Containerized: Retromod Global Tacoma

[Blitzburgh99]

Just joined the site and read this entire thread. Sweet stuff! Definitely reach out to the 4WD Toyota Owners magazine and have them do a piece in this rig. Will probably be a cover shot!

Can't wait to see more.....

[jnelson4x4taco]

Just got super excited to read through your thread, then super sad when I reached the end of page 12 lol

Its like waiting for the next episode of your favorite show to come after leaving you with a serious cliffhanger haha great looking build, can't wait to see more!

[jds0912]

Could post more, but thought a quick teaser shot of the retromod shorty bed was appropriate...

I want that! A few questions:

What were your considerations in choosing the access cab? I have one and often wish I had the four door so more friends could tag along. I know you said you need it to fit in a container, but to me, I think I'd rather have 4 doors and a 4' bed than the AC and a 5' bed (assuming you took about a foot off in the bob). Also, where do you plan on putting the spare?

Awesome project, awesome career, too. I went to school for international business and dreamed I'd end up consulting for shipping companies and the like. Unfortunately, I ended up a fed... Oh well!

[Containerized]

jds - Very good question. We didn't actually consider much the comfort of back seat passengers. Here in Africa, we usually travel two men in a vehicle, with two to three vehicles in a convoy (generally an FJC, a 70 Series, and a Defender, or the FJC with two 70 Series, or the FJC with Hiluxes or Prados from our offices). The ONLY scenario where we envisioned ever having people in the back seat was an emergency or a situation where another vehicle was immobile and the two men in that vehicle would need a ride back or to the next RV point. In total, I can count on my two hands the number of times I have had more than two people in my FJC (and that's over the course of two years).

As we saw it, there were two main benefits of the Access Cab, and neither had to do with additional passengers. First, the seating position in the Access Cab is far superior to the Single Cab, as the Single Cab's design forces a rather parochial seating position for the driver that isn't ideal for long drives. Second, the Access Cab allows for more things to be stored securely in the cab. We figured we could safely store: two TNF Base Camp XL bags or four TNF Base Camp M bags or two 1520 Pelican cases and one TNF Base Camp XL bag. Since we're usually moving with a combination of these TNF bags, TNF tents, and Pelican cases, the distribution of these items between secure and non-secure (bed) areas in each vehicle is important, particularly if moving with other open-bed (79 pickup, Hilux, etc.) vehicles where secure interior space is at a premium.

As for the bed, your estimate is good. We ended up taking a 73.5" bed and making it into a ~62" bed, but adding a lot of utility in the process in tie-downs, a universal rail system, space for two-deep Rotopax, permanent Hi-Lift mount, etc.

Some more have emailed with the "how do I do this" career questions. The truth is, a lot of it is luck. I studied law (undergraduate) in the Netherlands and then in the U.S. (J.D.), then ended up going to business school and earning an M.B.A. with a concentration in Economics at the University of Chicago (where I try to stay quite involved, serve on the Admissions Committee, am an Executive-in-Residence, etc.), and finally ended up working as a full-time economist after deciding to do an M.Phil. and Ph.D. at the London School of Economics (one of the best decisions of my life, and a fantastic place to be a postgraduate student and researcher). There's no shortage of work for economists with a strong business/consulting/banking background, particularly those of us with international experience/expertise. But choosing the right work is sometimes a gamble, and I've always been a believer in the Tarzan school of career planning - try not to let go of the last vine until you've got a firm hold on the next one.

[Morticon]

amazing.

[jds0912]

jds - Very good question. We didn't actually consider much the comfort of back seat passengers. Here in Africa, we usually travel two men in a vehicle, with two to three vehicles in a convoy (generally an FJC, a 70 Series, and a Defender, or the FJC with two 70 Series, or the FJC with Hiluxes or Prados from our offices). The ONLY scenario where we envisioned ever having people in the back seat was an emergency or a situation where another vehicle was immobile and the two men in that vehicle would need a ride back or to the next RV point. In total, I can count on my two hands the number of times I have had more than two people in my FJC (and that's over the course of two years).

As we saw it, there were two main benefits of the Access Cab, and neither had to do with additional passengers. First, the seating position in the Access Cab is far superior to the Single Cab, as the Single Cab's design forces a rather parochial seating position for the driver that isn't ideal for long drives. Second, the Access Cab allows for more things to be stored securely in the cab. We figured we could safely store: two TNF Base Camp XL bags or four TNF Base Camp M bags or two 1520 Pelican cases and one TNF Base Camp XL bag. Since we're usually moving with a combination of these TNF bags, TNF tents, and Pelican cases, the distribution of these items between secure and non-secure (bed) areas in each vehicle is important, particularly if moving with other open-bed (79 pickup, Hilux, etc.) vehicles where secure interior space is at a premium.

As for the bed, your estimate is good. We ended up taking a 73.5" bed and making it into a ~62" bed, but adding a lot of utility in the process in tie-downs, a universal rail system, space for two-deep Rotopax, permanent Hi-Lift mount, etc.

Some more have emailed with the "how do I do this" career questions. The truth is, a lot of it is luck. I studied law (undergraduate) in the Netherlands and then in the U.S. (J.D.), then ended up going to business school and earning an M.B.A. with a concentration in Economics at the University of Chicago (where I try to stay quite involved, serve on the Admissions Committee, am an Executive-in-Residence, etc.), and finally ended up working as a full-time economist after deciding to do an M.Phil. and Ph.D. at the London School of Economics (one of the best decisions of my life, and a fantastic place to be a postgraduate student and researcher). There's no shortage of work for economists with a strong business/consulting/banking background, particularly those of us with international experience/expertise. But choosing the right work is sometimes a gamble, and I've always been a believer in the Tarzan school of career planning - try not to let go of the last vine until you've got a firm hold on the next one.

I figured you worked through all the details before going with the AC; I too rarely need the back seats. Can't wait to see the next update. No hints on the rear bumper/spare?

Thanks for the career details as well; I need to go back to school it would seem. I'm working on paying down all these student loans before I go for my MBA, but it's definitely on the radar.

[jsmarine]

We need more pics, and a progress report on this thing!

[4Rescue]

... you're in UGANDA... am I the only person wondering WHY you wouldn't just built the worlds most revered Expo vehicle; a HZJ75 Troupy??? Or are you just traveling to Uganda and having to have a truck you can bring back to the states??? YMMV but this one is a head scratcher to me without further information for the reasoning behind building a modern Tacoma over an older tougher Toyota.

Cheers

Dave

[Ryanmb21]

Dave - you should just read the thread.

[Kermit]

Dave - you should just read the thread.

Dave is always a big hater...


...I can dig on the vehicle choice, the only thing that has me scratching my head is why Containerized is butchering the front end of that poor Taco...while it is obvious he has great taste in vehicles. The tailgate and the bobbed bed are cool though...