What's Happening at BVO This week?

Hi All!
To start off with a quick introduction.
I am Wyatt (@CoWj) , I work at BVO Adventure Vehicles. A Expedition Vehicle shop in Northern Colorado, and we are wanting to share some of the Tacoma's and other Toyota vehicles we are building in the shop to serve as inspiration to others.
With that out of the way here are a couple of the Tacoma's that have come through the shop lately.
I will be doing full feature posts on the vehicles that come through but his will serve as an example post.

 

Vehicle Feature: 2020 Tacoma Mits Conversation



This was a start to finish build that was driven from the dealer to our shop and left ready for anything and built with nearly every option available.
Starting off with a Lo-Pro bumper hiding a Warn Zeon 10-S, Baja Designs S8 Amber Bar, SAE Fog Lights. OnX6 Bar in a Prinsu Rack up top.



The truck got a Tray from MITS Alloy in Australia, increasing the overall vehicle function with addition storage in the side boxes and the drawer underneath. It features a 30L water tank mounted between the cab and tray as well.



To carry that tray and the eventual camper the customer is putting on we had custom build Deaver leaf springs with Daystar Cradles to allow for better articulation. Paired with a set of Old Man Emu BP-51 Adjustable shocks.



Up front it got the same BP-51, Old Man Emu Upper control arms, Total Chaos spindle gussets, and a set of Power Brakes X1 brakes with a 350mm Rotor. These are a true 6 piston brake and almost identical to the ones that come of the Toyota Dakar Race Hilux. This helps to stop the truck on a dime with any amount of weight.



Under the Hood there is a Magnuson Supercharger fed by a Safari Snorkel, Switch-Pro

$659 SP9100 Switch Pros SP-9100 8-Switch Panel Power System With Concealed Mounting Hardware

SP9100, and Off Grid Engineering dual battery system.



It has a ARB Twin Compressor tucked away in a side box, for both tire inflation, as well as running the Front ARB Air Locker that was installed with 5.29 Gears. This compliments the factory rear E-locker to make this truck exceptionally capable. RCI Sliders and Skid Plates make sure nothing can get hit underneath.



To Finish the truck off it is sitting on 285/75R17 Cooper ST Maxx, American Racing AR201 17x9 Wheels.
This is what most would consider to be the Ultimate Tacoma. Everything has been thought through and completed to a T.

 

That's some good stuff

 

Thank you!

 

Vehicle Feature: 2016 Tacoma



On the opposite side of the build world, we have this red Tacoma that came in for a much more relaxed build. This truck is build around towing an off road teardrop trailer. It has a Rhino Rack roof rack and Yakima Bed rack for more storage solutions right off the bat.



Sitting on a set of 285/70R17 KO2s an Old Man Emu Heavy Sport Kit was perfect for the needs and use of the customer. With increased rear carrying capacity to handle camping gear and the tongue weight of the trailer. This suspension also suited the needs of holding up to hours of washboard roads and more unmaintained roads to get into remote camp sites.



ARB Deluxe bumper and Warn VR10-S EVO winch were added to increase protect, and be able to pull the truck out if it were to get stuck while traveling or to pull out others who have gotten stuck.

 

Vehicle Feature: 2018 Tacoma



This truck had a Full transformation from a bone stock SR5 to a capable yet comfortable weekend warrior.


It was dropped off as a blank canvas ready to be turned into what a Tacoma should have been from factory. We spent no time before ripping into the truck and getting it ready for a complete transformation.



Off came the factory bumper to get chopped, Wheel and tires removed, and old suspension ripped out ready for upgrades.



On went an Old Man Emu Sport Kit, Medium load to hold the Lil B's Bumper and to gain enough clearance to slide a set of 285/75R16 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs on.



The Duratracs were mounted up on a set of 16x8 Method 305s in Double black. Tucked into the Lil B's Bumper was a set of Baja Designs Amber SAE Fog Lights for better visibility at nice.


With capability on the top of the list for this truck, this was a good starting platform for additional mods to continue to grow this truck into a true Colorado Weekend Warrior. This truck really shows how minimal mods can really change the look of a truck can cause huge jumps in capability in the dirt.

