Lefty is coming back!

[Doc2012]

Just got off the phone with Marlin.

THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! INCHWORM IS MAKING A COMEBACK!

Marlin hopes to be selling the Lefty in the next couple months.

Not sure if it’s going to be the ‘Inchworm Lefty’, or if it’s going to be branded with Marlins name, but it’s going to be Inchworm adapters.


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[Team_Jake]

YES!!!

I have been following this very closely. Marlin has been hinting at it for a while but hasn't given any promises or timelines. This is the first time I've heard of a timeline.

Trevor said the issue with the leftys was that the output shafts were breaking due to its small size or lack of oil lubrication (which became especially prevalent with heavy 4th gens with V8 motors). Marlin's new 30-spline output shafts address both of those issues so the only thing needed are the housing/adapters. If Inchworm is coming back then that's the last piece to revive the lefty!

 

[jkeith.w]

Fantastic news! I wasn't sure how I was going to fund something similar if they didn't reappear on the market (whew!)

It really is the best solution for most Toyota builds.

 

[Doc2012]

Trevor said the issue with the leftys was that the output shafts were breaking due to its small size or lack of oil lubrication (which became especially prevalent with heavy 4th gens with V8 motors). Marlin's new 30-spline output shafts address both of those issues so the only thing needed are the housing/adapters. If Inchworm is coming back then that's the last piece to revive the lefty!

Interesting. Never heard that before.


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[Bad Luck]

So what's the advantage of a lefty transfer case over a taco box doubler setup?

 

[Inv4drZm]

So what's the advantage of a lefty transfer case over a taco box doubler setup?

It fits in a 4Runner.

 

[Doc2012]

It fits in a 4Runner.

Um, no.

So what's the advantage of a lefty transfer case over a taco box doubler setup?

The Inchworm Lefty is a gear driven, 2nd Gen passenger drop case, adapted to be a driver side drop transfer case.

Instead of the chain driven stock 3rd Gen case, the 2nd Gen case uses gears, which could be replaced with a lower ratio of 4.7:1.

A Taco Box is just a crawl box; you can add it in front of either the gear driven case, or the chain case, and change the low ratio to 4.7:1; however, you can’t change the chain case ratio of 2.28:1.

With the Lefty, or (what use to be trail-gears Verso) you can run double 4.7:1 low ratios.

The taco box is part of the chain driven case; so if you didn’t want to spend 1500, you can pick up a cheap gear case, and adapter plates from either Marlin or Trail-Gear.


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[Bad Luck]

Um, no.





The Inchworm Lefty is a gear driven, 2nd Gen passenger drop case, adapted to be a driver side drop transfer case.

Instead of the chain driven stock 3rd Gen case, the 2nd Gen case uses gears, which could be replaced with a lower ratio of 4.7:1.

A Taco Box is just a crawl box; you can add it in front of either the gear driven case, or the chain case, and change the low ratio to 4.7:1; however, you can’t change the chain case ratio of 2.28:1.

With the Lefty, or (what use to be trail-gears Verso) you can run double 4.7:1 low ratios.

The taco box is part of the chain driven case; so if you didn’t want to spend 1500, you can pick up a cheap gear case, and adapter plates from either Marlin or Trail-Gear.


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So if I'm understanding you correctly with a Lefty case you can have same or more transfer case reductions vs adding a taco box for cheaper? Or is the advantage the ability to change the transfer case ratio with a Lefty? Sorry for the pestering questions

 

[Inv4drZm]

Um, no.

Fine, it doesn't fit in 4th gen 4Runners or FJ's without modifying the fuel tank, and the limited 5th gens if not all 5th gens without modifying the fuel tank.

 

[Doc2012]

So if I'm understanding you correctly with a Lefty case you can have same or more transfer case reductions vs adding a taco box for cheaper? Or is the advantage the ability to change the transfer case ratio with a Lefty? Sorry for the pestering questions

The main advantage with the lefty is strength and lower low ratio.

You’ll still have hi-low with the lefty, and you’ll have hi-low hi-low with the doubler.


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[jkeith.w]

it's significantly smaller and already clocked; no floorboard cutting that I can tell (at least in my 1st gen taco)

 

[hntz4x4]

Excited about this news. I had used Inchworm dual case in 2 different 1st gen builds in the early 2000's. Jim great guy to work with. I had messaged with him late last year, he said he was getting back into production early this year.

 

[Team_Jake]

So if I'm understanding you correctly with a Lefty case you can have same or more transfer case reductions vs adding a taco box for cheaper? Or is the advantage the ability to change the transfer case ratio with a Lefty? Sorry for the pestering questions

It has mostly to do with strength and the ability to run lower gears. There are advantages and disadvantages to each -- a chain driven transfer case can shift on the fly and is quieter, but the chain can stretch over time and isn't as strong as gears. You also don't have the ability to change to lower gears in a chain driven transfer case, you are stuck with the 2.57:1 low range. That means if you want to add the 4.7:1 taco box in front of the chain driven transfer case, you are multiplying the torque by 4.7 onto the weaker chain driven transfer case and parts can fail much more easily.

