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That's got to be a good feeling. Nice work!

Wow! Nice work. Can you elaborate a little on the composite studs you are using in the construction? What are they and what do they do?

The material properties for these materials are well documented. Steel is a great material for bumpers but if a lot of it is used, the trade off is weight. http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=1b8c06d0ca7c456694c7777d9e10be5b&ckck=1...

The big 300lb steel bumpers aren't really an option in my opinion. They add too much weight onto the front suspension.

Thanks for the clarification. You mentioned earlier that there wasn't any frame geometry and I figured the models were dumb solids without any detailed parts but sounds like some of the basic external stuff is there.

Thanks for that added info. Interesting note on the iges. Looked like most of the files types offered were graphics oriented. I was wondering how well the .stl would translate. What program are you modeling in?

Thanks for the link, that looks like a good resource. Have you ever purchased any of their models?

I don't own a Tacoma. Am currently building a stealth camper out of a cube van. A friend has a Taco and was asking me about campers so I took a look around and felt inspired to noodle on my own designs.

Has anyone built or have access to a solid 3-D model of late Tacoma truck with long or standard bed? I have Solidworks and would like to noodle on some camper ideas. :ylsmoke:

Looking good! I'm curious why you chose to go solid axle over IFS?

Cool build and great write up. How many miles on the van so far? Any dislikes regarding the "oh yea baby" promaster in general?

From my experience you can bet on a 1-2mpg drop for just the rack without anything piled up on it. :sombrero:

A friends car lot is replacing a motor in a Ford truck of similar vintage. He said the new crate motor from Ford was only $3500. Might be cheaper than you think to have a new motor. I recently paid a mechanic 500 to swap a low miles engine in my jetta wagon. Granted a van would be more but 2k...

Your build is looking great! Nice work on the cabinets.

Really cool little machine. I'm curious if you can put an aftermarket turbo on it. A friend of mine bought that same year and model van last summer. The only drawbacks are that it didn't come equipped with a turbo so fuel economy and power are lower when compared to the newer models with...

On a 10 year old vehicle with miles on it, I'd say the express is going to be cheaper to maintain. The sprinter has very limited suspension articulation so it easy to spin a tire on uneven ground when one of the rear tires gets un-weighted. The high top sprinter offers nice headroom and the...

We have the thermarest neo air dream pads. Most comfortable camp mattress I've ever tried. They hook together making a queen size so you can throw a sheet over. Nice and modular for the van and also work great in a tent or floor crashing. Also you can dial in air pressure on each side to suit...

Picture of wiring on my 06

I used a combo of 1x2's and 1/4 inch apple ply for the vertical pieces and 3/8 apple ply for the platform. My horizontal spans weren't longer than 24"s before having a supporting structure of 1/4". I broke up the span by incorporating vertical supports that were the walls for full extension pull...

I've found that just about any roof rack will reduce highway fuel mileage 1-2mpg and increase wind noise. It's a little better pushed toward the back but not much.