The Red Dragon Taco Build

[ginger_taco03]

Hi guys, just joined the website, this is my overland vehicle project. Bought this truck three years ago, its a 2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 access cab in radiant red colour. Lots of fun and adventure in this truck so far, had 160 000 km when i bought it and I'm at 205 xxx km now. Only replaced the front wheel bearings and belt tensioner pulley bearing since i own it , cost me less than 400$ to fix so I'm pretty happy on the reliability side. I was using my truck mainly to load my dirt bike and go camping so didn't do much modification on the truck since i own it. But i plan on traveling around america in the next 5 years so Im starting to turn the " Red Dragon " into an overlander.

The day I brought it home :victory:



This is how the truck looks today :sombrero:



Now I've been doing a lot of research on this site and spent hours looking at build threads and i have a pretty good idea of what a truck needs to be considered an overlanding vehicle, so hopefully i won't do anything wrong. For the moment I'm a little bit on a budget due to low work hours and other hobbies requiring some money attention, so for now I'm going to concentrate on the stuff i know i can do for cheap like armour, bed rack, bed drawer system cause i plan on building everything myself at work ( Im a welder,fabricator ). Everything else that i need to purchase like roof top tent, awning, fridge, suspension, winch, lights, snorkel will be bought along later this winter (hopefully).

This is the bed/roof rack i designed, I want a locking box on the driver side for quick access to recovery gear. I would also like the rack to extend over the roof and pass the end of the bed for extra roof storage.



For the bed drawer system i want a built in slide out sink and oven, with onboard water tank.A space for the slide out fridge and a couple drawer for cooking and camp supply. Might also hide the air compressor and tank inside the box. The top deck will slide to access gear out back.



If anyone has question or suggestion please don't be shy to reply

 

[TX03RUBI]

That's going to be a hell of a set up. Look forward to seeing the outcome!

 

[tonkaman]

That's a beauty! I can't wait to see it made

 

[ginger_taco03]

So here are the mods I've done on the truck so far :

First thing i did is change the chrome grill to a colour match one, and blacked out headlights


Then I put some new shoes on it, 285/70r17 Super Swamper on 17X9.5" Fuel Off Road Formula aluminium wheels


Then I got a deal at work for a 4'x8' x 3/16" metal sheet and built my front bumper, its pre drilled for a winch and has two clevis mounts



With all the weight up front the tires rubbed a lot without lift so i put in 2.5" coils spacers temporarily, really not the best lift option

I installed a Kenwood DNX5190 double din with built in Garmin navigation system and bluetooth, along with sub and amp


Built a suport plate for the Blue Sea fuse box ( still have to install it )


And recently I made these 1 x 1.5 x 3/8" tabs, drilled and tapped to put in the bed rail system so i can mount the bed rack

 

[BentBomber]

Will be awesome with the bed rack an all installed. I just got a 2012 access cab and am looking for inspiration.

 

[ginger_taco03]

Thanks Joshua, just looked at Bomber Product, will get that tool and oil bag for sure. I'll probably get the steel for my sliders and bed rack this week, still not sure if the drawer system will be made out of steel or wood…maybe a hybrid steel frame and wood drawers. I found where I'll get my ball bearing sliders from. The on board water tank will be 30 gallons ( 34" X 12 " X 17") hooked up to a water pump. Will also have a propane water heater for the shower. Found all the stuff for the solar panel system that will charge the twin battery setup in the bed, the solar panel will be mounted on the storage box lid on top of the bed rack.I have a lot of time off work now so the build might speed up a little ( if i can keep it cheap ). If you are interested in the parts I'm going to use I will post all the links.

Thanks, Gabriel.

 

[BentBomber]

I'll keep an eye on what you get done over the next little bit. I'm debating between a bed rack and a cap. My 1st gen had a cap with the drawer system built in which was great for keeping water out. How do you plan on keeping your drawers from leaking? Thats the biggest reason I'm leaning towards a cap instead of the bed rack is keeping everything dry.

Glad to hear you checked out the page! Let me know if you want to pick something up, I might work up an Expedition Portal discount or something.

 

[ginger_taco03]

Yes you're right I forgot to mansion I changed the design on the bed rack a bit, the drawing is all most done. It wil have 3 storage box and it will be closed with thin gauge steel and sealed,cheeper than a shell and pretty solid. The challenge will be keeping it light.

 

[BentBomber]

That sounds pretty cool. Have you thought about using aluminum instead of steel? More work and a bit more costly, but might lighter.