Expeditions West 2004 Tacoma

The Tacoma makes for a fantastic expedition platform, with good economy, excellent reliability and durability and high payload. I will detail the major modifications and then add to thread as new modifications come along.



Major Modifications:

Con-Ferr roof rack, Thule rails, Kayak rack
Demello Rock Sliders
Demello Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper
Mountain Bike bed rack
ARB Safari Snorkel
ARB Front Bumper
Warn M8000 winch
Lo-Tek Gauge Pod
Cyberdyne Digital Gauges
Custom 22 Gallon Auxiliary Fuel Tank
Custom Shovel and Axe mount
Engle 42L Fridge/ Freezer on custom mounts
Custom rear seat area platform with radio mount and 2 drawers
Yaesu FT-2800m 2m radio
40 Channel CB
Custom NATO can water cage with two, 20 liter cans
1400 watt inverter
10 port aux. fuse block
Grey wire modification
Full time power outlet modification
Much more on the garage floor, waiting to be installed...

Whats Next?:
4.88 axle gearing
ARB Front Locker
Roof Tent
Rack system for mounting roof tent and storing light gear.
Lighting
Brake upgrade
Rear storage system
etc...

I spent the weekend installing my new ARB bumper and M8000 winch. In addition, I painted the chrome grill a dark grey hammered finish.

More details soon, but here is a teaser...

have you set a target install date on this, 4.88 axle gearing and ARB Front Locker ? Will you do the install yourself?

Well, I am going to schedule the gearing swap and ARB locker install tomorrow. BUT, I am still on the fence about ratio.

Of course, the practical decision is to just go with 4.88's, but if I did that, then I wouldnt be the Scotty you know and love

So I am (unless you guys can manage to talk me out of it in a few days) going to install 5.29 gears based upon this justification.

Positives to 5.29
1. Not a daily driver, so performance is the key motivator
2. Slow road speeds in Mexico
3. Weight of the vehicle
4. Time spent on mountain roads
5. Time spent off-road

Negatives to 5.20
1. Smaller pinion
2. Limits road speeds

I rarely drive faster than 75-80 mph, so here is how it works out...

5.29:1


4.88:1

Tool box and storage

I want to install a high quality aluminum tool box in the bed of the truck to house the ExtremeAir, small air tank, aux. battery and some storage.

I like this unit (in black of course, as I am chromophobic):


Then, I will build a platform that will run the remaining length of the bed, at a height of 13" above the bed floor. Under the platform I will role two of these, side by side. These are the new Storm Case iM2720's available from Pangaea Expeditions
External Size - 24.6" x 19.7" x 11.7"


I will also build in little cubby's that will sit to the side of the Storm Cases, and allow storing on additional gear that is needed for quick access.

I want to build the platform myself, and weld it out of 1/2" steel with an aluminum enclosure (weather sealed) with the entire assembly rhino lined, or equivalent.

The top of the platform can be used to store soft goods. There will be about a 12-14" space between the top of the platform and the bottom of the Eezi-awn roof tent.

with the 5:29:1 you will have nice low gearing for the mnt's - but are you concerned with the 06 Alaska expedition?

I am still 75% on road with my Tacoma so I am hanging with the 4:88:1 to land me back to close to stock. Plus I am a speed demon on the highways

Great plans on your bed storage - I have the weatherguard box and think the construction of it is stellar. Welded corners - solid lock system - opens and locks from either side - theft and weather proof- pricey!

Note: I have found that the silver box color does keep the inside very cool during the hot summer months

Are you using steel tube for the tent mounts? I have just started my tent mount design and hope to have it mounted by next month.

Desertdude said:

with the 5:29:1 you will have nice low gearing for the mnt's - but are you concerned with the 06 Alaska expedition?

Click to expand...

With the 5.29's I can cruise at 75-80 all day, with bursts to 85-90 if required. It seems that most of the people I drive with are also pretty loaded and havent changed grearing, so they drive slower too. Highway top speed is certainly a negative of the 5.29's though.

With the amount of highway driving you do, I think 4.88 will work great for you.

Desertdude said:

Note: I have found that the silver box color does keep the inside very cool during the hot summer months

Are you using steel tube for the tent mounts? I have just started my tent mount design and hope to have it mounted by next month.

Click to expand...

Good point on the chrome box color, but I am hopeless on that front

Yes, I intend to use 1-1.25" steel tubing as bows to mount the tent to. There will be 4 bows total. I will also run smaller load bars across to mount the kayak mounts to, use for lumber hauling, etc. I am going to work on some drawings soon, as the Eezi Awn should be here any day now.

expeditionswest said:

It seems that most of the people I drive with are also pretty loaded and havent changed grearing, so they drive slower too.

Click to expand...

Hmmm... I wonder who he could be referring to?

Regarding the gears, I think either way you go, there will be times when you smile and times when you roll your eyes. It's that whole trade-off thing.

expeditionswest said:

... the Eezi Awn should be here any day now.

Click to expand...

(insert jumping up and down smiley here) Scott, you need to get some more smileys on this forum

For my work trailer top I used 1/8" diamond plate in bright alum. I wish I did it in black because in the sun it is blinding...

So you think that you will need four bows? I am waiting to hear back from the tent disturber on mounting points - I figure I will need three. Unfortunately more weight to add.

How are you activating the arb? CO2 or the arb mini compressor?

Chris,

Your wish is my command (line)...

:jump:

Desertdude said:

How are you activating the arb? CO2 or the arb mini compressor?

Click to expand...

I am using this:


I intend to use this to distribute the air:


The compressor will run off of the aux, battery system. I will wire it to be on demand and monitor the system from an in the cab cyberdyne air pressure gauge.

I have the truck scheduled for 5.29 gears and the front ARB installation on the 11 of August at 4Wheelers Supply in Phoenix.

Now, I need to get my :shakin: in gear, and install the compressor and ARB support systems (switches, solenoids, etc.).

The machine is starting to come together... :box:

Scott, IMO, get the 4.88's. With the automatic transmission, you won't see much difference between the 4.88's and 5.29's (if you were running a manual trans., then you would definately feel the difference). You will see better fuel economy with the 4.88's, and that will outweigh any performance advantage you get from the 5.29's (again, IMO). Consider how many miles you log on your taco where you are actually in low range, compared to how many you see in high range. You will probably see 90% of the milage is in high, at considerable speeds (40mph+). Granted, you have as much range as I do with my dodge (maybe more....I don't recall how far you can get....I can get ~700 miles on one tank).

BTW, what's with the monkey gettin' jiggy? ( :shakin: )

The monkey is just shakin his grove thing GT

We needed some new smilies...

For me, the 5.29's are all about highway performance. I have never had a gearing problem off-highway.

The thing that makes it all possible is the .705 overdrive, which is very high (low numerically). It still allows an 80 mph cruising speed.

With the serious weight of the truck and tall tires I want the road performance. Of course, I could be totally wrong. We will find out soon enough...

There are 2 more monkeys that go with the one you have added...they all crack me up.

Any idea how much your truck weighs? I can't imagine it being THAT heavy (could be wrong though). You have 4.10's now, right? 5.29's is a huge jump.....and the key to fuel economy is keeping the engine RPM low.