 

Vehicle Feature: 2009 Tundra

Here at BVO one of our biggest products is the Overland Explorer Vehicle Campers. These Camp-X are a pop-up 4 season slide in camper produced in Canada that are imported and provided to customers. Of course many of these customer are then looking for a vehicle to haul them and their camper into remote areas.
The late model Tundra's have proven to be a great platform for these campers while still being able to be turned into a capable and reliable truck for traveling.


This customers tundra is no different, redesigned around long stretched of open road, and forest service roads on their way to camp. So we built the Tundra to fit that bill. Small lift, protection where is needs it, and just the right mods to be able to travel for extended periods of time.



With many miles of highways and backroads to travel, many miles will be traveled at night, being good light and protection from animals is important. An ARB Deluxe Bar and set of Solis Lights should do the trick for protecting the truck even with driving into the night.



To carry the additional weight of the camper and bumper, a Old Man Emu Heavy weight sport kit was fitted including the addition of Firestone Airbags in the rear. The camper was also outfitters with a AluCab shower cube and 270 Awning to increase the living space of the camper.



The Exterior MOLLE rack were fitted with a quick release propane cylinder mount from Expedition Essentials and set of black MaxTrax. The Camper was also fitted with a WeBoost Cell Booster and Xantrex inverter to create the ultimate mobile work station.

 

New thread to follow.
Lookin good!

 

Vehicle Feature: 2020 Tacoma TRD Off Road

When this customer approached us they told us that they were starting to go down more rugged roads are starting to find the limits of the stock suspension. Also wanting to increase the load carrying ability for their AT Summit Camper. As a quick build we planned out a short list of mods to meet all the criterial they has specified.



First up, suspension, sticking with the usual recipe was a set of Medium weight OME Sport. Nearly everyone at the shop has had it in the past or is currently running it. Being we have all been super happy with the ride quality and ability to carry additional load it makes it the best choice in our eyes for a simple truck that will be used to traveling through Colorado.




With a set of 265/75R16 BF Goodrich KO2's the additional 2" of lift will help gain a bit more clearance under the belly. While not sacrificing any load carrying ability with the medium duty leaf out back to hold the weight of the Summit and any gear they are bring on a trip.



Another mod that they wanted was increased usable light while driving. So being able to use the light even when driving in traffic was key. So of course a street legal set of Baja SAE lights in a white light to match up with the headlight color.



With a new suspension, we wanted to make sure that they could have the best ride quality possible, and off road that mean airing down, so under the hood we mounted a ARB High Performance Single Compressor to make sure they can air the tires back up after a trip off the pavement.



While it was in we also cut the ears off the spare tire mount to futureproof the truck for 285s. This truck likely will be coming back in for a Cab Mount Chop when the owner is getting closer to switching to a 285.

In the end we concluded with a simple Tacoma built to handle the requirements of camping in Colorado and beyond.

 

Glad you like it! We plan to continue bringing out Toyota builds in the future.

 

Vehicle Feature: 2019 Tundra TRD Off Road

This customer approached us when buying a camper to build their Tundra into a truck that could take on Alaska while also being able to continue to be used for their work during the week. They wanted a built up camper and a built up truck to get that camper to the edges of the earth.



The customer basically asked us, if you owned this truck and wanted to drive to Alaska, how would you build it, and here is the results. An ARB Deluxe bar is in order when it comes to remote travel, with the increased protection it provides against animal strikes, and with the ability of mounting a winch, it is hard to pass up. we also reckon that these late model Tundra bumpers are among the best looking ARB bars available right now. It also got upgraded to the optional ARB LED Fog lights for additional light output. This one also is housing a Warn VR12-S EVO, and a Factory 55 Off Set fairlead. (Not Pictured)



With the additional weight of a Camper, Bumper, and Winch, some heavy duty suspension was in order. Old Man Emu Heavy Duty Sport kit with Firestone Airbags and Daystar Cradles in the rear help square this truck away. When traveling in remote areas and the type of roads encountered in Northern Canada and Alaska we wanted to choose a system that can handle thousands of miles of rough roads at high speed while carrying a lot of weight. This also allowed us to fit the 275/70R18 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs.



The Camp-X got a treatment of mods as well. Getting the MOLLE Rack on the back, Dual 180W Solar Panels, Dual Fans, AluCab Shower Cube, and a WeBoost cell booster for on the road work.



This customer chose to order their camper without a built in fridge to be able to run a ARB Zero 63qt instead, we mounted this at the back of the dinette for easy access when stoking up on food before or during a trip.



