WOW! Awesome pix! Thanks for sharing, Grego!

Love the Napier, curious does it have a flat would bottom to get rid of the corrugated bed? Or do you just settle in with an air mattress?

 

Loving the Napier Sportz tent. I love the way they look on pickups so much more then the SUV tent that I have.

 

Glad you had a fun trip, Grego, and thanks for the input re: engine replacement

I've been to Little Lakes Valley at end of the road past Rock Creek Lake. Lovely country out there!

And awesome flex - LOL!

 

Mark, I have a Bedrug in the bed, so that's why it's even.

EDIT: My Bedrug



Richard, funny, when I was there I was thinking if I had the SUV tent I'd be more mobile because I wouldn't have to think about whether I wanted to take my tent down or not. Over a 10 day period we do a lot of day trip driving to different lakes, most of the time I hopped in someone's truck. The last 2 nights at Big Pine I didn't even use a tent just slept under my can-back canopy.

The day after I left the first hail/snow came, a couple guys who decided to stay one day longer didn't have a fun time packing up and driving back through the mojave with some severe wind gusts.

 

Spent some time getting my road trip tools organized. When I recently went to mammoth I didn't prepare and ended up with an entire milk crate of tools that weighed a crazy amount of weight and made me chuckle when I got there (ie, why did I bring my whole metric socket and wrench sets? great thinking...I brought my 1/2" socket wrench and my 3/8" sockets ) .

Curious what tools some of you guys carry and have found useful and whether you think I'm missing something critical. Take this into consideration:

A hammer, gorilla duct tape, electrical tape, fuses, multi-tool, flashlight, 550 cord, tape measure, 1/2" breaker bar and tire changing socket, bottle jack and jumper cables are stored elsewhere in the truck.

What's in the bag:

1. 1/2" Socket Wrench
2. 1/2" Deep Impact Sockets - 10,12,14,17,19,21
3. 3/8" Socket Wrench
4. 3/8" Impact Sockets - 10,12,14,17,19
5. 4 3/8" Various Length Impact Extensions
6. 4 Various Socket Adapters
7. Wrench Set - 8,10,12,14,17,19
8. 3 Pliers (Needle Nose, Linemans, Pipe/Pump)
9. Large Vice Grip Pliers
10. 3 feet of 14 Gauge Wire
11. Various Wire Connectors
12. Zip Ties
13. Pencil
14. Wire Brush
15. 3 Screwdrivers +/-
16. Rubber Gloves

I chose impact sockets for a few reasons; 1) They're harbor freight so I figure the stronger type might be better, 6 point, and I would likely bring my cordless impact wrench on a long trip.

Two things I just noticed I'd like to put in there is a socket for my spark plugs and some allen wrenches since my can-back bolts use those type.

 

we both carry just about the same tools. impact sockets are actually not stronger
reason you dont use chrome sockets on impact tools is because IF it breaks, it will shatter and pieces will go flying at you. impact sockets are softer so it just cracks and flex apart instead of blowing up. sense impact sockets are softer, they are thicker also. this can be an issue in some areas where chrome thin wall socket would fit better. not sure if you ran in to this problem but i see it at work all the time. of course i have tons of tools at work.
for the truck i basically have what you carry but all chrome sockets hehe

i also have a few holes clamp type pillars to clamp of leaking rubber hoses

i need to get this special tape, for the name but if your radiator hose has a hole, you just wrap this tape over it and it is strong enough to hold the pressure and stop the leak. works on tons of stuff and is highly recommend for any vehicle.

 

Really?! wow, never knew that! always thought that they were just stronger and thicker to withstand the impact. Maybe I better change my 3/8" sockets out to chrome in case I need that thinner diameter. I don't recall that being an issue when rebuilding but I used chrome 6 point most of the time.

Ah, RESCUE TAPE, I have that also in my truck already. I actually have two rolls in my truck, one is in my kayak gear box. It's kind of pricey for tape but from what I hear very well worth it. Down here we have the Fred Hall Fishing Show every year, there's a guy who sells them pretty cheap in comparison to regular online prices.

 

Sweet. You know what it's called. I hate looking for something I seem a while back and never remember lol. Expensive but smaller and be used on all hoses makes it better than carrying every possible spare hoses

 

Just got back from a couple weeks in Japan. While I was out visiting the remote country area that one of my great-grandparents grew up at, I came across a chicken farm. One of my cousin's friends knew the area well and said there was a self serve restaurant on the farm and we could eat fresh eggs. So besides a nice lunch the owners allowed us to see his vintage cars. What a treat!

