1st gen Tundras and Tacomas and 3rd gen 4runners at some point.  Have you started designing anything for this yet or has all the focus been on the round 1 with all the prototypes?  I'm curious if the Tundra would need a upgraded P/S rack and pinion or if they are beefy enough?  It's been a while since I"ve seen those racks up close and I'm wanting to buy a 1st gen Tundra in the next couple years.....

[BigMike [OP]]

BigMike, I see on the website that you're planning on doing a round 2 of the RCLT for the 1st gen Tundras and Tacomas and 3rd gen 4runners at some point.  Have you started designing anything for this yet or has all the focus been on the round 1 with all the prototypes?  I'm curious if the Tundra would need a upgraded P/S rack and pinion or if they are beefy enough?  It's been a while since I"ve seen those racks up close and I'm wanting to buy a 1st gen Tundra in the next couple years.....

So far we've only been working on the first production round. We will be co-developing the second & an unannounced third round this spring & summer. This project has been in production hell since our original release date of June so many new projects have unfortunately been pushed back. But once we get it up and rolling future versions will obviously require a hell of a lot LESS work to get up to speed. In the words of Danny Ocean, we've had to learn how to walk before we crawl with our first foray into the IFS market

We should be making a big announcement closer to the end of Jan for RCLT HD.

[BigMike [OP]]

Feb 15, 2020: Cal4WD Convention

The following weekend was the California Four Wheel Drive Association's annual Convention. Each year the event location rotates from Northern to Central to Southern California and this year it was held at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds which is right here in the Fresno area!

Arrived at the event



Booth setup!





The event ended up being faaar smaller than expected, but beings the Association holds meetings and important club delegations, it attracts high caliber and important 4WD club and off-road organization people so I was especially excited when this gentleman showed up to our booth!!



This is non other than Mr. Del Albright, one of the most important names in off-road land use, access, and volunteer training in all of California!

Del is highly active in around two dozen(!) state off-road land use organizations, is the State Environmental Affairs Coordinator for all of California, a former US army Green Betet (thank you Sir!) and California Department of Forestry, attended a breakfast reception with former vice president richard Cheney, and is well known for having one of the most resourceful sites on the net for maintaining the health and use of the Rubicon trail. You can read more about Del's incredible contributions to the off-road community on his About page as well as the aforementioned Rubicon page.

Del was thoroughly impressed with RCLT HD and couldn't believe how weak the factory knuckle and control arms look in comparison! Thank you very much Del!!

"This is a major upgrade to the Toyota IFS that really does challenge the benefits of a solid axle swap." - Del Albright



....and that was it for the 2020 CAL Convention!

[BigMike [OP]]

Feb 24, 2020: Helped my folks move some furniture

A week later @SlowestTacoma helped move some furniture for my parents.

Two younger Costco employees helped load the boxes into the Tacoma, and one guy kept asking how he could fit 40s to his own Tacoma. That was great, but every time I expressed requirements in transfer case gearing, steering strength, and tire clearancing, it went right over his head and he just kept fantasizing how he was gonna install 40s next. I explained how without special suspension modifications, such as moving the knuckles forward a couple inches, you won't even be able to make U-Turns and he literally said, "I couldn't care less about about U-Turns!"

It's a somber reminder how many young Tacoma owners I encounter are... They don't understand how much more difficult these are to modify than older trucks. It's as if they assume you could drop a Tacoma off at a tire store and pick it up 2 hrs later with 40s. Never mind the daily driving issues you'd encounter. Never mind the fact you can't go off-roading. You couldn't even go soft-roading. The only reason to desire tires this size is for ground clearance. Everything else with 40s is a major drawback.

In my opinion if you want to off-road with 40s you need at a minimum a final drive ratio exceeding 100:1 for autos or exceeding 200:1 for manuals, which is more than double or quadruple, respectively, your factory gearing. For me, 40" tires would literally be unusable without a Marlin Crawler Transfer case, which is why I addressed transfer case gearing very early on, even before wheel'n with 33s!!

/rantoff



It would have fit had I not bobbed the bed



In with the new, out with the old!

[BigMike [OP]]

March 2, 2020: Installed 50 lb-f softer front coils

In my pursuit of achieving the full range of front suspension travel as discussed back in May of 2019 (reply #947), the time had finally arrived to start suspension tuning beginning with softer front coils!

Note: Softer Coils is Step 1 of 4 of my plan to tune my front suspension.

Originally I wasn't sure if I should drop 50 pound-force or 100. I don't carry much weight and I never jump the truck, so I prefer softer coils. However, I still need to install a front winch, and a concern about dropping two coils 100 may equate to a net combined force reduction of 200 lb-f, so I decided to play it safe and only drop 50 and see how it goes.



Out with the old 600 pound-force coils (right, Eibach 1800.300.0600S) and in with the new 550 lb-f (left, 1800.300.0550S)!

The 600 pounders are just what Radflo originally sent me. They asked me what rate I'd like when I ordered them and without prior IFS experience I just told them to send whatever they think would work.



