ROTM, my family travel rig. Lots of DIY. (1 Viewer)

[MikePL]

So I titled my post as Rig Of The Month but for me it's actually rig of my lifetime. This is not only because of all of the mods, but mainly because of all the memories, all the unforgettable moments with my wife and kids which will never happen again. You know, kids grow up... I can build another vehicle anytime but I will not repeat all the great moments spent with my toddlers. So remember, if you plan to spend time with your loved ones next year or next month, better do it next week. Let's go on to the tech part...

THE BASE

The base is a 96 LX450. Pretty rusty and neglected as I change parts whenever they fall on the road behind me. Before that happens, it's still not time to replace. But on the other hand, we talk to our truck and try to give it positive energy so in spite of spending very little money on maintenance, the truck drives well and we have developed some kind of mutual trust. Stock engine, stainless steel exhaust (I welded it), Dobinsons Australian suspension (was cheaper than OME), 33 inch tires. Stainless steel front bumper and carbon steel rear bumper (pretty rusty but I like the rat-style look). I've had my LX for over 11 years without major problems. Actually no problems at all and have spent no more than $2k on maintenance per decade. No other vehicle comes close to that.

 

[MikePL]

ELECTRICITY

I have a 150W solar panel on the hood. It is connedted to a PWM solar regulator which keeps my second battery happy and charged. I use the main battery only for vehicle operation and the second battery is a separate circuit for my camping equipment. This allows me to use electricity without worrying that my truck won't start the next morning. I have a switch which lests me connect both batteries but having the solar panel, I don't have to use it that much. I use normal acid batteries. I don't need deep cycle batteries because my batteries aren't drained that much so why pay more for marine-grade gel stuff.

I have LED lights in the cabin: LED lights in the doors, LED light in the main bulb sockets and additional LED strips in the front, center and back of the cabin.

I try to keep my circuits as simple as possible as this is good in case something happens on the trail.

 

[MikePL]

RAISED FLOOR

I have placed a piece of plywood on a similar height as the folded second row seats. This lets me have a large sleeping area for the kids and some storage space underneath. I used 1/2" plywood which is quite light and if it has enough support points, it can even carry 2000lbs. Yes. I tested my plywood while I was transporting two thousand pounds of scrap metal. No problems at all.

 

[MikePL]

REFRIGERATOR

I use a compressor fridge, made for DAF trucks. It uses the most popular (probably the only good) native 12V compressor made by Danfoss, the BD35f. The fridge is shaped like a drawer which lets me organize food fairly easily, gives me good access and so on. Previously I had a fridge opened from the top (like the Engel ones) and, with the same compartment volume (40 liters), it was a nightmare to use. I assure you that drawer-style fridges are absolutely the best. The fridge is very silent, reliable and efficient. It can be powered all night long with a 60-70Ah battery without draining it significantly. In the morning the sun starts the charging (via the solar panel) and the cycle goes on like that every day. I have used batteries from 60-100Ah and 60Ah is the recommended minimum so it's best to buy a bigger one, just to have some kind of safety buffer.

 

[MikePL]

WATER

Right by the fridge is the 18-gallon water tank. Inside the tank there is a water pump which recirculates water to the plate heat exchanger in the engine compartment. When the engine is running the 18 gallons of water are heated up to 107*F within 5-7 minutes. When the engine is started from a cold state it needs around 12 minutes to heat the water. Why do we need this? Because it's nice to have a hot shower every evening. It has to be a short shower because we need to save water but still better than going to bed with a dirty a$$. If I don't want to start the engine I can use a Webasto 5kW gasoline heater, connected inline, also in the engine bay. Due to the smaller heating power (5kW) it needs around 20 minutes to heat the entire tank. But in the evening this is a good timespan for us to eat supper before showering. The temperature is controlled by an electronic thermostat which allows me to set a precise temperature, hysteresis and some other things. It cost me $10 and works like a charm.

Water is pumped outside with another, external membrane pump. Water flow is controlled by a garden water gun. Easy to replace worldwide and cheap. I have glued a switch to it so once I press the gun, the pump starts working.

 

[MikePL]

FURNITURE

I have made a single cabinet inside the truck. It is made of lightweight ceiba wood (plywood and wood sandwich). Looks nice and gives additional storage. It has hinges with built-in hydraulic dampers so the doors don't slam against the cabinet.

