SOLD - 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Camper - Dual Battery, Water Tank, Faucet, Awning, Bed, Fan

Located in Hood River, Oregon. About 50 minutes East of Portland airport.

I'm selling my 1996 Tacoma. I absolutely love this truck and have built it to be a great adventure vehicle for camping and road tripping. My girlfriend and I lived in it for 5 months this summer, and we are ready to move on to a van. It drives great and has no issues at all. Wouldn’t hesitate to take this thing the full length of Baja tomorrow! It is an automatic 4 speed with the 2.7L 4 Cylinder 3RZ-FE engine. 4x4 with manual front locking hubs. I’m going to break this up into different categories for all of the money and parts that I have put into this thing over the past year. Every single thing mentioned on here, I have receipts for, specifically the mechanical work done fort engine and suspension.

For the camper build, I have set up an isolated dual battery system for all of the accessory electronics. The dual battery is mounted under the hood and is charged by the starting battery and alternator whenever you drive. Then all electronics pull power off the dual battery when you are camping/parked, so that you don’t drain your starting battery in the remote places you are camping and can always start the truck when it comes time to leave. I have a domestic cooler hooked up to the dual battery and have run it for four days with the truck off before finally drawing the battery all the way down. There is a voltage cut off to not draw the dual battery down too low and cause damage.

In the bed, I have the fuse panel set up that powers a fan, light, water pump and a 400watt power inverter. The inverter has two USB ports and two AC outlets, so you can charge two computers and phones or anything else when you are camping/sleeping. Works great for powering cordless tools as well.

One great addition to the build that we’ve really enjoyed is a water pump and 3 gallon tank system setup in the rear for easy drinking when you’re in places like the desert. I’ve connected an electric three prong switch to the pump with a flex faucet so you can fill bottles up easily or give the dogs some water in the bowl.

I put a ton of work into this. List of all camper related parts:
-Leer camper with new brake light, emblems and fresh light blues paint to match truck. (Have photos of doing this paint job myself, huge pain lol). Carpeted inside. Camper has locks and keys.
-Thule square bar roof rack
-Dual Battery system -

$170 Mighty Max Battery 12V 100AH Battery for Solar Wind DEEP Cycle VRLA 12V 24V 48V

Mighty Max Battery 12V 100AH Battery. The battery is wired with 4 AWG wire, so there is little to no voltage dropped. Wire runs from the engine compartment, under the truck, to the fuse panel/distribution box in the rear.
-The dual battery is isolated with this:

$80 Dual Battery Isolator Kit 12V - 140 Amp Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR) for Dual Battery Setup - Automatic Disconnect Switch for Car, Truck, RV, UTV, ATV, Marine

12V 140 Amp Dual Battery Smart Isolator by KeyLine
-Essential for beach and desert camping:

SmittyBilt TENT AWNING - SB2787

Smittybilt Awning 6.5'
-One of my favorite parts, the fan. Super powerful and draws literally no power. You could run it for a week.

$55 SEEKR Ultimate™ Fan from by Caframo. Grill-free, whisper-quiet 12V fan with shock-absorbing FingerSafe™ blades, 2-speeds, direct wire connection. Made in Canada. White.

Caframo Ultimate Direct Wire 12V Cabin Fan
-Water system is powered with

$26 bayite 12V DC Water Transfer Pump with 2 Hose Clamps 12 Volt Diaphragm Pump Self Priming Sprayer Pump with Pressure Switch 4.5 L/Min 1.2 GPM 80 PSI Adjustable for Weed ATV Marine Boat

bayite 12V DC Fresh Water Pump
-Went with a distribution block that had tons of options:

$113 Blue Sea Systems 7748 SafetyHub 150 Ignition Protected Fuse Block

Blue Sea Systems SafetyHub 150 Fuse Block
-The whole electrical system is double fused, with 4 ANL fuses placed for safety:

InstallGear - Fuse Block with ANL Fuse Holder and Clear Cover - 2 Pack, 150A Fuses for Secure Circuit Protection - Universal Fuse Box for 0-10 Gauge Terminals, Automotive Applications

InstallGear 0/2/4 Gauge Ga ANL Fuse Holder
-3 Gallon RV Fresh Water Tank
-The faucet is built using

$10 Loc-Line - 50813 Coolant Hose Assembly Kit, Acetal Copolymer, 7 Piece, 1/2" Coolant Hose ID

Loc-Line Coolant Hose Assembly Kit
-FDA approved water tubes for the tank to faucet

$7 Proper Pour - Clear Vinyl Plastic Tubing - Food-Grade & Flexible PVC Tube for Beer Line, Kegerator Accessories, Wine, Aquarium & Water Hose, Fuel Line, Drip Irrigation & More, 3/8" ID 1/2" OD, 10 Ft.

3/8" ID 1/2" OD Vinyl Tubing
-Water filtered before going through faucet:

3/8" Hose Barb in-Line Strainer with 50 mesh Stainless Steel Filter Screen

3/8" Hose Barb In-Line Strainer
-Bed light with switch
-Custom cut canvas curtains
-

$128 ZINUS 4" Green Tea Cooling Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper,Pressure-Relieving Design, CertiPUR-US Certified, Queen, Blue

Zinus 4 Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper, Queen, super comfortable!

