Obviously not a mod, but check out Coleman's Catalytic Heater. It's safe to use inside. I would imagine you would want to crack a window a bit just to allow for some oxygen circulation.

 

In my old FJ60 I built a frame that rested on the rear wheel wells and a futon mattress fit perfectly on top of it and gave me about a 5 inch drawer within the framing. Another good thing to do for the headliner is peel it off carefully and herculine/rhinoline/etc. the interior of the roof REALLY thick, the stuff actually works quite well for sound/heat insulation and you can put your own insulation over it and reinstall the headliner. Styrofoam home insulation works well under there too if you can find a local company to fab it thin enough to fit between the headliner and the roof. Another good one to use is that blue padding they use for Pergo flooring (fake hardwood). No itch, no mess, just use a little glue to hold it in until you get the headliner installed.

 

I had thought of making a fleece "tent" for the interior the velcro'd on the inside. Also, I want a cargo box for the bed.

 

I'd love to get one of these:





It's called a Freedom Grill. The coolest part about it is it doesn't take up
any space in your truck bed or rear cargo area! You can grill with it still
attached to your truck, or set it up on a picnic table, etc...

 

I really want to do a hot shower install. My friend had one on his Jeep, and it worked great.

right now I have a 1Kw inverter, sleeping bags, a small stove, and some water

 

If anyone does figure out how to get an inside switch, please do some sort of write-up on it. That would be interesting.

What about some sort of cabinets enclosed in the back of the rear seats thats kind of built in. That would be cool.

 

I think the easiest way would be to tap into the circuit which controls the window using the key in the tailgate. That would be really easy to do. All you would need to do is get a push button that bridges the correct + and - wires from the tumbler depending on whether you want the window to go up or down. You wouldn't want to control the motor directly as the range of motion needs to be limited by the sensors in the tailgate.

 

there is a write up on installing an interior window switch and for the life of me, i cant find it. iirc, it was a fused, double throw (?) switch and installed into the interior release handle area. flip it one way for up, other for down.

if your outer keyed switch is not operational, you probably could add a secondary switch for the outside as well. just make sure its well hidden!

lee

 

I think it would be really easy to tap into the tumbler switch.

 

Easy enough to modify the inside switch to work with the key off:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...ow.shtml#Relay

You could add another switch in parallel with that one, too, bit I find having the one stock switch is fine.

I also installed a 1 watt Luxeon (LED) done light and it is very bright and only pulls 0.08 amps. Also install an LED lamp in the cargo area light.

 

Mine works with the key off.

I don't think it would be that hard to wire up an additional switch in the back.Assuming you could get the switch relatively inexpensively, I believe all that you would have to do is get a switch, and wire up one lead to either side of the motor(IE, whichever one makes it go down, and one to go up). Then wire the power to the battery, or to the fuse box on the driver's side. I don't really see any reason why that wouldn't work. Sounds simple enough.

 

Thanks to 4crawlers writeups I did his switch with no key mod and at the same time I installed a second window switch in the rear cargo area of my 1st gen runner because i hated haveing to crawl up front every time i needed to get out.

I also have a switch in the back that turns on and off my aux fuse box (usually only turns on when ignition is on) so with the car off if i switch the switch and my radio, sat radio, 12v plugs, CB, and power inverter all turn on so i can listen to some toons in bed in the back and then before i fall asleep (hopefully) I just switch the switch off and everything shuts down and i don't even have to move or get our of my bag anymore

I'll post some pics off it all if you guys want.

 

Its really simple. I did this mod this afternoon. Basically there are 3 wires tht come out of the tumbler:

black/white stripe= ground
green/red stripe= up (when grounded)
green/yellow stripe= down (when grounded)

Basically, all you have to do it have a push button switch (or OEM pw window switch) that grounds the correct wire (ie: gr/rd is grounded and window goes up) when the button is pushed. I recessed the push buttons into the tailgate sowhen I sit on the tailgate, I don't damage the buttons.

Trivia: did you know the truck will beep at you if you try to raise the window via the tumbler switch while the tail gate is open.

 

sleep in a tent! lol
A good sleeping bag and sleeping pad is all you need. I slept in the back of my Surf once because the snow was so heavy it was collapsing our tents and it was ok but I preffer a tent. Then you don't need to create all these living arrangements in you truck.

And I winter camp in Alberta.

 

a 12gauge remington with the choke tube removed!
great for bears and the occasional frog

 

I put a masterflow MF-1050 in my truck with an air tank under the bed and it works great for airing up an air mattress (found out that a twin fits right inbetween the wheels)


http://gearinstalls.com/pepboys.htm

Also works well on tires and other air powered stuff

 

I built a cargo box already. It sleeps two guys comfortably because its above the wheel arches, and easily one guy, two girls. The thing I don't like about tents in the winter is we often get freezing rain here and its a pain to dry out the tent in the basement not to mention uncomfortable on the second day if you move camps and have to collapse the tent while its wet. My girlfriend also doesn't go for the tent in all but July/ August.

 

"and easily one guy, two girls."

I like your style

 

Sorry, subscribing to keep track of camping mods as I like to go out in the wilds as well. Lotta fishing lakes in the Sierra Nevada. My canoe loves it, too.

Some very good ideas for the back of a 4 Runner. I love the ingenuity shown.

 

I will post pictures soon of that cargo box. The whole thing cost about $250. It seems like a lot, but that was as cheap as I could make it. You'd be surprised how fast hinges, latches, screws and brackets add up.