Kamakiri’s 1st Gen DoubleCab

Just a log of my progress in making my truck my own.

My goals are having a truck that can:
- Road Trip
- Haul Materials for Home Projects
- Commute When Necessary
- Get Decent MPG
- Get me out to the Catskills Trailheads
- Support my Cycling, Sailing, and Kayaking Hobbies
- Last a Long Time
- Not Cost a Lot

Here are some photos from the day I brought the truck home.

 

I held out on the price of the truck — I knew it needed exhaust work and shelled out for the whole thing. There was a patch ahead of the Cat and the rust hole by the bracket on the tailpipe gave out a few days after I took it home. So I cried once, and was even more glad I had talked the seller down $1800.

The work was under $1k but not much. I’m usually good at economizing but not so much in this case. :/

 

Against the advice of TW, I got the tan WeatherTechs instead of grey. I like them.
Just in time for a muddy Christmas tree trek and our first dusting.

 

Last week I visited the Mad Tacoma Genius of Meriden Connecticut.

He had nine Tacos on the place. Repairing and restoring first gens for export to Puerto Rico. Offered to buy mine.


This knocked me out. Half a late model tailgate welded up into to a first gen tailgate.


The scoop on that red one.



The TW NorthEast CL thread had posted this cap which was listed for $150

As it turns out, the ladder rack was included.

Boom.

Guys were really nice. There was a language barrier, but it was a good vibe. They knew they were giving me a great deal and knew that I appreciated it.

 

Rack ‘em ‘n cap ‘em

 

Set up a Fuelly account and entered in last month’s data for the Taco and a few years’ worth for the Sportsmobile.

 

I found a blog of an ARE camper conversion from some tiny home folks in Boston.

http://www.wildwewander.com/diy-truck-camper

Their cap only has a toolbox on the driver’s side. I’d already thought of removing mine. Cutting out the passenger side toolbox of my ARE Cap seems like a good move — more room, can consider setting up the cap as a camper, and if I install a few windows, I can see much better out the back when driving and parking. Seeing this page convinced me.

I am sort of going for this vibe:

 

So I need to:
— Drill my bed to permanently install the support plates for the ladder rack
— de burr, prime, and rustproof these holes somehow
— trim the plastic bed liner so that the cap can be more properly installed. Currently the clamps are at pretty unacceptable angles.

- cut out the passenger side toolbox and add windows to the passenger hatch.
- paint the cap a lighter color for summer heat
- insulate the cap and bed
- begin to design a sleeping platform