The Frankenstein Build! LT/Expo/Trail rig..and BS

Ah yes. The ratchet strap method. Cool

Yea I hope its okay too

 

Nuts man! Glad everything Is okay

 

ouch... yeah i would say replacing lbjs on our trucks are needed regularly. when u beat on them, your asking for it... time to upgrade to some nice ucas! and maybe throw some spindle gussets on those spindles(one is already off the truck) if its not bent... and maybe ss brake lines....

 

Me too man!

Spindle gussets are gonna happen.

Some other stuff perhaps. Haha

Just got home. Truck is good on the trailer. I'll have photos later

 

yeah man,spindle gussets> 50 dollars worth of insurance in my mind....

 

Yea easy to install too.

 

Wow Buddy! Did not want to see this. Glad you are OK. Frank is one tough bugger. He will be OK.

 

Yea everything will be fine I think. Find out when I start taking stuff off..haha

 

MOre photos. This is the recovery we did this afternoon.

where we left it

Frank.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

After we pulled it out of the ditch we put the trailer in front of it. I hooked up the winch to the rear bumper of the FRV. We disconnected the outer tie rod on the passenger side so we could straighten the wheel. Then started pulling it up. Went pretty smooth. Just put the ramp on the driver side in the middle and let the skid slid the truck up.

Frank-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Since we didn't have a wheel on the driver side of course. We used this. These are for putting your car on so you can push it in odd spots in the garage. Worked great for this as well!

Frank-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Pulling away.

Frank-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Done. Still amazed we got it up..haha pretty crazy

Frank-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

then we jacked him up and put some big ole dun age under the front skid.

Frank-6.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

We don't call it the FRV for nothing (Frankenstein Recovery Vehicle). Tundras can suck it

Frank.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Frank-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Frank-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

Made it back safe and sound

Frank-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

 

1. FRV is a sweet ride.
2. Damn get Frank a cane! Hella gimpin around
3. Glad Frank is home safe.

Oddly, Frank gives me a smooth relaxation knowing that whatever shit could happen, can be fixed.

 

I think he gets bored..or just wants more attention so he just breaks like he is going



But i'll fix him up


yes FRV is a sweet ride.

 

Nice!

The main difference is, tundras can do it stock, right off the showroom floor. The FRV has had a few "mods" to make it look easy.

Also, looks like the rear bumper on the FRV is beef.

Also, also, why are your LFs pointed at the sky?

 

yea...few..things...done..here and there to make it..easier..

bumper is beef..which has to do with the lights.

so when it first broke it was in the middle of a one lane road. We had to move Frank out of the way but couldn't figure out a way. So we took my winch line and took off the spare tire on my dads swing out. Looped the line over the tire mount and back down to my bumper. Winch the truck up so the swingout was holding Frank up. Then, since i had no brakes and we were going down hill. I put it in reverse and feathered the clutch so as not to rear end the FRV while the FRV dragged me down the hill and off to a wide spot out of the way

i had no brakes or steering.

But it worked.

amazingly, the spindle or latch didn't bend. The tube did twist a tad but we can fix that in 15 mins with a saw zall, welder and ratchet strap.

Edit: but with the winch line on the swingout. Thats why the lights are up, to avoid contact

 

This is my worst nightmare. Getting home, especially when I wheel a 1000 miles from home.

I sure hope you gave Steve a big hug after this.

 

Pretty much the most bad ass dad there is

And if you're with me..ill get you home, one way or another.

 

I appreciate what you are saying, but if what happened to frank, happened to the redhead, getting home would be a major problem. I kno getting to a shop of some sort would be possible, but that isn't home.

I think some of you guys kinda snickered when I showed up at Moab on a trailer, but that is huge piece of mind as you well kno. As Marc mentioned, I'm glad for you guys that this did not happen on the Shoshone lake trail. The recovery would be a nightmare.

 

Shoshone woulda gone down much different. But the recovery would be possible. I'd just have to bring my parts down and swap in a new LBJ and spindle and upper ball joint. Not fun..but possible. The steering rack would be the worst.

But it woulda been possible. I am super glad it didn't happen then too.

If this happened to you here. I'd just give you all my parts and we'd have ya on the road in two days.

We would figure something out. One way or another.

But I get the trailer part. Got that while I was in Moab haha

 

gawddamn man! This is obviously a sign that LT is meant to happen next.

I take it the tire/wheel survived? And Shoshone woulda sucked, I assume it would've been picked apart by others while you were in town. But then again, most of those stories I hear happen in CO.

 

I need new ball joints. Thanks for the reminder

 

Holy crap! I just saw what happen to FrankenTaco and wow... That's my worst fear with the first gen Tacoma is those ball joints letting go, but I am glad to hear that you're fine. That must have freaked the hell out of you when it happened. Now... Since this happened, does this mean that you're going to go over to long travel now or what?