seanpistol
Explorer
Dude! The bumper is awesome, so simple and functional. Nice work on the floorboard holes- super jealous of the twin sticks.
I love this truck.
I love this truck.
slow, budget built '89 toyota pickup expedition rig
- Thread starter xlcaferacer
- Start date
xlcaferacer
Adventurer
I just got back from a final weekend of fun in and around Moab and I thought I would give an update on the last years mods for anyone that is interested in, or considering similar mods for their truck.
First: the front bumper and Budbuilt t-case crossmember and skid. The skid definitely bought me some ground clearance and earned a few scratches this summer; in other words, two thumbs up! Highly recommended modification. The front bumper; although not quite done yet, also worked well. I was attached to a winch line a few times this summer and it held up to that and a few bumps and scrapes. Now I just need a winch of my own!
Second: T-Case gears and twin stick. Awesome. The gearing made it so much easier to drive on the trail and over obstacles. It made past challenging (to me) obstacles a lot easier. Having the twin sticks was also a nice addition, especially backing my little camper trailer up a hill to a level site. So both of these mods are also getting two thumbs up. I feel that the gearing is a necessary addition to the truck's performance on the trail. The twin-stick is definitely a luxury that I could live without; but, it is nice to have at times.
So; what's next for this winter, you may ask?
New seats are at the top of the list. Mine suck!!! Looking at reclining suspension seats. Feel free to give input.
Winch, for sure. Didn't need one in the past but I did a few times this summer. Not going to go cheap here. However, looking at mid grade from the major players: Warn, Superwinch, etc. I hope to never need it but I want to have faith that it will work when I am 50 miles from anywhere.
Third and final: Old Man Emu shocks and steering stabilizer. Been happy with how my suspension works on the trails I run so I see no need to change it other than to make it work a little more comfortably.
Other final: might need new tires before next summer. Really bummed that the new BFG KO2 are all 2 ply sidewalls in the 15" rim size. Looking at maybe going back to an aggressive all terrain for year round performance here in snow country. I don't know. The new Cooper STT Pro's look good and they have "some siping", so they should be good year round, right?
A couple pics are probably necessary as well. Here you go:
First: the front bumper and Budbuilt t-case crossmember and skid. The skid definitely bought me some ground clearance and earned a few scratches this summer; in other words, two thumbs up! Highly recommended modification. The front bumper; although not quite done yet, also worked well. I was attached to a winch line a few times this summer and it held up to that and a few bumps and scrapes. Now I just need a winch of my own!
Second: T-Case gears and twin stick. Awesome. The gearing made it so much easier to drive on the trail and over obstacles. It made past challenging (to me) obstacles a lot easier. Having the twin sticks was also a nice addition, especially backing my little camper trailer up a hill to a level site. So both of these mods are also getting two thumbs up. I feel that the gearing is a necessary addition to the truck's performance on the trail. The twin-stick is definitely a luxury that I could live without; but, it is nice to have at times.
So; what's next for this winter, you may ask?
New seats are at the top of the list. Mine suck!!! Looking at reclining suspension seats. Feel free to give input.
Winch, for sure. Didn't need one in the past but I did a few times this summer. Not going to go cheap here. However, looking at mid grade from the major players: Warn, Superwinch, etc. I hope to never need it but I want to have faith that it will work when I am 50 miles from anywhere.
Third and final: Old Man Emu shocks and steering stabilizer. Been happy with how my suspension works on the trails I run so I see no need to change it other than to make it work a little more comfortably.
Other final: might need new tires before next summer. Really bummed that the new BFG KO2 are all 2 ply sidewalls in the 15" rim size. Looking at maybe going back to an aggressive all terrain for year round performance here in snow country. I don't know. The new Cooper STT Pro's look good and they have "some siping", so they should be good year round, right?
A couple pics are probably necessary as well. Here you go:
Attachments
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seanpistol
Explorer
I did a lot of research and went with a Superwinch Tigershark with synthetic rope. Under $500 and has worked well when I've needed it to.
