Hi folks. I'm asking this question here because all my vehicles have been Toyotas for some time. Ive got a 98 4runner and a 98 Tacoma right now but I've been thinking of setting up a 4x4 van as an expedition rig to Baja. My question is: which of the big 3 is the best and which motor is the best. I'm tending towards Ford because the access to the motor looks better with the longer hood but I know nothing about domestic trucks.
TIA, Edy

 

get an FJ

I'd be more helpful but I don't really know much about domestic vans...you mean like the E series Fords? E-250, etc? I'd imagine those things suck offroad.

 

There's something about those 4wd econolines with a 2-3 inch lift that just screams class

 

"Behind the Redwood curtain." How far behind the Redwood curtain are you??

 

http://www.factory4x4vans.com/

http://www.sportsmobile.com/ultimate.html

 

Get a yota 4x4 van !!

 

Those actually look pretty slick inside... too bad they still look like outside. Get whichever you want, but you ARE on a Toyota forum so what do you expect us to say?

 

I bet an AWD Previa with a couple inches under it would get you down to baja no problem!

 

He’s talking about one of these





Not a Sienna.

To the OP - Why a van? Would a Sequoia be a better platform?

 

vans are cooler. I drove an 86 4x4 toy van in HS.

 

I had one of these! It was an '87 2wd 22RE Auto. They are indestructable, and jump quite high. The engine is under the front seats. Very akward to work on.

 

That one is 4wd, and yes crackalak, Thats what im talking about, He says he wants a van to take him down the baja, I dont know of many other options..

 

Here is what ya need.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ad.php?t=20822

 

How about this for Toyota.

 

Haha... Been there done that!!!

Do NOT get a fullsized van for Baja. Ok.. well, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish here.

If you're planning on staying on the highway, going off on a few dirt roads, where you know you are going, then thats fine. If you're planning on doing exploring, away from civilization, etc, I wouldn't do it.

My dad and his buddies have been going into Baja since the 60's and have found and named many surf spots throughout Central Baja. They have had every rig, and traveling down Baja back in the day used to be a lot tougher since the highway wasn't even paved. Cabo was just a fishing village.

Back in the mid 90's, when I started going down on the guy trips into central Baja, my dad's best friend built his own Chevy 4x4 van, which was originally a military van. He is a certified mechanic, and gear head. He had Dana 60's front and rear, a decent engine, and was pretty much bullet proof. Until, we got stuck on a regular looking hill.... We took a wrong turn and couldn't get back up it. Luckily our other truck had a winch.

About 2-3 days later, we were going through the place where we call the squeeze. The bushes go in, scratch the paint up, and then there are these weird dips and stuff in the road, the van almost flipped itself.

That same day, we ended up digging the truck out of the sand for a good 3-4 hours and winching it out since it was so heavy it sunk right through.

I honestly think 4x4 vans are the most incapable rigs possible. The weight distribution is completely wrong. My dad's buddy who literally built up the rig from scratch for over a year ended up selling it after that trip.

It was awesome for space, but, anything after that was no bueno. Here are the only pictures I could find of the stuck van on the damn loose gravel hill.




Near Punta Canoas...one of the areas where there isn't a real town for 200 miles. What you can't see is the winch line... haha!!

 

Here's another opinion of vans.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/496850

 

well hell, if we're talking goofy huge . . .

UNICAT



just read what they put into these beasts, I saw one in North Cali with a BMW Dakar on a hydraulic arm to lower it to the ground . . .

 

Why a van? Looking for more space? I'd start with an FZJ80 Land Cruiser. Check them out here: www.IH8MUD.com

 

yea, 80 series cruiser FTW !!

 

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't think the FZJ80's have that much more room than a 3rd Gen. I think the Sequoia has MUCH more room, and so does the 4th Gen 4Runner. I think it has a bigger feel to it, because of the larger windows. BUT, they do have more parts available from foreign countries than the 4Runner, and they're more capable in the stock trim. MPG's suck, though.

I think building an expedition Sequoia would be AWESOME! (not with the current IFS/IRS model).