Let's See Your Toyota Expedition Build...

[redmuttonchops]

heres my 62

First pic: new years of 2010~~~ Seven Springs rd on way to Verde River ~~~ still full stock set up

Table Mesa Rd during AZROCKS April 2010 MAF Mojave 4" lift and new BFG 31x10.5 notice the yellow tow strap on my bumper after having to be pulled out of the Aqua Fria River after getting stuck(trying to get around a K-5 Blazer who was having his own issues in the midle of the river)

as she currently is today.... just a few camping goodies later. still have along way to go on her

 

[NorCalBorn]

Bump. Show this thread some love!!

Offer up pics from this season's trips and projects everyone!! Post up!!

 

[Combat Chuck]

Bump. Show this thread some love!!

Offer up pics from this season's trips and projects everyone!! Post up!!

I'll post up some concept ideas for The Mule as soon as I figure out how to take a screenshot with Sketchup.

Ha! figured it out! Now if only team Garry Newman could put the finishing touches on Sketchup...

Anyrate, Ignore the fact that the vehicle pictured is an obnoxiously lime-green third-gen RHD, and my skillz in Sketchup are somewhere around "Train wreck", and the toolbox bed changes color.

Anywho, the idea is to have a toolbox bed built that will neatly stash away all me tools and emergency gear in locking containers in the cab, plus extra room for camping gear to keep the main box empty for larger items. You'll notice a smaller door on the passenger side fender, that's for a water-tight box for storing my soldering iron, spare wire, connectors, heatshrink and tape, and an inverter for said iron. I've done alot of electrical work on the The Mule since I brought her home, and plan on being prepared to do more in the field, if needed, or offer my services to others who may need it as well. There's a larger compartment on the opposite side, that's for storing rifles when I go hunting or shooting, the idea is to keep the firearms dry and well away from prying eyes, and not squashed into the very limited space of my cab.
On either side of the wheel well are smaller cabinets, those are for storing sandbags, or ballasts in the winter to keep my tail from going its own direction. I recently learned that this truck is so light, it will skip across rough patches in trails, which is bad, but the good news is, it literally cruises along, on top of mud. Pretty neat.

Finally there is the beefy tonneau cover-ish lid that seals it out. Kinda like a camper-shell without turning my truck into a total blind, wallowing pig. (My dad's ranger has a shell on it, and he doesn't like the nickname I gave it- "Ray Charles".) I really want this thing to be extremely overbuilt because it'll support a roof rack for hauling additional gear to sites, or possibly an RTT if I ever feel saucey enough to invest in one.

Also on my list is a 3" lift, 31" BFG A/T's 35 gallon tank from a blazer, swingout tire carrier since the tank will replace the stock tire spot, built FF rear axle, and someday a more powerful motor. I've settled on either a 3RZ, or a 1PZ, whichever I can lay my hands on easier. Right now, though, I've taken her camping once so far, and it was great, and I've been busy patching all the holes suddenly driving a 27 year-old truck gets when she's suddenly driven like mad after near a decade of inactivity.

 

[Combat Chuck]

someday...

 

[ildhane]

not much of a build but my 60 is ready for any trip, this picture is from my last semi long journey with all my belongings and furniture inside.

 

[doug720]

That is a good looking 60!

Even the color is growing on me...But I'm still partial to Charcoal Gray.

Doug

 

[NorCalBorn]

@CombatChuck..I'm kind-of liking the CAT-Yellow Bit..but I might be biased after this pal's build up..

They also have these in sketchup for anyone wanting to play before cutting..
'95 (2nd Gen) 4Runner w/ SAS.

X-TraCab

StandardCab

*This next one so screams for yellow KC light covers! Marty's ride

Marty's New Truck after Biff stole his 1st Gen

Hilux DoubleCab

StandardCab Expo Conversion

I got tons more..lol..I might just start a new thread w/ these!!

 

[NorCalBorn]

I forgot to post this above.."Work in Progress versus Before" picture?

 

[Combat Chuck]

@CombatChuck..I'm kind-of liking the CAT-Yellow Bit..but I might be biased after this pal's build up..

Nice new rims!
I just stole the rims from my Land Cruiser to get rid of those horrific mags the POs threw on there.

I kinda like the idea, too. I'm debating painting the mule mottled asymmetric grey, or something patterned after this:

 

[Bogo]

StandardCab

So where's this one? The lime green Toyota that looks like a standard cab has the lines of a '94 standard cab, but body dimensions of the previous generation. Without doing my own it was what was available a couple years ago.

 

[NorCalBorn]

@Bogo, here you go. They're under "Hilux" "Hilux Surf", "Toyota Ute". Use worldwide vehicle names instead and it broadens the search criteria.

