Technical Toyota....

[ERdept]

I'm going to try to post a pic of a technical vehicle in Afghanistan. They convert standard Toyotas into fighting vehicles by mounting a large machine gun on it.

Oh, if you didn't know, a technical vehicle is essentially a truck that has a large gun mounted on it and is lightly armored, or not armored at all and used as a fighting or assault vehicle.

This one is operated by US special forces..........

Again, just a testimony to the toughness of these trucks. I have travelled a lot and see Toyotas extensively used in South America, the middle east, and asia.

The mere proliferation of these trucks in lands where function and toughness are the most desirable qualites speaks for itself.

I went to Thailand and saw Toyotas loaded, in fact overloaded, with cargo overflowing its capacity is the norm everyday. Seen the same in South America and the middle east.

[Janster]

That's cool!

Are they all diesel trucks? Or are some gas?

I'd be curious to know the things they DO to them that make them legal over seas. I mean - I know they limit US trucks to *this law* and *that law* and emissions and crap. Makes me wonder what kinds of goodies we're missing out on.

[gcwaterski]

Thats bad-ass!

[WilsonTheDog]

Question: How can they mount that in a composite bed? I would imagine there would have to be an awful lot of fabrication to do that.

[lsocoee]

Originally Posted by WilsonTheDog

Question: How can they mount that in a composite bed? I would imagine there would have to be an awful lot of fabrication to do that.

In that picture, they don't have to worry about that. That's the 1st gen truck. I've seen that pic before and they had quite a few of others too. I can't get over all the gear they have on it.

[lsocoee]

Originally Posted by Janster

I'd be curious to know the things they DO to them that make them legal over seas.

It is mounted on a turret in the truck bed.

[piercedtiger]

Originally Posted by Janster

That's cool!

Are they all diesel trucks? Or are some gas?

I'd be curious to know the things they DO to them that make them legal over seas. I mean - I know they limit US trucks to *this law* and *that law* and emissions and crap. Makes me wonder what kinds of goodies we're missing out on.

I'm gonna guess and say all gas. I think Only the Hilux has a diesel option. Then again, I thought Tacoma's were a US/North American only option and that they were Hilux's everywhere else.

[sawdust]

That brings up a question I've had, just what is the difference between the Hilux and Tacoma? Is it the driver's position (left/right)?

[piercedtiger]

That, engine, design....

New Hilux:

[sawdust]

The body style on those bottom two pics look the same as the gen2 Tacoma to my eyes. That top one is interesting, but not for me.

Generally speaking, I'm wondering what sorts of Hilux options might fit on a Taco. Are there interesting ones that for whatever reason Toyota doesn't make available in the US, but would work if we could get our hands on them?

I understand they have other engine options, but wouldn't they in theory fit right into a Tacoma if someone had the desire to replace the engine?

It just seems to me that they are the same truck, just with different options available.

[piercedtiger]

Well, they have different body styles (steel bed i think), and the different engine means different mounts, tranny, space for it, etc. I don't think it would be a direct bolt-in replacement. Might as well be trying to take a chevy S10 or Nissan Frontier engine and put it in the taco kind of thing. Yeah, it could probably be done, but at what cost? People have put other diesels in these tacos, V8's, and lexus motors.... Just gotta fab everything up yourself.

And the body style means a lot of hilux-specific parts won't fit. Bed is a different shape, front is different (so bull bars, grill guards, etc won't fit).

[lsocoee]

I think the frame of the Hilux is supposed to be stronger also.

[piercedtiger]

^of course it is! lol It's sold in places that don't require all the "crash safety" crumple zone crap the US does. Those places also need vehicles to last and not be "disposable" like in the US were people lease and return in 3 years or less, or buy new every 5 (or less). They wouldn't sell as many if they lasted 10-20 years like they used to.

[sawdust]

Originally Posted by piercedtiger

Well, they have different body styles (steel bed i think), and the different engine means different mounts, tranny, space for it, etc. I don't think it would be a direct bolt-in replacement. Might as well be trying to take a chevy S10 or Nissan Frontier engine and put it in the taco kind of thing. Yeah, it could probably be done, but at what cost? People have put other diesels in these tacos, V8's, and lexus motors.... Just gotta fab everything up yourself.

