Trump's 03 Tacoma

[trump]

Flip-pac interior updates:

This has been the part of the build that I have deliberated over many hours and thus, taken my time to ensure a quality result. I still have finishing touches to wrap up on it, but it's getting more dialed in every time I take it out.


Here's a picture of the interior for its maiden voyage on a three day trip through the worst of Death Valley's washboard roads.

The interior held up great. No shifting. No cracking. No issues to report. So, I felt safe getting the woodwork protected. First step was a good base coat, so I went with a waterproof deck paint in the manliest color I could find. I wanted to stay away from a black paint on the inside of the benches so it wouldn't be like trying to find camping gear in a black-hole at night... so, battleship gray...

This gave me good protection from moisture, but was not the final plan for the surface. I wanted the exterior to be bomb/dog proof and bed-liner is probably the best thing for that. The problem of course is cost. Line-X is my coating of choice, but the price is astronomical. I looked around the web until I found a DIY solution that was similar in texture and had favorable reviews. UPOL Raptor came out the winner...

The results are impressive. This was confirmed after getting an attaboy from Mario Donovan of Adventure Trailers at the recent Desert Rendezvous. The UPOL Raptor kit is very easy to use and costs a fraction of what Line-X charges.

 

[Dark Shark]

Sorry for forgetting about you. Here's a link to the turn signals I'm using:

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Lights/Optronics/MCL-50CAK.html

Thank you very much! I have always hated those amber lights.

 

[seanpistol]

Are the dogs feelin' cramped in the back?

The toilet is an awesome idea. I don't want to think about how bad it smells if you're sleepin upstairs and the wife is mid poop.

 

[trump]

Thank you very much! I have always hated those amber lights.

No worries, I can relate.

Are the dogs feelin' cramped in the back?

The toilet is an awesome idea. I don't want to think about how bad it smells if you're sleepin upstairs and the wife is mid poop.

I imagine they do, but there's not much we can do about that. They will adapt to being a bit more stationary and will be much happier than if they were left at home. The toilet really is a game-changer; however, there's a strict no #2 policy anytime it's even close to turn in for the night.

 

[Costman13]

:clapsmile

 

[trump]

Flip-pac interior mounting

It's important to point out the mounting system of the Flip-Pac interior. 4RunAmok, pointed out during the design the problem of having a rigid structure hard mounted onto a dynamic surface. As much as we'd like to believe that our trucks are completely solid we really know that they bend and flex when driving through the back country. A hard mounted interior made from wood could tear itself apart or eventually fatigue if it wasn't able to twist and bend a bit. He offered an excellent idea for a "floating" mount that would keep our hard work intact on even the worst roads (i.e. Saline Valley Road.)


The whole setup would consist of three separate benches that would mount in place. The front box would span the width of the Flip-pac and was designed around concealing a Thetford 135 Marine cassette toilet. The drivers side box would hold the majority of the camping gear but stay narrow enough to maximize aisle width for the dogs to stand in. And, the passenger side that would fill the gap between the fridge and the front box and hold items that we might need to access roadside via the windoor (recovery gear, tools, first aid kit, etc...)


Here during my Raptor Bedliner treatment you can see the three boxes. Notice that they've been designed in a way that they provide plenty of strength to stand or even jump up and down on, but remain open on the backside. This eliminates wasted space for storage that slide-in campers can't make use of.




At the back of the side boxes, D-rings are mounted on the inside and anchor the benches to the bed with turnbuckles. The turnbuckles hook onto tie down rings mounted on my Hi-Lift Slide-N-Lock tie down system. The nature of the ringed tie down allows for swaying and doesn't fully restrict movement. The side boxes bolt through the front box with a single centered eye-bolt and three fender washers. This allows them the ability to twist instead of buckle. The eye provides a spot to anchor to the bed, again using turnbuckles and the tie down system.


Rear mounting point



Eye-bolt tie down point



A dark shot of the same eye-bolt and its location



That's it. Four mounting points for the whole thing! Everything stayed in place without any loosening or shifting.

 

[trump]

After discovering that I would actually drop un-sprung weight by moving from the ProComp 7089's with BFG A/T's (285/75R16 D-Load Range), it made it easy to switch. I moved to narrower (16x7) Toyota steel wheels with the tall and skinny 255/85R16 in a mud terrain today. Initial observations are: noticeable reduction of steering effort and increased response; acceleration is less labored; and they look *****'n.

More to follow after I get to evaluate them off road.

 

[Rotorgeek]

Man that is a supper clean and pro looking setup. Nice job!

 

[trump]

Man that is a supper clean and pro looking setup. Nice job!

Thanks! :beer:

 

[plainjaneFJC]

love the steel wheels.

 

[trump]

love the steel wheels.

Thanks, Scott.

I normally do too, but to be honest, I was still nervous when I decided to make the switch. Those nerves quickly dissolved away after they went on. I think they look at home on this truck.

 

[TangoBlue]

Hey, I can say it looks good and turned out well here...

 

[trump]

Hey, I can say it looks good and turned out well here...

:coffeedrink:

 

[Costman13]

Looking good Mark! I think you're right, the steel wheels do look at home on your truck!

 

[Costman13]

Any updates here?