Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Was able to escape from work this weekend and got a couple projects done.

First was finishing up the tailgate cover. thanks to some leads on material from the good folks on TW.



Second was finishing up the modifications on the motorcycle hitch rack. After not being as pleased with the compatability of my pump jack style hauler with a swing out bumper I went back to a more basic set up that I used to run. Shortened up the length to get the bike as close to the truck as possible and it feels solid.



Still a lot of junk in the truck but it’s nice not always having to take my trailer if I’m only taking one bike.

I just have to remember to grab my keys out of the back before I load up...

 

Side access doors help with forgetting the keys in the bed...

Just sayin

 

I thought you already had a rack? I’ll be back in town next Monday.

 

haha I was reminiscing of when I had windoors yesterday and immediately started to think about adding one to the drivers side lol

I do haha, need to make a third crossbar

 

Starting to prep for the Drifter. Got my suspension and dual battery setup done. Nothing fancy OME Nitro 866's with HD rear leafs, SPC UCA's, Head Strong 3 degree shims. Drives like butta no bad vibes and alignment came out perfect. Off Grid dual battery system & swapped out the Cooper 235 STT PRO's for BFG 255/85 KM2's. Going to try and keep the camper build out fairly light if possible. Met some great folks thru selling my LR Defender 90. ROKO Vehicles in Mass did the work and they were awesome! They are on FB & IG with web page soon to be up and working. Next up is an ARB dual compressor, some sliders and armor. Have to say really loving the Taco so far!

 

I would strongly recommend moving away from the side by side dual battery tray if you do any off reading. Per the head tech at a dealership you need 3 inches of space between that oil filler neck and anything else as the engine will move around especially when you’re off roaring.

I mention all of this because I had a local shop install that exact thing in my old truck and I busted my oil filler neck and it dumped oil everywhere. It’s like an $850 fix...

 

I have the genesis version and I'm finding out the weight up front is becoming an issue. I have two odysseys and they're hefty. It adds up quick later than sooner imma look at relocating one or them.

 

This happened to me about three weeks ago. Expensive af. Thank goodness I know a guy.

 

Kind of incredible to me how OGE continues to sell and install the kit..but whatever.

If you’re interested, the same local shop makes metal oil filler necks.

 

It is surprising how much movement goes on in rough terrain. For example my final bumper gap is at about 3/4" after some trial and error shaking around Baja roads and tracks to keep it from banging the fender.

 

Its really unfortunate that they out all the emissions crap on the passenger side. The dual battery tray I made holds an extra 27 which is more than a 34.

 

I'm uncomfortabley close to buying the mountain hatch tailgate thing.. I have had 3 different homebrew iterations of a flat tailgate replacement and all have failed in one way or another. What material is that? I'm on my phone but it looks a lot like the abs I currently have that warps to shit in direct sunlight.

 

I have no experience with the Mountain Hatch, but I really liked my Relentless tailgate replacement.

 

I have the Pelfrey bracket which leaves about 1/2” wiggle room if the bolts loosen...and they did. Ugh. I ended up wedging a tree branch in there to shim it. Took 2 days for the part (filler) to come in tho.

 

Yeah they look nice, I have looked at all of tailgate plates and ruled each one out for one reason or another aside from the mountain hatch. I think the relentless one may have been the one that changed the tailgate height(for camper seal), or maybe that was Mobtown? I'm on my phone at the moment, In any case I think I'd prefer some sort of plastic as I have to crawl my drunk ass into the camper pretty often and it would be more forgiving on my knees.

 

Funny you mention that secondary battery mount.

 

Thanks for the tips and warning about the dual battery setup, I'll have to watch that! I'm not planning to do any really hard core rock crawling with this rig, I've done that for years with the old LR. This rig with the Drifter will be more of an adventure mobile for me to just get out, fish, hike, explore & camp. Shop that did the install recommended OG system because he's been running their Gen 2 setup (split battery locations as in pic above) and its been bullet proof. They have this same setup (side by side) in their Gen 3 shop Taco that their building out so I'll be sure to let them know about this potential issue.
Thanks all!

 

I wonder if a simple torque limiting strap would solve this? It's just a strap/cable/chain that connects the engine block to the frame and limits how far the drivetrain can rotate under torque. A cheap, easy DIY fix. This was something we used to do on our muscle cars back in the day to keep from breaking motor mounts and mechanical clutch linkage.

 

Dammit! I have that same side by side from OGE sitting in my garage, waiting to be installed.

Is there a split battery option for those of us that have a TRD sport? I could put the house battery in the bed, but I'd rather have it under the hood.

 

Speaking of tail gate caps I am thinking of going with Relentless aluminum cap. Aluminum does not heat up like steel does in the direct sun. Also @Crom did a EZ Down tail gate assist integration into his cap. I want to copy his idea. I do not think you can use Rivnuts on a Mountain Hatch plastic cap.

My reason for using this if when getting up in the morning and out of your Drifter you tail gate wont slam down if you do not gently open it.