97' T100 Traveler Build

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Yes dman93, that is the guy that was also going to sell the seats and console. I just didn't have time to drive 2 hours for them. Just finished up my front brakes as the pad were almost metal on the drivers side. Just switched on the pads after a hour long fight of trying to get the drivers rotor off. Test drive shows fine with no squeals or vibration at high speeds.

Maybe after my trip through the PNW and Squamish BC. August 19-31st.. Be looking for updates on my travel page, I'll be creating later next month.
 

Amphibeast

Adventurer
Cool…. Im doing my T100 up now for my son ( & myself ) I look forward to the rest of your build… Im slowly posting mine on here as well….
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Received my huge amount of Mylar silver/white to block on the windows and surround my bed with soon enough. My trip is a month away and the clock is ticking! Need to get this project finished up, after another monsoon tonight I checked my recent side window silicon seal job. Well it is still leaking pretty good. I need to cut the tip of the tube a little bit smaller for the width of bead I need. Well anyways, there is a small update for tonight. Off to bed gents..
 

Arclight

SAR guy
Yes dman93, that is the guy that was also going to sell the seats and console. I just didn't have time to drive 2 hours for them. Just finished up my front brakes as the pad were almost metal on the drivers side. Just switched on the pads after a hour long fight of trying to get the drivers rotor off. Test drive shows fine with no squeals or vibration at high speeds.

Maybe after my trip through the PNW and Squamish BC. August 19-31st.. Be looking for updates on my travel page, I'll be creating later next month.

I just did the front brakes on my T100. Unfortunately, my pad-only swap resulted in terrible shuddering when braking over about 40mph. The rotors had hot spots, and the new pads made the problem very apparent. Getting the rotors off isn't that hard, but it requires the removal of about 40 parts and fasteners. You also need a very large socket (NAPA sells it) to remove the bearing nut. It ended up being a 4+ hour job, plus waiting for the machine shop to turn the rotors (the factory ones had just enough meat left for one more resurfacing).

For future reference, you can pull the safety clips+pins and swap the pads without even removing the caliper.

Cheers,

Arclight
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Well after a great rafting trip with 2 days on the river and 3 nights camping. I must say, I need to upgrade my sleeping cushion a ton. Looking towards a THERM-A-REST DREAM.. 4" pad with the obvious blow up construction they are known for. All reviews have said it sleeps like well, A DREAM! The retail on it is around $200 for the regular model, trying to find a deal on one but of course who would sell theirs!
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
So I'm looking at living out of my T100 after a 2 year lease that was $700 plus utilities. I own a dog and have a $300 truck payment on top of $100 full coverage insurance through progressive. I have been building towards the dogs comfort of course. I have a rec center in 10 miles both directions. A full time job I make $18 a hour at with full benefits. My only issue is the fact that for 8 months out of the year it is snowing and freezing cold. I love my dog and would rather keep him for he is a part of me. My girlfriend thinks I'm stupid for trying this and just laughs when I talk about it. I see myself creating a huge amount of savings if I can pull this off for at least 4 months. Can crash on many friends couches if I find it needed.

Really need a taller topper like the LEER 122 for the much needed head room. After 2 months I would be able to afford a brand new one. Anyways.. Working another 10 hour day tomorrow.. Have a good night EXPO fans
 

ghenry0007

New member
So I'm looking at living out of my T100 after a 2 year lease that was $700 plus utilities. I own a dog and have a $300 truck payment on top of $100 full coverage insurance through progressive. I have been building towards the dogs comfort of course. I have a rec center in 10 miles both directions. A full time job I make $18 a hour at with full benefits. My only issue is the fact that for 8 months out of the year it is snowing and freezing cold. I love my dog and would rather keep him for he is a part of me. My girlfriend thinks I'm stupid for trying this and just laughs when I talk about it. I see myself creating a huge amount of savings if I can pull this off for at least 4 months. Can crash on many friends couches if I find it needed.

Really need a taller topper like the LEER 122 for the much needed head room. After 2 months I would be able to afford a brand new one. Anyways.. Working another 10 hour day tomorrow.. Have a good night EXPO fans

It's a bold move with a lot to consider.