Installed!

Results! So far very difficult to tell. I used my Tacklife (laser tape measure) to maintain the original suspension height, taking measurements from the mirrors, door handles, rock slider, frame, front bumper, and headlight assemblies. The coils still need to break in and I still need to get V3 Prototype aligned (which is why I was waiting to do so). I expect the front end to get softer as I continue to daily drive and will report back with updates on it

[BigMike [OP]]

March 3, 2020: Final Prototype Aligned

Speaking of alignment, the next day I did just that! This was long overdue and with all the events scheduled for this peaceful, pleasant, beautiful calendar year 2020, I was eager to get it done.

It's been a bit of a challenge finding an alignment shop in town that can handle 40s. I've used a couple Discount Tire locations in the past, but one stopped servicing tires this size and the other, well, they really suck. A few friends and customers recommended a half dozen locations and each rejected @SlowestTacoma due to her tires. Finally, I was advised to try a new Les Schwab out near the Interstate because they have a large garage out back that services Big Rigs, which, if you didn't know, run 40s by default (for example, 275/80R22.5 = 39.8"). They did a really good job and the service tech was very friendly. Spent extra time making sure I was satisfied and even aligned the rear 3-link without charging extra!! I'm sure they lost money on my work order :lol: Definitely my new go-to shop for Crawler truck alignments!!



Here are the settings I requested:

Requested Caster: 2.0
I've heard of people running large caster with 35" and 37" tires of 3 or 3.5-degrees back, but I dislike caster for wheeling because at full-lock steering you lose both tractive force and turning radius in the rocks. So I figured I'd shoot for 2-degrees as a compromise and see how it goes.

Requested Camber: 0.0
I designed RCLT HD to have minimal camber change through it's full suspension travel, and beings the truck is built for Rock Crawling, I am going with zero camber for maximum traction at slow rock crawling speeds.

Toe Target: Factory



Here are the results!

Before (degrees; Driver/Passenger):
Caster: 1.6 / 3.0
Camber: 0.9 / 0.9
Toe: 0.01 / 0.30

After:
Caster: 2.2 / 2.2
Camber: 0.1 / -0.1
Toe: 0.08 / 0.01

So they got me almost exactly where I requested Print-outs below. Before on the left, aftermath on the right.



All done & ready to drive away!



Ahhhhhh _finally_ I've got this sucka properly aligned so I don't have to share any more pics of the alignment hardware out of whack The upper arms could be a tad longer and since I'm already on the max positive caster spacer setting at the uniball, they could also use some additional caster. So I'll make a final adjustment up there and call it good for the final production version!

With only 2.2-degrees caster there is no trouble with 40s. The truck drives straight and the steering wheel naturally straightens on corner exit. I'm exceedingly pleased with how streetable RCLT HD is.

[BigMike [OP]]

March 6-8, 2020: Four Wheeler Adventure Expo (Costa Mesa, SoCal)

The next morning I was off for the all-new Adventure Expo being put on by Four Wheeler in Costa Mesa, California (about 260 miles south of us). My wife Misato came along with me to help at the booth which was awesome. ありがとうみっちゃん！This is the first year for the Adventure Expo and from the sound of it they're planning on making this an annual event

This is the first overlanding expo we've ever attended, marketed towards mountain bikers, hikers, rock climbers, campers, and "adventure experts".

Event details: fourwheeler.com/adventure-expo/



Loaded up and ready to hit the road!






First stretch of the journey and things were already going well @ 19 MPG including some stop & go city driving.



Checking in at the event!



Clarence we have clearance!

[BigMike [OP]]

March 6-8, 2020: Four Wheeler Adventure Expo (Costa Mesa, SoCal) (continued)

We picked an outside booth along the main path between the largest parking lot and the exhibition haul and it worked out very well.

The next morning, as soon as the gates opened and people made their way in to the event, we had attendees non-stop. Early on I was impressed with the attendance.





It's not difficult to draw a crowd at an event like this where other Toyotas have stock transfer case gearing and metric sized tires.

[BigMike [OP]]

March 6-8, 2020: Four Wheeler Adventure Expo (Costa Mesa, SoCal) (continued)

We took the same RCLT HD IFS vs Factory Toyota IFS display that we built for KOH which was turning out to be a really nice display.



We do need to add the MarRack to the display. Despite having MarRack's enormous inner tie rod fitted to the display, people just assume that connects to the stock rack. So from time-to-time I'd get the question, "What's good about all this knuckle strength when you still have a Tacoma steering rack?" My response is always, "Go look under that white Tacoma." I don't want to lug a pair of racks to events so I'm thinking of cutting my original rack and a new MarRack in half somehow to cut down on space and weight...



Got Ground Clearance?



The mirror is used to show the Marlin Crawler TacoBox T/Case setup

[BigMike [OP]]

March 6-8, 2020: Four Wheeler Adventure Expo (Costa Mesa, SoCal) (continued)

The head-on view was described by a lady as a "Pirate Truck"