How to build an Expedition Tacoma?

Your in Aspen COLORADO! I know there are a stupid amount of people in that area that know this stuff like second nature, no joke! Search the internet and find some local groups, you might find some bad ass mofo's that know this stuff.

 

Right you are...Aspen, CO. We have many wheelers here, but few (that I have found) expedition/overlanders. I will keep searching, but honestly still would like all of your input and experiential advice. I am still reading through this site and others...there is actually an Overlanding Expo going on in AZ right now! Never even knew there was one. It's like my eyes have been opened for the first time (that is a little melodramatic...the Army opened my eyes to reality right quick years ago) regarding adventure travel and the myriad of vehicle modifications and self-sufficiency aides that are out there. I am gathering together your ideas and will present a tentative list soonest...I still need to do a lot more research, but am beginning to formulate a plan!

On a side note which concerns me greatly, I see another TW member recently had a warranty claim denied simply because Toyota Corprate said he was using his truck outside the intended use?! When I started looking at Tacoma's it was due to thier dependability over time...however, as I am considering a newer one partly because of warranty coverage, this recent development is obviously not good. I am not intending to take away from his post, it just worried me due to my own plans.

 

Yeah, you'd better get ready to just leave any warranty help behind. You may still be able to get it, but you'll have to fight the dealer like hell over the smallest things.

 

In the USA as far as I know, they really need to show your mods have caused the breakage, or they cannot deny the claim.

You may have to fight a bit for it tho.

 

http://4x4trailmaps.com/clubs/

 

Looking into the self-sustainability aspect now...

-a bed rack for the RTT...I am planning one of the Eezi-Awn tents, which are usually 11" in height...average Tacoma height with 3" lift is 74"...my garage will allow 84" maximum.

Problem-I need to find a bad rack that will allow for a slightly lower bed mounted RTT to fit in the garage. All-Pro's looks good, but it is probably too high. I am thinking a rack that sits 8-10 inches below cab height. I would prefer to avoid the Thule option!

Any other suggestions?

 

I can custom build one if you're interested. I'll probably be building one for another customer anyways, so I'll have all the measurements I need and I could just alter it to sit lower for your purposes.

 

Do you have any pic's of your design yet? I would love to see them. Thanks

 

Get a TRD OffRoad, get BFG ATs on it, put a shell on it, fill the back with recovery gear/spike gear/food/2nd spare: go on expedition.

 

Yeah Colorado actually has a ton of posers and weekend warriors, but not as many hardcores as you'd think. Everything up and down and around the I-70 corridor is pretty civilized these days. Now the boys who run down in the San Juans .. those guys know their shit.

OP .. if the warranty really matters to you, then forget modding. Crack open those diffs and add ARBs, and Toyota will not honor the warranty on your diffs. Add a suspension lift of any kind (other than dealer installed and approved) and you give them an excuse to not honor the warranty on any suspension problems. Start welding on skids, and adding aftermarket bumpers and winches, larger wheels, etc. and you give them every excuse to void all warranty coverage ... tranny included. They're going to claim it was never intended for such abuse.

If you really want to go the expedition route, be prepared to void the warranty in all cases. And if that's the case look for an 01-04 double cab or maybe an 06-08 SR5 (2005 was the first year ... I personally don't like first year redesigns because there are always inevitable bugs to be worked out) and go at it.

Add a lift and some bigger rubber ... ARB lock the front and rear ... ARBs are awesome for expeditions, because you can tie them into your onboard air (for one) and they can also be manually unlocked should your compressor fail. Hell, add an external air chuck, and even if your air fails, you can use someone else's to lock it back up. If the actuator fails on your e-locker, and it's locked, you're pretty much stuck locked.

As for the tranny .. if I was going 01-04, I'd go manual. 06-08 and up, I prefer the auto. Manual guys will hate me for saying this, but it seems that Toyota's newer manuals just haven't been up to their legendary quality. The old manuals were bombproof, the newer ones have had their share of problems with syncros, throwout bearings, clutch problems, this side of the pond and down under (heard lots of problems with the manual mated to the D4D 3.0 Hilux for example). The A750 series (E/F) autos, however are beasts. They've been in use since 2003, and have been in Tacomas, 4Runners, FJs, Land Cruisers, and even the 4.7L Tundras ... much bigger engine and more towing capacity = higher stress ... and the A750 has been great. Not perfect .. nothing is. But great. Just keep it cool ... any 2nd gen Tacoma with a tow package comes with a very nice supplemental cooler ... and it will take care of you. Plus I reaaaaallly don't like stalling out when hanging off the edge on Cinnamon Pass.

But see in my case, I bought a brand new TRD Off Road, because I wanted I did want it covered by warranty. And I knew the TRD as is would satisfy 98% of my needs out of the box. If you really want to drop $10-15k, then buy a few years old. Just look for something "1-owner" that has been cared for. You can find them in Colorado ... though there's also a lot of 1-owner trucks in CO that have been beat to shit. If you can find one being sold by an OLD guy, chances are it was better cared for! Beware the 25 year old guy selling LOL!