As far as keeping warm, the THERM-A-REST is a good option. A scratchy wool blanket is a cost effective means of keeping the pup warm. Get him a doggie bed to sleep on. I'm not sure how large he is, but it sounds like he's a huge priority for you. The bed will aid in keeping him warm, but the wool blanket will do the trick, even if he gets wet. Wool is an excellent medium for wicking water.

Showering can be problematic at times, but hygiene needs to be a priority. It's a confined space, but plenty of room for germs to breed. Keep your vehicle clean and fresh. A water bottle (try for at least 1L) left out in the sun can become a shower by poking small holes in the bottom. There are a lot of disinfectant sprays out there that work well with fabrics. Lysol works great. That being said, keeping your clothes clean can also present it's own challenge if you're not wanting to go to a Laundromat. A nice sized bucket, hand operated washing machine, and a clothesline can work just fine, and is very affordable. You just have to supply your own water. I've used dish detergent to wash clothes, and it works just fine, usually wearing twice between washes, just once for socks/underwear. Also, TP, baby wipes, and wag bags.

If you don't want to live off of fast food, it's worth it to invest in a portable stove (Coleman) and at least a small mess kit, if you haven't already.

Sleeping in a confined space never bothered me, but it could possibly get crowded with the pup alongside. Get organized from the get-go. Ergonomics was very important to me. The small space combined with all the necessary equipment needed for day-to-day life can really slow you down if it's unorganized. "Where did I put that" and "Why is this here and not there" can come up quite often.

Fine mesh cargo netting also came in handy. Easy, visible access to store just about anything.

And lastly, avoid excess when possible. Not just to save money, but to save time, reduce complexity, and improve usable space. It'll definitely open your eyes to the small things you take advantage of in a home.

(I didn't mention before, but sleeping on an air mattress for 4 months may not be the best option. Look for a thicker sleeping pad. They'll provide better support than the air mattress over the long term. THERM-A-REST makes a variety of sleeping pads, too. Basecamp~$50-70, LuxuryMAP~$90-120, MondoKing~$150-180, all depending on size.)
 
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bjp

Rez roamer, dog wrangler
If you're looking to live in your truck, I would be looking to get something taller than the Leer 122 you mentioned. Any extra height is worth a lot when you are treating the truck bed as a home. I don't know how much you'd be looking to pay for a new 122 in your area, but new toppers are pretty expensive around here. Anything good is well north of $1500, with the taller ones running about $1800-2000 when I last looked. I ended up getting an ARE D.C.U. It was about 2500 in the configuration I got. Double rear swing-out doors (so, no tailgate) with windows, opening side windows, ladder rack on top. They come in different heights, and are completely customizable. Might be worth looking. I know you can get them cheaper than what I paid; just depends on what you want.

Also, and I know you know this, but it's gonna be hard to keep dog hair off of every piece of clothing you have if you are living with your bud in the back of the truck. Might look at coming up with clothing storage in the extended cab portion of the truck. Maybe you said that earlier, though, and I just missed it.

As for curtains, I had the local gear/clothing repair lady cut/sew some curtains for me, using a single, large light-blocking curtain for the fabric. Cost me 10 bucks or so at Walmart, and another 30 or 40 to get her to cut/sew. I placed grommets in the curtains, and I hang them on little 3m folding hooks that I've stuck up inside the shell using the heavy-duty 3m double-side adhesive foam. Works like a charm. Put 'em up, take 'em down. No problems. I went with a completely removable curtain assembly because I use my truck to haul rescue dogs from the rez to accepting shelters frequently, and I have to be able to power-wash the inside of the bed/shell each time, and then bleach it down. I couldn't have curtains in there all the time.

Please take all my comments with a grain of salt, and with the understanding that I do not live in my truck. I use it to sometimes sleep in after work (instead of making the 80-mile one-way commute), and to haul dogs and wood and bicycles and whatever else.



here is my shell, shortly after I bought it.

