GarlicFart's "Let's make this truck useless for everything but camping or road trips" build

I ain't kicking out the dog!

 

Depending on the dog they can chill on the platform. My dog isn't a huge fan but she comes up time to time. Was hoping she'd settle up against the glove box and hang out there for trips but she likes it behind me. Snoozes the whole time.

 

Which one?

 

Updates:

Soft-Topper
After a road trip to Michigan in October, the soft-topper proved to be useful. However, not useful enough to hang on to full time again. I haven't been doing the mountain bike trips I wanted to/bought the thing to be doing more with, so it's gone again. Instead I replaced it with a bed toolbox for bed storage on trips.

Cali Raised fog lights
God the pods for free, someone ripped them off their truck before trading it in. Mounted up using the generic knock-off fog light plates for the turd gens on Amazon. While they work, if I had to do it again - I would get the cali-raised mounts instead. These work, but a pain in the arse to set up, and I think the CR look better. Using cali raised amber pods I got for free, so I won't complain much. I think I have the spots instead of the floods, they don't throw much to the sides. Haven't used them in the snow yet, looking forward to seeing what they do there.

Bed toolbox
Another freebie - friend was giving away a diamond plate aluminum bed toolbox. Something I wanted to try a while, using it in the winters for storing snow brushes and whatnot, and then for camping or road trips I can stash what I usually keep in the soft topper in there instead, without blocking the bed and my view out the back window. The downside (not looking a gift horse in the mouth etc) though is that it IS a tad short. I was hoping it could fit my cooler and dog food container in there as is. The dog food stash I can get something smaller for traveling, not that big of a deal. The cooler though I am using the Ozark Trail walmart special 26 QT cooler(s). I had the first generation which I liked, but needed to put a drain plug in. The second generation has one already! So I got a second generation cooler, the first gen I still have though - it was a smidge under 50 bucks (was on sale, likely so they could clear house for the new ones!!), and it is qualified for bear proof, so I'll use that for dry food (soup cans, granola bars, etc) when I travel now. Should be more than enough. Long of the short - with this toolbox, I will probably look to upgrade in the future to one that has a bit more height to it, so it can fit the cooler(s), and dog food containers as is, inside the bed toolbox.



Anyway - long post aside, nothing groundbreaking for changes but just trying to keep track of the shenanigans I do more for my fun.


OH - also, have 42.5k on the clock, and just went for an alignment today.
Dude called to say it was done,
"Oh was the right wheel out of spec?" (uneven tread wear, that's what clued me in to me needing an alignment)
"Well, everything is out of spec and going all different ways"

yeah, that checks out!

 

Update on the platform:

I put the passenger seat back in on Tuesday afternoon. I needed to put it back in so I can dial it back in for my every-other-year inspection. The platform came out hassle free, the seat went in hassle free, AND the airbag light turned off without needing to do anything! So, I guess it maintained some level of the calibration. Hell if I know what's going on behind the scenes.

So, the good news is that it IS just as easy (if not easier) to get the seat in and out vs a rooftop tend on/off the bed. Bad news is, I am stashing the seat in the back ass corner of my garage when I'm not using it. So it's tucked way away and my garage is a mess in the meantime between now and when I get my inspection

The battery was left connected for both tear out and install, maybe not the best idea but it is what I did. Maybe that helped with maintaining the calibration, I don't know. I think I DID disconnect the battery sometime recently to clean the terminals so there was an instance where I had disconnected the battery with the seat taken out

But, reason I wanted to post this one was to detail putting it back together:

• Seat was 4 14mm bolts. It is currently NOT installed to torque spec, but is wrenched down so I wouldn't say using my TQ wrench would add any real difficulty to the process
• Airbag light handled automatically, didn't need to do anything re: calibration, etc
• Just as easy (if not easier) than mount/dismount of a rooftop tent

And yes, I am sad about having a normal truck again without a sleeping platform! Hah! After inspection I am debating putting it back together this year or waiting the winter. I don't have winter plans but it would be easier to do it now in the warmer weather than wait until February in a snow storm if I wanted to do something. And I could put my garage back together now. I can also stash the seats in my attic, I might do that instead.

 

Platforms back in after passing inspection. Was taking up a lot of space in the garage so I put it back together even though I don't plan to use it until the spring.

Not much going on this winter for building. I'm a pansy for the cold so won't be seeing much build or wheeling.

Have a roof rack to go on Cali raised. Bought used and waiting for dry and warm enough to do the silicone and seal it up, have plastics not breaking when working with them on the cold, etc. Pictures will come.

But I did get this today.

Red letters because I'm cool

 

Installed Cali raised roof rack.

I was solo. So I put down an old blanket over the roof first, closed it into the doors to hold it down. I installed the bolts and stand offs with about 2-3 rotations, and then removed the blanket and positioned the rack. Silicone one at a time, shove it down into the threads and tighten down.

Then tighten up all the other bolts holding it together.

The last picture is for us pre-february built 2020 guys. Shows the Cali raised positioning on the shark fin. This is why OEM rack won't work. Cali raised works. I'm sure prinsu etc are all similar and all work too. Plenty of wiggle room.

 

Many Updates!