Forget new .. which you'd want to break in anyway before you did anything serious. For example, while I love the A750F auto, it's not going anywhere serious until I get 10k on the odometer and make sure it's solid (like hard drives, autos ... if they're going to fail ... ususally will do it early on ... beyond that you're probably good for 150-250k depending on how you drive and care for it). Anyway those are some of my thoughts. Flame away, manual guys.

 

my god, I love TW!

Edit: Sorry, I really can't contribute $hit, as I am still learning much myself.

 

Bryan, et al,
I deeply appreciate your commentary and am listening! As stated previously, I have never bought a used car, except for one truly ill advised 1988 Jeep Comanchee (it lasted weeks), and am hesitant to purchase used. Much of this is due to my lack of knowledge regarding auto mechanics...not knowing how to fix things on my vehicles has never bothered me because it was always covered under warranty. Now, forcing myself to branch out has placed my glaring lack of knowledge square in the forefront. Until several hours ago, I did not even know what ARB air lockers were or what they do or replace. Truth to tell I still have only a meager grasp of them...anyone able to explain in layman's terms feel free!

My recent internet searches about overland rigs all advise to keep it simple, the same mantra several of you have suggested and one I am deeply familiar with from the military. As such, purchasing a low mileage (old man driven!) '06-'09 bone stock (TRD) appears the smarter move. Particularly as the prices of quality expedition equipment is quite steep! Eezi-Awn RTT=$2800, bed rack=$400-600 (hopefully Relentless can make me a custom one!), Engel Fridge $1400 (and I haven't figured out how to power it yet), onboard air $400, various fuel and water containers Rotomax $200, Superwinch and stuff $1500, Bumpers front/rear $1600, sliders $350, various tools $500, etc. And this is the short list...most of the other stuff I see on established rigs are beyond my current knowledge level so I don't even know what they are for!

Anyway, sorry for the rant...still learning! Keep it coming!

 

Just stumbled on this thread and thought I would add my opinions since this topic is what I have been researching for several months now.

Which truck to start with. There are a few schools of thought here and it really boils down to you, none are right or wrong. Buying a used first gen could be a great way to go if overall money savings is your goal. The problem I see here is that as with anything used, you are potentialy buying someone elses problems. Buying a model year 7 to 10 years old is a little sketchy but if you are really mechanically inclined and dont mind pouring money and time it may work out good. Sometimes you happen across a diamond in the rough, low mileage and very well cared for but that is not always the case.

Buying a used second gen. Really many of my comments on the first gen still apply but since its newer your potential for issues may be reduced. Most likely any warranty problems which are common to the newer years have already been addressed also.

Many people buy new because, well its new! you are not getting a vehicle where someone else has been farting in your seats, rubbing snot on the center console etc.. TRD Offroad gives you the rear locker and ATRAC which if you spend some time on the forums this one and others like ih8mud expo portal etc.. You will see ATRAC has proven itself to be superior to a front locker in certain situations. Certainly a front locker would prove itself more valuable in other situations. Don't let people fool you into thinking one is always better than the other just research and you will find the truth.

There is some talk about the rear end being a wink link on the offroad's. Is that true? I don't know there are obviously way more people who have had no problems than there are people who have had problems and of those who have had problems you have to assume that a percentage of those would have had problems no matter what rear end they have simply by driver error or because they chose to modify the truck outside what most any stock rear is going to handle.

So again take that with a grain of salt. I think the trd offroad is not lacking in the traction department over a arb locked truck at very least it is not significantly lacking. I have spent alot of time in the jeep world where arb locked vehicles are the norm and believe me, they have their issues as well. Its a great product and proven but just like anything it will break. You are adding the locker, the air line the compressor and the electrical to run it. Everything you add is a potential source for breakage.

I would like to second the use of aluminum in your armor area. All aluminum armor is quite common in jeep rock crawlers. Weight offroad is the enemy and aluminum will hold up just fine to being bashed on rocks if its designed properly. Yours is not a rock crawler specifically so you will be more than fine with aluminum.

RTT in my opinion its too much weight, and it raises your center of gravity. Those are the reasons for not adding a rtt for offroading. The other reason is it anchors you to a campsite. A portable tent will allow you a much bigger more comfortable tent for the family and it will allow a base camp so you are not having to pack up the truck just to go on a offroad day trip or run into town for a gallon of milk. Additionaly nobody has to climb a ladder at night possibly in the rain just to take a leak. You dont want your wife or kids or you out with a broken ankle. If you want a fast set-up like a rtt look into a turbo tent, oztent, or jet tent by oztent.

Anyway all my opinions but all based on way to many hours of reading, doing, and sharing the experiences with others.

Good luck and post back what you get!

 

I might be a newb, but for what it's worth, I'd agree with this.

BTW, this is an awesome thread!

 

Ok this is not really 100% accurate and the RTT set up is really not as limiting as this makes it sound. To clarify. There are several models of RTT and several ways of doing this. For 90% of people who do expeditions BASECAMPING is not really in the cards. Your usually mobile, and the whole point is not to leave all your expensive items in a place and come back hoping they are still in place lol. The RTT gives you the ability to have a 2 minute set up and break down, a consistent protection from elements, and a much more comfortable and safe tenting set up. The ladder is very solid and not in any way difficult to use. But what many people are switching to is a flip pac. This way you have the benefit of privacy, storage, and security without tons of weight and hassle.

