My 2013 Tacoma Access Cab Chinook build in progress

Money shot!

 

That is so damn cool! The main reason I went with lift bags is tune ability. If you find yourself in a pretty consistent load range then heavier leafs make more sense to me but one of the side benefits is you get the normal travel range back without nearly as much weight even including the compressor and tank which have other uses. Downside is the risk of a leak. I personally think the best compromise is with the leafs set to ride normal or slightly stiff for a given rig when empty and use the lift bags for max load compensation.

 

I agree. The other big benefit to me with the bags is that I have the lift and ride stability capabilities but also the ability to deflate and meet my 7’5” max height requirement to drive it into a standard 20’ shipping container. That magic number is very important to my international plans...

 

Worked on wiring the extra fuel tank gauge and bonding the stainless steel fill cap and vent to the frame. I thought it would be good to bond all of the metal fill components to the frame and plastic tank sending unit. No variation in electric charge eliminates possibility of a static spark and fire hazard...
It was a school day on sending units and fuel gauges today... my fuel gauge was pegged on full (with a quarter tank) after wiring it. All my trouble shooting pointed to a bad brand new sending unit in the tank. It turned out that the gauge I bought was a 90-0 ohm gauge and my tank had a 240-33 ohm sender. Fuel guages work on the different resistance of a full tank to an empty one. Bought the correct gauge and I am in business!
FYI-You can read the resistance on a sending unit by disconnecting the sender wire from the gauge and reading between the sending unit wire and ground on an ohm meter... do this on the tank empty and full to determine the matching gauge ohm range...
Also of note on my extra fuel tank setup is that I have it plumbed with a ball valve and syphon ball like an outboard to syphon/gravity feed into the factory tank’s fill tube that I split with a “Y” fitting.... once the fuel has been transferred, the valve must be closed before running the truck or a sensor will generate a venting error code. I suppose it reads the volume of air in the empty tank and that contradicts with the factory specs..it is not a problem but something I learned by getting a check engine light and having my mechanic run the diagnostics. I have not got the code by keeping the valve closed and keeping the tanks isolated.... it seems that in theory the same reading would happen with running with the gas cap off?

 

Looks like a good candidate for an A-pillar guage. I though about putting my oba guages in one but it seemed like hubris in a base 5-lug and wanted my guages near the regulator knob anyway.

 

That fuel gauge had to be flush mounted where it is as I have piano hinged access floor hatches in front of it that needs to clear that bulkhead..this is where the floors were extended into the Access cab...I did not really need a gauge because I don’t run off that tank. It is either full to be transferred into the main tank or empty. Did not seem right to not bother to put a gauge on it though...

 

I haven’t had much to report due to my chronic laziness lately... did get a bit more wiring done... yesterday I did a nice job of taping off the front and side windows and did a finish bead of

$30 3M 5200 (06504) Permanent Bonding and Sealing for Boats and RVs Above and Below the Waterline Waterproof Repair, Black, 10 fl oz Cartridge

3M 5200 caulking... I had a tiny little leak on one of the front teardrop windows so decided to recaulk all of them with the baddest polyurethane caulk known to man. They look nice and will never leak...

 

I will be back from my travels at the end of the month with renewed ambition and get this project finished! Thank you for everyone's support!

I ordered an ecofiltre water filter to install for drinking water... an awesome Guatemalan company with the goal to provide clean drinking water to millions of people in Guatemala. Non-potable water filters through clay and sawdust coated with colloidal silver providing clean, bacteria and parasite free drinking water. Everyone I know in Guatemala has one on thier kitchen counter.... questionable water in, perfect water through the spigot!

https://ecofiltro.com/en/how-it-works

 

Have a great time, well be watching the calender. You probably know this already but filtered water can still grow new bacteria so it's best to drain the system when not in continuous use. Copper/silver inhibit growth some but any vinyl tubing does not.

 

I am back from a great trip. Finished in Bulgaria which I loved...I am going to find some motivation and get back on it!

 

Welcome back.

 

Well, back at it in baby steps... refigured our all the stuff I had figured out before I took off. I finalized the LP connections on everything and tested the grill, cooktop and ran the generator... I have to hook up the 12 volt to the fridge to test the propane on the fridge. Igniter needs power.
Feels good to be back at it!

 

I have been puttering away on a bunch of stuff that all adds up. Trying to finalize my generator compartment. I had to modify my sheet metal terminal flange on the AC heat exhaust duct to be a bit more compact...also fabricated a heat shield out of 1/8” aluminum plate to mount over the generator exhaust... now I can complete the noise proofing and button up and upholster the closet walls and shelves with felt.

 

I installed a vinyl “J” rain channel over the back door and on the camper shell over the cab doors... in the rain, water runs off the camper roof and drains onto the Tacoma front door windows. The little gutters will channel the water forward onto the cab roof. This is one of those annoying things that I did not know how to handle until I found this nice channel with a really aggressive 3M self adhesive backing. My other thoughts were not so pretty.

 

Good idea, the 3M tape is great stuff but I've found that it doesn't stand up to heat very well. I've had to replace it 2-3 times a year on my phone mount, especially after a warm spell, and that's just Bay Area warm. Some of the 3M caulk additionally in white as a bead all the way around the channel might work if you have the same problem. Since it's not a critical leak area but just a convenience you can afford to wait and see. Just something to bear in mind.

 

I have been struggling with a shoulder injury and going crazy with inactivity... while trying to go easy on it, I am flirting with the thought of building an over cab rack for a 2nd spare tire, farm jack and other recovery gear. I would want it to be out of my field of vision... light, probably powder coated aluminum...Supported through the front bottom of the camper shell into my structural 1”x3” steel frame and by supports running parallel to the windshield frames...I would have to tie in to the frame inside the engine compartment....I have to think about how to do it so it looks right. Probably match the radius and angle of the front of the camper shell.

 

This is the start of the over head rack for a tire,farm jack etc. starting with an inexpensive powder coated kit of a suitable width and angled wind deflector...it is 43” wide so it sids a few inches inside the cab roof on both sides... I will fabricate the structure and then finish it in black wrinkle coat to match everything else. I have access to my friends shop who makes tuna towers. With his hydrolic pipe benders I should be able to do something nice for the structure...

 

Should be nice. I think the ditch channels are the strongest areas along the roof edge since they are made up of several thicknesses of sheet metal instead of the single layer across the center. The folds that shape the channels also make them more rigid. I have pics of my install with the headliner removed if you need them for reference to avoid the air bags.

 

Got a good start on the overhead storage rack...cut it to length and sleeved the bottom pipes with thick walled pipe... made the angle brackets to bolt to the overhead structure of the camper. I have a meaty ring about 4” thick by 1 1/2” high that is laminated to the camper shell. Made a angle bracket for the inside to attach my mount to. Bent 3” flat stock steel to conform to the cab roof to distribute the load. Good start. Back to it tomorrow... the pics are just a mock up with the rack on the fork lift... it will all get fit and then I will be tack welded in place.

 

Will you still be able to see stop lights?