A 1950's era Toyota Fire Engine, a mazda 3-wheeled truck, and an un-molested 1960? something Samba VW Bus.









And this little gem that was still riding the country roads of the Chiba prefecture. The owner uses it to deliver eggs and milk to stores and homes. A Mazda 3 wheeled MINI truck. I'm 5' 9" 167lbs and the owner was a little taller and heavier than I, it was a good laugh watching him drive away!

 

Sweet pics and glad you had a good time, Grego. Lovin' the fire truck!

Yeah, countryside is nice. We had chickens in the backyard while I was growing up, and we'd just pick up fresh eggs form the ground. During All Souls Day (our version of Halloween), we did not do trick or treat. Rather, mischievous folks would steal others' chicken and fruits and blame it on souls/ghosts - LOL!
A pic I took on our way to a rainforest trek in my hometown:

Can a Landcruiser carry that? LOL!

That's a backyard fabricator-modified vehicle, with at most a V6 engine-usually diesel. 2WD but climbs steep muddy roads. Worst case, passengers get off and push- LOL!

 

Wow!!! Thank you so much for sharing that! Absolutely awesome! Glad you are safe and had a great time... How's life otherwise man? You and the wife doing well and enjoying newlywedville?

 

Hey Mark, things are going good. The wife is doing good also, busy shopping and visiting people during the Christmas holiday.

Been spending time at the yards because I'm doing a auto to manual swap in the camry. 2nd gear is starting to slip, and rather than spending the money to do a rebuild I've decided to just turn it into a 5-speed. Figure I'll do a full rebuild of the engine this time since I have to pull it to drill the holes to run the shifter cables through the firewall.

Done some little stuff to the truck, as it will become my daily driver until the camry is running again once I start the project. I'll get some photos up soon just to make the post worth while..hahhahahha

 

Lucky you. I still wanna visit japan. It's the only place I would visit outside of the states.

 

Right on, sounds like a worthy mod. I much prefer having the added "control" of the manual, especially in a reasonably sporty car and definitely in my 4WD when creeping! Haha. I understand the appeal with auto in both especially considering my recently acquired foot pain haha.

I wanna hit the yard for some major stuff in the next few months.... I'll keep in touch for sure on that!

 

Sounds like you had a great time in Japan. It is a great place. Enjoyed seeing the old truck you posted. I was there once, wish I knew then what I know now. The things that we cant get here.

 

Grego those are some cool rigs. Would be cool if we had some of those out here. I liked the milk and egg delivery truck. It looks like a go-cart.

Have a great Christmas Grego.

 

It's an amazing place, I wasn't too impressed with the big cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, it was kind of what I expected. But the country and smaller towns are just so nice. What will bow your mind is how courteous and respectful people are. Definitely will be going back.

I hear you Terry, unfortunately junk yards are scarce and the "UP Garages" I went to only had "Fast and Furious" type car parts. I think Okinawa where the U.S. military base is located has some pretty good junk yards, but I didn't go to that island.

I think the 5-speed stick has a nostalgia appeal to it, and I want to enter my Camry in the 2015 Toyotafest in Long Beach. It seems the judges have a soft spot for the "stick". It's probably since the event is lead by the Toyota Owner's and Restorer's Club since they strive to promote and preserve pre-1985 yotas.


Hope you had a great Christmas also! Maybe run into you at the yard this Saturday! (half off sale)


Here's a little article I thought was pretty interesting. Thought you guys might like it, specially since it was done to a yota and deals with the potential elimination of a spare tire.

 

Seems like to much work money and weight to be worth it. A spare is much easier lol I'm more worry about sidewall damage than anything else. I carry tire plugs

 

To keep my thread alive....

Toyo you got me motivated a little while ago before I left for Japan. I wanted a way to attach MOLE system cargo carriers and gadgets. Found some MOLE plates at a surplus store for a $3 each and screwed them into the cab wall liner I installed using nuts/bolts. Went with tan to match the can-back.

Also screwed in a bicycle water bottle carrier to hold my disposable fire extinguisher.







Also found a 2nd Gen 4runner leather 4x4 shifter knob at the yard! weee!



And now for your reading pleasure......wish I could see more of highlight 4 would love to see the bed/cargo area.

 

Nice finds, Grego!