Well, first post but been lurking for a little while now and figured I would get a short build thread started.
Who the heck am I ? Well generally I spend more time on the motorcycle forums ADV rider in general (xcflyn if you spend time there also). Long time off road motorcycle guy with many jeep builds and even a Land rover build , I wont talk about the rover (WTF was I thinking).
Now I have this in route to me



We live here ---


So there is plenty of off road to be had.
I do not plan to build a rock crawler just want a reliable trust worthy truck the women and I can run into the mountains with- do a little camping,hunting, flyfishing, and even a little panning just for ˟˟˟˟es and grins.
So far plans are ARB's and 5:29s. 4:1 low for Tcase. Some lift but not much - jury is still out on the best solution over all for a lift ? Only going to run 33-10:50 BFG's so minimum lift needed is good enough for me. I will do the typical winch,bumper, rocker guards everyone does except time permitting I will make my own armor. I own a machine shop including a water jet and welding machines ; so I have custom Fab covered if it makes dollar sense to do so- hard to believe there are times I am better off doing work for others to earn the money to buy something that is mass produced.
So this is the start. Always open to sugeestions and as I get going and funds are available I will follow up with pics and details. And if I do it right it may even be interesting

 

Pretty boring start, but the need list before the want list.
The rack for the bed- keep in mind this is a temporary set up to eventually be tied into the frame with more roll over protection. It is short because I have a roof top tent and wanted to keep it below the cab a little bit. The top mount will be for the spare (33-10:50). I will try to follow up after a little paint is applied.

 

Colorado baked on finish (rustoleum in the sun)


Gonna need a round two with the rattle can

 

gotta stop screwing around here- but one last one - this is what I was going to cut for the gussets on the rack, but didnt feel like screwing around with the program side of cutting them. Maybe on the finished product ?

 

Heading into the high country today so I put the rack and tent on. I think its gonna be a winner. Curretly I have 4:88 gears, Zip lockers, after market V6 third, 33:10.50's,OME suspension, and 4.7:1 , transfer case gears on their way. Like most owners, I now have more invested in after market then the truck its self

 

Awesome!

 

Five of these showed up today-

along with a set of these-


Now I wait for lockers and gears. Then I will start the swap.
I am working on drawings for my winch bumper in my spare time, so far I have "0" . As in no spare time and no drawings. But I believe I will make it from 3/8 aluminum plate. I have a lot of drops here that would make a nice one. Just not sure if I really want to spend the time on heavy aluminum work vrs quick and easy steel. We will see.

 

Really looking forward to seeing where this goes! Good luck! Looks great so far!

I am also on ADV Rider, (actually going to look at a Kawasaki KLR600 this weekend).

 

[QUOTE=Swimmerboy2112;52124293]Really looking forward to seeing where this goes!QUOTE]

Me too !

got a few needed items today.


Let the fun begin.

 

Can't wait to see where this build goes. I am also on advrider. Trucks going to look great with the lift and tires

 

Wow what a clean pickup. What springs did ya end up getting ?

 

Went with old man Emu springs that were a direct fit. I really only needed a couple inches of lift and after searching here and all over the net I decided to go with these. I will find out next weekend if it was a good decision. They sure are "soft" it seems so hopefully the flex and ride will be good. I foolishly went with their shocks also. I think I could have done equal for less money (X4) but at the time of order I decided to go with a full OME set up.
Half way there before I had to run home (an hour and a half late) for dinner plans. Of course today we made plans to do the winter prep on the house and start building a shed we waited all summer to get done. So here the truck sits with the rear end hanging in the middle of my shop floor. Looks like Monday will be toyota day and not work day. This swap has been very challenging for such a straight forward set up. I have done a pile of jeeps and others and never spent so much effort getting things apart and back together. Then again I am getting much older. I am having a hell of time with the rear shackles right now.
so here is half done - pulled out to flip around in my work space so I can keep working in the sun with the over head open.

 

BETTER

 

WOW!! Looks amazing. Totally made a night and day difference with this truck. Im jealous!!

 

Why do you plan on 5.29s? Aren't 4.88s perfect for 33x10.5s? Other than that..this is a very clean truck and I'm excited for what you've got planned!!

Also, what kind of pop up tent is that? I've been kinda leisurely looking for one myself, but haven't a clue on actually buying one..

 

My reason for 5:29 was that I live at over 7,000' and most of my driving is 7,000 and up, most of my wheeling is higher then that up to say 14K ' ,and that poor little 22R with its whoping 80-somethin HP could use all the help it can. BUT- I did end up going with 4:88 gears just for the exact reason you say- they are a perfect match for 33's and if the day comes I go bigger on tires or want more gears - gears are cheap and fairly easy to install. I think I need a turbo more then anything .
The roof top tent is a CVT out of Oregon. Man I love it ! I have been a motorcycle traveler for over 30 years and a 4x4 with a roof top is a holiday inn. Sets up super easy, quality is great, leave the bags in the tent so there is not rolling out pads or sleeping bags. Totally love the thing-love it so much we are thinking about becoming dealers out here. Our fist night in it was 30MPH winds above treeline (over 11,000) and sleet. Our only worry was getting off the mountain in the morning. Can not say enough good about it. I did about 3 weeks of research before choosing this one and dollar for dollar I am so glad I did. ARB also makes a pretty nice set up but a little harder on the wallet. There are a pile to choose from and I can really only speak for CVT - it is the only one I have owned.

Now for the truck,
did a little of this- center hub for spare-


Made one of these - threaded hold down


Works-


The center hub is accenteric so I can have the tire pushed to the back bar of the rack it is on- so if it looks off center- it is.
Front view - sorry crappy pic.

 

I like the idea of keeping the Tire on top of the rack. Gets it out of the way in the bed. I need to do something like this with my runner. Tired of the tire being in the back.

 

Really sweet truck. Where you at in Colorado. Lived there last summer and did some exploring in my Subaru I had at the time. Really wished I had a truck while I was there. Lots of fun roads to drive.

 

Don't mean to bother you again, but which model CVT tent do you have? Also, if you're anywhere near Ft Collins, Addicted Off-road is there and is an AMAZING Toyota place for off road equipment..

 

Really nice thread you got started here. Your truck looks really clean and solid. I'm digging that factory color too. My 87 was that factory copper color. I'd really like to have it painted back the color some day once I finish my SAS.

I seen were you mentioned you need a little more power. Well I may be able to give you some advise.

My 87 is also a carbureted truck.

What you can do is as follows...

Engine builders 268 or 261 cam
Offenhauser intake
Holley 350 carb
LCE or TriY header
Custom exhaust
Upgraded ignition

Believe it or not those 6 little upgrades will make a giant difference to your truck. When I first done mine I wasn't satisfied because I went with a weber carb. The weber in my opinion is JUNK... I turned around and bought a Holley and man it really changed things.

I cannot tell ya how much power you gain but I can tell ya it's worth every penny. If you decide to do that stuff let us know.

Keep up the work. I'll be watching this thread.