Noob...Taco Build

[georgiadrifter]

New member here.....been lurking for a while. First off.....thanks for a great resource! I've made some decisions regarding my vehicle...as a result of this board. The info here is invaluable.

Here's my story:

I retire in about 3 years and have a love of flyfishing, backpacking and photography. With those things in mind....I wanted avehicle that fit the following parameters:

1. Must be a daily driver (20 miles per day).
2. Must be good on gas for those long trips (I'm in Georgia and want to travel extensively out west).
3. Must be able to camp with minimum impact...with capabilities to discreetly sleep in the Walmart parking lot or highway rest stop i route to my destination.
4. Must be able to pull my driftboat.
5. Must be able to haul my fishing/photography gear.

I started out with a V-6 2008 Tacoma Access Cab with TRD Package and added an ARE top with windoors. Yakima racks (now have a load warrior basket...pictures forthcoming). I also built a platform in the bed. It is lightweight and easily removable (three pieces....one frame and two pieces of birch ply). Finished with stain and varnish with line-x to keep stuff from sliding around.

Rod Racks mounted to Walmart shower rods. Wire shelf on top of the shower rods to store maps, etc. More to come and thanks again for all the info!

 

[1leg]

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

Wecome to EXPO.

 

[DenCo40]

Welcome!!!:wavey:

 

[adrenaline503]

Very nice so far. I like the rack in the back with the maps, very functional. I look forward to hearing about your travels.

 

[Martinjmpr]

For those "discreet camping" times (been there, done that! ) make sure you have blackout curtains so you can sleep even under bright parking lot lights. I used pieces of black cloth with the "hook" portion of a velcro strip on each corner - the carpeted liner on the inside of the shell makes a good "pile" surface for the hooks to stick to.

I hope your sleeping platform is as low as possible, because headroom is very limited in those cab-high toppers (I went to a high-rise for this very reason.)

I'm curious about what kind of MPG you're getting. Also do you have an auto or the 6 speed manual? That 6 speed is the one thing I really envy on the 05+ Tacos (well, that and the access doors for the extended cab!)

 

[georgiadrifter]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Martinjmpr.....you're right...the headroom is tight. I'm used to sleeping in a small backpacking tent so once I'm asleep....I'm fine. It is a hassle to get a shirt on while inside. I went with the cab-high to hopefully minimize wind resistance and not sacrifice gas mileage. The roof rack/basket will probably make that a moot point though.

Thanks for the blackout curtain tip. I'm looking at some black thin foam at Lowe's....I think it is kitchen drawer liner. I'll do the velcro thing to the carpet like you've mentioned. I had not thought about the parking lot lights....good point!

I have the automatic tranny and two-wheel drive. There is the regular "drive" gear....then an overdrive denoted on the dash by the number "4". There is a lower gear "3". There is also a dash-mounted push button "lock" that locks both rear wheels. I was in the mountains this past weekend (and the week before) and used the "4" on occasion when going up steep grades. I used the "3" when pulling the boat out of the water....steep boat ramp.

The Taco/v-6 handles the boat better than I expected....of course it's a lightweight boat/trailer combo anyway.

I'm getting 18 mpg pulling the boat in the mountains.....21 mpg city/highway (mostly city) without the boat.

 

[I3erto]

How did you make that platform for the bed? Looks like it is only 4 pieces? 2 cross braces and 2 pieces of plywood or something? Details Please..

 

[Overland Hadley]

Welcome to Expedition Portal!

 

[georgiadrifter]

How did you make that platform for the bed? Looks like it is only 4 pieces? 2 cross braces and 2 pieces of plywood or something? Details Please..

Here's a larger version......
Notice the frame is made of 2x6 lumber, glued and screwed in an "H" pattern. The "feet" of the "H" rest in the plastic bed liner slots. There are also two (2) legs that protrude down from the H-frame for additional stability. This is all one piece....coated in line-x. It can be lifted out of the bed easily. The 1/2" birch plywood has a one-inch wide furring strip on each end to counteract the tendency to warp. You can use one or both pieces of plywood depending on your load.

Hope this explains it a little clearer.

 

[georgiadrifter]

Also use the Sylvania Dot-it lights in the ARE shell. They are cheap and when a piece of velcro (hook side) is attached to the back....they can be stuck anywhere on the headliner. I can't tout these things enough. Got mine from Cabelas but saw them the other day at Lowe's in the lighting section.

 

[dustboy]

Nice work, didja build the boat too?

What are you using for a mattress?

I got some of those puck lights too, I love how you can just stick em anywhere. No wiring required and they go forever on a few batteries.

 

[georgiadrifter]

DB...yes...I built the driftboat.

The mattress is from Cabelas.

 

[Roktoys84]

I'd love to see some more pictures of your drift boat. I've been wanting to build one for a few years now. Maybe post some info and pics in the boat forum.

 

[georgiadrifter]

It's a classic driftboat design built from a Greg Tatman kit. The kit is a lot cheaper than ordering the materials and building from scratch. It's ten years old now with the original paint and varnish. I store it in our garage with a cover on it. I usually do a shuttle on rivers and use the 6hp outboard for the lakes.

 

[dodecagon2000]

Nice setup... love the boat, beautiful craftsmanship on the boat and i like your simple bed setup.