jaybashant
Member
My name is Jay and I have spent a bunch of time seeing how other folks have built thier dream offroad campers and thank everyone who has posted and shared!
I am about a month into this off road camper build. I bought a beater 77 Toyota Chinook for the fiberglass shell and pop up and had it shipped down to Stuart Florida from Indiana....
I bought the 50K mile 2013 4x4 Tacoma at a salvage auction in NY and had it shipped... it was smacked from the driver's side rear. Pulled the bed off.. replaced the rear end with a low mile salvage one (bent axel and housing)...replaced rear shocks, driver's side leaf and frame shackle bracket... added 1500 lb super spring helpers and had the front end aligned. I want to keep the 4.0L Tacoma as stock as I can but am sure I will be revisiting suspension at some point. The truck has a Off-road TRD package and tow package with transmission cooler and high output alternator and factory 400 watt inverter.
Pulled the camper off the old Toyota and gutted it including the floors... I rebuilt the structure in the pop up roof as it was sagging fiberglass with rotten wood structure.
Cut 10" out of the front of the camper and laminated it back together. This put 10" more camper on top of the roof to compensate for the Access Cab and moves the weight forward. We have molded in mounts for the Tacoma taillights which are going to look pretty sexy...
My friend Pat has welded a 1x3 steel frame to mount to the truck and create a flat mount for the camper... this will beef up the cab structure as I will eventually cut out the roof and back of the cab to create a walk through.
The photos show a dry fit with no floors in yet. I plan a welded steel subfloor with a foam composit fiberglass floor. We have new crank out Windows to install. A propane system for cooking (outside pull out Chuck wagon)... 3kw propane generator, inverter, 3 way fridge, AC and plan a 100 watt solar system...
Lots to go but a good start. I plan to wander central and south America. I lived 4 years in southern Belize and have spent a bunch of time in Guatemala. I have talked to many travelers in everything from Hilux's with tents to rigged out Unimogs who were passing through Belize... Very inspirational.
Hoping to have the floors in and the Chinook mounted in the next week or so. I have a friend helping and it is moving along...
I have pics from the beginning but the uploading is tedious for some reason... I may have to dump them in a photo bucket
I am about a month into this off road camper build. I bought a beater 77 Toyota Chinook for the fiberglass shell and pop up and had it shipped down to Stuart Florida from Indiana....
I bought the 50K mile 2013 4x4 Tacoma at a salvage auction in NY and had it shipped... it was smacked from the driver's side rear. Pulled the bed off.. replaced the rear end with a low mile salvage one (bent axel and housing)...replaced rear shocks, driver's side leaf and frame shackle bracket... added 1500 lb super spring helpers and had the front end aligned. I want to keep the 4.0L Tacoma as stock as I can but am sure I will be revisiting suspension at some point. The truck has a Off-road TRD package and tow package with transmission cooler and high output alternator and factory 400 watt inverter.
Pulled the camper off the old Toyota and gutted it including the floors... I rebuilt the structure in the pop up roof as it was sagging fiberglass with rotten wood structure.
Cut 10" out of the front of the camper and laminated it back together. This put 10" more camper on top of the roof to compensate for the Access Cab and moves the weight forward. We have molded in mounts for the Tacoma taillights which are going to look pretty sexy...
My friend Pat has welded a 1x3 steel frame to mount to the truck and create a flat mount for the camper... this will beef up the cab structure as I will eventually cut out the roof and back of the cab to create a walk through.
The photos show a dry fit with no floors in yet. I plan a welded steel subfloor with a foam composit fiberglass floor. We have new crank out Windows to install. A propane system for cooking (outside pull out Chuck wagon)... 3kw propane generator, inverter, 3 way fridge, AC and plan a 100 watt solar system...
Lots to go but a good start. I plan to wander central and south America. I lived 4 years in southern Belize and have spent a bunch of time in Guatemala. I have talked to many travelers in everything from Hilux's with tents to rigged out Unimogs who were passing through Belize... Very inspirational.
Hoping to have the floors in and the Chinook mounted in the next week or so. I have a friend helping and it is moving along...
I have pics from the beginning but the uploading is tedious for some reason... I may have to dump them in a photo bucket
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