For the seats, I saw on a Tacoma forum where someone made brackets for Subaru WRX seats and put them in his truck. They're comfortable, have the swap around shoulder sides to keep you in place on the trail, and they can be found used for a couple hundred bucks.
For the seats, I saw on a Tacoma forum where someone made brackets for Subaru WRX seats and put them in his truck. They're comfortable, have the swap around shoulder sides to keep you in place on the trail, and they can be found used for a couple hundred bucks.
xlcaferacer
Adventurer
seanpistol: thanks for the input on the winch and seats. I will definitely look into the winch option, it's always good to hear from people that are happy with a product. As for the seats, I have gone the used seat route in the past and have never been quite happy afterwards. I plan on keeping this rig for a lot of years to come so I really want new seats for the first time in my life.
SIZZLE: I have looked at going the 16" rim option and really like the aluminum 5 star wheels that came on the 80 series Landcruisers; but, all the tires that I have been considering in this size offering come in an E Load rating. I feel like this would make for a stiff ride on a truck such as mine.
Thanks for the input Fellas!
SIZZLE: I have looked at going the 16" rim option and really like the aluminum 5 star wheels that came on the 80 series Landcruisers; but, all the tires that I have been considering in this size offering come in an E Load rating. I feel like this would make for a stiff ride on a truck such as mine.
Thanks for the input Fellas!
AaronK
Explorer
Having recently switched from a p-metric all season tire to a load range E General Grabber, I was very concerned about my ride quality and mileage suffering. I went for it because I was willing to sacrifice in those areas for a more durable tire. I was very happy to find out there was no noticeable change.
This is on an 02 Tundra.
Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk.
This is on an 02 Tundra.
Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk.
Hey, I chatted with you briefly at Safari Ltd in the parking lot the other day. Did you end up finding anything good in Rabbit Valley? Love the thread, love the truck, it was really cool seeing it in person!
There should be a subforum here titled: 4x4's-real world/paid for/simple. Your build style is awesome!
There should be a subforum here titled: 4x4's-real world/paid for/simple. Your build style is awesome!
xlcaferacer
Adventurer
Hey Dr Freud, Rabbit Valley was awesome. I drove the Kokopelli trail over to Westwater in Utah. Really cool country. Little bit of snow up high but you should definitely get out there and explore it and do some camping.
xlcaferacer
Adventurer
Thanks to a 3 paycheck month and a little Christmas $$ I was able to add something to the truck and also knock something off of my wish list. NEW SEATS! I bought a pair of Corbeau Baja RS reclining suspensions seats. My current seats were the adjustable SR5 seats that were probably pretty comfy when they were new around 1988 or whatever year 4Runner I got them out of. Not so much a few hundred thousand miles later. They were;however, a step up from the 60/40 bench seat that came in my truck.
I skipped buying Corbeau's brackets in order to save $250, so I cut the rivets off of my old seat brackets that held the seat to the seat sliders. I then reused the sliders and built my brackets on them. Sure, Corbeau's probably look a lot cleaner, but mine are strong and who sees them anyway when the door is shut?
One thing to never liked about the Toyota trucks is how low you sit. In high school I had an FJ40 and I always liked how you sat high up. When I built these seat brackets I tried out a few different heights with the new seats in place. I ended up using a 1" piece of square stock on top of the seat sliders in order to get the height I desired. I have only driven it a little bit, but I like the new seating position, and I can tell that trail visibility is going to be greatly improved.
As always, I will give a long term report once I get a little more time in the seat. In the meantime here are some pics of the old and new seats:
I skipped buying Corbeau's brackets in order to save $250, so I cut the rivets off of my old seat brackets that held the seat to the seat sliders. I then reused the sliders and built my brackets on them. Sure, Corbeau's probably look a lot cleaner, but mine are strong and who sees them anyway when the door is shut?
