Buyer Needs help! Used Flip pac

[oliverlove]

Hey guys, I am looking for some advice on buying a used flip pac. I fount an older unit for sale, that is from the late 80's. It has the barn doors on the back, and was actually posted here in the for sale section. I'm worried about buying a unit that is almost as old as I am, considering it is a glorified tent. I love the idea of the flip pac, and want to upgrade from my current RTT setup.

Its listed at $1500, and currently some of the screens have been replaced, some of the zippers for the windows are broken and replaced with velcro. Is this a good buy? Its 1900 miles from me, so I would have to commit to buying it before seeing it in person.

Help! Should I simply save my pennies and get a new one down the road? I'm worried the savings would be quickly eaten up by repairs to the unit.

 

[WASURF63]

There's a fully loaded used ATFP (with zero repairs needed) here in the "For Sale" section...:wings:

 

[oliverlove]

WASURF - I'm not familiar with the newer Tacoma's. My truck is a Gen 1 extended cab. Would your unit fit my bed?

 

[WASURF63]

It should, and IIRC the Gen 1 and 2 Tacoma beds are pretty similar. If ordering a new unit from AT (or FRP) the main difference is whether you have a 5' or 6' bed. The design is pretty square (5' bed) or rectangular (6' bed) to cover a variety of similar manufacturers "mini-trucks". The guys at Adventure Trailers would confirm the specs if you contact them.

There is some discussion on the topic here:
"http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/52117-flippac-sizes-for-Tacoma-new-and-old".

You also may want to PM "Harp" (or he might chime in) since he has actually transferred his Flippac from the previous Gen 1 Tacoma to his current Gen 2.
It's similar enough that I'm sure he could lend some very useful feed back.

Walt

 

[Harp]

I have successfully transfered my flip pac from my 02 Taco to my 11 Taco. The front of the bed on the 11 is wider than the back by about 4 inches. I removed the plastic bed rails and covered the top of the bed with bed rail tape to cover the holes. Bolting to the bed rails was straight forward. As for the barn doors I don't know how they will fit. Wish I had them.


old

new

 

[Climber Rob]

I would stay away from the '80s model, unless you're positive that it's barely been used, and has been well-maintained. Too many things to have gone wrong or deteriorated over that many years. For that price, or just a bit more, you should be able to pick up a newer model. With a bit of work you can make just about any of them fit any similar-spec truck.

 

[RHINO]

just some quick differences,,, any FRP flip not made specifically for a taco 5ft bed is going to be 2.5" too long, where the 6ft bed of all flips is about 1" short of ideal for 6ft bed tacos.

there was a model change with FRP that happened mid 90's, dont know exactly what year. it changed the width and height.

early models are about 1.5" wider and have a wider mounting shelf, but all years will sit a little wide on 1st gens and a little narrow on 2nd gens. well narrow on the front harps pics are perfect.

the earlier version of the flip is not as tall as current ones and they will rub the roof of the cab of first gen trucks, they are very tight to the roof on second gen trucks with the plastic caps removed. again this change was sometime in the mid 90's

 

[Harp]

I did not know the differences from the years, good info for those buying older models. Rob is right you have to check the older ones out carefully for corrosion and wear on the metal parts. Any water getting into the front near the torsion bar arms can spell certain disaster. Mine is only a few years old and I have changed much of the hardware to stainless screws and bolts instead of the plastic and usual cheap hardware that comes on them.Once a year I reseal the holes near the arms. My bolts on the inside for the arm showed signs of surface rust after just a year. Checking over everything every now and then will insure you avoid a major problem later. I wish AT would have redesigned the basic flippac with a more water repellant tent that drapes over the sides of the open unit similar to the JK and redesigned the torsion bar set up. I love the basic setup and design but it could be a lot better with some changes. Don't let the few negative comments here turn you off to the Flippac. It is a great product for the cost. I would get another in a heartbeat. I can be very fussy about minor details. I'm the guy who would gladly pay more for a quality product.