 

AaronK

Explorer
If you're looking to live in your truck, I would be looking to get something taller than the Leer 122 you mentioned. Any extra height is worth a lot when you are treating the truck bed as a home. I don't know how much you'd be looking to pay for a new 122 in your area, but new toppers are pretty expensive around here. Anything good is well north of $1500, with the taller ones running about $1800-2000 when I last looked. I ended up getting an ARE D.C.U. It was about 2500 in the configuration I got. Double rear swing-out doors (so, no tailgate) with windows, opening side windows, ladder rack on top. They come in different heights, and are completely customizable. Might be worth looking. I know you can get them cheaper than what I paid; just depends on what you want.

Also, and I know you know this, but it's gonna be hard to keep dog hair off of every piece of clothing you have if you are living with your bud in the back of the truck. Might look at coming up with clothing storage in the extended cab portion of the truck. Maybe you said that earlier, though, and I just missed it.

As for curtains, I had the local gear/clothing repair lady cut/sew some curtains for me, using a single, large light-blocking curtain for the fabric. Cost me 10 bucks or so at Walmart, and another 30 or 40 to get her to cut/sew. I placed grommets in the curtains, and I hang them on little 3m folding hooks that I've stuck up inside the shell using the heavy-duty 3m double-side adhesive foam. Works like a charm. Put 'em up, take 'em down. No problems. I went with a completely removable curtain assembly because I use my truck to haul rescue dogs from the rez to accepting shelters frequently, and I have to be able to power-wash the inside of the bed/shell each time, and then bleach it down. I couldn't have curtains in there all the time.

Please take all my comments with a grain of salt, and with the understanding that I do not live in my truck. I use it to sometimes sleep in after work (instead of making the 80-mile one-way commute), and to haul dogs and wood and bicycles and whatever else.



here is my shell, shortly after I bought it.

That's sweet I want one!

Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk.
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Yes that ARE DCU looks awesome! Thanks guys, I've been looking at the MR.HEATER BUDDY that works indoors and has a tip over emergency shut off. Also saw that Walmart had the extended hose for a true large propane set up. Would be great for very cold nights and running for days even if need be. Would be very pricey for sure, a exchange at my store is $19. Wondering how good the hose even works. Seriously scary to think that it could leak and my dog and I would be dead.

Finally got my reflective covering for the windows. Dropped the bed temp by a 15-20 degrees. I will have a true reading with the AcuRite mercury thermometer I bought tonight. Along with a small fire extinguisher for those just in-case situations. Post some pictures later on this week. Been crazy busy with school/work. Have to get some mtn bike riding in before the trip as well!

Thanks for all the advice fellow EXPOs
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Been crazy with school, now that is over it is time to work. Slept on 4 different sleeping pads today. Went with the ThermaRest Luxury Map XL. Got a good deal on it thru a friend. Also picked up some kitchen items, along with a Black Diamond Storm headlight as well.
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Did not realized it had been 2 months since I left this forum. Trip went well to Bend, OR. Now it's time for snow in Colorado. Looking great so far. Has some small updates I'm trying to get done before the real stint of winter hits.
 

ToyotaRoamer86

Adventurer
Whoa it is December! I just installed a set of KO2 265/75R16 tires, so excited to jump to the new tread design. Have not done much to the vehicle on than that, Oh wait! I have some new Bilstein 4600 shocks to add at each corner. This T100 will riding smooth into 180k this summer.
 

dman93

Adventurer
I just installed 4 Bilsteins 4600's on my T100. I replaced some pretty old KYB's from the PO. They don't make much difference on the road, maybe a little less "kick" from the rear axle on speed bumps. But though I haven't done any real-off-roading yet (I just finished up a few hours ago) I did blast through a really rough dirt parking area and they had much more progressive damping on some deep pot holes. Amazingly cheap on Amazon as well. One word of advice. The lower eyes on the front shocks were about 2 mm wider than the KYB's. I had to spread the lower mounting tabs on the LCA to get the shocks to fit. I thought I could just force the shocks in but after struggling for an hour I rigged up a C clamp and channel locks and bent the mount in about 30 seconds.
 

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