Project Alpha Bound - 1985 4Runner Adventure Truck Build

[ab1985]

Thanks, corax. I've been reading your threads and may steal a few ideas.

The extension has a 3"x5" piece of poplar on the underside which rests on the seat latch and levels it out. This is fine when the seat back is reclined to provide pressure, but there is a little bit of roll with the seat forward when climbing on and off the platform. Since I plan on using the passenger side door for most entrances/exits I plan to add two detachable legs that will extend down between the seats to the rear floorboard. I measured the other day but haven't made it to the hardware store, yet. I'll probably do something similar to this:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9034&page=41

 

[ab1985]

You can probably fit the tire in the stock location, or since you are planning on carrying it the rear bumper, you could look into storing your propane in the spare tire location with fill points made accessible for refueling.

There was also somebody that built a box that contained his tools and spare parts and put that in the spare tire location. He had an access hole in the floor board of the truck to get to it.

I've got a 14 gallon fresh water tank that will reside where the spare was once located. I'm thinking the propane tank should be as high up as possible to avoid being hit in the event of a collision. With the height of the truck relative to others on the road, my only real concern would be getting rear ended by a semi. But, as I read somewhere while researching, at that point I'm probably dead anyways.:Wow1:

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Ohhhh thats a purdy one! Nice job!

 

[mdrauh]

That's an awesome sleeping/gear-hauling setup you put together, man. I'll be following this thread for any updates.

 

[ab1985]

Thanks!

The post man dropped off some bumper parts today (the beer is just for scale). Great, now I'm going to want to go to Metal Supermarket tomorrow instead of going to Derby parties. :friday:

 

[Goin]

Details on the hinge please, looks beefy

 

[ab1985]

The spindle is from competition4x4 and is rated for 1750 lbs. I wanted a double sheer option, and this was one of the better offerings I found. It's probably a bit overkill, but I figure better safe than sorry on an item like this.

 

[jeepstream]

Nice rig and even nicer customization. I'm eager to see what you do with your rear bumper set-up as my recently-acquired 4Runner is lacking a rear bumper. Propane does present some location issues. I think the safest option would be to find a taller tank with a narrower diameter and put it where the spare was. This location would provide some protection from collision with the frame, axle and rear bumper surrounding it. You could fab a skid plate around it for added piece of mind. That would also be a good location for an onboard air tank.

 

[ab1985]

Thanks for reading! The rear bumper is a much anticipated addition for me. Hopefully I can come up with something nice.

Austintaco made the same good point about the propane tank, but my water tank will take up most of that space (at least on paper). I'll have to reexamine as things start coming together.

 

[Flagster]

Nice...your layout for sleeping/fridge/etc is exactly what I am picturing for my LC...will be following...

 

[Ruined Adventures]

The propane will be used for the stove, lanterns, etc... I'm not that thrilled about putting it on the bumper, but I also don't want it inside the rig. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.

Have you considered switching to Dual Fuel stove & Lantern? You could limit yourself to just carrying the gasoline that's in your fuel cans. You could carry a small MSR bottle too, to carry a liquid fuel that burns cleaner...those are easy to stash anywhere and seal very tight.

I switched from all propane to all liquid fuel and I'm very happy I did. It's much simpler and I can easily tell where my fuel levels are at in the stove/lanterns.

 

[ab1985]

Travelling for work and weekend guests have kept me from making much progress. I'm going to try working more at night in addition to weekends now that the weather is nicer, so hopefully progress will pick back up.

I went to the metal shop today to figure out material for the rear bumper. The plan is to use 2"x2" to mount the main section which will be made out of 3"x4" to accommodate the oversize spindle, 2"x2" square for the swing-out, 2"x2" for the tire mount and bracing, and 1"x1" for the jerry-can/propane/drop-down-shelf frame. They had a piece of 3"x4"x1/4" sitting around for cheap, but everything else I'm planning to be 3/16". The counter guy told me, however, he could only get the 1x1 in 1/8", so here is my question:

Based on the sketch below (I just threw this together at work using excel so don't get hung up on scale or anything), do you think 1/8" 1x1 will be strong enough? Two full jerry cans weigh about 70 lbs and the propane is another 15-ish? What do you think?

 

[ab1985]

Have you considered switching to Dual Fuel stove & Lantern?

I hadn't really thought about it. I have a stove, heater, and a couple things that would need to be replaced which I guess is not the end of the world. I do like the convenience of propane, though. No priming, pumping, just light it and go. It's also very clean. I'll have to think about this more. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Ruined Adventures]

I hadn't really thought about it. I have a stove, heater, and a couple things that would need to be replaced which I guess is not the end of the world. I do like the convenience of propane, though. No priming, pumping, just light it and go. It's also very clean. I'll have to think about this more. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yeah, it's definitely easier with propane. You're best bet is propane since you carry a heater too, not really a good liquid fuel alternative for those.

I like the dual fuel gear because it's kinda "olds cool" and we can find gas anywhere in the world for our stove & lantern. Just the other night though, I got out of my chair like 10 times to pump up our lantern over a 5 hour period. Our campmates were paranoid because it was so dark out & they wanted the constant light source. If it was just me and the old lady, we'd only have the campsite lit while cooking. We're campfire & moonlight folks so we only need headlamps & lanterns for doing hands-on stuff. Most people don't know how to light my liquid fuel equipment so I tend to be the guy doing all the pumping...maybe they're just playing dumb so they don't have to get out of their chairs :sombrero:

Looking forward to seeing how that bumper turns out!

 

[NorCalBorn]

I hadn't really thought about it. I have a stove, heater, and a couple things that would need to be replaced which I guess is not the end of the world. I do like the convenience of propane, though. No priming, pumping, just light it and go. It's also very clean. I'll have to think about this more. Thanks for the suggestion.

FWIW I've been playing around with finding a civil service vehicle's gas tank and having it modded to fit into a roof box system where it can be stored along with some padding and the stove, etc. The only liability I see is hitting something low hanging or the strength and style of roof system. (Rollover, etc, all face the same ramifications as if you were to rollback while on a trail or get rear ended, right.)

~Hmmm, all this time I've been scrunched up in the front seat trying to tilt the passenger seat back to get comfortable with my laptop and you come up with a better idea. :sombrero:

Now all's I'd need is figuring out how to have a fridge and fit the baby and wife in on trips too. Looking forward to the rest of this.. :victory: