Marlin Crawler's New Rock Crawling Long Travel IFS Suspension System (#RCLT)

This is exactly what I did after getting ghosted by Wyatt. It worked out tho, as I learned a lot along the way and can say that I did it myself. I have a spreadsheet of part numbers for what I used in my 3-link and can email to anyone who is interested.

 

This was my experience with Mike. I was one of the first people installing the kit on my own (in my garage and not a shop). I texted him a lot throughout the process and he was always quick to respond, even on a few weekends bc that's when I had time to work on it. He even came to my house during the install to see how it was going and look at what I did to notch the motor mount around the steering shaft. Maybe at the time there were fewer kits out in the world, so fewer questions coming in. I've shared my experience and honest opinions on this thread for months. All in all, I'm happy with the kit. It performs well and feels solid. Lightyears better than my previous setup. Like everyone else who bought RCLT, I was upset about the lack of communication while I was waiting for it. No excuses for that. My experience with Mike's support on install was very good tho. I'm not an influencer, you tuber, or professional truck builder/fabricator. I'm a hobbyist and very much learning as I go.

 

Right

 

shit ill take it. just to look at and get an idea for the future when i win the powerball

 

I know I said this before, but I am glad you got a response and help from him. When I asked for input on the install, I was told someone would get back to me, no one ever did. We ended up having to machine down the steering rack insert to fit properly.

 

This has been more of what I've seen and heard from people. I think the other guy had a rig that peaked Mike's interest so he was curious vs the avg joe. Also like he said his was one of the first out in the world so maybe a bit of nerves from MC with making sure everything went well enough for the instructions provided.

 

That sucks. I hate hearing that nobody got back to you. Good customer service should be a given for a $7k+ product. I used a ball joint press and a cheater bar to install the rack insert. Wasn't easy but it went in.

I think it was more that I was doing the work in my garage that caught Mike's attention. I provided feedback on the instructions and most of that was incorporated into the newer versions.

 

I get what you are saying, but how would Mike know where I was doing the work or hear my feedback on the instructions if he wouldn't respond to phone calls or emails? I think he was interested in your install because it was going into a 4runner and not another Tacoma. Or by the time I got my kit almost a month after yours, he was over it. I can't really speculate why he never got back to me, but all I know is my experience was much different than yours and I ordered my kit 2 days after you did.

But that said, I do agree with you that the kit is phenomenal.

 

How much travel do you think you'll get?
Also, what year is your truck?
Thanks again for the info and pics.
Hope you'll post up how the wheels stuff up by the headlights and that area.

 

I'm getting full travel in both directions. The droop is limited by straps set right before the CVs bind when rotating. The up travel clears the 37s right where the shocks bottom out, so the bump is set right before that. The truck is an '05. I'll have more pics when the front end is back together. It was easier to chop things with the headlights out, but we made sure that the tires would clear the headlights. It turns out the 3rd gen lights are higher so they offer more clearance than the 2nd gens.

 

Are you able to measure the travel.
Was wondering how many inches you are going to have.
Thx for the tip on the lights.

 

I havent measured it yet, but the amount of travel depends where you measure from. The wheel hub will be less than the outside of the tire. The shock itself has 8" of travel, but the further away you get from the pivot point, the more travel there is. So I too am curious where people are taking their measurements.

 

Taking it at the center of the tire would be the best for your application. For comparing or getting info from others the wheel hub would be the best because that will be a constant for everyone.

 

@El Taco Diablo When did you order your rclthd kit and how long did it take to arrive?

 

I added to that

 

TL;DR he’s a noob that found himself in a situation he knew nothing about.

 

That's a good point. I was posting IG stories of my build progress. It's disappointing to know that I got different treatment than other paying customers. Your truck is looking really good btw. The tubbing was a pain in the ass and the hydro bumps were a lot of work, but worth it for the full range of travel. My 4Runner floats out there.

 

Your rear makes me wish I did a 3-link but I got fixated on "no holes in the bed". My SUA setup in a bit extreme but turned out really good. The trickiest thing on my setup was the remote reservoirs up front clearing the UCAs.

Glad you are happy with your kit!