Kodachrome
Observer
Hi,
Long time no post folks, that is what happens when you spend 100 days a year in your overland vehicle for work I guess. Well, I am back, because I have a new challenge ahead and need some good advice, so here goes…
This is the “Silver Bullet”, a 2005 Tacoma, 407hp / 420tq trail eating monster that has an All Terrain Camper “Bobcat” mounted to it for 3/4 of the year.
The suspension is built too, Alcan leafs, ride rite airbags, 2” Icon rear reservoir in back, Camburg 2.5” coil overs with Tundra springs in front. As one can see by the specs, the powertrain is built to the nines, some bottom end improvements, cometic head gaskets and ARP head studs, a well upgraded TRD blower with full headers and exhaust, cam gears, full ECU bypass, 7th injector etc, etc.
Even when at a max take off weight of over 6,000 pounds, this thing just rips down the runway and takes flight, even sounds like a high performance stunt plane when blasting 80 miles an hour on I-70 in Utah. Now the main reason for all that go-go is not netting a 1/4 mile camper record but rather stout bottom end. And with a setup like this camper, it is flat out amazing. When off road the truck never gets tossed around or lurched. In crawl mode, it’s always smooth, compliant and safe power application with crap loads of torque in reserve.
So all that sounds fantastical and maybe even a bit self indulgent, yes? Well, as the title of the tread implies...Houston, we have a problem.
Long story short, I found out very recently I have missed the cutoff for having the frame inspected and possibly replaced under that class action Toyota settlement that everyone but me found out about. And the frame, especially after 194k miles is indeed toast, a hole in the left box by the cat area with one starting on the right and the C channel edges under the bed look like lasagna noodles. So no matter what I do, I am looking at replacing the truck or replacing the frame and given the massive mods all around, I am thinking it money well spent and just bite the bullet on a brand new frame. I know that is big bucks and even sounds crazy but what I share next will allude as to why I think that is smart money on what is actually a business expense.
Last week I took my truck sans camper to the dealer and had the frame looked at. While there I test drove both the 6-speed manual and 6 speed auto 2019 Tacoma. But in between, the sales guy took a spin in my truck, with the enthusiastic motor no less. Lets just say he was blown away with the power band in my truck and I was speechless of the lack of it in the 3.5L 2019. Even the manual tranny version felt completely lethargic until 4,000 rpms, a place my truck rarely sees with the camper on it. I have spent no less than 20 hours in the past 10 days finding out how this next gen powertrain could be improved to get it to handle the camper at least 3/4 as good as mine can in current form and it is just not happening, period. A URD S/C kit is still a ways out and even with that, you want to wait a couple more years for it to get in enough hands to work the bugs out.
So I feel my best way forward is with what I know like the back of my hand and works exceptionally well for a mid size truck and pop-up / slide in camper setup. As I work out the financial machinations of this, I am already thinking of how to take this new frame and beef it up big time before getting swapped.
I am looking for advice, innovative thinking and resources to make this the ultimate frame for the Gen-2 tacoma in overland capacity. This is where this new build out needs to start and it has got to be good, well worth the effort. Plates, gussets, boxing out the C channels, everything. But how much, what size and placed where to make carrying a camper setup full time a sound endeavor on all kinds of terrain is the question.
Of course since this is major surgery, I will be looking at other upgrades that make sense to do at the time but to be completely honest, some of it can still wait as I am trying to not exceed $20K in this go round.
That’s it for now, this project, I am just starting to “Frame” it so here we go…
Dan
Long time no post folks, that is what happens when you spend 100 days a year in your overland vehicle for work I guess. Well, I am back, because I have a new challenge ahead and need some good advice, so here goes…
This is the “Silver Bullet”, a 2005 Tacoma, 407hp / 420tq trail eating monster that has an All Terrain Camper “Bobcat” mounted to it for 3/4 of the year.
The suspension is built too, Alcan leafs, ride rite airbags, 2” Icon rear reservoir in back, Camburg 2.5” coil overs with Tundra springs in front. As one can see by the specs, the powertrain is built to the nines, some bottom end improvements, cometic head gaskets and ARP head studs, a well upgraded TRD blower with full headers and exhaust, cam gears, full ECU bypass, 7th injector etc, etc.
Even when at a max take off weight of over 6,000 pounds, this thing just rips down the runway and takes flight, even sounds like a high performance stunt plane when blasting 80 miles an hour on I-70 in Utah. Now the main reason for all that go-go is not netting a 1/4 mile camper record but rather stout bottom end. And with a setup like this camper, it is flat out amazing. When off road the truck never gets tossed around or lurched. In crawl mode, it’s always smooth, compliant and safe power application with crap loads of torque in reserve.
So all that sounds fantastical and maybe even a bit self indulgent, yes? Well, as the title of the tread implies...Houston, we have a problem.
Long story short, I found out very recently I have missed the cutoff for having the frame inspected and possibly replaced under that class action Toyota settlement that everyone but me found out about. And the frame, especially after 194k miles is indeed toast, a hole in the left box by the cat area with one starting on the right and the C channel edges under the bed look like lasagna noodles. So no matter what I do, I am looking at replacing the truck or replacing the frame and given the massive mods all around, I am thinking it money well spent and just bite the bullet on a brand new frame. I know that is big bucks and even sounds crazy but what I share next will allude as to why I think that is smart money on what is actually a business expense.
Last week I took my truck sans camper to the dealer and had the frame looked at. While there I test drove both the 6-speed manual and 6 speed auto 2019 Tacoma. But in between, the sales guy took a spin in my truck, with the enthusiastic motor no less. Lets just say he was blown away with the power band in my truck and I was speechless of the lack of it in the 3.5L 2019. Even the manual tranny version felt completely lethargic until 4,000 rpms, a place my truck rarely sees with the camper on it. I have spent no less than 20 hours in the past 10 days finding out how this next gen powertrain could be improved to get it to handle the camper at least 3/4 as good as mine can in current form and it is just not happening, period. A URD S/C kit is still a ways out and even with that, you want to wait a couple more years for it to get in enough hands to work the bugs out.
So I feel my best way forward is with what I know like the back of my hand and works exceptionally well for a mid size truck and pop-up / slide in camper setup. As I work out the financial machinations of this, I am already thinking of how to take this new frame and beef it up big time before getting swapped.
I am looking for advice, innovative thinking and resources to make this the ultimate frame for the Gen-2 tacoma in overland capacity. This is where this new build out needs to start and it has got to be good, well worth the effort. Plates, gussets, boxing out the C channels, everything. But how much, what size and placed where to make carrying a camper setup full time a sound endeavor on all kinds of terrain is the question.
Of course since this is major surgery, I will be looking at other upgrades that make sense to do at the time but to be completely honest, some of it can still wait as I am trying to not exceed $20K in this go round.
That’s it for now, this project, I am just starting to “Frame” it so here we go…
Dan
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