• AVS window vents added (….yes, I bought another set). I ripped mine off because I never used them. Then the next week, I went camping and realized - I can’t roll the window down in the rain to sleep in here. No bueno! Was looking to get just the rears somehow but meh, no big deal. They’re nice to have, so I put a new set on.
• Steel bumper - friend built this up, welded it up, monster lined it, and we’re good to go! I haven’t put it through any paces yet, but I’m going out in a few weeks here so I’ll do some light wheeling. It’s kind of a “lightweight” steel bumper, it does what I want my truck to do as a daily. SSO style full plate.
• Kayak J bars and stuff, nothing special there
• Tonneau - scored a soft tri-fold tonneau. Tool box wasn’t deep enough to store the coolers and dog food, unfortunately. So that went (actually, to the guy who did my bumper). Doesn’t work well with the bike fork mounts on the front rails, so it will probably be modular - only takes a few seconds to take on and off.

This summer I will probably be doing a VHF/UHF radio, switch panel and a few lights - mostly just need a chase light

Also decided to scrap the 16” stock wheel idea, so I will burn through my next set I already bought, and then do the same thing but with 17s instead, build up a set of 6 and then get into a 6 wheel rotation on 17s instead of 16s.

Otherwise the plans for the truck are pretty quiet this year. Bumper was the biggest thing. Trip plans are also pretty quiet, nothing outside of new england pretty much

 

Ripped off the rear bumper turning around in the woods.....

The whole weekend I was bouncing off trees and rocks, etc etc. Nothing happened. I go up the trail to take a leak, turn around, fine the dirt, and ripped it off. Ooops.

Chinesium Amazon bumper came in 2 days later. 500$ but "scratch and dent" it was something like 425$ delivered to my door. They touched up the "scratches" and can't even tell that there was an issue. Especially since I know what it will be used for, I wasn't that concerned anyway.

 

Switch Panel!



Wired in as normal. Plenty of How-Tos everywhere. My only input - run the power wire into the cab, don't try to do it in the engine bay fuse box.

8 Gang - it was cheap enough, and it was one of those "Why would I not spend 20$ more to have 2 more in the future just in case, when I can just do it now?" ... at the moment only 2 switches are occupied with definite plan for 1 more (just lights), and ideas for 2 more (Rear camera, horn relay so I can have an air horn on the highway, that one will take some thinkin' to get to, but it's an idea).

Mounting it - I am not that fussed about this truck anymore. 50k on the clock, dented front steel bumper, etc. - it's a woods truck with character already.

So, rather than deal with the BS of moving the TC switch - I left it there. Slapped some 3M zip tie mounts as stand offs. Self tapped it into the cubby panel (not the "main" dash"). From the picture you can see how I can still access the TC switch when the panel is on, and it can rotate to flip down so the lights aren't in my eyes (More on that in a second).

I like the setup. Works well. I haven't bashed my knee off it yet.

The Backlight

So. There's a white wire that comes with it as well. My genius decided - that must be ground. So I grounded it. Turns out, that's the "Dimmer selection". Hit it with a momentary and it will dim the panel through something like 4 different light levels. So, that's my next move. I THINK I can just add it into the switch panel itself.

 

Sup man, truck looking good!

 

So.....it happened......I have a rooftop tent.....




The cab setup is still there for when it's me, or me and the dog. However, when it's me, my wife, and the dog....there's just not enough space. My friend got this tent (actually from a user here!), didn't want to use it compared to a pop up, so I bought it from him.

Bed rack - I used some unistrut, clamped it down using these from Amazon.





This is a picture from the amazon reviews.


(I seem to be unable to find a picture of mine at the moment).

It works. It's on there for when my wife wants to come camping. Chances are it will not be on there for the whole season, only the times she's with me. The cab setup is so much easier, AND I can see out the back window!

 

dang you been busy on that thing since i last saw it! Time for another trip to the KAT!

 

Thanks! How's everything been??

So after the KAT trip we did, I got home, a week later my radiator started pissing coolant, a few miles from home. Got very lucky it wasn't down there! Not sure what caused it. It was fine, I had cleaned the truck a bunch, then went to the car wash. Maybe it was the car wash, maybe not. I don't know.

 

Been good man! Radiator sounds weird that would happen. I dont remember you hitting anything hard enough to cause a leak

 

Yeah it was either plugged up with the mud that came loose, or more likely, something got kicked up and hit it that day. it wasn't a drip, thing was pissing coolant haha.

 

i always bring extra coolant and gear oil just in case

 

Here's my bed rack setup. These clamps and some unistrut across the bed.

With these you need to know where your bed sides have gaps. As you can imagine you probably don't want to be tightening this down to support a tent on a section with a huge cutout or slot here.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/whats-under-our-plastic-bedrail-cover.171513/#post-3567845

 

My bed cross bars do kind of concentrate the load. I never felt unstable at all, but they push on the plastic. It's really important to know where the metal is on your bed sides for these.

I've seen (and used) tool box tie downs that sit on the bed rail and grip onto the bed tracks, those might be better and have the unistrut sit directly on the plastic bed rails.

Once they come off the bed rails go back to their normal shape no problem, but it was noticed.

 

Sup man! Hows it hanging? We heading back to the KAT next Month for memorial day weekend.