For those looking for more off-road capabilities without sacrificing on the "camping" side of things you should scrap the idea completely. Too many people get caught up in building the rig in to a jack of all trades and it causes too many conflicts in purpose. You need to figure out what the function of your truck will be and its purpose. For example if you are looking to do offroading + camp while your out having fun you prob wont want to do a rtt because of the raised center of gravity. You are not going to want to do a fridge or any set up that is effected by major grade changes or lean. You will be limited on suspension set ups because of the weight you bring and you will be limited on the weight you bring cause of your suspension.

For the person who wants to do more exploring and less "off road specific" expedition style stuff you are going to be able to add more weight, but want to keep it to a minimum and increase function. You wont want to add heavy bumpers or have a huge lift as it will effect your travel capabilities and your overall efficiency of your vehicle. You will want to keep closer to stock with just upgrades that help for the situation your presenting. Ex would be a stock tacoma with a flip pac and upgraded tires for sand when going to baha.

My girl and I have now done several trips over the last 2 years and have gone through several set ups, done extensive research, and spend almost 5 days a week out in the middle of no-where'sville and have seen several types of rigs in the process. We have found time and time again that the rig is an evolution of purpose and will change on you every time you expose a weakness. The best thing you can do imo is start your build for a specific trip and test what you have. When you see a weakness fix it or upgrade it only then, and over time you will begin to fall in to the build you really need as a posed to what you really want.

Just to give you an idea when we first started we ran no shell, an airmattress built for the truck, sleeping bags for any kind of weather and expedition stoves and so on. The first trip we did the truck weighed in around 5600 lbs with everything loaded.... now we are loaded around 5100 lbs and have more capabilities than ever.

 

If you want a dedicated camping rig then scrap the rtt idea, scrap the ground tent, and scrap the flip pac and get a hard side camper.

Ultimately eveyone find what works best for them in their situation but too often people who want to build a cool looking truck think they need a rtt. I was in that boat for a while and looked at everything under the sun (my buddy has a flip pac, definatly not impressed) then I started asking myself exactly what my priorities were and that is how I arrived at the ground tent. I wanted comfort, room, quick set-up/takedown, a place to relax, cook, eat piss etc.. and didnt want to have to pack up everytime I wanted to move.

One thing to consider is inclimate weather. People often think of camping when things are nice but what if its pouring rain or freezing cold? You need to exit the rooftop tent unless your going to lay in there peeing in a bottle and eating MRE's. Standing up is not an option for most rtt's either. OP said he had kids. rtt is just not the best for a family, yes I know you can pack everyone in there but then one when someneeds to get out its a pain. Imagine 2 adults and 2 teenagers all sleeping on a queen size bed. No thanks.

I also wanted to maintain my ability to really offroad, in order to get to the places I wanted to camp in the first place. AND I didnt want to have to either leave my truck set up like a camper, or have to try and remove everything if I wanted to just go offroad or use my truck like a truck and haul stuff/daily driver back home.

Once you prioritize what you want/need the decsion becomes much easier. I know it sounds like I'm down on rtt's I'm just giving reasons I chose not to go with one, for others it may be ideal.

 

hey what roof rack is that? it looks oem, but youre in an access cab?

 

Someone else actually asked that today. I'll link you to my answer.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ow-off-your-silver-taco-here.html#post3044751

Heh that tent too makes my front look super giant/long in that pic.

 

... my opinions .....

1. Atrac - if your spending most your time on road, its a great off road tool. If your going to spend most your time off road its a waste of time. Buy a locker, its just not comparable when in counts.

2. How to build: Figure out what you actually want to do and then do it, decide what you liked and did not like, then do it again and again and again until you are ready to make the big decisions.

3. Buy products that will work, not products that will excel in only one field. Aluminum is nice and light but when your trying to use it to protect the vehicle your kind of bringing a knife to a gun fight. Think again!

4. IMHO too many people take a truck, a sleeping bag, and a few items, head out in to the woods 3 times a year or hit up a campground a few times a year and call that an expedition. Keep in mind expeditions are not just simple little trips, that is called overlanding. Overlanding is much more forgiving and can be done with little skill, gear, and money. I would suggest working in to expeditions before jumping in. You will want to test gear, design flaws, reveal weakness in your kit, and test your self. Find what you like and gravitate towards it. If it works for you great, if not fix it asap.

 

I wrote superior in certain situations, they both have pro's and cons. If you have a locked front then you of all people know lockers are not ideal in every offroad situation. No debate there.

As for aluminum vs. steel I don't think its worth trying to "convince" anyone of the merits of one over the other, I would just suggest before discounting aluminum products one educate themselves a bit about metal and not fall victim to what they have been told, and old thinking which typically fails to account for technological and design advances.

Ultimately you find products you are happy with and work for you, we are lucky to live in a land with choices!