devinsixtyseven
Explorer
Any suggestions for my buildup?
I have a slightly modified 2000 Tundra, slowly being built to take me and a passenger or two through hell and back in relative comfort. Despite what the photos seem to show, it's still mostly stock...stock drivetrain components or style from the engine to the hubs. The diffs and axles will change soon, as will the rear bumper and a few other things. I'm gtg with the truck mods, but would like some opinions on the expedition-related bits.
I like an uncluttered dash, and with all the guages and switches that will need a home--lockers, lights, health/status, power, compressor, brakes, etc--it could get messy. I don't want anything over the transmission tunnel. What do you guys think of overhead consoles for small electronics? Overhead being between driver and passenger seats, from the windshield to the back of the captain's chairs.
The smaller of the blue/yellow top optimas (D34M, I think, *without* the bulge on the side) provide the most power for the size and weight compared to the competition and the other optima batteries. There will be a pair of them on the truck, colocated for simplicity, somewhere in the bed. I can put them centered in the front in a box, or sink them in to the bed near or just aft of the rear axle--no spare tire in the well, it's too big to fit and that's a bad place for a trail spare anyway--with an access hatch. Lower is obviously better, but what do you guys think about placement near the rear axle? There is such a thing as too much weight aft, the pair will weigh around 100#. I do want them aft, as the ARB bumper is a pig and the eventual winch will also be heavy.
There is a lot of room under the fiberglass bedsides. Is there a good source for a permanently mounted, metal or plastic encased, water tank? Something that can be removed to clean, but hard mounted and protected against debris. I considered a marine water bag, but I'm not sure if they'll hold up. I have a lot of room down low, probably around six to eight gallons of room, right behind the cab, outside and below the frame rail including both sides. Does anyone run a tank like this? BajaTaco, I thought I remembered seeing a hard mounted tank on your truck...?
Has anyone ever been on a trip and said "dang, I wish I had a winch in the rear"?
Since the Tundra has almost the same range/capacity as a Taco, but more cargo volume, I think I can put all the heavy stuff low, and use the recovered space under the bedsides for some of it. Also, I have room in the former spare location for...something. Aux fuel, or batteries, or a small winch like the new 9K# comp recovery winches, and whatever it is will get a skid plate. Thoughts?
I want the truck as low as possible, with the CG as close to the level of the hubs as I can possibly get it without watering the tires, ie no roof racks, ever, except to carry a couple of kayaks (they're light)...so no gas, water, or spares on the roof (not to mention the spare I'll be carrying shortly ain't light!). In addition, the truck was long prior to the ARB, and the only reason I'm keeping the ARB at the moment is safety and a place to sit/stand, so I'm trying to avoid long/heavy rear bumpers, and the more traditional swingout carrier not only elongates the truck, it raises my CG again. What do you guys think of the tradeoff between the utility of the swingout carrier vs the additional weight far aft and the additional length? I have some ideas for the spare, but they involve cutting and decking the bed, and while it would be a great mod I don't know if it wouldn't just be easier to throw the spare (along with the CO2 tank, shovel, axe, etc.) on a swingout and deal with the additional "junk in the trunk" :shakin:.
The less stuff I have to carry in the bed, the more room I have for mtn bikes, camp chairs, coolers full of carne asada and elephant hill hefeweizen, etc...I want to get 10g H2O, 10g fuel, two batteries, a spare tire, recovery ladders, CO2 tank, two mtn bikes, a cooler and the usual camping gear in the truck, but if possible stash the water, fuel and batteries outside of the normal bed volume and within the current max volume of the truck.
So...help me pimp my ride
. Pics of stuff are here, pics of the fiberglass bedside stuff is mostly on pages 4 and 5. the newer pics are actually on the later pages. I'll get some pics of the volume under the fiberglass bedsides...it's a lot of space, just oddly sized, and perfect for stashing stuff as long as it isn't really heavy.
-sean
I have a slightly modified 2000 Tundra, slowly being built to take me and a passenger or two through hell and back in relative comfort. Despite what the photos seem to show, it's still mostly stock...stock drivetrain components or style from the engine to the hubs. The diffs and axles will change soon, as will the rear bumper and a few other things. I'm gtg with the truck mods, but would like some opinions on the expedition-related bits.
I like an uncluttered dash, and with all the guages and switches that will need a home--lockers, lights, health/status, power, compressor, brakes, etc--it could get messy. I don't want anything over the transmission tunnel. What do you guys think of overhead consoles for small electronics? Overhead being between driver and passenger seats, from the windshield to the back of the captain's chairs.
The smaller of the blue/yellow top optimas (D34M, I think, *without* the bulge on the side) provide the most power for the size and weight compared to the competition and the other optima batteries. There will be a pair of them on the truck, colocated for simplicity, somewhere in the bed. I can put them centered in the front in a box, or sink them in to the bed near or just aft of the rear axle--no spare tire in the well, it's too big to fit and that's a bad place for a trail spare anyway--with an access hatch. Lower is obviously better, but what do you guys think about placement near the rear axle? There is such a thing as too much weight aft, the pair will weigh around 100#. I do want them aft, as the ARB bumper is a pig and the eventual winch will also be heavy.
There is a lot of room under the fiberglass bedsides. Is there a good source for a permanently mounted, metal or plastic encased, water tank? Something that can be removed to clean, but hard mounted and protected against debris. I considered a marine water bag, but I'm not sure if they'll hold up. I have a lot of room down low, probably around six to eight gallons of room, right behind the cab, outside and below the frame rail including both sides. Does anyone run a tank like this? BajaTaco, I thought I remembered seeing a hard mounted tank on your truck...?
Has anyone ever been on a trip and said "dang, I wish I had a winch in the rear"?
Since the Tundra has almost the same range/capacity as a Taco, but more cargo volume, I think I can put all the heavy stuff low, and use the recovered space under the bedsides for some of it. Also, I have room in the former spare location for...something. Aux fuel, or batteries, or a small winch like the new 9K# comp recovery winches, and whatever it is will get a skid plate. Thoughts?
I want the truck as low as possible, with the CG as close to the level of the hubs as I can possibly get it without watering the tires, ie no roof racks, ever, except to carry a couple of kayaks (they're light)...so no gas, water, or spares on the roof (not to mention the spare I'll be carrying shortly ain't light!). In addition, the truck was long prior to the ARB, and the only reason I'm keeping the ARB at the moment is safety and a place to sit/stand, so I'm trying to avoid long/heavy rear bumpers, and the more traditional swingout carrier not only elongates the truck, it raises my CG again. What do you guys think of the tradeoff between the utility of the swingout carrier vs the additional weight far aft and the additional length? I have some ideas for the spare, but they involve cutting and decking the bed, and while it would be a great mod I don't know if it wouldn't just be easier to throw the spare (along with the CO2 tank, shovel, axe, etc.) on a swingout and deal with the additional "junk in the trunk" :shakin:.
The less stuff I have to carry in the bed, the more room I have for mtn bikes, camp chairs, coolers full of carne asada and elephant hill hefeweizen, etc...I want to get 10g H2O, 10g fuel, two batteries, a spare tire, recovery ladders, CO2 tank, two mtn bikes, a cooler and the usual camping gear in the truck, but if possible stash the water, fuel and batteries outside of the normal bed volume and within the current max volume of the truck.
So...help me pimp my ride
. Pics of stuff are here, pics of the fiberglass bedside stuff is mostly on pages 4 and 5. the newer pics are actually on the later pages. I'll get some pics of the volume under the fiberglass bedsides...it's a lot of space, just oddly sized, and perfect for stashing stuff as long as it isn't really heavy.-sean
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