And the body style means a lot of hilux-specific parts won't fit. Bed is a different shape, front is different (so bull bars, grill guards, etc won't fit).

OK. There's more difference than I realized. On the engine specific point, does this imply that the 2.7L and 4.0L gas engines are not available on the Hilux?

[sawdust]

Originally Posted by piercedtiger

^of course it is! lol It's sold in places that don't require all the "crash safety" crumple zone crap the US does. Those places also need vehicles to last and not be "disposable" like in the US were people lease and return in 3 years or less, or buy new every 5 (or less). They wouldn't sell as many if they lasted 10-20 years like they used to.

There's two sides to that story, though. I understand what you're saying about having a durable, long-lasting vehicle. I value that. On the other hand though, if I were in a bad wreck, it's more important to me that I survive than my truck does.

[piercedtiger]

Originally Posted by sawdust

There's two sides to that story, though. I understand what you're saying about having a durable, long-lasting vehicle. I value that. On the other hand though, if I were in a bad wreck, it's more important to me that I survive than my truck does.

I want to survive too. MY problem is the crap that shatters, bends and breaks after the smallest accidents. I mean, I don't want to hit a deer and have $3,000 worth of damage to the truck, and have to replace the hood, grill, headlight, quarter panel, s

[piercedtiger]

Originally Posted by sawdust

There's two sides to that story, though. I understand what you're saying about having a durable, long-lasting vehicle. I value that. On the other hand though, if I were in a bad wreck, it's more important to me that I survive than my truck does.

I want to survive too. MY problem is the crap that shatters, bends and breaks after the smallest accidents. I mean, I don't want to hit a deer and have $3,000 worth of damage to the truck, and have to replace the hood, grill, headlight, quarter panel, fix the frame, etc.... Think about this. The Hilux is sold in Australia. If you're there you don't want to hit a kangaroo 100 miles from town and have the truck undrivablefor that distance. At least the older ones were stronger (not sure about newer ones as the look plastic-y like the tacoma).

I don't like the fact that you can hit things in the truck that had no chance in hell of injuring you (let alone killing you), and yet it's almost an automatic $1,000 repair job. Plastic bumper cracks, plastic fog light tabs snap off, headlight tabs break, and all the little "support" braces behind them bend or break.

I hit a turkey once. It glanced off the passenger side bumper and under the tire. Now I have a cracked bumper, fog light barely held in, AND a metal brace behind the bumper ripped out of the bumper and bent back. Unacceptable, IMO, and not worth fixing since it'll cost at least $200. That money would be better spent on a plate steel winch bumper.

[sawdust]

Originally Posted by piercedtiger

I don't like the fact that you can hit things in the truck that had no chance in hell of injuring you (let alone killing you), and yet it's almost an automatic $1,000 repair job. Plastic bumper cracks, plastic fog light tabs snap off, headlight tabs break, and all the little "support" braces behind them bend or break.

I hit a turkey once. It glanced off the passenger side bumper and under the tire. Now I have a cracked bumper, fog light barely held in, AND a metal brace behind the bumper ripped out of the bumper and bent back. Unacceptable, IMO, and not worth fixing since it'll cost at least $200. That money would be better spent on a plate steel winch bumper.

I didn't realize it was that sensitive. I'm with you. There needs to be a happy medium point between sloughing off minor incidents like this, and crumpling to save the passengers in a high speed collision.

If I were in your shoes, I'd strongly consider getting a custom pipe bumper. Yeah, it's still money that would be better spent on something else, but it would survive a future turkey.

[Dcrooks84]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abYWY1QmoAk
I think the top gear guys put the newer hilux to a pretty good test.

[danusa]

Originally Posted by sawdust

I didn't realize it was that sensitive. I'm with you. There needs to be a happy medium point between sloughing off minor incidents like this, and crumpling to save the passengers in a high speed collision.

If I were in your shoes, I'd strongly consider getting a custom pipe bumper. Yeah, it's still money that would be better spent on something else, but it would survive a future turkey.

That is why roo guards mounted to the frame. That defeats the stock bumper. Let what you hit crumple, not you. Take that tree huggers.
That .30 Cal.Lt; MG does not weigh over 23 lbs and the recoil is non existant.
Just put a big washer under the turrent mount, which weighs more.