Containerized: Retromod Global Tacoma
- Thread starter Containerized
- Start date
RustyFabrication
New member
Hows the Tonneau cover working out? Any ideas on how it can be made better in the future? I ask because I'm one of the guys who made it.
Last edited:
Ahh - an Arai man also. I knew you had good taste, this just confirms it...
Looking forward to seeing photos of the truck in-country. I expect it's travels to be just as interesting as it's build process.
Cheers,
Matto
Containerized
Adventurer
Rusty - You're at Ogden? Hi! It's working very well. Two stitches around one of the openings for the lashing rope were torn, but it'll be repaired when the truck is back stateside in two weeks. Overall, the truck did very well here in Kenya on its first adventure (pictures soon). We had one very serious windstorm with blowing sand and 50+mph wind speeds. No issues with the tonneau after that storm and nearly no sand in the bed afterward. The one change I might make would be to use grommets or cloth rivets (like on jeans) or something instead of stitching at the points around where the rope comes out of the cover to go around the tie-downs. The current design is fine as long as all the load on the rope is straight-line, but when you're tying down things in a hurry it would be better if these points were stronger... that's really my only suggestion. The "hump" for the spare tire is awesome and always gets compliments from fellow travelers.
It will be back at the garage in the States until March or so, since I'll be back at the house in London until springtime.
It will be back at the garage in the States until March or so, since I'll be back at the house in London until springtime.
Last edited:
RustyFabrication
New member
Yeah, Ive been at Ogden for 3 years now. I was keeping an eye on the build at CCU and was wondering if you were on here but, it always seemed to slip my mind when I browsed the portal. Im glad everything has gone well with the tonneau. We've made many similar ones for roadsters and dropheads with the hump for a steering wheel but, none have been fastened down in that fashion.
Can't wait to see more pics of your travels
Rusty
Can't wait to see more pics of your travels
Rusty
Containerized
Adventurer
Cool... Ogden has done great work over the years for me.
They did a full interior (8 hides?) for my Daytona and did an amazing restoration to a few damaged leather areas on my Aston's interior. Great shop.
You'll see the top when it comes back for the minor repair next month. We just got U.S. dates on the truck, so it should be back any day.
They did a full interior (8 hides?) for my Daytona and did an amazing restoration to a few damaged leather areas on my Aston's interior. Great shop.
You'll see the top when it comes back for the minor repair next month. We just got U.S. dates on the truck, so it should be back any day.
Containerized
Adventurer
Preview
Containerized
Adventurer
Suspension is ICON Stage 4.
Note the suspension is higher in the top picture (with the coilovers raised up a bit, I realise it's hard to tell with the angle) than in the lower picture (in Tanzania only three days after unloading).
The truck is currently a bit closer to this height:
Honestly, the maximum lift of the ICON system hasn't proven necessary, much as we almost never maxed out the suspension on the FJC's OMEs.
However, it provides a FANTASTIC improvement in ride over hundreds of miles of dirt, mud, and nearly-unimproved roads versus any of the other suspensions I've tried.
The truck feels solid and smooth over bad roads compared to the OME equipped Hilux at our office, for instance.
The advantage of keeping it a bit "nose down" when nearly empty is that, when loaded, the truck is closer to level.
Note the suspension is higher in the top picture (with the coilovers raised up a bit, I realise it's hard to tell with the angle) than in the lower picture (in Tanzania only three days after unloading).
The truck is currently a bit closer to this height:
Honestly, the maximum lift of the ICON system hasn't proven necessary, much as we almost never maxed out the suspension on the FJC's OMEs.
However, it provides a FANTASTIC improvement in ride over hundreds of miles of dirt, mud, and nearly-unimproved roads versus any of the other suspensions I've tried.
The truck feels solid and smooth over bad roads compared to the OME equipped Hilux at our office, for instance.
The advantage of keeping it a bit "nose down" when nearly empty is that, when loaded, the truck is closer to level.
Last edited:
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
Hey Containerized,
Awesome truck and awesome info.
You've obviously got quite a lot of experience roaming around East Africa - I'd love to hear your thoughts on gas Vs. diesel.
What would you say is the ratio of local vehicles getting around gas vs. diesel.