 

[MikePL]

MORE STORAGE

So what is this ostrich-like ass thing on the back? It's a remodeled upper liftgate so that it opens horizontally and no vertically as in the US-spec 80 series. I needed to have a strong build (because of the tire weight) so my upper hinge had to be way up and this meant that I had to extend the upper pivoting point to the outside of the vehicle to keep it inline with the lower one. For the sake of rigidity I have welded metal plates to the C-pillar. The entire 'closet' is a steel tube skeleton with gaps filled with 1" XPS and all wrapped in a thin layer of fiberglass weave and soaked in epoxy resin. It's a typical sandwich type of construction to keep things light and stiff. I had to build a steel skeleton as I intended to hang my spare tire on the back and it weighs quite a bit (plus all the stuff hidden inside the 'closet'). I must tell you that although this mod might make the truck look ugly, it has changed our lives for the better. No more cluttered cargo area, no more clothes in crates, much more space for the kids and for us.

 

[MikePL]

Some more liftgate photos...

 

[MikePL]

And even more liftgate photos.

 

[MikePL]

LOWER GATE
The lower gate is typical stuff. I have replaced the lining with a hatch-door and I have storage for rarely used items, tools, shackles etc. I used laminated lightweight plywood for the gate mod.

 

[MikePL]

COOKING

We use a 2-burner hob. Nothing special, just a household item slightly modified for ease of use outdoors. Gas is stored in a 11lb canister right by the water tank. Setting up the kitchen is a matter of seconds. Putting the hob on the lower gate is 5 seconds and connecting the hose is 10 seconds. My wife is obsessed with fresh food and I absolutely agree with her, so no canned food, no dry stuff, no chocolate snacks, energy bars and Chinese noodle soups. We are dedicated to cooking fresh stuff every single day, no matter the circumstances so the hob sees a lot of daily use and it works great.

 

[MikePL]

CENTER CONSOLE

The center console is made of laminated plywood. It is very lightweight and stiff. I could use a different material and of a different color but this plywood was around the house so I used it for the truck. I like reusing things. I am not bothered by the dark red color which doesn't match the rest but it was available, just as the orange cushions. The wide and big center console can store plenty of items. Usually it carries some cables, chargers, iPad, my DSLR with three lenses, documents, spare fuses etc. and it is still half full. This center console is tall enough to serve as an armrest and it is also wide from seat to seat. The console goes deep right to the floor. The bottom is angled so that it sits on the entire floor of the vehicle. One important function of the center console is being a step which lets us climb through the sunroof. But why would anyone want to climb over there? Wait for the next part and see

 

[MikePL]

SLEEPING

I like roof top tents but there is always something wrong with them. They are quite expensive, they are made to fit a variety of vehicles so they are usually too small for a larger truck, they can only be accessed from the outside of the vehicle and they are heavy. I wanted to address all those issues so my roof top tent ended up being quite extreme. First of all it is quite spacious, so that I can also sit in it, enjoy the views, play with the kids, drink wine with my wife and not only sleep. My tent is over 8ft long, 5ft wide and 4ft high. The lower part is made entirely of aluminum (the frame) and carbon fiber and nomex (kevlar) sandwich (the floor). The upper part is carbon fiber and nomex, covered with a zebra-like wood veneer and soaked with epoxy resin. The tent is supported on four aluminum arms and gas struts lift it immediately, which is important for me as I hate fiddling with camping gear when I'm tired. I just want to unlock, pull up and go to sleep. For safety reasons I didn't want an external entrance as i was afraid of my kids falling from the roof, so we step on the center console and enter the 'bedroom' through the sunroof. Note that the sunroof is insulated around its perimeter so the sunroof is constantly open. I actually removed the glass to save weight and space. All that carbon fiber and aluminum make for a tent which is 30% bigger that commercial ones and probably still 30% lighter as I installed it alone and I am not a strong guy.

 

[MikePL]

More tent photos....

 

[MikePL]

And, you guessed it, more tent photos...

 

[MikePL]

Movies galore....





Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series build. Part 3

Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series build. Part 4

Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series build. Part 5

 

[MikePL]

ENDING

I really enjoy travelling with my Land Cruiser and my kids have learned so many things during our trips. If anyone of you ever hesitates to go overlanding, please don't.

This is officially...

THE END

of my official writeup. Now you can kill me for spamming.

There are still numerous details which are not covered but that's simply too much to write about in one shot. Just keep asking questions. I will also post some offroad action videos in the future. I hope you enjoyed this thread...

 

[mingles]

AWESOME build! I love the out of the box (literally) thinking on the rear hatch.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[cowboyjack]

Wow! Just wow!

 

[ERG80]

Very cool! Nice to see some new ideas!