Toyota Hilux single cab by Pasawut ® - Google 3D Warehouse

 

[Bogo]

@Bogo, here you go. They're under "Hilux" "Hilux Surf", "Toyota Ute". Use worldwide vehicle names instead and it broadens the search criteria.

Toyota Hilux single cab by Pasawut ® - Google 3D Warehouse

Quick inspection says they started with the lime green one. I should make an attempt to rescale the body dimensions of the lime green one to make them correct for the 1991 to 1997 Hilux, but I won't have time to do that for awhile.

When I discovered the issue I just quickly made my own axles and tires at the right scale and placement. I also have a frame point set that presents the right places for the rear bed mounting points in relationship to the rear wall of the cab and rear wheels. I gathered the mounting point data from the frame diagrams in the FSM, and from measuring my own truck. That allows designing the right mounting structure for the rear body. The only issue is the poorly made model has a cab that is a tiny bit short and narrow. My back doesn't mate to the cab so it isn't an issue except for getting a proper idea what it will look like. It is close enough.

Here is another view but with the top up:

Yes, full standing height inside, and hard sides for bear territory. Also fully insulated for cold winter use, and air conditioned summer use. The original design had only 1" of insulation, but the double pane RV windows I want to use have a 1.8" deep frame and need 1.6" minimum wall thickness. I may switch to a single pane RV window so I can go back to 1" thick walls.

Low drag when driving with the top down is one of the driving design considerations. My current design is a little bit narrower so it tucks behind the cab better. The top also goes down a bit below the tops of the wheel wells. This gets the lowered height the same as the top of the cab. It will require replacing the mirrors with ones that mount just a few inches wider. Also the current design is 100% glued construction. No AL welding which I don't have the equipment for. I can have fabricators make all the pieces, then I can glue them together using auto body glues.

 

[NorCalBorn]

I'm still waiting to see some more 80's and 100 series.

 

[sandcruiser]

If you were to put water-storage tanks in your "ballast" spots, it would be easy to adjust the ballast level on an ongoing basis. And it would be a good spot to carry water when you are traveling.

Or you could add fuel storage.

also: there are a number of butane-powered soldering irons that work well, and are compact. Also, they work when your electrical system is dodgy, which might be when you need them the most.

You'll notice a smaller door on the passenger side fender, that's for a water-tight box for storing my soldering iron, spare wire, connectors, heatshrink and tape, and an inverter for said iron. ......[snip]
On either side of the wheel well are smaller cabinets, those are for storing sandbags, or ballasts in the winter to keep my tail from going its own direction. .

 

[Combat Chuck]

Thanks for the tips!
Yeah, the design's on its way back to the drawing board for some other ideas, so I'll look into the possibility of water tanks as storage.
Other ideas being kicked around: extending the wheelbase by moving the rear axle back with longer springs for improved stability, and building the box with very little frame overhang to improve wheel clearance.

 

[JO MAOMA]

 

[Bogo]

Thanks for the tips!
Yeah, the design's on its way back to the drawing board for some other ideas, so I'll look into the possibility of water tanks as storage.

Built in water tanks need freeze proofing, or to be emptied in the winter.

How about a house lead acid battery bank where the spare tire normally goes. Lots of weight real low. I figured on a heavy duty rack to hold two or three group 31 batteries in that place.

Another possibility is a storage rack for jerry cans there. Two are easy to fit up there. Removing the spare tire hanging hardware allows more to be squeezed up there. The big issue is the exhaust pipe goes by there.

I decided that water would just be in LCI style jerry cans and keep them in purpose built lockers just in front of the rear wheels. Only works if you are making a back to replace the pickup bed. Depending on tire size, two should fit in front of the rear wheels on each side. Unfortunately it requires moving the pickup bed mount. The mount needs turning around so it doesn't stick into the space. That gives 4 jerry cans for water or fuel in any mix. If you move the rear wheels back, more could be fit there. If you want propane for heating or cooking the propane tank could go on one side or the other and jerry cans on the other side. It is also a spot where the house lead acid batteries could be placed. Put one or two on each side in a lower locker with another locker above for other stuff. Note, the top of this locker is higher than the pickup bed floor. I figured that the wheel well hump in the back would just be extended forward. That actually helps make metal work for the back easier.

My current bed design has the interior floor in front and behind the wheel wells at the same height as the wheel wells. On both sides that space is lockers accessible from the outside. It would be possible to make them accessible form the inside, but I decided against that. It also means if I do lengthen the wheelbase later, I just have to rebuild the side lockers, while everything inside stays the same.

Other ideas being kicked around: extending the wheelbase by moving the rear axle back with longer springs for improved stability, and building the box with very little frame overhang to improve wheel clearance.