Will you have any problems finding 93+ octane for the Taco?
Will you carry jerry cans for extended range?
I know "old Africa wisdom" says diesel all the way, but lately I've been seeing more and more posts about gas engines in Africa not having a problem.
If there is anything else you'd like to share about roaming Africa, I'm all ears.
Thanks!
-Dan
Awesome truck and awesome info.
You've obviously got quite a lot of experience roaming around East Africa - I'd love to hear your thoughts on gas Vs. diesel.
What would you say is the ratio of local vehicles getting around gas vs. diesel.
Will you have any problems finding 93+ octane for the Taco?
Will you carry jerry cans for extended range?
I know "old Africa wisdom" says diesel all the way, but lately I've been seeing more and more posts about gas engines in Africa not having a problem.
If there is anything else you'd like to share about roaming Africa, I'm all ears.
Thanks!
-Dan
Containerized
Adventurer
Dan -
It's a long argument with no right answer. I live near the Uganda - South Sudan border, so I'm less than 500 miles from some of the most advanced oil refineries in East Africa. Getting even 95 octane (R M average) is not a problem. Even jet fuel (Avgas with E2000 ratings) is easy to get. But in other areas it's harder. I would say premium fuel is easy to obtain in northern Uganda, South Sudan, much of Sudan, much of Ethiopia, and anywhere near Mombasa or Nairobi in Kenya. That said, if I'm going to an area I've not visited before, I will be more cautious and carry jerrycans. I also am careful to only patronise Total or Shell fuel dealers that have higher standards for fuel.
Diesel has some clear advantages, but I feel the fuel quality is not regulated nearly as well. When I drive our Hilux D4D, I often wonder exactly how bad fuel it will put up with - and never want to be the one to test this. Overall, the 3.0TD in our Prados is the most reliable engine in the group, but I've never gotten stuck (touch wood) with bad fuel or an engine problem. I love the supercharged 4.0 and I'm willing to put up with a bit of a fuel search now and then. But if I were "adventuring" into a region that I didn't know well, I'd probably choose a Prado TX 3.0TD.
Choosing layout of how you're going to store stuff and matching your suspension setup to the road conditions will have a FAR higher impact on your day-to-day quality of life in the field than which engine you have. Engine is rarely the limitation, in my experience, in East Africa. Even in eastern Somaliland we were able to get Shell petrol, albeit not from a formal station...
It's a long argument with no right answer. I live near the Uganda - South Sudan border, so I'm less than 500 miles from some of the most advanced oil refineries in East Africa. Getting even 95 octane (R M average) is not a problem. Even jet fuel (Avgas with E2000 ratings) is easy to get. But in other areas it's harder. I would say premium fuel is easy to obtain in northern Uganda, South Sudan, much of Sudan, much of Ethiopia, and anywhere near Mombasa or Nairobi in Kenya. That said, if I'm going to an area I've not visited before, I will be more cautious and carry jerrycans. I also am careful to only patronise Total or Shell fuel dealers that have higher standards for fuel.
Diesel has some clear advantages, but I feel the fuel quality is not regulated nearly as well. When I drive our Hilux D4D, I often wonder exactly how bad fuel it will put up with - and never want to be the one to test this. Overall, the 3.0TD in our Prados is the most reliable engine in the group, but I've never gotten stuck (touch wood) with bad fuel or an engine problem. I love the supercharged 4.0 and I'm willing to put up with a bit of a fuel search now and then. But if I were "adventuring" into a region that I didn't know well, I'd probably choose a Prado TX 3.0TD.
Choosing layout of how you're going to store stuff and matching your suspension setup to the road conditions will have a FAR higher impact on your day-to-day quality of life in the field than which engine you have. Engine is rarely the limitation, in my experience, in East Africa. Even in eastern Somaliland we were able to get Shell petrol, albeit not from a formal station...
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
Thanks very much for the detailed reply.
I agree 100% there is no "right answer" just as there is no "perfect Overland truck".
Each have a purpose and goal in mind. We all want to do things slightly differently, so I never get into arguments about this kind of thing, rather listen and learn from people in the field.
