So I nabbed this little pickup a while back off the side of the highway where I live.
1992 Toyota Pickup ex-cab, 5 speed, 4wd with a 22RE.
I had been camping all over with my Jeep... but wanted something with an actual bed to sleep in and some more room for my dog "megatron".
It was pretty beat when I got it, but at $2800 bucks with only 160k on the odometer I figured whynot?
Where I started:
Had 31" tires and wheels sitting from another project, so they got installed.
Did an overhaul of the little 22RE, it had great compression but several leaks and was neglected so far as maintenance. Minor tear down and clean up was all it needed!
Had quite a bit of body work that needed done, and it got a basic stock Toyota white paint job thrown at it. I'm no painter by any means... but it's much easier to look at now! :laughing:
The next thing I was after was a box for the bed and a high top camper.
I made the box with some lumber and carpet I spray glued on. Plenty of storage.
And I found the perfect Topper in Durango (which I used as a reason to tour Silverton and Ouray!) Awesome time...
I also cleaned up the interior, lots of work!!! And added a touchscreen with GPS and a backup cam for when the camper is loaded. Kinda goofy but has worked amazing!
The gearing was not right with the jump in tire size... and I was fortunate to score some V6 4:56 diffs from a cool dude in Prescott. Thanks Rick!
While I had the rear axle tore down I threw a simple lunchbox locker in it. Also took all the ADD stuff off the front diff and just swapped the tube with my non ADD 4 cyl. front diff..
The trans got yanked, and I replaced the clutch, and front seal. The rear main also got replaced, and as a bonus I found my pesky coolant leak on the freeze plug at the back of the engine. Yay for slide hammers... it was pretty stuck.
I also gave the Camper a makeover, added some carpet to the interior and I had plenty of left over paint. Also need some new shocks.
So the underside of the truck got reassembled and cleaned up... new brakes as well (pads anyways, the rest was elbow grease).
And a pic of the carpet install on the camper.
Also added a winch to the front on a basic TrailGear mount. I kept the stock bumper intact... I kind of like the basic stock look. And it isn't a crawler, so it's for recovery when needed (Not a daily event..)
Building a truck along the same lines so i'll be in and out stealing ideas :flipoff2:
Good idea on the backup cam. My setup is stupid bulky and I hadn't even thought of that. Do you plan to use it in the winter?
So I finished up the inside of the truck bed/ Camper...
Have a sleeping platform that fits a full size memory foam mattress. The compartments hold all my tools, cooking materials, two shallow coolers, dry food storage, two personal compartments and 1 large storage compartment for clothes/ possibles.
AND, still plenty of room to maneuver inside with the high top camper!
I did install a light and a 12V 400 watt inverter for the tablet or laptop, and it has a couple of usb ports for the cell phone, etc.
Now I need ideas for a roof rack system... Then I should be about wrapped up!
Not looking for a basket or anything, just a simple roof rack for kayak and whatnot.
Heres a pic of inside of camper. Doesn't look like much storage, but it is actually quite a lot~
That’s similar to how I had my ’85 set up back through the 80’s and 90’s. Only problem was that it got to be a pain to move everything off the top to be able to get into the storage underneath. I did change the back section to a pull out drawer system, but it still was a pain to move things around to get into the other two sections - particularly when you were in there and it was raining...
With the old set up I had (a standard shell and thick memory foam mattress) it was a complete pain.
The new foam mattress I have is a trifold and much lighter. In the morning I just fold it all up toward the slider window and I'm set! I will have to take some pics of the loaded compartments and the bed when I get it all set up.
I like the pull out drawer systems. The only problem is when it is pouring outside, and you pull the long drawer out then everything in it gets soaked too... if you aren't quick about it. I'm taking it on a test run in the next couple of days or so. Will report back with pics!
Also have a couple of short trips planned near oak creek/ edge of the world and maybe Canyon Lands soon!
With the dog and woman in there it's not terribly cramped. Plus Meggo kind of likes to sleep in the cab usually, if the sliders are open for her. In the Winter that may not be an option though.
I have been looking at little 12V heaters, or a 12V heat blanket for the sleeping area also. Anyone got a recommend?
12v heaters and 12v blankets really really suck when it is anything near cold outside.
