This is my buddys runner. It was originally purchased as a motor donor for his 3rd gen pickup mud truck, but he liked this body style too much, and the frame wasn't very rusty (surprisingly) so were gonna run it. This will not be any sort of resto, this truck sat in tall grass for 8ish years with the famous leaky windshield trim. Front floors are shot, rockers are shot, winched it onto the trailer with 3 frozen breaks. It lives at my house because he doesnt have a place to keep it.

We picked it up for $600 because the motor had great compression, and started for a few seconds when spraying starter fluid in the intake (and one other reason ill mention later) .





Got it home. Fuel tank was full of bad gas and the pump looked nasty. Replaced with a summit 10 gal fuel cell and e2000 pump. With the thought that we could move to the mud truck with the engine when we did the swap.

After that it would run and idle but die when we gave it gas. Found that the afm was frozen shut. Soaked in PB blaster and hammered free, cleaned up with a little sand paper and it runs well! There is no exhaust after the O2 sensor, but who cares, its a low budget beater trail rig, nothing more than cheap fun.



Got the breaks freed (removed them) and mounted some bald ish 35s and gave it a sawzall lift. Trans popped out of first but who cares, it was fun.











We added some v6 calipers off a parts truck (blue pickup in the photo above) and that seemed to stop it enough.

My buddy managed to find a few scrap hand rails some that were getting scrapped, so we turned one of them into a front bumper, using the TG mount as a base.

And one of the main reasons we bought this truck, was that it came with a Marlin Crawler MC-07 10* clocked doubler, a spare top shift tcase, a few tacoma ( I think) drive shafts and a bucked of 22r carb and intake parts. Not sure why on that last one, but it came with it so we took it.









Pulled the w56 out of the mud truck so we could have a trans that doesnt pop out.

Right now it back on the stock cross member, but were either going to build a high clearance one, or get a FROR rear mount. the clocked case makes it difficult to use an off the shelf dual case skid.

Cut down the rear drive shaft and used the rear shaft from his mud truck to cut down for a front. Truck is still ifs, so does not need a long slip. Well address that if he ever goes solid axle, but this is a cheap, only replace it if we need to build.



Tacked the splined end on once it was cut down, and rolled it on the angle iron, tapped with a hammer till it was straight then welded it up.





Now hes crawlin. Stock diffs, with a doubler, hes at about 83:1.









Next on the list is to weld the front and rear diffs. We have more handrail and some pipe to make a rear bumper, and possibly some sliders. But for now, just more seat time.

This is awesome!! You should put some more pictures of the front bumper. I’d like to see the construction of it and where you welded it!!

What a better way to spend Saturday night then in the garage. Made a rear bumper out of some more of the hand rail. Yes hooks are welded on, they will be bolted too.











Didnt cost a thing except for time and wire.

Been wheeling this beast almost every weekend around my house. Goes great for a "stock on 35s" rig.

Time for a few low cost upgrades.

Axle stripped down and brackets cut off. Now just waiting for hopes and dreams.



Had to make an axle/spring rack to hold my rusty gold.





And off to the scrap yard with the donor truck.

The paints a bit sloppy but otherwise making progress.

Knuckles cleaned up and started setting up the trunnions. Pulled the bottom bearing out to adjust shims and the cage stretched and all the rollers fell out. Cheap ghey bearings. So I orderd 2 from jegs. Only one gave me problems so hopefully the replacements are good and I can move on. I usually just use napa or marlin bearings but these came with the TG kit.

Trunions are just about done, rest of the axle will go together soon.

These cost as much as the whole truck

Let me guess, the back side of Berlin Pond?

Wow, I need a workshop so I can pull in a project like this and chop er up.

Pretty close, Im off 64 in Northfield. You in the area? Lets go wheelin!


I just have a little 20x22, but its enough room to get stuff done!

Nice job. Looks like fun

Pretty close, Im off 64 in Northfield. You in the area? Lets go wheelin!

No I am in New Mexico now, but lived in Berlin for about 14 years and the landscape looked familiar.

Good eye either way!

Chromo hub gears in, and axle is finished.





And the runner doing what is does best. Next move if bringing it in and start cutting.