One thing to never liked about the Toyota trucks is how low you sit. In high school I had an FJ40 and I always liked how you sat high up. When I built these seat brackets I tried out a few different heights with the new seats in place. I ended up using a 1" piece of square stock on top of the seat sliders in order to get the height I desired. I have only driven it a little bit, but I like the new seating position, and I can tell that trail visibility is going to be greatly improved.
As always, I will give a long term report once I get a little more time in the seat. In the meantime here are some pics of the old and new seats:
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xlcaferacer
Adventurer
Since I got rid of my Wildernest I have been looking for a solid camper shell to use as a replacement. I found one right across the alley from my house for the small sum of a case of beer. It is o.k. But it has many small cracks and isn't exactly waterproof. It has; however, served the purpose of keeping snow out of the bed during the winter. In the meantime I kept watching my friend Craigslist for a suitable replacement. I was looking for a "high top" fiberglass or "commercial type" aluminum topper. I wanted a higher roof-line in order to be able to build a sleeping platform and still be able to sit up inside. This is what I just stumbled across and made mine:
It is an a.r.e. 30" tall aluminum topper. It's not in the best shape but I scored it for $250. These things are $1,500 minimum new. So; even though it needs some work, I think I did alright. I did have to drive 500 miles round trip to get it. This; however, is the price you pay for living in the middle of nowhere.
The trip did give me a chance to try out my new seats. Must say: Happy! They are firm and supportive. Never could have done a 500 mile day in my old seats.
Back to the topper. It came with flip up side doors, a full door in the back that also flips up, and no windows. It also had tool bins behind both side doors. Pic:
The tool bins are very functional but they ate up too much interior space. I removed the passenger side bin and hoped to keep the driver side bin but I determined that I still didn't have the interior space that I was hoping for. Pic:
I should have known better. I do drive a mini truck after all. As I plan on building a sleeping platform with storage underneath, I was ok with losing the side storage. With both tool bins removed I now have access to the bed on all three sides. As a plus, I will now be able to enjoy some serious views while laying in bed with all the doors open.
I also managed to start insulating the shell. I used 1/2" blue board for the majority of the topper surfaces. This offers an R-value of a whopping "3"! It will be followed by another layer of Reflectix insulation with a half inch air gap in between. This should double my R-value to a whopping "6"! Not much; but better than a fiberglass topper, and much better than bare aluminum.
I plan on adding some power, interior and exterior lights, a couple of side windows, and the previously mentioned sleeping platform. I'm excited to see how my "Backcountry Best Western" turns out. It will be a work in progress throughout the winter. Stay tuned.
I will leave you with a picture taken from my driveway. Toyotas and a big *** mountain. Yes, I do live in Heaven!
It is an a.r.e. 30" tall aluminum topper. It's not in the best shape but I scored it for $250. These things are $1,500 minimum new. So; even though it needs some work, I think I did alright. I did have to drive 500 miles round trip to get it. This; however, is the price you pay for living in the middle of nowhere.
The trip did give me a chance to try out my new seats. Must say: Happy! They are firm and supportive. Never could have done a 500 mile day in my old seats.
Back to the topper. It came with flip up side doors, a full door in the back that also flips up, and no windows. It also had tool bins behind both side doors. Pic:
The tool bins are very functional but they ate up too much interior space. I removed the passenger side bin and hoped to keep the driver side bin but I determined that I still didn't have the interior space that I was hoping for. Pic:
I should have known better. I do drive a mini truck after all. As I plan on building a sleeping platform with storage underneath, I was ok with losing the side storage. With both tool bins removed I now have access to the bed on all three sides. As a plus, I will now be able to enjoy some serious views while laying in bed with all the doors open.
I also managed to start insulating the shell. I used 1/2" blue board for the majority of the topper surfaces. This offers an R-value of a whopping "3"! It will be followed by another layer of Reflectix insulation with a half inch air gap in between. This should double my R-value to a whopping "6"! Not much; but better than a fiberglass topper, and much better than bare aluminum.
