My 2013 Tacoma Access Cab Chinook build in progress

Thanks Joe!!!

 

Thanks for the kind words Jesurfer! It has been rewarding (and challenging!)...

 

Getting a bunch of stuff done... the bench/bed cabinets got fiberglassed into the main camper hull... added a bunch of strength with no weight... painted the interiors of the boxes with grey bilgecote... a petit marine product. I plan on covering them with my grey felt one day but for today it's clean and has a finish on it. Had to suck it up and do a bit of fiberglass grinding in a few areas... note my ultra-light interior construction method... I am being very conscious of weight as if I were building a boat.
Cut a hole for the generator controls but will hold back on installing it until the boxes are painted.
And my wife finished the bed cushions! They look fantastic! She had never made cushions before and they look like they were done by the pros!
Oh. And my friend Stan said he wanted to make me a removable table for between the benches as a gift to us... I stoped to say hello at his shop and he had a chunk of black walnut on his lathe. Can't wait to see what he does with it....

 

I started skinning my floors with 1/4" Luan plywood and fabricated the hatch for the under floor storage. If the hatch does not rattle it will just lay in the hole. I can hinge it if need be. The plywood is liquid nailed and screwed down. I will seal it with polyester resin and then my vinyl flooring will glue to it.
I am taking the truck on a short road trip to NC on Wednesday.... I will come back through the Outer Banks and maybe drive her out on the beach at Cape Hatteras... no systems yet but we can camp out of it!

 

Built out the storage box/floor extension today. It will get covered in grey hull liner and the vinyl floor will get glued on top. It has a pair of lids piano hinged together. I can open from either side from the Access Cab or take the whole top off for longer storage items. High lift jack, 2 piece fishing rods etc...
I also cut the rest of the 1/4" plywood subfloor panels. I need to seal them before they get installed.

 

My buddy Stan gave me the black walnut table today and it is killer! He machined flanges out of blocks a solid stainless. The floor flange is bolted through the floor with a 1/4" stainless backing plate.... What an awesome gift!
I uploaded a pic of the center cushion and bed support stowed in the passenger side bench... it worked out very well...
No update for a week... taking it on a road trip to North Carolina tomorrow!

 

I am back from my little road trip and the rig drives great... great road truck that likes to roll at 70-75 mph. There was a lot of speculation on what the mileage might be with the modifications and we got a combined city and highway mileage of 18 mpg... I am happy.
Got my Chinese ARB knockoff snorkel kit delivered. It is the Hilux 167 series one that has been used and documented many times on these forums. It looks like good auality. I may try to tackle the installation tomorrow if nothing else comes up... It was $135 delivered from China in about 6 days. About $400 cheaper than the Safari.

 

Love this thing

 

X2

 

I love finding these incredible building threads. Started last night and just caught up this morning. Great imagination and perseverance.

 

@SoCalTbird @81shark @bagelboy @BananaPeelOut
Thank you guys for your kind words and support! If I really grasped the monumental undertaking I might have chickened out! I am seeing a finished truck in my near future!

 

Got the snorkle in! My buddy Stan helped me. I used the tips from those who posted on installing the Chinese Hilux snorkels. THANKS for posting your experiences!
I taped off the fender and laid the paper template provided on the fender to give me a bench mark...
When you hold the snorkel up on the fender you have no idea how it will lay down because of the tube that goes behind the fender to make your connections..pretty scary.... I then made a cardboard template and drilled the holes so I could fine tune the layout to have the antenna notch line up and have the snorkle where I wanted it by the windshield..
I ended up finding my happy spot just off parallel to the top of the fender.......3 1/4" toward the windshield fading down to 3" toward the front. I drilled the mounting holes to the template but moved the pilot hole for the 3 1/2" hole saw forward by 3/8" and it worked out good... I then used a grinder to fine tune the opening.....
I cut about an inch off the snorkel flange and cut almost all of the rubber 90° rubber flange (on the oval side).. there is very little room to bring the 90 into the engine compartment through the factory air intake hole but it can be done...the hose clamp needed to be tightened from the bottom through the fender. (The plastic skin was unfastened but left in place)...
We made a 17" long 3" diameter aluminum pipe with a 45° welded joint (painted it black) to connect the snorkle rubber boot to a silicone 3" to 4" reducer that hose clamped to the air cleaner box... Looks factory!
Nylock nuts and washers installed through the fender well (a bitch)... SS self tapping screws to secure the snorkel upright to the window post..,hose clamped it all and put the wheel well back together and DONE!
Looks Badass! There is a small gap on the front edge that I will caulk in clean with black when I have it out.

 

I have about had it with this rain....I am not one to bitch about the weather but it is hard to make any progress right now!

 

I am back on the inside fabrication and I have quite a puzzle to finish. I started with the plywood that is enclosing the porta potty. Front panel and top panel piano hinged to completely enclose it. The hinged top as well as a drop in panel will complete the bed extension....
Then I need to complete the galley front below the counter and cook top...it will have the little 3 way fridge with storage above it, open shelves in front of it and a built in coffee station and trash receptacle below it...
Then the area behind the fridge will be isolated from the interior and needs to be vented externally...my propane connections for the fridge, grill and cook top will be in that vented space... All of the plywood will be painted a light grey then stippled a darker grey...
Removed my floor panel from the generator to work out my 110v AC venting... I am using a 4" duct fan to remove the heat from the coils on the AC.... there will be open shelves above the generator but I will leave that floor removable to service the generator.

 

I worked on my little Rubiks Cube ladies room today... latches and seals still need to be installed. I need to make a decision and maybe install my vinyl flooring so I can trim the lower door and install a sweep seal. Tricky stuff to build as I had nothing square to work with. Kind of like boat work... I wish I had had more foresight earlier in the project. The inside would have been so much easier to build!
Next to build is the kitchen front... I have a couple pieces of the Zebrawood that I will use as accent trim here and there...
I also have a canvas shop making a new tent for me...I had planned on using the original tent but new will be nice! The new tent has big zippered openings front and back with bug screens and bungee cord tensioners on the long sides like the old one.?

 

Uncommon commode

 

It is a Thedford Curve Scott... battery powered flush and self contained...

 

Hmm... If it has to be emptied, I do not see it as self contained...

 

Incredible build!