LC/LR4Life
Adventurer
RedDog said:
I went from a cold and rough riding FJ40 Land Cruiser to my UZJ100 Land Cruiser which is just great off road and on. Wow... wheeling in comfort!
2002 Tahoe "Expedition" build
- Thread starter 02TahoeMD
- Start date
I went from a cold and rough riding FJ40 Land Cruiser to my UZJ100 Land Cruiser which is just great off road and on. Wow... wheeling in comfort!
skysix
Adventurer
Rtt
I have an 02 with a RTT - love it. Mounted offset to pax side so can still carry kayak - but am thinking instead of having custom box made same length as tent (Autohome Overcamp - medium) with 3 part lid so can store awning poles, veranda and poles as well as cooking stuff. With the side flap up and the lid of the box up as a windbreak, could cookup breakfast without haviong to get out of bed!
One thing I did was add a third cross bar to the roof rack, helped. Still had to put a spacer down the middle of the roofrack (ontop of the rubber strips) to prevent the flexible crossbars from dipping too much with 400# plus the tent on the roof.
Next project is to remove the roof rack entirely and fab up a low profile frame to mount the tent and box to using existing mount locations. Also am planning a small cargo tray (2' x 4' wide) to go above front seat area to hold a 10' zodiac (deflated and packed)
Also designing an engine crane type of rig to slide into the hitch reciever and be used to lift the RTT off the roof and spin to set on the ground for basecamp use. The veranda and far side awning then become a tent and vestibule. Box removal = same to become a bench seat inside the vestibule. Will make offroad daytrips easier (lower CG and height) and is a lot easier and faster than doing it manually (wife isn't as tall as I am and on 33's etc it is a bit high off the ground)
Here are some early pics of RTT in use
I have an 02 with a RTT - love it. Mounted offset to pax side so can still carry kayak - but am thinking instead of having custom box made same length as tent (Autohome Overcamp - medium) with 3 part lid so can store awning poles, veranda and poles as well as cooking stuff. With the side flap up and the lid of the box up as a windbreak, could cookup breakfast without haviong to get out of bed!
One thing I did was add a third cross bar to the roof rack, helped. Still had to put a spacer down the middle of the roofrack (ontop of the rubber strips) to prevent the flexible crossbars from dipping too much with 400# plus the tent on the roof.
Next project is to remove the roof rack entirely and fab up a low profile frame to mount the tent and box to using existing mount locations. Also am planning a small cargo tray (2' x 4' wide) to go above front seat area to hold a 10' zodiac (deflated and packed)
Also designing an engine crane type of rig to slide into the hitch reciever and be used to lift the RTT off the roof and spin to set on the ground for basecamp use. The veranda and far side awning then become a tent and vestibule. Box removal = same to become a bench seat inside the vestibule. Will make offroad daytrips easier (lower CG and height) and is a lot easier and faster than doing it manually (wife isn't as tall as I am and on 33's etc it is a bit high off the ground)
Here are some early pics of RTT in use
Attachments
Abel Villesca
Explorer
02TahoeMD,
How does it feel on dirt roads after the suspension mods and tire upgrades? One of the things I love about the Tahoe/Yukon platform is that it handles great on dirt and gravel roads. Does it still have that "handles like a car" feeling at speed on smooth unpaved roads?
How does it feel on dirt roads after the suspension mods and tire upgrades? One of the things I love about the Tahoe/Yukon platform is that it handles great on dirt and gravel roads. Does it still have that "handles like a car" feeling at speed on smooth unpaved roads?
02TahoeMD
Explorer
Skysix - thanks for posting up, I have never seen a RTT on a Tahoe before. I like it! You ought to start your own thread so we can see what you do with your rig.
Sgt - The ride is still pretty decent. The modifications to the suspension made it more truck like but it is still a decent ride and way better than that of my old Broncos. Off-road, haven't tried her out on anything super challenging but for your typical dirt or gravel fire road it handles them great. I found that the ride smooths considerably on washboard by speeding up a bit, about 35 MPH or so and the RSX shocks really do a great job.
More mods to come over the next month or so....been shopping. :smiley_drive:
Sgt - The ride is still pretty decent. The modifications to the suspension made it more truck like but it is still a decent ride and way better than that of my old Broncos. Off-road, haven't tried her out on anything super challenging but for your typical dirt or gravel fire road it handles them great. I found that the ride smooths considerably on washboard by speeding up a bit, about 35 MPH or so and the RSX shocks really do a great job.
More mods to come over the next month or so....been shopping. :smiley_drive:
02TahoeMD
Explorer
Thanks alot T.Low, the compliments I get here are truly taken to heart.
My kayaks are an Old Town Adventure XL 139 and a P&H Capella 15'. The Old Town gets the most use as it is just right to be comfortable for me and still fit down the local creeks and waterways. But out on the open water, the Capella really smokes!
My kayaks are an Old Town Adventure XL 139 and a P&H Capella 15'. The Old Town gets the most use as it is just right to be comfortable for me and still fit down the local creeks and waterways. But out on the open water, the Capella really smokes!