Camper Bed Build:
3/4” plywood frame.
1/2” plywood 6ft drawer with three compartments. Drawer has a locking handle with key.
-Sanded with 220 and finished with natural danish oil.
-Frame is constructed with bolts and nuts so it can be taken apart and stored if you don’t want it in the back of the truck.
-The top of the bed frame is made up of 8 individual 3/4” plywood pieces. 3 small compartments along each side of the middle 6ft drawer, so that you can store things on the sides of the drawer.
-Middle bed surf split into two panels, both ~3ft long so that you can pull the drawer out and then slide the main middle bed surface on top of the drawer to create a table for cooking!

Cab/Dog Platform:
-We have dogs, so we built a raised surface that sits behind the seats in the cab of the truck so that we could maximize space in the cab. The dogs sit on top of a 3/4” plywood surface that is lined with a softer material so it’s comfortable for them. Then when the dogs are off, the surface has hinges so you can get to anything underneath. We put a Dometic refrigerator under them as well as dog food container and all types of other small things like tools and such.
-There is a 12V DC cigarette lighter socket power hookup that is connected to the dual battery with a 10amp inline fuse. This is used to power the Dometic, but you could plug in anything here. Wired with 16AWG wire, so you could cut the cig socket and replace with something else if needed.

Suspension is upgraded as well, the truck has a ~3” lift with several components:
-All brand new ball joints. Upper and Lower OEM/Toyota parts. This is a huge necessity for these 1st gen Tacomas. Lower ball joints have been known to go out over time.
-Moog Outer tie rods
-BF Goodrich All Terrain K2's. 31.50 size - these things are in great shape, only about 20,000 miles on them.
-Aftermarket 15” steel rims with locking hubs
-Old Man Emu 2881 Coils in the front
-Bilstein 5100 shock absorbers in all four corners
-Old Man Emu CS020R Leaf Springs in the rear. These springs are VERY heavy duty
-Extended rear brake line
-3 Degree Steel shims
-Wheelers 7.75" U-bolts
-Exhaust pipe extended bracket

Shortly after buying the truck, we decided to put a new cylinder head in as well due to a bad exhaust valve. The head is under warranty for another two years. I have receipts for all of this and the parts included below that we’re put in when we replaced the head. All gaskets are Toyota OEM:

New Head and Gaskets:
-Remanufactured Cylinder Head from Pennsylvania's cylinderhead.com
-Head Gasket
-Exhaust Manifold Gasket
-Intake Manifold upper and lower Gaskets
-Valve Cover Gasket
-Spark Plug Tube Gaskets
-EGR Pipe Gaskets
-Throttle Body Gasket
-Other smaller gaskets like fuel rail spacers and injector o-rings as well as injector insulators and cups

Random new Parts:
-Starter, under warranty for the next two years from O’Reillys.
-Distributor Cap and Rotor
-NGK Spark Plugs
-NAPA Spark Plug Wires
-Transmission Fluid Cooler Hose
-OEM Fuel Injectors
-Aftermarket Exhaust Manifold (the old one was cracked when I bought it)
-NAPA Air Filter

Audio:
-Kenwood player with Bluetooth/AUX/USB
-Kenwood speakers
-Custom Tweeters

Fluids I've changed a couple fluids within the last 8,000 miles that don't regularly need to be changed, so I thought it was worth noting:
-Both front and rear differentials as well as transfer case have been changed to Amsoil Severe Gear 75w-90
-Brake Fluid
-Coolant
-Also has rubber grey floor mats in front and back

I bought it in April down in Arizona. Before me there were 2 owners. Each owner owned the vehicle for approximately 10-11 years each in Southern California and Arizona, so the body has little to no rust. The best part about this truck is it's low miles (in the Tacoma world) at only ~165,000.

Selling for $10,000.
I hope this thing goes to a good home, it is a beautiful truck that runs strong. Feel free to give me a call/text anytime to discuss. My number is 386-214-0536

Thanks, Austin

 

Arguably the best sales thread ever created. Meticulous attention to detail and perfectly organized. Kudos for the shot of you and the dog checking out the view.

 

Haha, thanks mountaintop. I want the buyer to know exactly what they are getting in this truck. I felt it was necessary to really list out every little thing just to show how much has been put into it. This thing is turn key, ready to go for cross country adventures.

 

Hi Ausbran,
Still for sale? Looks like an awesome set up and I have three dogs as well! ( I tried to get a pic on my profile of them but it doesn't like the sizing of the pic?)
Anyhow, where is this located? Definitely interested!
Thanks,
lindsay

 

Wow.. I have some friends in SoCal I’ll link this to. Well built, good sir. GLWS

 

Bump for a great build. GLWS!!!

 

Thanks guys! Still up for sale, I'm imagining this thing will sell once it gets a bit warmer and someone wants an adventure mobile.

 

Still for sale

 

Nice truck brother.

 

Thanks bugout!

 

Man, I'm so pissed I'm on the east coast. Beautiful build man. Hunting for a Tacoma to do just this.

 

Is this still available?

 

Yes, still for sale. Sorry for late reply.

But for everyone - this is still available! Have only had two people come look at it this year. Tough year to sell a car

 

This is in absolutely impeccable condition, I mean look at those god damn front seats! They look fucking brand new! Although I think you should just keep the truck, very best of luck in the new year trying to offload this beauty, Austin. With the way off-road capables have soared in price and popularity this year, I cannot believe no one has pounced on this ALL YEAR. Perhaps it’s a sign that you should indeed keep her?

 

Sent you a text.

 

I would buy this truck if you were even close to Arkansas. This is what I have been looking for. GLWS

Thinking about flying out and getting it. Driving back which is 1700 miles. How dependable is it? Worth an old man flying out and road tripping his way back home

 

Truck is sold!