I'm still a long way out, but starting to plan/think more about Africa and the challenges it presents.
By the sound of things, a gasoline engine with an aux tank for extended range should not really be a problem - good to know.
Also re diesel quality, do you find running a very high quality diesel filter removes the quality concerns?
Thanks again,
-Dan
Containerized
Adventurer
Dan -
I know people who swear by the filter thing. To me, it's a mileage issue. Let's suppose you had a filter that caught 98% of the crap in the fuel. That's 2% crap you're feeding the engine. And it's worse crap than you'd ever find in European or American fuel. It might not matter if you're only in country for 1,000 or 5,000 miles seeing elephants or photographing gorillas or driving from Mombasa up into the Rift. But if you plan to spend 20,000 or 30,000 or 50,000 miles of the vehicle's life on the Continent, you're talking about a lot of crap diesel being fed through the vehicle's system. Filter or not, your engine is going to drink some of it.
Generally, for diesels, I would say you're better off with an engine designed to drink crappy diesel (the 3.0TD comes to mind) than a very advanced engine struggling to stay alive while drinking crappy diesel, even if it's downstream of a filter. I often joke to people that you see this on the drive from Kenya to Uganda to DRC. In Kenya and Uganda, you see a fair number of more advanced diesels - late-model Range Rovers, D4D Hiluxes, etc. But as you near the Albertine Nile crossing (a ferry I've taken a dozen times) and continue west, you start to see more and more old TX's and early 70 Series. There's a reason. It isn't that people are poorer or buying older cars - the 70 Series costs just as much to maintain as a Hilux, maybe more if you maintain it to a high standard. It's that the 70 is simply better-equipped for worse fuel and worse roads.
I can put up with the road, fuel, and supply chain challenges of where we live. But I wouldn't live farther into the Continent than we do without a lot more support.
Gauge what's realistic, talk to people who've done it, and figure out your African plan. If you need anything re east Africa, let me know... I'll do my best to help. Hell, I might even tag along as vehicle #2 for part of your trip.
I know people who swear by the filter thing. To me, it's a mileage issue. Let's suppose you had a filter that caught 98% of the crap in the fuel. That's 2% crap you're feeding the engine. And it's worse crap than you'd ever find in European or American fuel. It might not matter if you're only in country for 1,000 or 5,000 miles seeing elephants or photographing gorillas or driving from Mombasa up into the Rift. But if you plan to spend 20,000 or 30,000 or 50,000 miles of the vehicle's life on the Continent, you're talking about a lot of crap diesel being fed through the vehicle's system. Filter or not, your engine is going to drink some of it.
Generally, for diesels, I would say you're better off with an engine designed to drink crappy diesel (the 3.0TD comes to mind) than a very advanced engine struggling to stay alive while drinking crappy diesel, even if it's downstream of a filter. I often joke to people that you see this on the drive from Kenya to Uganda to DRC. In Kenya and Uganda, you see a fair number of more advanced diesels - late-model Range Rovers, D4D Hiluxes, etc. But as you near the Albertine Nile crossing (a ferry I've taken a dozen times) and continue west, you start to see more and more old TX's and early 70 Series. There's a reason. It isn't that people are poorer or buying older cars - the 70 Series costs just as much to maintain as a Hilux, maybe more if you maintain it to a high standard. It's that the 70 is simply better-equipped for worse fuel and worse roads.
I can put up with the road, fuel, and supply chain challenges of where we live. But I wouldn't live farther into the Continent than we do without a lot more support.
Gauge what's realistic, talk to people who've done it, and figure out your African plan. If you need anything re east Africa, let me know... I'll do my best to help. Hell, I might even tag along as vehicle #2 for part of your trip.
Last edited:
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
If you need anything re east Africa, let me know... I'll do my best to help. Hell, I might even tag along as vehicle #2 for part of your trip.
Hell yeah! Thanks.
I had always figured a diesel was the way to go mostly because of the availability of the actual combustible.
It sounds like gasoline is common enough that I could make that work too.
The more I think about it, it looks like a route up or down the East coast is very likely, then I'll have to decide how much (if any) of the West Coast I'd like to tackle.
Thanks for the great info again,
-Dan
Similar threads
