1991 Dodge W250 Overland Tourer Build and Adventures

[1stgenoverland]

I know it’s not much of a camper idea since it’s an off the shelf four wheel camper but the whole rig was a culmination of ideas from a couple decades of different builds with overlanding as the focus. Honestly besides being loud I’d say the first gens are a perfect platform to build off. The four wheel camper I bought new for a 2012 Toyota Tacoma then decided to build the dodge around that camper. In a lot of ways the first gens aren’t all that much bigger than a late model Tacoma . Turned out drastically better than the Tacoma in every category besides noise. The bodies are quite thin and the factory paint isn’t great but if you make sure no body rust gets ignored I don’t see why you couldn’t keep one earning its keep for a lifetime. Getrag might not have the best rep but seems like at lower power levels with sensible driving and care they last just fine.

Well, my camper is also off the shelf, but it doesn't have that sweet pop up roof. I think about that a lot actually, I'd sure love to fit under some trees, once in awhile.

I do agree with you that the first gen is hardly bigger than the modern Tacoma. I've been offroading a couple times with friends who drive Tacoma's and they all agree that my truck looks big and feels big, but seems to fit in all the same places and burn half as much fuel.

Most of my paint is covered up by an extra layer of logging company colours...I'll just keep slathering on keeping it tidy. I have two small rust patches to fix currently, and plan to do a few more repairs when I get down to Mexico.

I actually don't mind the getrag. Sure it makes a few noises and buzzes under certain loads, but its easy enough to work on, and I feel like on an overland trip, if I did run into an issue, I feel like to could be rebuilt on a picnic table, worse case scenario

 

[burt]

Does the tranny make noises in high torque conditions? My truck isn’t far from stock power but the tranny is as Smooth and quiet as any manual I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed with turning it up though. Maybe experiment with fluids overfilled of course. My taco was a 4cyl and my first gen gets almost the same fuel economy fully armored and Loaded for extended travel as the taco empty. Load the taco down and try to keep up with mountain traffic and it and the difference becomes large. I put a ord magnum range box in mine which I absolutely love.

 

[1stgenoverland]

Does the tranny make noises in high torque conditions? My truck isn’t far from stock power but the tranny is as Smooth and quiet as any manual I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed with turning it up though. Maybe experiment with fluids overfilled of course. My taco was a 4cyl and my first gen gets almost the same fuel economy fully armored and Loaded for extended travel as the taco empty. Load the taco down and try to keep up with mountain traffic and it and the difference becomes large. I put a ord magnum range box in mine which I absolutely love.

Yeah mine does make noise in high torque conditions. I've played around with fluid and levels and have tried between 5w30 and15w40. Doesn't seem to make a difference at all under those certain torque loads. I do intend to pull it and reshim the bearings before I go on my trip and when I do my new clutch.

 

[burt]

Post up pics of the trans work If you feel like it. I’ve never had a getrag apart.

 

[1stgenoverland]

Post up pics of the trans work If you feel like it. I’ve never had a getrag apart.

When I get there, I for sure will.

 

[1stgenoverland]

So, How do I fund my overland builds? Mainly I work as a mechanic, for a logging company, but, when the opportunity presents itself, I love to work on vintage Landcruisers. A fellow, more travelled overlander, Needed some work done on his landcruiser. I offered to travel a number of hours to his place to swap in another engine, as the one that he had was really tired, with low compression. He plans on a huge trip with this landcruiser, so it's been fun to be apart of the project.
I walked in on this view of the Landcruiser on day one. He had done quite a bit of the removal and marked everything diligently. This makes a mechanics heart happy.





I suppose this is where the mechanic comes in. Going through another used engine, and deciding if its any better then the previous. It definitely is! Good compression, good bottom end. Just needed a clean and fresh gaskets.


Here's the new block installed in the landcruiser with some tape to protect it until I can return to put the head on. It was in the machine shop, at my request, being tested and machined accordingly.


Here's the Head installed and torqued down. You can see I'm a real stickler for marking head bolts to make sure that they're all done and in order. Three dots means three passes 30-60-90 ftlbs in that order.

At some point, I really need to start working on my own truck. To be honest, Its so much easier working on things with people. This landcruiser project has been a lot of fun for that reason.

 

[frojoe]

Saw your rig driving off the ferry in Departure Bay last night.. I was 1st in line to get on the lower deck of the boat, you drove right in front of me..... truck and camper setup looks great!

 

[1stgenoverland]

Saw your rig driving off the ferry in Departure Bay last night.. I was 1st in line to get on the lower deck of the boat, you drove right in front of me..... truck and camper setup looks great!

You know, When I was sitting in Horseshoe bay, waiting for the ferry, I wondered if maybe we'd bump into each other or recognize our rigs in passing. So that actually happened accept that I missed seeing yours. Next time!

 

[frojoe]

You know, When I was sitting in Horseshoe bay, waiting for the ferry, I wondered if maybe we'd bump into each other or recognize our rigs in passing. So that actually happened accept that I missed seeing yours. Next time!

Haha no way, that's funny! In all fairness, I was driving a different truck.. a "hand painted camo" Chevy C20 regular cab with a Kubota tractor in the 8ft bed, and it was pretty dark at the front of the lane I was parked. I'm sure we'll cross paths again though.

 

[1stgenoverland]

Haha no way, that's funny! In all fairness, I was driving a different truck.. a "hand painted camo" Chevy C20 regular cab with a Kubota tractor in the 8ft bed, and it was pretty dark at the front of the lane I was parked. I'm sure we'll cross paths again though.

definitely!

 

[1stgenoverland]

Here's the pilot hole injectors I was talking about in the previous post. If you zoom in on the second picture, You will see the tiniest hole with two larger holes. That is the magic formula. I installed them, and realized, I had a whole bunch more pump tuning than I thought I had. One the first drive, with just the injectors, before retuning, I may more may not have added to my carbon foot print. Lots of black smoke and the engine was boosting past the turbos wastegate. Detuned, still burning rich, detuned some more, still not happy, detuned a third time, and have it close. Still trying to get the last of the inappropriate smoke out of the tune.

It's pretty amazing how well these injectors work. They are quieter!, they idle smoother, and the turbo builds crazy boost, super fast. I still need to dial them in better, but I'm generally super impressed by them. Detuned the pump a lot from what I had it set at for the factory injectors, and its still has more power than before. I hope it translates into better fuel mileage. We shall see. So far, Its been terrible, as I can't keep my foot out of it. Just puts a ******** eating grin on my face, it's so fun to drive. Not to mention the camper has been on it. Best fuel mileage so far has been, 13L/100km, worst has been coming home in stop and go traffic, with a bad headwind, and I got 16L/100km.