If you can, i'd highly suggest checking out an alt fuel heater, propane would probably be easiest, make space underneath the bed to mount it with a small bottle and then run controls and vent into the rear (or wherever you want it). It wouldn't drain the truck batteries or fuel down the truck at all and would actually give you some warmth you could deal with instead of freezing to death at night.
Okay! Took a test run over to the Sedona area, and boondocked in the Schnebley Hill Road area (AWESOME Road! Sets between the 89 A and I-17 in Az.). Was a cool challenge to break in the truck for a first outing and find any weakness in the current set up:laughing:
The 4x4 trail was mostly mild, so no issues, but enough fun stuff at 8:30 to make it interesting.
I definitely need screens in the camper... the old ones are toast and I woke up with a june bug on my head. :laughing:
The tires kinda suck beyond pavement... They slipped quite a bit on slick rocks, so something in the 31" or 32" variety needs to happen that do well in snow and medium wheeling, not really concerned with road noise...
Needs better speakers for the new radio setup. I need better storage for fruit and whatnot. Maybe a small crate with padding? The banana's and peaches got mushed with all the bouncing on rough roads...
And the current camp kitchen is a single burner on the tailgate. A pot, a pan and some basic nylon forks etc, and silicone bowls/ plates. That stuff worked great, but I need some water capacity. Any good luck with just a couple of 5 gallon water reservoirs like Walmart sells?
As far as the free campsites with no amenities or anything, this thing worked awesome! Had a blast... Even Megatron had fun! And I highly recommend the Shnebley Hill road for a cool camping area at least... the road and drive up was just beautiful.
Info on the coolers please. I'm doing the same thing with my 87 and have been looking for a more low pro cooler.
As for the tires, I run the 33-10.50R15 BFG all terrains. They fit fine with no lift and minor trimming. I wheel it pretty hard for a daily driver ant they have worked great for everything but mud.
Info on the coolers please. I'm doing the same thing with my 87 and have been looking for a more low pro cooler.
As for the tires, I run the 33-10.50R15 BFG all terrains. They fit fine with no lift and minor trimming. I wheel it pretty hard for a daily driver ant they have worked great for everything but mud. View attachment 2372162
Yah... I modified it a bit. Its a trfold I got from Amazon. It was sewn together, but I carefully took the stitches out so I could have three individual pieces instead of one piece that folds up. Works perfect and I can access all the little compartments much easier!
I got mine for like 80 bucks on sale though. And it is more than comfortable enough! I always have the dog with me...
I will have to take some pics later today and post em up.
So I am making all these little test runs in the little toy camp rig I have appropriately named "Blanca". It's like a white chick with an attitude, that lives on starbucks and has to be constantly complimented to feel good about herself.
I am weeding out all the weak spots to get her ready for a big trip when the house sells (in escrow now). :grinpimp:
Went up the mountain the other day for an overnight trip near Pole Knoll with my part Hyena, cattle dog mix "megatron". The other biotch. :laughing:
Did pretty well! The weather dropped down to about 39*, and with the bed setup it was completely cozy and warm. I think not setting directly on the bed of the truck helps quite alot, as well as having the camper interior carpeted. Stayed at about 60* for the most part! I'm sure in the dead of winter it would have been much worse, but for now I am learning some of her limitations. Snapped a few pics on the way there, and the little campsite I picked. The mattress being in three individual pieces works amazing to get at all the compartments. And it was just a great spot to camp for the night... So far the truck has been more than capable of getting off the main roads for some mild to medium wheeling, then hitting the pavement again without any problems whatsoever. :homer:
So I'm good with the set up I have currently... Long road trip will consist of camping most of the week, and a couple nights in a hotel.
Easy to pack and roll the way it is now. Food storage is good for about 4-5 days pending on what I choose to eat. Water varies pending on activity level, but seems cool for about 4-5 days easy (about 12 gallons). I even have left over space as far as the little compartments go. I think once I get the rack, I'm set!
I scored this thing about a month ago... gonna tear into it next! :laughing:
Well, not sure exactly how soon that will be, but I'm really looking forward to making a cool little camper van out of it.
1987 Toyota Cargo Van, 5 speed, 4WD. The guy sold it to me for $900 bucks. Kinda hard to pass it up for that. So the house sold, got full price... even bought about 90% of my furniture! :laughing:
May have to park it at the next flipping prospect until I return... Ha!
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