Building the "BEAST"

3" lift is all you need. After that height doesn't help. Stock wheels with 285/75 16's (33" tall) rub the UCA slightly. Wheel spacer like the spidertraxx you have push the wheel out and stop the UCA rubbing, but then you hit the body mount with the outside edge of the tire so you need to cut that back and weld a flat plate over it. If you look, no amount of lift is going to clear that unless you cut it back, or push the wheels out far enough to clear it. Meaning LT suspension, but that might not even cut it.

 

FWIW, I never rubbed my body mount with my 285s on stock rims. Before the spacers, I rubbed the UCAs at full lock but no fender rubbing. After the spacers, the UCA rubbing was gone, but fender rubbing started. I just trimmed it back a little and I'm all good now. I think if I would have gone wider than the 285s, I might not have cleared the body mount, but I'm good with my BFG MT KM2s...

 

Change to 17" rims and you'll be fine. The less backspacing isn't hurting you, it's the size of the rim you want to run.

You may need to trim alittle but you should be fine with that.

Ok, enough of the highjacking of this thread now. If you need further help you should start another thread in the wheels and tire section where everyone can benefit from the answers.

Lets move on!

 

Coming up next is probably the most effective mod I've made to the truck, and one that even a stock truck can make that will drastically change the way your truck performs offroad.

When I first got my truck, I went to Marlin of Marlin Crawler and told him what we were doing with the truck and he was interested. I told him I wanted him to put a crawler box in my truck and that he could use it for the prototype. That he did and what came from that was the best mod that can be made to these trucks.

Yes, wheels, tires, sliders, solid axles, bumpers, and susspensions are all important, but gearing is king when your out there crawling around.

Stay tuned for how Marlin and his crew made 111 to 1 crawl ratio possible in this truck!

Here is a clip, crawling at 111to1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAmeDEES_Oc

 

Cant wait to see what you did with the drive train! I've been wondering since i knew you'd need a low crawl ratio with those 40's especially. Did you do any performance mods to the motor or is it all stock still?

 

my nitto tg's (285/70/17) rub the body mounts slightly between 1/2-3/4 wheel turn with the suspension flexed.

Keep is coming awsumdc, cant wait to see the Marlin set up!!!!!

 

Oh, didn't think about suspension flex. I was just thinking about normal driving conditions...

 

May run into a little bit of an issue on the trail but on the road it only happens when i haul ass into a driveway or something like that with the wheels turned.

 

That's why I said what I did. When the suspension flexes the tires will hit the body mount. Just depends on what you want to fix: new UCAs or the body mount. At least without doing something completely off the wall like Wyatt and replace 90% of the truck in the process!

 

That video is awesome. The articulation your truck gets is sick!

 

Why don't you go a little slower!! Haha, is the crawler box a separate t-case? or is it a double t-case setup? This thread is giving me too many ideas! Thanks.

 

This is Marlin's Shop in Fresn, Ca. and the little red truck is Marlins own Crawler. It has triple case's and has a crawl ratio of....... 1372to 1!!!!!

You can actually get out and walk faster than it crawls.


This is my truck on the rack where it stayed for awhile waiting to get it's new toy.


This is the stock transfer case.


Pulling the stock case out of the trcuk.


Here is the stock case with the drive shaft.


This is the inside of the crawler box. It has a set of 1to1 gears and another set of 2.28to 1 gears.



Here is the completed "Taco Box" before it is attatched to my transfer case. It has Marlin adapter plates on the front and rear of the reduction box to mate it to my transmission and my transfer case.


Here is the Crawler box and transfer case together which would be considered a double transfer case.


Putting the dual case in the truck.


The dual case bolted to the transmission.


Then Rocky built an entirely new crossmember/skid plate for the whole thing.




Nearly finished, it covers both transfer case's and the transmission.



Here it is all painted.





This is where the shift lever comes up through the floor. Looks like it came from the factory that way. It still has the electronic switch on the dash for the 4hi and 4lo and then I shift the crawler lever forward for ultimate low.


Because the crawler box lengthens the drive train, we had to lengthen the front drive shaft and shorten the rear shaft. This gave us the opportunity to go with a one piece shaft in the rear. Love it.


Dana 60's come with yokes instead of flanges like the Toyota's have but they are not as strong as the Toyota units so High angle drive line fixed that. They made special flanges that will bolt up to a Dana 60 and then a stronger toyota drive shaft can be used.



They made the flanges and driveshafts for the front too.



So there you have it. If I were to do just one mod to my ruck, it would be this one. It is amazing what you can do with these in your rig. Ever go down one of those steep hills and just slide down? With a crawler box, you just put it in ultra low, take your foot off the brake and slowly crawl down with all the control in the world. And the place you can go have just increased ten fold.

Here is a link to Marlins site.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/

Stay tuned for even more on this truck. We're not done yet.

 

ooooo....



Would/Does putting one of these crawler boxes affect normal day-to-day driving? What kind of price would you think to put on a mod like this?

 

Thats the neat thing about adding a crawler box. In one to one mode it's like it's not even there. You drive down the highway at 70, 80, 90 if you want. But when you want to go slow.... there is nothing better.

I'll put a link to Marlin's site so you can figure out what would be best for you, but the box is about 1700 and to change the drive shafts is about 200 each and you'll need to modify your crossmember. But it is well worth it. If someone lives near me and wants to see how one of theseworks, I'll be more than willing to allow you to drive my truck to see how it works.

 

That protection they fabricated was a work of art

I would love to have a Marlin, a couple of my old buddies ran then in their CJ's

I think that's one thing Toyota missed the boat on by not offering a wide ratio 6 speed, a granny first going through low range would definitely improve the off road ability right of the showroom floor.

 

Thanks dude!

 

Nice update once again awsumdc! I'm really going to try and make it down there some time. Since you mentioned Fresno, how far is Fresno from you? I have family down there so that could be a pit stop for me.

 

AWESOME AWESOME Build It's great to see it on use out on the trail as well. What's next, throw some rear steer in it? Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to the build post for the 02 that you guys did.

 

Actually, Marlin does have a group of guys that have his Crawlers in Jeeps. Here is a link to his Jeep forum.
http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?board=40.0