First Shake Down After HUGE INVESTMENT into my Toyota Tacoma.. Was it Worth It? Absolutely!

Over the last 3 months my 2016 Toyota Tacoma has undergone an extensive rebuild which included over well over $30,000 worth of upgrades, parts and labor. Now if you're hoping to get on the trail for a good time, you don't need to spend anything close to what has been invested into this Tacoma. But if you're prone to breaking things like me and want a bulletproof unstoppable beast of a Toyota than expect to drop some coin to get it perfect. For starters, we added the Marlin Crawler RCLT HD Kit. This is a 3.5 inch long travel kit that moves your hub and wheel assembly forward two inches, giving you way more wheel travel and allows you to run 40 inch tires! The Marlin Crawler RCLT HD kit utilizes a 200 series Landcruiser steering rack to turn heavy tires with ease and improve reliability. We also installed RCV Axles which are rated up to 40 inch tires as well!
Next we added a Marlin Crawlers Taco Box, which gives me the ability to drop my gearing into extreme low range so I can crawl the truck at idle!
We even upgraded to an FJ transfer case so that I can Manually shift my truck into 4wd. No more issues or safety warnings preventing me from going wheeling! For suspension we are running a complete set from Locked Off Road Shocks, including coil overs, air bumps, bypass shocks and secondary bypasses. This truck just floats now!
For wheels I went with Relation Race Wheels Hybrid Bead lock wheels and I opted for Mickey Thompson 38 inch Baja Pro Xs tires for ultimate traction.
Of course I wanted to protect the truck while maintaining lots of ground clearance and ideal approach and departure angles so I had Walker Fab Lab create custom armor for the truck!

[@mup8661]

I feel like off-roading is one of the last places where we can go to extremes of performance as every day dudes. This is so bad ass.

[@someguy8498]

Doesn’t make sense to dump thousands of dollars into a street vehicle in my opinion. If you try to use it’s full potential, you can end up in jail. I’d rather invest in off-road toys.

[@ricksousa3932]

Maxx, You made it to the top with OUT breaking anything. Congrats.

[@soulsurfer8797]

I would love to see a trail shoot out between a Marlin Crawler RCLT spec’d Tacoma and a Weld 74 Tacoma with portals.

[@BUTTSBMX]

Mine walked circles around a Tacoma on Portals and 40s. Mine is a basic +2 kit up front, 3 link rear, dual cases with 37s.

[@ObscuredTravel]

There’s someone that’s done both…

[@taylorhudson4329]

This comment needs to be pinned. I would love to see a cost breakdown between the 2 as well.

[@TheHitSquadOffroad]

@@taylorhudson4329expensive, but I would love to see the same and I’m a Jeep owner, but love all off-road rigs.

[@bensamaduroff7417]

With just the portals you still have just stock suspension

[@skylerbernards5225]

It’s crazy to see how far this truck has come. What a sweet setup!

[@theninja001]

I love seeing the 80’s 4 Runner on leaf springs do all the same obstacles as the trucks that cost 5-7 times as much!

[@LuckyWill311]

Agreed!! But, I can tell you that the springs and axles under that rig are not cheap either.

[@terrylovin7405]

IFS, even with RCLT, will never outperform a 4-wheel leaf sprung (or linked) rig. Not including Ultra-4 obviously.

[@GrizzlyPath]

Thank you for continuing to be inspiration to get kids and young families out 4-wheeling and overlanding.

[@lpormedia4553]

So great to see the truck this channel was built around back to getting the attention it deserves! Great build, keep killin it Maxx, love the videos as always! 🤙🏼

[@pnaipo]

Love all the Yotas in this vid. Love how your truck has gone through so many iterations and improvements over the years. Keep it comn! 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾

[@Buzzkill752]

BALD MOUNTAIN! Amazing look out from the tower! Great place to go off-roading. Glad it’s in like a hour away from me

[@protacodan4225]

You’re going to love!!! It totally changed the way I wheel now. Happy trails

[@ObscuredTravel]

I’ve seen a few of the hard core guys swap to the tundra front diff when they start to break intermediate shafts. I’d love to see Big Mike work magic with the stock diff so we have another option!

[@w0nt0nj0n]

man i remember when this truck got it's long/ mid travel set up for the first time and now here it is. what a progression, love to see it

[@tschwag1420]

Glad to see you building your taco and using it as intended boy it's fun and whole family can enjoy it with you congradz

[@joshuatyson3497]

Maxx im beyond happy you didn't sell her. We need a video showing her from the day you got her and all the transformation up to this point. the Taco was the main reason why i stared following you many years ago.

