The War Wagon: A 2005 Toyota Tundra AC's transformation to Overlanding Rig
- Thread starter CrewServed
- Start date
xjaugie
Adventurer
I'm hoping for #2.
CrewServed
"That" guy
I'm not out of money, you guys. :sombrero:
Right, then. I've been sitting around twiddling my thumbs for the past several weeks waiting for things to come in so I could bolt them on, and last Friday, the guys at ARB and Old Dominion Freight came through big time with the delivery of my ARB Simpson III RTT. The package arrived looking like it'd been mangled by an angry bear hopped up on Ripped Fuel and crystal meth (*sigh* goodbye, Breaking Bad).
Dude, what'd you guys do to my tent?
No. Seriously. We should have a talk about the anger issues I feel are bubbling below the surface.
This is just ludicrous.
Despite the scare, the two layers of corrugated cardboard and the sturdiness of the tent were enough to keep even the most ham-fisted of freight employees from ruining this tent, and the tent was just fine.
Lest we forget that there's that sweet awning on the passenger side of the rig.
And I really meant it when I said that I'm not out of money, you guys.
A few notes on the installation of the tent onto the Thule Xsporter PRO. The mounting bolts that came with the tent were not long enough, so I had to replace them with something from Lowe's, in 60mm length (as opposed to the 40mm[?] length of the OEM bolts). What's more is the steel mounting plates that came supplied with the tent were not long enough to be able to cross the width of the Thule rack bars, so I had to cut my own out of some weld steel and then drill my own 3/8" holes at both ends of the plates. Then I put a little primer and some more of that black hammer finish paint from the sliders onto the new steel plates to keep them from rusting to hell, and voila, I've got a mounted tent.
That's all for now. My sliders are still sitting on the floor of my garage because my buddy's welder took a giant dump and broke. It's since been repaired, but we're both busy guys, so finding time to link up has been a challenge, unto itself. Also still waiting on the bumper from Addicted Offroad to come in. Their quoted lead time of 3 weeks is way the hell off, but partially because they were out of the shop for a week helping out with flooded-out friends. Still, though, a one week delay doesn't account for all three of the additional weeks on top of what I was quoted for their lead time to delivery. I don't get news from the Addicted Offroad guys at all, and I've only found out what I've found out because I'm pestering them every couple of weeks.
And speaking of customer service, here's a nod to Jake Powell at 4x4 Group Buy. That dude has been phenomenal at keeping me out of the dark with the status of the ARB tent. I didn't go more than a couple of weeks without hearing from him, and he even contacted me personally just to let me know that the tent had shipped. What a stand-up dude and a helluva cool operation over there. I won't stop singing their praises.
Right, then. I've been sitting around twiddling my thumbs for the past several weeks waiting for things to come in so I could bolt them on, and last Friday, the guys at ARB and Old Dominion Freight came through big time with the delivery of my ARB Simpson III RTT. The package arrived looking like it'd been mangled by an angry bear hopped up on Ripped Fuel and crystal meth (*sigh* goodbye, Breaking Bad).
Dude, what'd you guys do to my tent?
No. Seriously. We should have a talk about the anger issues I feel are bubbling below the surface.
This is just ludicrous.
Despite the scare, the two layers of corrugated cardboard and the sturdiness of the tent were enough to keep even the most ham-fisted of freight employees from ruining this tent, and the tent was just fine.
Lest we forget that there's that sweet awning on the passenger side of the rig.
And I really meant it when I said that I'm not out of money, you guys.
A few notes on the installation of the tent onto the Thule Xsporter PRO. The mounting bolts that came with the tent were not long enough, so I had to replace them with something from Lowe's, in 60mm length (as opposed to the 40mm[?] length of the OEM bolts). What's more is the steel mounting plates that came supplied with the tent were not long enough to be able to cross the width of the Thule rack bars, so I had to cut my own out of some weld steel and then drill my own 3/8" holes at both ends of the plates. Then I put a little primer and some more of that black hammer finish paint from the sliders onto the new steel plates to keep them from rusting to hell, and voila, I've got a mounted tent.
That's all for now. My sliders are still sitting on the floor of my garage because my buddy's welder took a giant dump and broke. It's since been repaired, but we're both busy guys, so finding time to link up has been a challenge, unto itself. Also still waiting on the bumper from Addicted Offroad to come in. Their quoted lead time of 3 weeks is way the hell off, but partially because they were out of the shop for a week helping out with flooded-out friends. Still, though, a one week delay doesn't account for all three of the additional weeks on top of what I was quoted for their lead time to delivery. I don't get news from the Addicted Offroad guys at all, and I've only found out what I've found out because I'm pestering them every couple of weeks.
