Favorite "expedition rig" at Cruise Moab...

[dieselcruiserhead]

I've seen this truck before at past Moabs but never met the owner and never really got that good a look at it..

It's sort of "not a truck that I would probably build" but maybe would if I had 10 years of cruiser ownership with the same rig, really did take it all over the place on the back roads, and did a lot of American exploring, it was just me most of the time, and I really didn't care what anyone thought, I just wanted it big and tough and extremely functional, this would be it...

Specs are (honestly not sure) but at least 10 radios, including all sorts of neat HAM stuff in several bands I believe (I do not know much about HAM)... The gel-packed lap top (I forget the name)... Very hardcore interior. Full roll bar to the tub/door jam not all the way to the floor... Handles in the roll bar put through the same machine process that puts the pattern on Mag Lites.

383 Vortec, NV4500, Orion, 37" MTRs. Spring over, 60 series full float, looked like stock 40 series front axle but completely built (you'll see pics). GM 1 ton tie rod ends. Knuckle studs drilled and wire put through to prevent them from backing out. Front bumper of stainless with **two 3 gallon fresh water drinkable water tanks**. Rear bumper and light bar out of aluminum. Lockers front and rear, slide out drawers with kitchen setup. Autohome tent. Two sets of 6 volt deep cycle batteries behind the front wheels attached to frame for extended use... And many many other mods, the smallest and most intricate things. This truck had hundreds and hundreds of hours built into it. Everything highly overbuilt, frame plated, axles all beefed up. Everything very well intricately thought out, so much attention to detail it was amazing... Yet still a beat up old beautiful early FJ40.. Belongs to a guy named "Radio Dave" who is pretty involved with Rubithon planning. Maybe we can get him to post up.. Anyway, if the apocalype happened, this would be an awesome rig to be in (other than maybe the fuel issue ).. But was one tough truck.. Weighed in at 7K lbs...

Radio Dave came in through Moab from the south and did some heavy exploring there. Seemed to really know his way around the rural areas.. Thought it was pretty neat. He is mostly a commercial product photographer (lives in the Bay Area) but I bet he has some pretty spectacular photos out there...


:beer:


PICS:
1. Kurt Williams / CruiserOutfit and Dave BSing about route trips...
2. Rear slider setup with full cooking and slim 3 burner stove...
3. The truck...
4 & 5, his gadgets and goodies, the ipod, the GSP systems, radios, laptop, etc...

 

[adventureduo]

Very nice rig! Dude, wholy smokes! talk about gadgets!!! That thing is like a cockpit!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've seen this truck before at past Moabs but never met the owner and never really got that good a look at it...

A very cool truck for sure!

The laptop was a Panasonic toughbook

Also, he didn't have a built front axle as you recall, I do beleive he as never broken a birf (if he has it was only a single stocker). He mentioned he broke a couple of rear FF shafts though...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

More pics...
1. See under the steps, boxes for the smaller 6 volt deep cyl batteries, one on each side...
2. The truck as it sits with the front water-filled bumper...
3. Bumper.. Took cheap 12 volt halogen bulbs as they are cheap and disposable and powerful...
4. Spare driveshafts tucked in the frame. Also note some frame plating...
5. bumper with lights again... Filled from top, had two small ballvalves for draining/using water... I bet the water also helped with weighing with wheeling I would say...
6. The front axle, built very beefy.. Wish I had pics of his knuckle studs...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

too funny, you guys replied as I was posting second set of pics.. If we can would be neat to get Dave to maybe post up on it, I think it wigged him out a little how cool I thought his truck was :safari-rig: :jumping:

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

trying to think of what else it had.. Sway bars integrated into the front axle. Very beefy/healthy spring pack with the SOA, shackle reversal... Full glued-in stereo carpet headliner which I thought was neat. Lots of weather stripping, never asked him if it was quiet on the highway or not. Under the hood, equally as "built" - all sorts of neat gadgets, had a full metal box full of relays and electronic goodies. Some of them melting because the heat was so much under there...

Also, a full vintage air AC system, under the dash, etc...
I feel like the photos almost don't do it good. It was also generally a "huge" FJ40, one of the biggest non-dedicated wheelers I've seen with the 37s and big spring packs. The owner had done everything himself sounded like. Had a TIG and MIG machines, did all the aluminum, stainless, and mild steel welding himself. Sounded like he also had some sort of lathe and/or machining setup..

There are a couple of other guys locally who also build their rigs like this, it reminded Kurt and I a lot of them... IE big heavy superbuilt utilitarian well used cruisers rather than good looking, solely off-road (or mild) built only... I found myself checking it out for a good 20 minutes noticing more and more work put into it..

 

[adventureduo]

That front bumper is massive!!!!! I want one of those remote spotlights he has on the roof. Those are nice to have.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Also neat thing about the bumper. Bottom of it was built with 1/4" stainless tubing. Then the rest is 16 or 14 gauge I think.. So tough on the bottom for rocks etc, but semi light for holding the water, etc, without too much weight.

I was amazed he had never broken a birfield...

 

[stevenmd]

But the coolest thing... the cup holder.:coffeedrink:

 

[edgear]

:bowdown: :drool:
That rig is amazing! He sure does love technology!!!

 

[Erick Lihme]

Very impressive.

The winch looks allot more hefter than a 10Ker. And how much line does it have?

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Its the same winch I have, that I actually just lent to a friend who installed it on his 80 series for a few months until I get my rig done.. It's a Warn 12K, I think it has 125 ft. One ************** winch, would not hesitate in the slightest to pull anything I put in front of it. It costs about $1G though, maybe more... I got it cheaper cosmetic blem, but works great... I will never skim on a winch again after this one. I ran a Warn M8000 before and it sucked even on a 40... I hear good things about the good old 8274 though...

 

[Erick Lihme]

here are so many trails up here it's nice on the spur of the moment to get away from it all. Being alone the winch is more important than ever. I've seen video of winches frying pulling the vehicle out of deep mud and sand. 12K winch too much, no way!

Noticed the drum was nice and large. It has been explained to me that although my winch is rated at 10,000lbs as the 100' cable is extended and the cable nears it end, the diameter of the spool decreases, because of the tighter arch, this decreases the cable's actual strength. It is only as strong as it's weakest link, and the cable at this point should be rated at 2,000lbs. Big cable is more important as length is increased. The slow line speed of the old tech I choose is also an advantage as the amperage draw is much lower and less likely to kill my charging system. Heat kills anything, including the winch itself. Less amps, less heat, more reliability at less cost. Am I on the wrong track?

I guess I'm a low tech guy and a fan of the "Antichrist" in The Gods Must Be Crazy. Have the video!

 

[Rezarf <><]

I wheeled Metal Masher with him last year at CM06, it was a sweet rig and he likes to wheel it hard! I doubt you'd be comfortable in the passenger seat, and the install of all those gadgets is very well laid out and well done.

The light on the joystick on the light bar was my favorite thing!

He told me he can talk with folks as far away as Japan on his gizmo's!

Nice guy, and killer rig!

Drew

 

[esh]

I met Dave at Rubithon last year. Great guy and yeah the gadget factor on his 40 is overwhelming. I think that front bumper is new. He was running water out of a rear tank via a 12v pump on the 'con.