T.Low
Expedition Leader
You deserve all the compliments, you've done great work on the Tahoe. And both those boats are good designs. I'm much more familiar with the Capella than the O.T. Great boat, alright. I used to work for an importer and US distributor of British boats and paddling equipment ( Nigel Dennis, Valley, Lendal, and Palm)
Cheers.
Cheers.
skysix
Adventurer
Rtt
Yeah - not many expo Tahoe's out there - many seem to be lowered pavement queens on 22's
I like the thread idea - will do that once I get a few more mods done and documented. Most will be to make it more usefull in northern Canada where many miles between gas stations, gravel or ice roads at best, and enough bugs to choke a horse...
Yeah - not many expo Tahoe's out there - many seem to be lowered pavement queens on 22's
I like the thread idea - will do that once I get a few more mods done and documented. Most will be to make it more usefull in northern Canada where many miles between gas stations, gravel or ice roads at best, and enough bugs to choke a horse...
02TahoeMD
Explorer
Yep! Like most other rigs here, she will probably never be...."finished", but my plans for this year are:
Dual Battery system ( parts ordered, some here already...), On board air compressor ( again, got some of the parts already ), rock sliders, Fiamma 6' awning, lights for all four sides of the roof rack ( did the back last week ), a floor for the roof rack, Light Force lights for the ARB to replace the Hella's.
Maybe next year I will get a RTT? Or a locker? Dunno, I am sure I will come up with more ideas and more mods to do. Especially with reading here every day!
Will post up as things get done.
taz223
ExplorationOutfitters.com
Great Tahoe! I am in the planning stages of building up my Tahoe whenever I get back home from Africa, and was wondering if you could do me a favor. Would you be willing to measure the length & width of the usable roof of the Tahoe, and also the length and brand of your roof rack?
The reason I ask is because part of my plans involve a roof top tent. However, I am going to fab my own roof rack for added length and storage space. So I figure while I'm sitting in the desert and have lots of free time I can begin designing the roof rack and other stuff.
If you'd be willing to do this I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
Matt Green
The reason I ask is because part of my plans involve a roof top tent. However, I am going to fab my own roof rack for added length and storage space. So I figure while I'm sitting in the desert and have lots of free time I can begin designing the roof rack and other stuff.
If you'd be willing to do this I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
Matt Green
02TahoeMD
Explorer
Hi Matt
The dimensions for the roof rack are 4' x 5', with the top "hoop" being 4' x 4' 6" or so. The factory roof rack on the LT is 4' x 5'6", and if you don't have a sunroof then you have an additional 2' of roof space to work with. The rack is a one-piece model, not a bolt together.
Some RTTs will fit inside of the Defender roof rack, I just need to figure a way to mod the "off" side to either drop down or cut off the side and weld supports at either end, but the RTT will take up just about all available storage space in the basket.
Gobi Racks make some pretty nice racks, you may be able to mod one of theirs to fit a Tahoe roof, or perhaps they will eventually make one.
The dimensions for the roof rack are 4' x 5', with the top "hoop" being 4' x 4' 6" or so. The factory roof rack on the LT is 4' x 5'6", and if you don't have a sunroof then you have an additional 2' of roof space to work with. The rack is a one-piece model, not a bolt together.
Some RTTs will fit inside of the Defender roof rack, I just need to figure a way to mod the "off" side to either drop down or cut off the side and weld supports at either end, but the RTT will take up just about all available storage space in the basket.
Gobi Racks make some pretty nice racks, you may be able to mod one of theirs to fit a Tahoe roof, or perhaps they will eventually make one.
GTABurnout
Explorer
It was a toss up for me between a Tahoe and a Cherokee. I wnet with the cherokee because I had never seen a serious build of a Tahoe and figured they would not work as well. Right now I am wishing I had gen the Tahoe route. Man your truck is sweet.
Keep up the build. Maybe when the cherokee dies I will go this way next time.
Keep up the build. Maybe when the cherokee dies I will go this way next time.
taz223
ExplorationOutfitters.com
02 Tahoe -
Thanks for the help thus far. What I am thinking on custom building a rack is basically making it adaptable to whether or not the roof top tent is on. I'm trying to think of the best way to describe it. Basically like on your roof rack you have a top rail and a bottom rail. What I'm thinking is to make the back half of the top rail removable with a flange on both sides. That way, if you are using the roof top tent, you don't have to mount it above the level of the rack. If you aren't using the tent or have it off for some reason... then all you have to do is bolt the back section back on the rack and you'll have a complete rack for storage. Does that make any sense?
Attached a picture, hopefully it will work. Maybe this will make it a little more clear. What do you think about this idea?
Thanks for the help thus far. What I am thinking on custom building a rack is basically making it adaptable to whether or not the roof top tent is on. I'm trying to think of the best way to describe it. Basically like on your roof rack you have a top rail and a bottom rail. What I'm thinking is to make the back half of the top rail removable with a flange on both sides. That way, if you are using the roof top tent, you don't have to mount it above the level of the rack. If you aren't using the tent or have it off for some reason... then all you have to do is bolt the back section back on the rack and you'll have a complete rack for storage. Does that make any sense?
Attached a picture, hopefully it will work. Maybe this will make it a little more clear. What do you think about this idea?