A gear driven transfer case allows you to run 4.7 gears in the transfer case itself (and if you want dual cases typically the case in front is a 2.28:1 case). This means the max torque on the stronger gear driven transfer case is only multiplied by 2.28. The gear driven transfer cases are found in pre-1995 4Runners and Pickups but they were all passenger side drop, so they couldn't be swapped over onto 3rd gen+ 4Runners, Tacomas, T100s, Tundras, Sequoias, FJ Cruisers, or GXs.

A Lefty is a gear driven transfer case, exactly the same as the ones found in pre-1995 4Runners and Pickups, but flipped to drop to the "left" (driver side), using a custom housing...and that's where Inchworm comes in.

 

[JZiggy]

My 1st gen has a single transfer with 4.7 gears and it's a huge upgrade.

So... the Lefty could be fitted with 4.7 gears and directly replace the transfer case in a 3rd gen? I'd be super interested in doing this with my truck, but would realistically never need to go to a dual-case setup.

 

[jkeith.w]

My 1st gen has a single transfer with 4.7 gears and it's a huge upgrade.

So... the Lefty could be fitted with 4.7 gears and directly replace the transfer case in a 3rd gen? I'd be super interested in doing this with my truck, but would realistically never need to go to a dual-case setup.

yes. - plus this has the benefit of not steepening the angle of the rear driveshaft on the 4Runner...

 

[JohnMc]

I'm planning on a Lefty in my '99 manual trans. I've just come across too many situations so far where 1st gear/LO is still too fast, and I'm either doing a mad pedal shuffle and slipping the clutch (and starting to smell hot clutch), or just bashing over something faster than I wanted to go while trying to finesse the pedal to keep 1000 - 1200 PRM so it won't stall.

I was a little worried that a Lefty with 4.7 would leave a gap between 5th/LO and 1st/HI. Currently there's a lot of overlap, 5th LO is somewhere between 2nd and 3rd HI.

Some quick Excel crunching and it looks like there won't be an annoying gap between them. 5TH/LO with the 4.7 ratio is 3.93:1, pretty close to 1st/HI (3.83). No annoying gear range hole between them. No overlap either, but that would be a pretty specific trail situation where you'd have an urge to be shifting past 5th/LO and then back down under 1st/HI.

My wife is planning on getting the taco box doubler on her manual '96. So she'll have all the options. HI/HI 1:1, HI/LO (or LO/HI) 2.28:1, or LO/LO (5.3:1).

is the rear driveshaft length an issue on a double taco box manual? Or is that more of a concern on the automatics?

 

[Doc2012]

I'm planning on a Lefty in my '99 manual trans. I've just come across too many situations so far where 1st gear/LO is still too fast, and I'm either doing a mad pedal shuffle and slipping the clutch (and starting to smell hot clutch), or just bashing over something faster than I wanted to go while trying to finesse the pedal to keep 1000 - 1200 PRM so it won't stall.

I was a little worried that a Lefty with 4.7 would leave a gap between 5th/LO and 1st/HI. Currently there's a lot of overlap, 5th LO is somewhere between 2nd and 3rd HI.

Some quick Excel crunching and it looks like there won't be an annoying gap between them. 5TH/LO with the 4.7 ratio is 3.93:1, pretty close to 1st/HI (3.83). No annoying gear range hole between them. No overlap either, but that would be a pretty specific trail situation where you'd have an urge to be shifting past 5th/LO and then back down under 1st/HI.

My wife is planning on getting the taco box doubler on her manual '96. So she'll have all the options. HI/HI 1:1, HI/LO (or LO/HI) 2.28:1, or LO/LO (5.3:1).

is the rear driveshaft length an issue on a double taco box manual? Or is that more of a concern on the automatics?

Front and rear shafts have to be extended/shortened.


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[JohnMc]

Front and rear shafts have to be extended/shortened.


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One of many things. Someone earlier had mentioned a possible issue with the new shorter length of the rear shaft. But I think the manual trans drivetrains are a bit shorter than the automatics, and was curious if the rear driveshaft would still be so short as to cause issues with a lift and a lot of travel?

 

[MN4runnerman]

In like Flynn if there’s ever gonna be a group buy!!!!! I’m gonna buy one no matter what haha

 

[midcoma]

Trevor said the issue with the leftys was that the output shafts were breaking due to its small size or lack of oil lubrication.

That's strange. I've had my lefty since 2011 and it was built with chromoly 30-spline output shafts front and rear. So upgraded output shafts were definitely an option.