Take The Truck's 84 Xtracab Pickup Build

[takethetruck]

I'd like to start by saying thanks to all of you who have shared (and continue to share) your wealth of knowledge here on Expedition Portal.

Admittedly, we've benefited a TON from this resource over the years as bonafide lurkers, and decided it's high time to share our own journey and build in hopes that it can benefit others as well.

First a bit of back story: from 2011 to 2014 my wife (Lindsey) and I traveled extensively throughout the U.S. in an old 1983 Toyota Sunrader we affectionately dubbed "Joey," visiting nearly every state and many of the national parks in the lower 48. I had grown up around 80s model Toyotas, and had the most confidence with the 22r drivetrain as a travel platform. The Sunrader was an affordable and efficient way for us to satiate our newly found wanderlust.



In 2015 our daughter was born and we decided to rethink our travel platform for our new family. I had previously purchased a 1984 Toyota Xtracab 4x4 Pickup as my daily driver, and we initially ended up selling the Sunrader and adapting the Xtracab to pull an ‘86 Bigfoot 5th Wheel Camper (true story). This setup worked out surprisingly well, especially with a baby/toddler and all the STUFF they seem to require, and we successfully completed a 4,500 mile trip from our home in the Ozarks, across the Rockies via RMNP and on to the Sierras in Northern California and back.




But after a year we got tired of the cumbersome 5th wheel setup, and all the extra STUFF we felt we “needed” to pack into it.

We had always found inspiration from others in the overland community here. And after extended conversations about getting back to basics and what overland travel could look like for our family, we decided to sell the 5th wheel.

From there we focused all of our energy on outfitting the Xtracab to be the best possible platform for longer-term overland travel as a family of 3.

 

[takethetruck]

This leads us to the current state of our build so far:




MECHANICAL MODS:


Mechanically our goal has been to make the truck as capable as possible without sacrificing too much of the stock Toyota reliability and ease of stock parts availability


SUSPENSION:


The first thing we changed on the truck was installing an OME heavy suspension lift, a huge upgrade to the aged stock suspension and its reliability is obviously very well documented.


Though we loved the stock 80s decals, the original paint was in need of a refresh, so we tackled that at the same time

DRIVETRAIN:


Because our Toyota Sunrader shared the same 22r engine but with only 54k original miles (20k of which we had added throughout our ownership), we opted to do an engine swap before selling it. And since both vehicles were de-smogged it went pretty quickly - only real difference was the oil pans. I added a new Marlin HD 1200lb clutch, pilot bearing, throw out bearing, and LCE header at the same time as well.

BRAKES:


Completed a brake upgrade using a ‘93 T100 1” bore master cylinder, FJ vented rotors, ‘89 V6 calipers, ceramic pads, and stainless braided brake lines - this was initially done to improve braking when pulling the 5th wheel, but has been a great overall improvement over stock performance.

LOCKERS & GEARING:


Bit the bullet on some pre-built 4.88 geared 3rds from Marlin Crawler with an ARB locker for the rear. But we also went up to 33" BFG KM2s at the same time so basically landed back at stock ratio. Also installed the ARB high output compressor in the engine bay for the locker and a trail air supply. Also took the chance to thoroughly rebuild the axles.

 

[takethetruck]

TRAVEL MODS:


We started by adding an ARB front bull-bar bumper & Warn M8000 winch, then got the bed of the truck Bullet lined, and installed a tailgate ladder to make getting into the truck bed a little easier on the kiddo. We also added a Maxxair Deluxe Vent Fan to the $40 craigslist camper shell we’d picked up.




Then we started designing and building our sleeping platform for the truck bed so that it would accomodate sleeping our family of 3 (at least for awhile) - we’ve got a full detailed guide on the build over on our blog HERE.




POWER:


We decided to go all out on an Inergy Kodiak 1100w Lithium solar generator. Which powers our ARB Elements Fridge for 3-5 days (depending on ambient temperature) without charge. It'll fully charge off the truck’s DC in 4-5 hours of driving, and with the added solar we can basically meet our power needs indefinitely. It's really been a pretty awesome unit!



We upgraded the alternator from the factory 40amp to a 120amp from davezoffroadperformance.com, because the factory one was toast.


Ran the DC charge circuit to the bed to charge the Inergy Kodiak while the truck is running (used an ignition switched Bosch relay to keep it from draining the battery when stopped).


Added 100w Renogy Eclipse Solar panel over the cab and ran the wiring through the shell with a waterproof cable gland to feed the Inergy Solar Generator when we’re stopped.


ROOF RACK:


Also installed a new Yakima Loadwarrior - that was immediately "modified" to accommodate the Maxxfan Vent Fan and then we capped the cut tubing with 14 - 3/8" vacuum caps. It actually turned out better than expected. We had decided to flush-mount the basket to the camper shell so it would be lower profile AND so we could use our Yakima q-towers and bars to mount the solar panel over-the-cab.