We also installed a Xantrex 2000W inverter for charging laptops or even running toasters and coffee makers if they desire. This camper comes standard with a Redarc Manager 30, Truma Furnace and water heater. We added 250Ah of deep cycle AGM batteries to let them stay off grid as long as their food and 20 gallon water supplies allow them to.



This is a truck that I would have zero hesitation about hopping in and driving to Alaska and do so while taking the long way. When you have a house on your back it truly makes for a perfect long term travel vehicle. Seen as though they had already drove west to get the camper and truck built they are continuing west for another couple weeks living out of the truck. Not a bad way to start your new camper ownership.

 

Along with many Toyota platforms we also work on full size trucks as well. I am happy to write those up here as well if people are interested.
As a Teaser here is a 2020 Ram 2500 AEV Prospector that got a Camp-X, Aluma Series Tray, 37s, and is currently getting custom valves ADS shocks. Of course along with a fully built camper.

 

Building some dope trucks keep em coming !

 

I completely agree! So far, #2, the 2020 Tacoma Mits Conversation is my favorite!

 

Vehicle Update: 2006 Tundra Mits Conversion
** Will be updated with Final Result Pictures soon*
Had a revisit of a first gen tundra that we had put a Mits Alloy on a few months back. This customer had come to us after purchasing a flatbed Four Wheel Camper from an employee of ours. Meaning that they needed a flatbed and were getting a highly upgraded Four Wheel Camper with a insanely powerful power system and had all the common failure points fixed previously, all while bypassing the 20 Month Wait of a camper.


The First Gen Tundra has proven to be a great platform when fitting these midsize campers. Being nearly the same size as a 3rd gen Tacoma, but having a 4.7L V8 under the hood, proven reliability, and easily to modify platform it is not hard to see why.



It was chosen to carry a 6.5' Mits Alloy tray fitting the camper well and providing an extremely useful flatbed when the camper is removed.



Even with the Camper in place there is still no lack of storage. Boasting a nearly full length under tray drawer that is completely sealed to water and dust, plus side boxes, this set up truly allows for you to bring everything and the kitchen sink.



This week the truck is in for some upgrades and finishing off the build after they have made there first few trips in the camper during peak summer season.
With the additional weight and increase to a 285/70R17 the V8 was in need of some assistance, of which the best way to do that is a Re-Gear. Out came the Diffs and in went a set of Nitro 4.56s.



While the front diff was out we also swapped in some heavy weight coils to the front end to help with some of the new parts that were installed as well.



A Warn VR12-S Evo with enough power to pull the heavy Tundra out of just about anything it encounters. Now needing a bumper to house the winch they sprung for the ARB Sahara Bumper.



With the new bumper and fogs lights in place we were able to start wiring in the winch and finishing up the build.



Full reveal pictures coming soon.

 

Thanks! We have a few more Toyota Platform trucks coming up in the near future so stay tuned!

It is one of our favorites as well, it was almost as fun building it as it would be driving it!

 

Vehicle Update: 2006 Tundra Mits
The Truck has now been regeared to 4.56s with the factory LSD in the rear. This has been a huge help to moving the extra weight and bigger tires. It now can get up to 70 easily on any onramp and passing people without having to push the motor.



The Single biggest upgrade you can do to help the drivability of your truck is to do a Regear, it is something that we recommend to almost all of our Tacoma customers once they go to a larger tire and add weight. While Superchargers are cool and do help, they aren't a replacement to gears. In our experience having a supercharged truck with factory gears struggles to keep up with a geared truck running the same size of tires when it comes to mountain passes. Returning the vehicle to its factory RPM on the highways also reduces hunting for gears and downshifting on inclines.



The customer asked up to leave the hoop off at this time to get it painted black instead of chrome. Personally I would leave it off as it looks great as it is.



With the extra weight of the Bumper and Winch the front OME coils were swapped out for the Heavy weight version and holding the front end up just right.



This Finishing up this Tundra for now. It should be able to take its camper all around the US and let them travel in comfort and know they have a truck to get them there and back safely.

 

That ute build tho.

 

Sub’d! One day hope to have a tray and camper.

Did the 2500 get airbags?

 

Yup, that 2500 has Daystar Airbags and Daystar Cradles. Also sitting on an AEV 3" as all prospectors do.