And speaking of customer service, here's a nod to Jake Powell at 4x4 Group Buy. That dude has been phenomenal at keeping me out of the dark with the status of the ARB tent. I didn't go more than a couple of weeks without hearing from him, and he even contacted me personally just to let me know that the tent had shipped. What a stand-up dude and a helluva cool operation over there. I won't stop singing their praises.
stclair
Adventurer
Tundra looks great man! I really need to get my suspension parts together and install them. Wheels and tires too! I spy any easy afterwork type project though...your blacked out emblems look really good. I need to do the same, and maybe even the grille. Did I already ask what you used?
CrewServed
"That" guy
Thanks a bunch, guys. There's still some work yet to do, so stay tuned.
@stclair: I just used PlastiDip on the badges. It wasn't a difficult job to do, but I did learn a couple of things that I wish I'd known before I got started. The big one is that even though most folks will say that four coats is enough, just go with more. Six? Hell, maybe even seven is good. The thicker and more uniform the final thickness of the plastic is, the easier it'll be to peel off the overspray. The other thing to do is to shield yourself from the wind. That really has an effect on the thickness and evenness of your coats and final product, and will also have an effect on how easy it'll be to peel away the overspray.
@stclair: I just used PlastiDip on the badges. It wasn't a difficult job to do, but I did learn a couple of things that I wish I'd known before I got started. The big one is that even though most folks will say that four coats is enough, just go with more. Six? Hell, maybe even seven is good. The thicker and more uniform the final thickness of the plastic is, the easier it'll be to peel off the overspray. The other thing to do is to shield yourself from the wind. That really has an effect on the thickness and evenness of your coats and final product, and will also have an effect on how easy it'll be to peel away the overspray.
CrewServed
"That" guy
Got the Hi-Lift jack mounted. I went back and forth a bunch on where I should mount the jack on the rig, and settled on the P/S bed rail for now. I considered the roof, but ditched that idea when I thought about how much I'd hate taking it down from there. Then I thought about the rear bumper, but that was ruled out because the spacing on the mounts was a no-go with the shape of the bumper. I then considered the tailgate in a location where it wouldn't interfere with the opening of the tailgate, but that wasn't such a hot idea. I really didn't like the idea of mounting it to the bed rail, since that's a usable surface - for standing, resting items, whatever. Anyway, here's to trial and error.
iRagedoYou
Member
👏👏 Tundra looks awesome!
2013 JKUR Commando Green 6 Spd
2012 R1200 GSA
2013 JKUR Commando Green 6 Spd
2012 R1200 GSA
CrewServed
"That" guy
Rock Sliders and a Shakedown Run
I took the rig out to Inyo National Forest over the weekend, but didn't feel comfortable going without at least having the sliders welded on. I enlisted the help of a couple of my brothers, and we got to work removing the old nerf bars, prepping the frame surfaces, and getting it all put together.
Clamped on for dry fit. Looked good, so it got tacked in place.
Having three older brothers who aren't afraid of getting dirty has played a huge part in this build.
Get in there, Joe!
Welded in place. If you look closely, you'll see that I put some grip tape on the sliders between each of the brackets.
Slathering some POR-15 on the bare metal. Turns out that $45 is the price of one quart of peace of mind.
After a weekend wandering around Inyo National Forest.
Some notes on the grip tape:
I cut the tape to appropriate lengths and then cut the corners off at a 45* angle, 1/4" in from the corners. The first and obvious reason is that 90* corners on any kind of adhered tape is just begging to be peeled off, either by accident or on purpose. The second is that it looks freaking cool. I sprayed the painted surfaces of the sliders with denatured alcohol to prep the surface for adhesion. I then waited a few minutes to make sure it was bone dry, and then slapped the pieces of grip tape down. I tried to make it look pretty, but I was also aware that this is a utilitarian build, and to not be too concerned with looks.
And since I know you guys will ask for it, here are some pictures from the shakedown run.
It was really, really easy to set up camp.
Cold ladder rungs and bare feet do not mix. The girlfriend and I devised this setup using a length of 550 cord and a caribiner. I tied a single overhand knot in one end of the cord and slid it into the channel that the tent annex slides into. Worked like a charm - it kept our flip flops within easy reach from inside the tent, and from blowing away in a stiff breeze or getting stolen by woodland critters.
