Topic: How I met Marlin

[cruzila]

So there I was, sitting on the big sluice, Rubithon 1992. We were in traffic and had stopped. I went to go again and the steering wheel just spun.   I got out and looked and the steering box had broken away from the frame at the middle of the cast tower. (FJ40)  
We got the rig moved on the trail so traffic could get by. Some guy came by and said "oh Marlin can fix that" I'm thinking who is this Marlin guy and there is no way to fix that. I need someone to drag me out of here so I can call a tow truck. Well this "bonehead" guy shows up and proceeds to get out the welder and grinder. I later found out he put down his dinner plate to come fix me.   and the rest is history.................................

[Paul_Elbisser]

I was just hanging out in camp at GSMTR, when this mini truck came in with what looked like a few broken rear leaves. Upon furter inspectin ot was just Marlin with a load of parts.

After I went trail riding that day I came back through main camp and there was Marlin helping someone fit a Mini Birfield into a Cruiser. I asked how his day was. He rattled off a few things he fixed. That was Just in camp, he never got all the way around the loop driveway in camp from fixing everyone.

I think he did get to rune the 1/4 mile trail known as lower 2. Then we hooked him up wit some 3speed cases and his truck was headed back to California with almost as heavy of a load as he came with.

[Brandon]

Many moons ago on sierra trek I believe it was. Come to think of it I was with my dad in his jeep I think, the one I now have. Marlin was setup there and I was just 16 or so, my dad got into it with Marlin saying he was ripping people off. I remember pops saying his jeep was 98:1 with no double stuff and Marlin pulled out his calculater to double check him I think that was when Chris Collard was doing the JPeater too

Anyway, since then marlin has been the greatest man on earth, gone out of his way many times to help me and others and I will do the same for him anyday..

[trt2]

My first trip to Frolic hosted by MTA... some guy had toasted his wiring on his mini truck and was dead in the water, not to happy about it.  This lanky guy came over and proceeded to re-wire his truck, muttering about what was crap and ripping out wires and corrected the problem.  

Then he talks about his truck, puts it in lowlowlow, winds it up to 5K rpm and we stand there and chat while his trucks ever so slowly crawled along in front of us with no driver or direction.

Come to find out, that was pretty much the norm for Marlin Cjaymoralificksktytlahsdlfsjdf.... however you pronounce it.

[Rainman]

I was giving a buddy of mine, Mike Greenway, lots of crap about his Mini (it was the only mini in the club back then) and the "Marlin Crawler", whatever that was, in his truck. Later that year, we heard Marlin was coming out to the GSMTR to see what wheeling was like out here. I remember when he pulled into camp. One of the first things he said was, "52 hours!" The drive time for his non-stop ride from California to North Carolina via New Guinea I think. Within no time, Marlin and I became good friends and he began a short tradition of coming out and doing the "rounds" to fix all he could while at the event. Just ask him, the trucks and the people here, as well as the trails, are simply different but we all found a long time friend in him that will last a lifetime. He even brought me my Mini from California on a trailer behind a right hand drive 60. Yep, he's nuts but I don't know any one else that loves what he does more completely than Marlin.

[90TOYPU]

I've haven't had the pleasure of meeting Marlin in person but I spent many hours on the phone with him when I ordered my "ultimate" and rebuilt tranny. When I ordered my "ultimate there were a few mix ups and I ended up with three crawlers at my house that needed to go back to Marlin. His brother came to my house and picked up the crawlers and brought them back to Marlin. I didn't have any idea how unselfish a man Marlin is, at that time and I was not happy with all the confusion in getting me my crawler. Now I know that Marlin goes so far out of his way to help people that I feel bad about getting inpatient with his business. I now recommend Marlin to as many people as I can and I have him at the top of my list for companies to buy Toy parts from. THANKS MARLIN!!!!!!!

[fourlofirst]

About 5-6 years ago,I called up Marlin and ended up talking for about an hour about my truck.(big surprise there,huh!)I drove down with my father,met him at "The Shop", and proceeded on down to the last :cry: (real)Santiago Canyon run.
It amazed me then,as it does now-Drove allll nite,first one on the trail,last one (helpin my green but )off the trail.I don't know what he saw in me,but when I called him a couple years later to order my crawler,he affectionately refferred to me as "that punk kid who went down to Santiago with me..."
Sice then,he has rebuilt about 2/3ds of my truck, I've crashed on his couch a couple times,and we spent Easter weekend(!) doing hysteer on my junk!
I know I wouldn't have experienced this kind of hospitality from any other vendor!!!

THANK YOU MARLIN!!!!!!!!!
Corey.

