Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Also for those Tacoma guys, the biggest ride quality change I felt in the rear was doing a set of hangars. BAMF, Archive, whatever it may be - Made a huge, huge difference in how planted the rear end felt and probably one of my favorite mods. Definitely recommend it if you have a buildout in the bed + the camper, trust.

 

No I have not, ran the last set of tires with that for 50k miles, still had good tread left on the tire but they were so noisy it was unbearable. Just got a new set of the same tire yesterday, run 42 in the front, 46 in the rear.

 

You may want to chalk test and check; I'd be surprised if 46psi cold is what you chalk at. Just trying to help make your ride even better

 

Took some trial and error, started with a set of OME medium duty springs, they sagged after a year, added a leaf, they sagged again after a year with about 2" to the bump stops. Rode that way for a while but it was like driving a boat.

Added the super bumps first as it was an easy and cheap way to absorb the shocks. Then swapped the springs, drove across the country with my whole family like that and it was great. Then added a sway bar but didn't really notice much difference, maybe a little when switching left/right quickly. Finally got a spec sheet from ARB that tells you what values to set the shocks to for various loads and the thing became unbelievably good. Now the new tires are like a cherry on top.

 

Yes forgot to mention, also have the BAMF hangers and shackles.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the follow up

 

Without question. Hammer hangers & shackles are amazing. I’m thinking about adding the cross bar even.

 

Stock rear shocks only lasted 10k. Broke one and blew the other. Dever stage 3 springs installed. It was sure a bouncy ride finishing up the trail. Waiting on Fox to finish the rear, 10.5 months now.( If anybody has pull with Fox let me know.

 

Ouch!

 

Megamat is the best upgrade we've made in 3 years of owning this thing.

 

How have you enjoyed having the tern back door? Do you find it blocks most air coming in (is it sealed well to the truck bed)? I'd love to see more pictures of it if you get the time!

 

Love the door, had to make adjustments to make it seal. Super easy to get in and out of. No crawling over the tailgate at night. The screen is killer! We’ve camped in some high heat lately and with the door, windows and hatches open and the fan running it sure helps. Don’t miss the tailgate or rear window. After sealing the back and adjusting the door I haven’t had much dust in the Drifter.

 

Back locks with two dead bolts and very secure while traveling.

 

Do you know if the door can be offset to the passenger side?

 

I do not know. View from inside with screen closed.

 

From what I've seen and know from photos posted, this is able to retrofit existing Drifters.

The Arctic Tern door is tall enough such that what is currently 1/8" aluminum above the rear window will need to be cut into, so choose your door position wisely.

 

Thank you for the extra pictures. Helps me make my choice!

 

Which do you think you'll choose!

 

I'm slightly torn - I think that the door would be an excellent choice, but the tern door @ 26" width is very narrow. The main problem that I have with the Ram tailgate/bed is how difficult it is to seal it. The Tacoma composite bed is extremely simple compared to the Ram. At this point, I believe the tailgate would be a better choice for me. Money saved will pay for powder coat.

 

You can also retrofit later. It's a single piece of metal that is riveted to the existing Drifter body and a small piece cut out above the rear window so that the Arctic Tern door can fit since it's tall. (plus the sealing and attachment to where the tailgate was)