Cuda's Photography Overland Truck Build & Portfolio & BS

Latest on-the-road shots from my recent trip to Tennessee and North Carolina. @ragofabrication rack and Yakima Megawarrior basket is such a perfect combination. 4-gallon Rotopax on one side, axe and shovel along with my hi-lift on the other. Up top had my water jugs, folding chairs, tent bag, and a few other odds-and-ends that didn't fit in my large rubbermaid bins that go in the bed. Made packing and organisation of the gear even easier.

 

For when the road is no longer even a double track.... colors "almost" match.

 

Realized I haven't kept up with the new mods - finally installed these to pieces of kit: OG Fab Molle panels for the center console. Already have one medium pouch put in on the passenger side to stuff my CB into when it's not in use, going to get a more horizontal setup for the driver side to throw things in that I don't want to have to dig to the bottom of the center console for - multi-tool, flashlight, etc. Also added a set of Total Chaos bed stiffeners. Ends up the bed wasn't quite as out of spare as I'd feared, didn't take any effort at all to draw up the sides even with the Rago Fab rack in place. I do feel better having them in though, and I can now move the CB antenna to the rear where it'll have better clearance from the rack and basket.

 

Looks god man! I thought about getting those mole panels but when I thought about it I realized I rest my leg against the center console or right next to it all the time. Having anything there would have annoyed me. I'm always looking for more ideals for organized easy access storage. It would be so much simpler if there wasnt the dogs always in the back seat. I'm working on figuring out a something for the dogs and my organization to benefit both needs.

 

Find someone to go in 50/50 with you for one a piece and just put in the passenger side. I thought about the same before I bought, but it really doesn't get in my way (so far).

 

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to you @ChadsPride - not a lot of new stuff on the truck lately other than maintenance. BIG ass road trip coming up, so probably new set of tires all the way around and a few other things before I leave. Been **trying** to find a suitable upgrade for the PIAA 520's behind my grill (again) and simply nothing fits or works all that much better than what I've got (Osram Nightbreaker bulb upgrade has helped counter the loss of light from the mesh). Follow the road trip (count down now only about a month away) on my IG account: @trd.adventure

 

Will absolutely be following along! Your photos are prime action

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Pre-trip new tires put on today. The difference in road noise was... incredible. Going to have to have the alignment checked and a chalk test for air pressure this weekend to hopefully stave off a repeat. Anyone had problems with OME shocks/springs with excessive cupping wear?

 

3rd brake light is completed covered by the Rago rack and Yakima basket, if there's **nothing** in the basket you can kinda see the 3rd light if you're in the right vehicle at the right distance. Fixed that today with a nice little 6" strip of bright LED's on the rear bar of the rack, wired down to the driver side tail light. I'll do better wiring later, but this close to go-time for the next trip it'll do. Photos later.

Also still debating on ditch lights.

Also wondering what possessed me to switch out my Philips +130 bulbs for a set of Philips +150 bulbs when I **know** changing bulbs in these trucks is a bitch. Why in hell did they use this bulb type again?

 

Been a while since I've posted some of my new photography work. All images come from outings in the truck...


Ozarks


Broken Bow, OK


Petrified Forest NP, Arizona


Salt River, Arizona


Smoky Mountains, North Carolina

 

A few samples from this year's 2020 Fischer Photography calendar featuring photos from various trips - all taken in the Adventure Truck! Interested in a calendar, very slim window left to order, PM me tonight! I have to place my orders by tomorrow night.

 

Lighting re-assortment completed. Pulled the Morimoto XB's in favor of amber KC G4's, rebuilt the wiring harness for the PIAA Halogens in the grill to handle 100w bulbs, and added a pair of the new Baja Designs S1's as ditch lights. Initial tests last night in the alley way were really impressive on the S1's. I do wish I'd spent the extra bit of time to finish the any-time fog mod while I had my aux fuse box pulled out as the factory box I need to access for that mod is under it.

 

Looks good! I've been intrigued by the s1's and the really small size.

 

After about 3 years of running the Rago Fab Mid-level bed rack and Yakima MegaWarrior - the limitations of the setup for my needs are starting to show. Primarily, my lazy ass not wanting to spend the 30-40mins to pull the basket off and take a side panel off often enough to put the bike in the back. Which results in me just not putting the bike in the back and thus not riding. So looking at most likely selling it to put a Leer 180 on the truck along with a Prinsu or Victory roof rack to mount the gear currently on the bed rack.

 

So my attempts to get a cap were stifled by the fact that Leer decided to discontinue the 180 for the Tacoma short bed 2nd gen. BOOOO. So while I'm deciding if I want to purchase the ARE MX (I much prefer the look of the 180...) I decided that a rear-seat delete would yield the same results for keeping the cooler away from Yogi in the mountains, as well as providing more space for photography gear while on the road. So a sheet of 3/4" and a sheet of 1/2" plywood, and a few other things, I designed and built myself a rear seat delete platform. While it's not as crazy well designed as the CNC cut thing I just saw over in the 3rd gen forum, it fits my needs and goals very well. Maintained the rear wall bins since I store my air compressor and other tools back there. Added sound deadening on the back wall and under the carpets in the rear while everything was out as well. I can access rear wall storage bins as well as flip up the front part of the platform without any tools, the entire platform still pivots up to give me access to the bins underneath with 2 allen key bolts

 

I also finally got around to putting these on after like 3 years on the shelf...

 

Awesome build set up. I have got the same US Offroad winch bumper at home and Ive been holding off. After seeing it on yours, i think im gonna pull the trigger and het it slapped on the rig. How did you figure out the wiring and what not with all your axillary lighting and winch? Any thread recommendations? Once again, sick build cuda!

 

The Aux lighting was the first real major 12v wiring project that I've done. I just did a lot of research online, took my time and built out the wiring harnesses and switch setups. I have a 12v power supply and rigged up an old PC fan on my workbench that I could test things with as I built to make sure things were good before I put it all in the truck. The fuse/relay box I bought pre-built with leads, so that simplified things a fair bit too.

Here's a few threads/posts I have saved that got me started:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/switch-panel-gb.352289/page-34#post-9778747
http://www.bodenzord.com/archives/1129
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ghts-to-switch-and-preexisting-lights.266006/

 

Just returned from a 2 week trip from Texas to Oregon and back. Felt 'rusty' after a year of covid lockdowns when out shooting, but was just thankful to be able to travel again and be in nature. Made the mistake of trying to cram too much into too short of time, and didn't do the greatest job planning/researching before I left because I basically started planning about 3 weeks prior to departure. Hit more than a few snags along the way - roads still closed from winter snows, wrong tides for ideal coastal shooting, etc. But it was still an adventure and that's the real goal at the end of the day.

Furthest west point in Oregon - Cape Blanco State Park, spent two nights camping here after a few nights further north near Bandon, and before that 2 nights up near Mt. Hood.