Nate's build

So that funny noise and shavings from the drivetrain came from the crawler box. Back when I got the crawler a few things were still being worked out with tolerances from Marlin. The coupler from tranny shaft to crawler shaft was a wee bit to long which led to some preloading of bearing and a few other issues. In the end the gears in the case got cooked. The great guys at Marlin Crawler and RST took care of everything and were able to warranty the box and make all appropriate repairs in a short period of time to get me back up and running. The issue has been addressed with tolerances and is good to go now.

Big Thanks to @BigMike and @awsumdc for everything.

Out came the drivetrain


While everything was out, I went ahead and put in some thermal barrier sheeting in the trans tunnel to cut down on some heat transfer and noise. It's sticky backed but that didn't work too well so the spray adhesive did the trick.










Had a build weekend with a buddy as he was putting on some badass ORE coilovers on his jeep.




I was in the area on the way up to the Sierra Nevada mountains for a camping trip and stopped by Marlin's shop. Again, nothing but good things to say about them and Wyatt at RST for taking care of everything. After the box went back in everything was good and working properly. Top notch customer service and they stand behind their product. Stoked to be back in business.


No need to go anywhere after a long night out. Just set up camp wherever you want!


Made it up to the Giant Sequoia's. These things are MASSIVE!
Yeah, I'm a tree hugger.

 

Awesome build!

 

Awesome build nate! I have a new truck crush .

 

The aluminum thermal reflective barrier is a nice touch. Love the photos of the Giant Sequoia's. We are so lucky to have them so close.

 

That's better than a crushed new truck.

 

Best accesscab. Period.

 

What happened!?!?

 

Bummer man! Such a badass rig. I'm sure the next will be just as good if not better!

 

I guess it's finally time to update this dead thread. Earlier this year I took a month off my old job before starting a new one to take a camping trip. The plan was to start from Big Sur area then over the mountain into Paso Robles. Stop in Fresno to swing by and see the guys at Marlin Crawler then up to Kings Canyon NP to go into the Sequoias, then to Yosemite. Stop in Sacramento for a night to visit friends then over the Sierras into Reno/Sparks to see Eric @RelentlessFab to fab up a rear swingout. From there I was going to head back down the 395 to Lake Tahoe, then Mammoth and over to Death Valley. Well... things didn't go as planned.

Well up on Reno I ended up rolling off the side of a mountain shelf road. I wasn't doing anything gnarly or crazy. Just cruising along the road in the snow line when the runoff eroded out from under the rear tire near the edge and things when tumbling down from there. I rolled at least twice before losing count. Side airbags went off. When things came to a halt, I was on all 4's, nose was perpendicular to downhill but felt like it was right on the edge of continuing to roll. I got out and was able to run my winch like up to a tree with snatch block and back down to a rear D ring to my rear bumper. From there I was able to winch the rear bumper upwards to get the nose of the truck facing down hill.

Once that was done I couldn't get the line to release tension so I held on and tried something crazy... while holding on to the wheel, I was able to reach under the truck and cut the synthetic winch line and rode things out down the mountain. Luckily I wasn't too seriously hurt. Just some bumps, cuts and bruises. I was able to get myself off the mountain with only snapping a front VC. Called it in and had the truck picked up and taken to a yard.

That's about when Eric and his wife came to the rescue. They were a HUGE help. I seriously can't express how thankful and grateful I am for all the help they gave me. They picked me up, let me crash at their place for the night and dropped me off at the rental place the next day. It was a HUGE headache trying to figure everything out with the insurance company but Eric was a life saver. Thanks a ton for your help man! I really appreciate it!! Talk about customer service.

I eventually got things squared away and was able to get the truck back from the insurance and take it home to California with a rental truck and trailer. Then it sat for a while since I started that new job and training which consumed every moment of my days for the next 5 months. During that time I was trying to deal with the insurance company and figure out what would be covered and how to handle it all. Insurance only covers the value of the truck but I also had an additional policy rider for aftermarket equipment so I had to track down all the receipts. THAT was a pain in the ass too and I was blown away how quick things add up!! With time being non existent, I decided to just strip it all and figure it out later.

I was able to strip it down in one day with the exception of a few things like the rear 3ed member with nitro gears, U bolt flip and ATO shackle hangers, front SuperBumps and other small stuff. The obvious stuff outside got damaged and was no good but I'd say the rest of the armor looked good to me. Hard to tell if things were straight when the body was all jacked up. Everything is still standing by to rebuild the next truck. Luckily I found almost the exact truck but just one year newer and a TRD Sport instead of the Off Road. As of now the plan is to build that one when time permits.

Looking back now, I should have just bought back the wrecked truck and made it a dedicated trail rig and taken the remainder of the payout. But ohh well. Also be careful when you are out exploring. The simplest fire road can turn into a nightmare in the blink of an eye. Have a plan and equipment to get yourself out of shitty situations. Things could have gone FAR worse for me being up there alone. Trucks and parts can be replaced, people can't.

Thanks again to the crew at Relentless Fab for your help! You guys are the Best!

 

@tacomgee here you go

 

NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

glad you're ok...that sucks tho!!

 

Man, so sorry to hear/see your rig like that. I can't tell you how much your truck has been an inspiration for my build. If it wasn't for you I'd probably still be mostly stock.

The best part is you're ok. I get goose bumps just thinking of situations like that. Someone's looking out for you!

On the bright side you've always said if you could do it over you would SAS from the get go and here's your chance! Did you keep all the turtle gears? I'm curious to see what you do differently with 2.0!

 

Wow! Glad ya walked away mostly unscathed. Material things can always be replaced. Looking forward to the 2.0 build

 

Damn! Glad you're ok man. This was my favorite truck on the forums.

 

Yeah man. It sucks but ohh well. Shit happens. Besides, I was running out of things to do on it so a new project is a good thing!

Someone is DEFINITLY looking out for me. I can't even begin to explain how/why I'm still alive on this earth. And I'm not just talking about this incident. Too many to count and many having to do with that Purple Heart plate. So when people ask why I'm also so happy, it's because I'm happy to be alive and value the time on this earth.

As for Version 2.0, You're on the right track! I'm holding off on everything for now. Don't want to spend more on the truck that doesn't need to be spent considering I have a huge pile of parts ready to go back on. And yeah, all drivetrain minus the rear 3rd was taken out. We'll see...

It was painful seeing it being taken away like this. Especially since she could still drive around on her own power.


Version 2.0 standing by...

 

Ohh yeah, anyone want to swap my scooped Pyrite Mica hood for a non scooped hood?

 

My heart hurts.
Dude so glad you're okay! Definitely a sobering incident...

Glad you stayed in the Tacoma family.

 

Hopefully soon!