Top o' the morning!
The **************' Kitchen was pretty well set up. Gonna make a couple of changes, but they're minor.
My SO is a ************, no doubt about it, and wanted to do some driving. Who am I to deny her?
Bodie Ghost Town near Bridgeport, CA. That dirt track off in the distance is a 28-mile road that leads to Chemung Mine and spits you out onto SR 182. We didn't have enough daylight to do it, but next time, we'll definitely take it.
I took the rig out to Inyo National Forest over the weekend, but didn't feel comfortable going without at least having the sliders welded on. I enlisted the help of a couple of my brothers, and we got to work removing the old nerf bars, prepping the frame surfaces, and getting it all put together.
Clamped on for dry fit. Looked good, so it got tacked in place.
Having three older brothers who aren't afraid of getting dirty has played a huge part in this build.
Get in there, Joe!
Welded in place. If you look closely, you'll see that I put some grip tape on the sliders between each of the brackets.
Slathering some POR-15 on the bare metal. Turns out that $45 is the price of one quart of peace of mind.
After a weekend wandering around Inyo National Forest.
Some notes on the grip tape:
I cut the tape to appropriate lengths and then cut the corners off at a 45* angle, 1/4" in from the corners. The first and obvious reason is that 90* corners on any kind of adhered tape is just begging to be peeled off, either by accident or on purpose. The second is that it looks freaking cool. I sprayed the painted surfaces of the sliders with denatured alcohol to prep the surface for adhesion. I then waited a few minutes to make sure it was bone dry, and then slapped the pieces of grip tape down. I tried to make it look pretty, but I was also aware that this is a utilitarian build, and to not be too concerned with looks.
And since I know you guys will ask for it, here are some pictures from the shakedown run.
It was really, really easy to set up camp.
Cold ladder rungs and bare feet do not mix. The girlfriend and I devised this setup using a length of 550 cord and a caribiner. I tied a single overhand knot in one end of the cord and slid it into the channel that the tent annex slides into. Worked like a charm - it kept our flip flops within easy reach from inside the tent, and from blowing away in a stiff breeze or getting stolen by woodland critters.
Top o' the morning!
The **************' Kitchen was pretty well set up. Gonna make a couple of changes, but they're minor.
My SO is a ************, no doubt about it, and wanted to do some driving. Who am I to deny her?
Bodie Ghost Town near Bridgeport, CA. That dirt track off in the distance is a 28-mile road that leads to Chemung Mine and spits you out onto SR 182. We didn't have enough daylight to do it, but next time, we'll definitely take it.
CrewServed
"That" guy
Thanks, man! I was just eyeballing your rig the other day and thinking about how clean your mods are. AK looks like one helluva gorgeous place to live and/or go adventuring in. I've got it in my head that I want to drive up there someday and spend a week wandering around the wilderness.
Okay, the Addicted Offroad bumper came in while I was freezing my softer bits off in the forest:
My garage tends to be on the humid side, so I figured I'd hit it with some red oxide primer before the rust had its way with the bare metal. I'm doing a little bit of homework at the moment to make sure that I'm fully prepared to take apart the front end of my truck when it's time to start welding pieces into place. Looking at the winch plate on the bumper, I was a little bit concernicus that the enormous 10,000# Smittybilt winch I have sitting in my spare room might not quite fit where it's meant to fit. So of course, I hefted all 45 pounds of it out to the driveway to give it the hairy eyeball and to give me the warm and fuzzies.
Anyway, stay tuned. Upcoming modifications are the bumper install, Smittybilt X20 comp series winch install, and a purchase of sealed deep-cycle battery.
Okay, the Addicted Offroad bumper came in while I was freezing my softer bits off in the forest:
My garage tends to be on the humid side, so I figured I'd hit it with some red oxide primer before the rust had its way with the bare metal. I'm doing a little bit of homework at the moment to make sure that I'm fully prepared to take apart the front end of my truck when it's time to start welding pieces into place. Looking at the winch plate on the bumper, I was a little bit concernicus that the enormous 10,000# Smittybilt winch I have sitting in my spare room might not quite fit where it's meant to fit. So of course, I hefted all 45 pounds of it out to the driveway to give it the hairy eyeball and to give me the warm and fuzzies.
Anyway, stay tuned. Upcoming modifications are the bumper install, Smittybilt X20 comp series winch install, and a purchase of sealed deep-cycle battery.