Expeditions West 2004 Tacoma

[BajaTaco]

Wow, hey Kevin - you got me interested in checking on Marlin to see if they by any chance came up with a replacement case for the Tacoma and they did. Well, sort of... it is simply an older 4-cyl. gear driven t-case that is mated to their adapter. So that option is available, but due to the cost of a complete replacement and also an adapter, the cost if significant. Looks like it would be somewhere between $900-$1,000 just for the parts.

 

[Scott Brady]

You can re-gear the high range :smileeek:

I did not know that was possible with a centered ouput... Man, that would be sweet.

Off to investigate...

 

[Scott Brady]

Something wicked this way comes... :box:

More to follow soon...

 

[Scott Brady]

The 5.29 gears and front ARB locker are being installed as I write this.

To accomodate the 18% effective change in gearing (taking into account tires and gearing) I also installed the TruSpeed speedometer correction unit. It was a pretty simple intallation (instructions are poor though), and it works great!

I will let everyone know how the truck drives/performs, and actual rpms on the highway

Oh, and I will also report on fuel mileage. My last tank yielded 14.2 mpg (adjusted)

 

[BajaTaco]

Excellent news!

I will let everyone know how the truck drives/performs, and actual rpms on the highway

Oh, and I will also report on fuel mileage.

Enquiring minds want to know! :lurk:

 

[Desertdude]

Nice!


I am also interested in the quality of work and if you would recommend them again...

 

[The BN Guy]

Oh, and I will also report on fuel mileage. My last tank yielded 14.2 mpg (adjusted)

That's pretty good! With my 33's I reckon that the speedo's off about eight to ten percent off. With those margins I'm usually getting 14.1 to 14.3 when I'm lucky and the wife isn't driving! She's gotta lead foot!

 

[Scott Brady]

That's pretty good!

That is highway mileage, not an average of city and highway. I am in the high 12's around town. I expect the gearing will help that, as the truck seems to be struggling much less now.

 

[Scott Brady]

Well, I have just purchased all of the steel and aluminum necessary to build the tent platform.

Here is the basic concept:

I have also purchased (nearly) everything to fabricate the water system, including:

Shower System:

Rear faucet: This will have a small switch wired to start the pump.

I am working on the SS water tank drawings, so that I can have it fabricated. I have decided on the hot water heater I want, but am waiting on some durability feedback from the manufacturer.

Indel Isotherm Water Heater:

These units are designed for the marine market, and are first class. They will use the engine coolant from the 3.4L and/or a 750watt electric heating element to produce near continuous hot water. It also has a 4 gallon reserve.

 

[Scott Brady]

The black boxes in the design graphic above are of the Stormcase iM2720 boxes.

Pangaea Expeditions supplied two of these units, in addition to an excellent camera case:

They will slide under the tent platform and contain clothing and bedding

 

[goodtimes]

So your planning on mounting the tent offset to the drivers side? How far is this going to move your CG off of the centerline of the truck? Would it not make more sense to mount the tent offset to the passenger side, as your fuel tank is offset to the drivers side (the fuel tank is on the drivers side isn't it?)?

Just wondering (you know how us anal retentive guys get at midnight when we are rolling through the message boards...)

BTW, what happened to all the emoticons that used to be to the right of the "reply" field? They have been missing for a week or two.....

 

[Desertdude]

Super deluxe! Have you peaked your weight budget yet?

You can now accept trail-side trades in exchange for shower rights :victory:

 

[Scott Brady]

So your planning on mounting the tent offset to the drivers side? How far is this going to move your CG off of the centerline of the truck? Would it not make more sense to mount the tent offset to the passenger side, as your fuel tank is offset to the drivers side (the fuel tank is on the drivers side isn't it?)?

Just wondering (you know how us anal retentive guys get at midnight when we are rolling through the message boards...)

BTW, what happened to all the emoticons that used to be to the right of the "reply" field? They have been missing for a week or two.....

GT,

As always, you are the most observant of fellows...

When I did the drawing, I did not take those items into account, but after further review, there were several items that requires me to have the tent on the passenger side. The first is the shovel and axe mount. The tent will not fold over them (they sit above the bedrail slightly). Then, the second issue, and of biggest concern is the fuel and water, as you mention, which is both off-set to the drivers side. So, you are correct amigo, the tent will be on the drivers side, I just didnt want to redo my drawing :smilies27

On the smiley's, I don't know. I have them :wavey:

 

[Scott Brady]

Super deluxe! Have you peaked your weight budget yet?

You can now accept trail-side trades in exchange for shower rights :victory:

I stopped counting...

Though I do have a goal for the driver to lose about 20 lbs. The passenger is pretty much perfect in that area, so no savings can be made on that side of the truck.

I am sure the truck will be at, or under GVW when dry, but the 30 gallons of water and 22.5 gallons of fuel will be an issue. I will need to be careful to only run them full if necessary.

 

[The BN Guy]

Scott, just saw the gif's of the bed design you did. Looks good but question...is all that going to be removable or bolted down permanently?