[@coltonpeare1917]

This toyota would have crawled to right out of the ditch that night on Grind Hard Plumings property. love the way the build has progressed. Im happy to see how happy you and your family have become with the changes you've been working towards together. You guys are awesome to me.

[@BearClawJ]

dude.....the evolution of this truck has been amazing to watch!! it' looks fire!!🙌🙌

[@nsbtacoma6650]

This is what we’ve been waiting for!

[@andyhandy9996]

I love me a tacobox,hahaha. Seriously tho,beautiful truck man. Absolutely love it.

[@danielheideman576]

Maxx The Tacoma looks Fabulous and The Upgrades are Amazing.. Happy New Year to you and your family

[@zgmurph]

Man I remember when you were considering selling the tacoma, and now it's an absolute unit. So cool to see how far it's come!

[@DJTheGX]

Welcome to the RCLT family brother!!!!

[@danielmagalhaes5739]

Awesome! You are a cool guy and you deserve it! Have fun and in the future make a review of that kit!

[@toyotaholics1644]

Happy to see you in a working Tacoma again! Happy trails.

[@benbeall5273]

Im currently building my 2017 4banger 5speed tacoma. Starting off small with bed shell and roof rack so i can just get out there to camp.

[@Maxx.Powell]

That sounds like it’s going to be an awesome build!

[@dhripper00]

Glad to finally see the truck working as it should. It's come a long way Max! Good work! Those front coilovers are super stiff and need to be revalved.

[@rupertgumban9251]

Worth the investment Maxx!!! I’m sure you and your family are enjoying overlanding,rock crawling at same time..

[@Mataco717]

Seeing this REALLY makes me want to just drop my entire savings to build my 2nd Gen similarly😵‍💫🤣👍🏼🤘🏼🤙🏼

[@howtobehuman969]

Great video dude! The truck has come a long way. Seems like only yesterday you made the jump from mid travel to the first long travel kit you had.

[@squirrelmaster1225]

oh my gosh Max, it looks totally bad ass. Nice work, oh, and happy holidays to you and your family, give em all a high five from me

[@jason7231]

First gen 4runner stealing the show

[@amandagleason5582]

Thanks! We love our family rig!

[@ewhite9794]

Grew up wheeling bald mountain. So cool to see the truck there!

[@menacemayhem]

I love that you haven’t changed much and still running out of gas on the highway.

[@merc1tree2]

That had to feel good after what you’ve been through with that thing. What a beast!

[@taraszewskis]

Excited for the snow wheeling videos with the Tacoma 👀

[@tombalato8924]

The new improved taco is awesome man! 👍

[@tn3651]

I live down the street from Marlin Crawler!!!

[@daronrr]

Whoa! I thought this was family friendly...and then Max just slid it in the taco box.

[@Taco_juans]

Glad you kept the Tacoma. It’s a beast now

[@brokenwrench404]

Dang those are some super knobby tires 👍🏼 killer looking wheels too

[@dirtyasstaco2484]

Rad! Looking forward to more wheeling vids 🤘

[@adamlarkins1349]

That’s the baddest taco on KZbin bro ! Go have some fun you earned it !

[@jessemangrum5733]

Hell ya!!! This is badass probably best build yet it performed awesome!! I feel like I need a Tacoma Now 😂 i use to wheel there with my pops in a scout when I was a kid makes miss living down there.

[@CPMUNSEY]

The Tacoma looks gnarly and is making those rocks look easy. I’d saw off my pinky finger with a rusty spoon to own that first gen Four Runner too,lol!!

[@aterseraph]

Sick truck mate! Since the extended A arms increase the width of the front end, do you use spacers on the rear to keep the same track? Or do you just run with the stock rear width and the wider front? Nice vid, thank you.

[@81JULIO81]

The truck that started it all! Looks bad ass!

[@leonthompson1272]

As always, GREAT content.👍🏽

[@jayhunter59]

NGL i was sad to see the crawler 1st gen go, but this is most everything it was, plus a few seats. Bitchin truck Maxx! Now put those two beautiful toyotas to work showcasing the channel and your gorgeous family adventures! Mad inspiration all the way around.

[@John98512]

Looks so good, Maxx!

[@cobratuner]

What was the Tundras mpg while towing? What’s your normal mpg while not towing? In the market and legit curious.

[@sk4runner825]

I have a SASD 1990 4Runner I may have to have this RCLT installed on my FJ with the toy box I’ve heard the gas tank is an issue on the FJ with the Toy box

[@dhripper00]

Whats it mean when a guy has Icon stickers on his 4runner but running Radflo shocks?