OK, steering geometry is best with the standard cab and 6.5' bed. That is to say it is optimized for that length of wheelbase. Longer and shorter wheelbase layouts have some built in scrubbing of one of the front tires when turning. Toyota gave all the truck length combinations the same front suspension setup. I've considered going with the extended cab drive shaft setup and pushing my rear wheels that much further back (11"?). I need to do a bit of frame repair to the frame rail tips. When I looked into the steering parts to find out what I needed to change for the added length, it was all the same part numbers. The reason I haven't done this yet is it changes the turning radius. Right now the truck turns around on a narrow road quite well. That is a feature I may want to retain for photography trips. I'll still add nearly a foot of overhang at the rear to allow a longer bed platform in back, but at this point I don't think I'll move the rear wheels.

 

[Combat Chuck]

Built in water tanks need freeze proofing, or to be emptied in the winter.

How about a house lead acid battery bank where the spare tire normally goes. Lots of weight real low. I figured on a heavy duty rack to hold two or three group 31 batteries in that place.

Another possibility is a storage rack for jerry cans there. Two are easy to fit up there. Removing the spare tire hanging hardware allows more to be squeezed up there. The big issue is the exhaust pipe goes by there.

I decided that water would just be in LCI style jerry cans and keep them in purpose built lockers just in front of the rear wheels. Only works if you are making a back to replace the pickup bed. Depending on tire size, two should fit in front of the rear wheels on each side. Unfortunately it requires moving the pickup bed mount. The mount needs turning around so it doesn't stick into the space. That gives 4 jerry cans for water or fuel in any mix. If you move the rear wheels back, more could be fit there. If you want propane for heating or cooking the propane tank could go on one side or the other and jerry cans on the other side. It is also a spot where the house lead acid batteries could be placed. Put one or two on each side in a lower locker with another locker above for other stuff. Note, the top of this locker is higher than the pickup bed floor. I figured that the wheel well hump in the back would just be extended forward. That actually helps make metal work for the back easier.

My current bed design has the interior floor in front and behind the wheel wells at the same height as the wheel wells. On both sides that space is lockers accessible from the outside. It would be possible to make them accessible form the inside, but I decided against that. It also means if I do lengthen the wheelbase later, I just have to rebuild the side lockers, while everything inside stays the same.


OK, steering geometry is best with the standard cab and 6.5' bed. That is to say it is optimized for that length of wheelbase. Longer and shorter wheelbase layouts have some built in scrubbing of one of the front tires when turning. Toyota gave all the truck length combinations the same front suspension setup. I've considered going with the extended cab drive shaft setup and pushing my rear wheels that much further back (11"?). I need to do a bit of frame repair to the frame rail tips. When I looked into the steering parts to find out what I needed to change for the added length, it was all the same part numbers. The reason I haven't done this yet is it changes the turning radius. Right now the truck turns around on a narrow road quite well. That is a feature I may want to retain for photography trips. I'll still add nearly a foot of overhang at the rear to allow a longer bed platform in back, but at this point I don't think I'll move the rear wheels.

Maybe I should make a thread for this thing, to get everything back on topic.
I've more or less scrapped the notion of the extended wheelbase, I love how tight this thing's turning radius is, and i don't want to change that. As far as rear weight goes, as soon as I can afford to do this, I've got a 35-gallon fuel tank from a K5 Blazer that I plan on mounting in place of the spare tire carrier.
The more I think about this, the more I like the idea of getting a 70-series pickup bed, and building the boxes into it.

 

[Bogo]

Maybe I should make a thread for this thing, to get everything back on topic.
I've more or less s****ped the notion of the extended wheelbase, I love how tight this thing's turning radius is, and i don't want to change that.

Yeah, I looked into extending the wheelbase allot then realized it would likely mess with the turning radius more than I'd like and s****ped it. My last trip to Yellowstone showed me how much a tight turning radius helps. Previous trips I'd used a mini truck. This last trip I had a full sized extended cab pickup as I needed the space for passengers. Much harder to find a place to quickly turn around and get back to spotted wildlife or to catch a legal parking spot.

As far as rear weight goes, as soon as I can afford to do this, I've got a 35-gallon fuel tank from a K5 Blazer that I plan on mounting in place of the spare tire carrier.

As long as you don't get into an accident that punctures it, it's a good solution. Liabilities is why I'm sticking to jerry cans for fuel. Another reason is there are very few situations where I expect I'll need that much extra fuel. The only one being trips to far northern parts of Canada. For those trips I expect to pull a trailer for fuel and extra spare tires. Finally there is weight. At 6.5lbs per gallon that is 228 lbs plus tank weight out of the already limited carrying capacity of the mini truck.

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea of getting a 70-series pickup bed, and building the boxes into it.

Will the bed fit between the wheel wells?

 

[zidaro]

my travel toy.