I plan on adding some power, interior and exterior lights, a couple of side windows, and the previously mentioned sleeping platform. I'm excited to see how my "Backcountry Best Western" turns out. It will be a work in progress throughout the winter. Stay tuned.
I will leave you with a picture taken from my driveway. Toyotas and a big *** mountain. Yes, I do live in Heaven!
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xlcaferacer
Adventurer
Thanks Wisco for pointing me towards photobucket. Still not sure what I am doing but I was able to fix my picture problem.
Awesome truck! Budget minded builds on older rigs like this are definitely good inspiration for guys like me.
As for the pictures, I use photobucket.com to upload pics to forums. You can upload directly from your phone, edit/rotate them and post them using![QUOTE]](http://tags.[/QUOTE])
xlcaferacer
Adventurer
The new "camper" has no windows; thus, makes backing up a little more difficult. This difficulty is multiplied in the dark. I am not worried about backing the truck up during daylight conditions as I have a commercial driving license I know how to use my mirrors. But in the dark your mirrors do you no good if you don't have light. To remedy this I started looking for various lighting options. I didn't want to spend a ton of money as I was looking for backup lights that would only be used occasionally. On the flipside; I wanted something that I could leave on while setting up a campsite; without using a ton of battery power.
I will say that I am a little "old school" and don't really like the way LED lights look, especially LED light bars. Maybe the reason I feel this way is that you see so many of these things hanging off of "BUILT" trucks with huge tires. And by "BUILT", I mean these big trucks that never leave the pavement and can never use their lights. But in this case they make the trucks look like they do go off-road.
I did have the chance to experience LED'S firsthand this summer on a group run and I do have to say that I was impressed. I think back almost 20 years ago when I paid $60.00 for one Hella back up light and I thought that was money well spent in order to kind of see what was behind me in the dark. Well; I still don't like how they look, but the LED's do work well.
Since I didn't need fancy lights and cost was a priority, I shopped around for a small set of lights for under $100. I found some small LED cubes from Rough Country that came in under a C-Note with shipping.
I installed them on the back of the camper the other day. Here are the results:
Lights installed:
Stock reverse lights at night:
Now the LED's:
I still need to fine tune where they are aimed, but I am impressed. I am definitely now looking past the modern look of them. Heck, maybe I do want a full-size, 4-door, diesel with exhaust stacks ridin' on 40's. I think that might be where it's at after-all. Anyone want to buy an old Toyota? I'm going Modern!
I will say that I am a little "old school" and don't really like the way LED lights look, especially LED light bars. Maybe the reason I feel this way is that you see so many of these things hanging off of "BUILT" trucks with huge tires. And by "BUILT", I mean these big trucks that never leave the pavement and can never use their lights. But in this case they make the trucks look like they do go off-road.
I did have the chance to experience LED'S firsthand this summer on a group run and I do have to say that I was impressed. I think back almost 20 years ago when I paid $60.00 for one Hella back up light and I thought that was money well spent in order to kind of see what was behind me in the dark. Well; I still don't like how they look, but the LED's do work well.
Since I didn't need fancy lights and cost was a priority, I shopped around for a small set of lights for under $100. I found some small LED cubes from Rough Country that came in under a C-Note with shipping.
I installed them on the back of the camper the other day. Here are the results:
Lights installed:
Stock reverse lights at night:
Now the LED's:
I still need to fine tune where they are aimed, but I am impressed. I am definitely now looking past the modern look of them. Heck, maybe I do want a full-size, 4-door, diesel with exhaust stacks ridin' on 40's. I think that might be where it's at after-all. Anyone want to buy an old Toyota? I'm going Modern!
austintaco
Explorer
I know what you mean about backing up and using your mirrors. I planned to do a telescoping light pole on the back for the same reasons, but in the interim, I put in a new stereo and added a backup camera. Wow. As a bonus, backing up the trailer to the hitch has never been easier. Just a thought.