[@brokenwrench404]

Rad video max. Now you need to put portals on it!!! it’s just 💰💰💰💰💰🤣🤣

[@InGratitudeIam]

That's pretty SICK!!! I'm wondering why you decided to stay with IFS paired with that tire size? Would a solid axle be better for off-roading? Or is this your daily driver? I'm thinking you could add an aux fuel tank... or two. :))

[@ssgoblin]

I laughed when you said you didn’t want to mar up the lower control arms while you were tying it down. Then don’t take it off road. Good looking Tacoma.

[@Kaikp808]

Looks good man!!

[@trdrockwarrior_sport4432]

I LOVE YOUR RIM AND TIRE PACKAGE they are metgods right whats the brand of them tires???

[@gwood69]

Really happy for you Maximus! I know at one point you were pretty down in the dumps on the taco and we had talked about the Jeep route. I’m glad you did this and you did it all the way right with goin to marlin. Fuckin sick rig dude and hopefully instead of big maxxidents we now just have little happy maxxidents 😂 just need to get you some skids

[@jayhunter59]

+ lockers

[@Weezerboy91]

I use to love wheeling at Bald mountain

[@offgridmangogrower]

I noticed the rear thin brake material….as the drums heat they expand…so the slaves exceeded their range and ran out of travel….the seals were ripped at travel ‘s end…so if you had newer thicker shoes…no failure…,!

[@BenBinnebose]

Did you not have lockers locked? It seemed like a few times your rear was spinning on one side.

[@tpharo34]

That was cool 👍👍

[@troyallen5806]

What a beast!

[@user-od5sg7vd7o]

Looks like your ready for moon rocks in the spring!

[@Maxx.Powell]

That’s right brother! Let’s do it!

[@conchgarage]

Aahhh it looks way cooler than when I drove it haha and way more capable

[@Mariposaland]

Now you need to add portals to go full stud. 🎉

[@mr_zeus6148]

Dude you had this thing built in my town at Marlin then went to Bald. I would have came out

[@johnnyhirt8903]

how much lift does the rclt give over stock?

[@randyfoster6843]

I hope you have a rider policy on your auto policy to cover the upgrades

[@terrylovin7405]

I will always give props to Marlin (RIP) and Marlin Crawler, and the RCLT looks like a nice product, but your leaf-sprung 1st Gen will easily outperform your RCLT rig given the limitations of IFS.

[@KICROKS86]

what trail was that ?

[@bboylorettoEight08]

lol great idea for the license plate

[@markw365]

You just spent all that money on the truck and cheaped out on cargo straps for a semi trailer. Get ahold of Mac's Tiedowns and get some proper straps with locking snaphooks, it would suck to lose that truck because it bounced and one of those strap hooks came off.

[@WhyDidYTstartThisHandleShit]

why did that take "weeks" of work? it doesnt take that long to install suspension stuff, i mean jeez.. maybe they were kinda slow-boating you on the labor costs?

[@TheHitSquadOffroad]

I knew from the Moab video with Nate you were most likely going to want to beef your rig up.

[@JeepsRtheDevil]

Lotta money...I'd be interested in seeing if it can wheel with @bleepinjeep in their budget built S10 🤔

[@drayray4009]

That’s bad ass

[@trdrockwarrior_sport4432]

marlin crawler is 30 minutes away from me thgey are in fresno im in merced ca

[@iliveinthewoods]

"..Cheetos.." 😯 "..Skittles.." 🤨 😂😂😂😂

[@MoY206]

Man I wish I can afford me some RCLTs 😢😂

[@Thatbcyota]

Bruh I’d have freaked if my kid slammed my door like that 😱

[@Miguel-nt8bx]

You’re not supposed to pull the strap tight before ratcheting or you won’t have enough bite to hold the strap in place. It’ll become loose.

[@dhrracer]

Get some real straps, don't use straps with the open hooks , also don't pull all the slack out before ratcheting leave a little slack you need to have about 3 wraps for the ratchet to have proper holding capacity.

[@offgridmangogrower]

these kits should have mod dust covers…

[@tacodrewww]

Sheesh 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@sonnyrico]

I can see it now, look dad.. i let the air out of alllll the car tires around the house for you

[@trdrockwarrior_sport4432]

they are mickey what???

[@michaelhindmarch3013]

Hey max, I’ve been watching your great videos for a few years now. Please please please ditch the awful music.

[@MountainGurkha14]

wow Very Strong Vehicle Man 💯👍👍

[@paulfindude8743]

Man, you should hook up with Tacoma Beast. Have you seen what he just did with his? Either way, your truck is so badass.

[@glockster22gmail]

Now do portals. Lol. Great truck!

[@MoY206]

I think this is superior bc it's less maintenance. No need for oil changes for every 3000 miles.

[@Coolhansolo]

Driving over a 5 gallon bucket is superior.