FRIDGE SETUP:


We modified a cheap Wal-Mart cargo carrier down to 35" for the ARB Elements fridge. We did this by cutting out half the mesh on one side, cutting a 5" slit down the center to allow the arms to flex over the other half, then lined all the factory parts up, drilled new holes for all the bolts and - Wala - a perfectly sized hitch carrier for the fridge! Sure beat our original plan of fabing/welding one from stock and angle iron, and it's plenty sturdy enough for the 70lbs+food&drink that it carries. We then mounted the cargo carrier to a Kuat Pivot hitch adapter so it would swing out. When combined with the Cook Partner 18 we mounted in the drawer of the sleeping platform it created a nice camp kitchen space off the rear of the truck.



(the only downside to this setup is that having the fridge rear-mounted impacts departure angle which can be a limitation off-road)



AWNING & WATER STORAGE:


Then we mounted an ARB 1250 awning to the rear of the Yakima Loadwarrior with Fourtrek’s mounts. Also installed the RoadShower 4, opting to mount it inside the basket which really worked out because the mounting hardware is so close to the shell that you have to use a box wrench to get it on (would take someone like 35 minutes to take it off - good theft deterrent) and it also blocks the mounting hardware for the basket (more theft deterrent). Plus it just works awesome, simply fill with potable water, pressurize it with the ARB compressor, and we’re good to go.




COMMS:


We’ve installed a Yaesu 857d and ATAS 120a for trail and emergency comms. Though every HAM system has it’s weaknesses, this seemed like a good all-around setup we could grow into. Currently still studying for tech and general license, so for now it’s simply for emergency use.




As with any travel/expo build, our goals and plans are always evolving and we're currently in the process of redesigning our interior build to optimize the extra space our new Go Fast Camper will give us once it's ready later this year. Looking forward to having this space to share all the details!

 

[Tex68w]

Fantastic! Enthusiastically subscribed!!!

 

[phsycle]

How the heck do you fit a car seat in that??

 

[takethetruck]

How the heck do you fit a car seat in that??

We installed a bench seat and the kiddo rides in her car seat in the center, so far we've logged over 15k miles this way - it's cozy but works just fine

 

[vintageracer]

She's growin up fast!

That's how I rode with my parents on trips in the early 1960's sitting in the center of the front bench seat however there was no stinkin car seat just the fold down armrest and no seat belt.

My how times have changed!

 

[VanWaLife]

Very cool, I will be keeping an eye on this thread. As the owner of an '85 Xtracab for the past 20 years or so, these trucks are special to me.

 

[takethetruck]

She's growin up fast!

That's how I rode with my parents on trips in the early 1960's sitting in the center of the front bench seat however there was no stinkin car seat just the fold down armrest and no seat belt.

My how times have changed!

Yeah, it's amazing how fast they grow up! We survived without them too growing up in the 80s/early 90s, but definitely offers a bit of piece of mind - especially off-road. ?

Very cool, I will be keeping an eye on this thread. As the owner of an '85 Xtracab for the past 20 years or so, these trucks are special to me.

Thanks! They're definitely easy trucks to love, just all-around great design, reliability, and capability out-of-the-box ?

 

[devero4]

This is sick. Any thought about replacing the factory decals some day?

 

[crazysccrmd]

That’s awesome. Should be a lesson for all the people buying a minivan or three row SUV because their two kids made using a regular sedan impossible.

 

[takethetruck]

This is sick. Any thought about replacing the factory decals some day?

Thanks! Yeah we've thought about it, and did love the factory decals - but think we'll leave them off for now.

That’s awesome. Should be a lesson for all the people buying a minivan or three row SUV because their two kids made using a regular sedan impossible.

Thanks! ?

 

[VanWaLife]

I'm curious what sort of mileage you get with the 33's, and if you noticed a change when you did the gear and tire upgrade. I run 31's with 4.88's. Mileage generally one side or the other of 15mpg, which I feel is not so great, but easily explained due to the wind profile of my rig with RTT about a foot above the cab.

 

[4runnerteq]

Awesome truck.

 

[takethetruck]

I'm curious what sort of mileage you get with the 33's, and if you noticed a change when you did the gear and tire upgrade. I run 31's with 4.88's. Mileage generally one side or the other of 15mpg, which I feel is not so great, but easily explained due to the wind profile of my rig with RTT about a foot above the cab.

MPGs are really hard to compare in these old yotas because there are so many variables on the mechanical side between each rig. Here's a bit of a rundown on our average MPGs with our different setups

Drivetrain: 1983/84 22r Engine (the early 96hp one ) with 75k original miles (Weber Carb w/ LCE Spiral Adapter, Desmogged, LCE header), factory 5-speed G52 transmission, one-piece rear drive-shaft (no carrier bearing)

31x10.50s and 4.56 gearing unladen - 18mpg highway

--- pulling the 3000lb 5th-wheel across country - 13mpg mixed (mostly highway) - really couldn't believe it!

33x10.50s and 4.88 gearing unladen - 19mpg highway

--- added campershell w/ nothing on the roof and no weight in the bed - 21mpg highway - guess it helped reduce drag behind the cab!

--- added 300lb sleeping platform, roof rack, solar panel over the cab, rotopax, roadshower, hi-lift [current setup] - 15-17mpg mixed / 17-18mpg highway (depending on winter vs summer and how much gear we pack)

Excited to lighten up the setup, and see what happens with the GFC!

Awesome truck.

Thanks! ?