[brainlessfool]

I meet him at the "shop" about 4 years ago. I found him on the net when I needed to get my trans done up. I called him and we talked for about an hour and set a date for me to come over. When I got to the shop he was not there, just some kid hooking up an 02 sencer in a hooped up little car (sorry big mike) anyway he said that his dad was at the junk yard looking for parts.  So I went an got breakfast(thank Mcds) and came back, shorty Marlin came back and we got the trans exchaned for a rebuilt and I was on my way back home.(mind FULL of stuff to think about!) When I got home my wife said right after I had left that Marlin had called to tell me that the vally was very foggy that day and he wanted to make sure that I was going to drive safey! how about that! any way 2 years latter I called to pick some brain(coze I anit got one!) about gears and a locker and when Marlin picked up after about 5 secs. of you probley don't remember me , I got a  (with just my name and town Marlin finished the sentance) yeah , you got a 83,costom cab 4x4, with my trans in it. don't know if I could keep track of things like that! and then he hooked me up with the parts too. So in my book, Marlin IS the supreme being.:thumb: sorry mike:thud:

[BigMike]

Its ok brainless. I know how jealousy can ruin someone's pride and dreams from envy.

[cruzila [OP]]

BigMikes story,


I was just kind of floating in a nice warm............then it got cold, the air was brutal. Someone held me up by my feet and whacked my a@@.   Then they handed me to this guy who said "Hi, I am your Dad" :ladysman:

[brainlessfool]

awwwwwwww how sweet:love:

[brainlessfool]

HEY MIKE! I think that you sould put in topic in a new spot, like under MARLIN CRAWLER. In a spot of its own. All by its self. A huge part of this on-line coummity is Marlin. Although he does not come on here much,  he is the hub at the center of this wheel and how the ppl on here came to meet him is a very important. A  large part of why we come here is the help and advice that marlin has giving us. (the parts and help are cool too!) So telling all the newbies why Marlin is so well resecpted by the ppl here is very important! Lets ppl know who is behind the parts! (if you do or don't agee with this :idea:plz delite this post) thanks....the fool

[sumedumbkid]

well i have never meet Marlin but I can say he is the man that got me in to wheeling i saw this magizne {SP} at the store with a pictur of this litle red toyota p/u on it so i got my mom to bye it fore me and in it was a trip to supprise canyon and i was amased to see this red toyot go up every thing with out a winch and look good doing it and i said i want that truck well i dont have that exact truck but mine is as close as i can get

eric

[wheelerfreak]

I first met Marlin at the Easter Jeep Safari in '93, just after I bought my Toy.  He found us actually, at the old display area.  Believe it or not there weren't all that many Toy p/u's being wheeled at that event at the time.  He showed us his truck and put it in low low low and let it idle, what a show.  It barely moved.  He talked and talked and talked (boy does he love to talk), we got the complete low down on toy xcases! He was real friendly, but what amazed me is he rattled off model numbers of cases and transmissions right and left.  He know his Toyota stuff.  My best marlin story is when I ordered my 4.70 gear set.  I ordered the gear set, but it was taking forever to get ( familiar story at that time).  I needed it in time for the chilli challenge in Las Cruces, but it didn't get sent out to my house.  Marlin said he would meet me in Las Cruces with the gear set, and I would use a buddies shop to install it.  Low and behold he met me at the fairgrounds with a completely rebuilt xcase with the gears already installed in it (#373) and then he tore out the old case and installed the new one.  All for the price of just the gearset!! :chug:

That is why I won't go anywhere else for my Toy parts, in fact in a month I'm buying a dual case setup from him :up:

[Jared]

So my buddy blows a L-52  in his daily driver driving up omo ranch road in omo ranch california then i hear that he has to use the tranny i need to build my rig up so he gives me his old blown one and i give him my good one.  later on down the road he gives me 200$ to buy a parts truck.  So after being stuck with this transmission i call marlin up and i tell him that i might be in town but he wont be around.  I told him i wanted to meet him in person but he said he wouldnt be able to make it cause he was gonna be headed out to cruise moab.  Believe it or not Marlin says that hes gonna drive to moab and on the way he actually stopped by my house and bought the tranny from me and gave me some goodies as well.    Marlin is the man!  What a guy.  hey marlin i got more trannys for you!  

[SWAMPER]

Well I havent had the plesure of meeting him...though I did talk to him over the phone a while back asking about wheelspacers and he coulnt find the price and was telling me how he cant find anything in his OWN shop....hehehe I thought that was funny....well I havent met him but I have a great admiration towards the man and I doubt that I will ever buy anything from onother place (unless Marlin dosent make it) To you Marlin