Toyota Tundra Expedition Vehicle

[Blacknmuddy]

Ok, so you thought maybe you would see one here, with some cool gadgets and a swift looking safari rack, but no. I am wondering if anyone has seen one or built themselves a Toyota Tundra expedition vehicle.
:safari-rig:
you could say, just look at a Tacoma build and use your imagination, but it just is not the same.

Thanks.

 

[devinsixtyseven]

Gettin' building on it as we speak. I have a mod thread around here somewhere, it may be of use to you.

The sheer volume of the truck makes for a great starting place, stable and capable platform. IMHO it needs a few mods here and there to do the really rough stuff with a full load, but as an overland vehicle it doesn't take much to make it a comfortable vehicle to live out of for a week or two at a time.

Take a look at the ExPo Frontier build on the main page, it's almost exactly the same size.

My truck went on a diet, got some Rhino and Herculiner in strategic locations (like the interior and the roof), a few capability mods, a simple system for storing water, fuel, tools and camping gear...it works great.

Some tips, there are a lot of empty spaces on the truck, and a 35" tire apparently does fit in the spare tire location, or can be made to fit...it's a little over 35" between the frame rails. There's a generous amount of room in the bedsides, a huge amount of space if you remove the rear seat, cavities in the captain's chair backs (each seat in my truck holds a 2.5g Dromedary bag with a drinking hose), space under the seats...

If you move the spare tire to the bed, there's plenty of room to relocate a pair of batteries to the rear, as well as store an auxiliary fuel tank in the original spare location--the tire is lighter. Blue tupperware "rougheck" bins are a great fit in the bed and in the back seat.

The available space really lends itself to packing everything you need and still having space left for toys, without the need for a trailer.

Also, in a blatant plug for the Overland Journal, there's an ad showing a Tundra with a flip tent in the latest issue .

-Sean

 

[jim65wagon]

Sean's definitely going "all-out" on his expo Tundra. Can't wait to see the finished product. Mine is the Daily Driver that turns into a gentle Overland Vehicle. 33" tires, on-board air (adding a tank so I don't have to keep switching off the compressor to switch tires), add a CB and GPS to the interior. Fill the bed with the Kitchen Kit, Food Kit, Truck Kit, tents, chairs and various other "necessities" and roll. Head for the mountains and find an interesting trail... man this is fun...

 

[jim65wagon]

All I need now is the Safari rack, some skid plates, sliders, an RTT, a fridge, a 2M radio, uh, uh, uh,:drool:

 

[Blacknmuddy]

Found your build-up thread, awesome interior lining, im assuming that thing gets hot sittin in the sun??

just gathering ideas and plans. I changed my mind and decided not to sell the tundra for a tacoma, instead gonna save a bit here and get a 4x4 tundra instead. untill then ill be watching your builds for ideas :costumed-smiley-007

 

[BrianTN]

I have an 01 Tundra and plan on some mods soon, but I'm still looking around for ideas. Look forward to watching some builds on here.

 

[tacollie]

I was super close to doing one recently. My brother was going to trade me some stuff for his Tundra. The only reason i didn't was I have to much in my Taco. With a rear locker and some sliders I think they make an awesome expedition vehicle.

 

[Martinjmpr]

What about....

...An expedition Sequoia?

Poor man's LC?

Should fit anything a 1st gen Tundra can take, right? Slightly shorter wheelbase makes for better turning radius. Is Toyota going to "update" the Sequoia with the look of the newer, bigger Tundra?

 

[Blacknmuddy]

ya, youll fit it....with room to spare. They will probably update the sequoia with the new look. One thing i dont like about the new tundras is how massive it is, couldn't fit that on most trails I cruise on

 

[wagner_joe]

Based upon what I've seen.. (I'm out here by the toyota test track in AZ). Either the new LC or the Sequoia are getting a neat redesign.. A lot of black to hide the looks.. I should carry my camera more often as the track is 5 miles from my house but it's fun to follow and guess regardless... (I say LC personally, my wife thinks the sequoia..)..

 

[Ridgewalker]

FYI, I have a bud in Scottsdale, AZ who swears his 4.7l Tundra (Access Cab) gets 17-22 mpg:wings: . Of course it never has any load to speak of. My 03 DC Taco gets 16.5 (with head wind in KS) to 24 (all downhill from Dillon, CO to Denver, CO).
I like the size of my Taco DC, but the extra power of the V8 would be nice.

 

[Blacknmuddy]

I like the size of my Taco DC, but the extra power of the V8 would be nice.

Was a good enough reason for me, I thought about downsizing to a V6 DC Tacoma, but after tossing the idea up in the air, I would miss my V8 tooo much.

Would be sweet to see a picture if you could of those new styles even tho itll be blacked out and masked.

 

[Halboo]

Here's my rig so far:
2005 Tundra Access 4WD
ATC Custom Panther Super Shell
Engel 45

I have a Yakima rack I need to install.
A good friend is working me up a comprehensive solar package.
Next week I am taking the truck to Deaver Spring for installation of a leaf upgrade.
I have a bolt on front hitch on order; which will serve as a frontal recovery point and possible cargo carrier.
No winch; Just a highlift and a wide variety of straps chain etc.
I'm devising a homemade "tailgate" that will be the home for the spare gas can and propane tank.
At some point I may have a stouter bumper built for the front end and I'd like to have the fenders, rocker panels and bumpers LineX'd...
We are into Baja and I'm slowly talking my SWIMPAL into trips farther south.
I took my '86 22R 2wd almost to Acapulco many years back and I'm sure this truck will do just fine.
Oh yeah, I'm still getting 16-17MPG with the camper unloaded.
Oh what a feeling! :shakin:

 

[jim65wagon]

as originally posted by: Halboo
Here's my rig so far:
2005 Tundra Access 4WD
ATC Custom Panther Super Shell...I have a bolt on front hitch on order...

Nice truck and camper combo! I've been considering the front hitch for recovery and other purposes. Which one did you order?

 

[devinsixtyseven]

Heyyy...your truck looks suspiciously like the advertisement in the latest Overland Journal . Is it the same one? Looks really nice.

If you keep it around 70mph, you'll get a hair under 19mpg, even with a full load.

I usually coast the downhills as I can, and keep the engine in the powerband on climbs...also the mileage is better if I control the throttle, rather than the cruise control.

It starts out very capable, and with a bit of trimming here and there, you can really improve the departure angle and bump the tire size, all while running a swingout or other utility tailgate. One of the guys at Tundrasolutions is planning on trimming his bedsides soon, he's probably going to use touch-up paint to cover the trim for now, but I've seen people use color matched LineX to protect the bare metal and provide some durability around the trim area.

Really, gear storage all depends on how much room a guy wants to allocate to indoor space vs fluid storage vs gear, and how much might need to be unpacked in camp. In the past, I've used a bunch of blue Tupperware bins and tiedown straps, we slid everything under the truck at night but we had to repack in the morning...kind of a pain if you're doing it every day and the Panther looks a lot more comfortable than cots in the bed .