Hodakaguy's Overland Tacoma Builds - FWC Combo

[Hodakaguy]

that can be a factor. I put my ACR right next to my Camper batteries for that reason. What size wiring are you running from truck to camper? I have 2g, 25' runs (so 50' total wire). I see about .3v drop at 80A.

Right now I just have the Factory FWC wiring installed, 10ga maybe. The wiring will need to be upgraded for voltage drop. I also plan on running this truck with a canopy and ARB fridge in the back so at that point I will want the ACR up front, everything is a trade off. in reality the dual batts in the FWC coupled with a solar setup (Will be installing soon) should be plenty for the ARB fridge and heater. in the camper.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Awesome work. So great to have this a water/son project. Sure has been fun to follow the double build. jd

Thanks, I'm really liking the results so far.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Hey Hodakaguy, I have enjoyed following your build - thanks for taking the time to publish. I have an 09 Tacoma that I am going to modify with the BP51's and Dakar AAL like you installed, with an eye toward a FWC this spring. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions on who I should purchase the suspension from? My plan is to do the work myself. but admittedly, I don't have your skill set and am probably way over my head but am to stubborn to pay someone else to do it ;-).

Mark

Hi Mark. No problem I enjoy documenting my builds, sharing info is what makes these forums great. There are quite a few outlets for the suspension setup, I ended up contacting Shawn at RougeOffRoad and he set me up, nice guy and he's competitive on prices. I'd give ya a hand if closer but if you have any questions just shoot me a message and I'll try to help where I can.

Oh yeah and I'm really liking this suspension setup so far!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

How does your truck ride vs. your dads with the suspension set ups? Pretty harsh?
When do you expect to pick up your camper?

How does your truck ride vs. your dads with the suspension set ups? Pretty harsh?
When do you expect to pick up your camper?

They are very similar. Both was a tad harsh when first installed but now that they have some miles on them they are settling in nicely. I settled on setting 1 compression and 4 rebound for now with the truck unloaded and it's riding great! I'll be installing the bumper/winch and the sliders soon so that will make it even smoother. Once the FWC is on board I'll crank up the compression settings to allow better handling on the road.

WIll be picking up the camper soon....can't wait!

Hodakaguy

 

[coloradoclimber97]

Hi Mark. No problem I enjoy documenting my builds, sharing info is what makes these forums great. There are quite a few outlets for the suspension setup, I ended up contacting Shawn at RougeOffRoad and he set me up, nice guy and he's competitive on prices. I'd give ya a hand if closer but if you have any questions just shoot me a message and I'll try to help where I can.

Oh yeah and I'm really liking this suspension setup so far!

Hodakaguy

Thanks for link to ROR and the offer to help. I will be curious to hear your opinions after you have driven with the camper on for awhile.

 

[Hodakaguy]

Sorry guys....Long over due updates
I had a bad chest cold for about 10 days and I wasn't feeling much like posting...I did sneak out in the shop and get a few things done though
Installing the TPAM Mount. This is an aluminum mount with two port USB that bolts on top of the dash and allows the use of RAM mounts to mount phones, GPS units Etc.
The mount.

Installation has you pull the dash apart, drill 5 mounting holes, attach a couple internal mounting braces then connect the wiring for the USB ports. I was way sick while doing this and didn't take the pictures I should have of the process.
Mount sitting on the Dash.

Wiring installed. Re-installing the radio here.

These are the internal support brackets that will brace the TPAM mount via the radio mounting bolts.

Supports bolted in place.

Holes drilled and bolts installed, all but the two that go into the supports.

Installed. RAM X-Mount works great for the phone.

Garmin Montana Installed. I really like this setup! The GPS is on the perfect angle, doesn't block the windshield and is rock solid.

More to Come....

 

[Hodakaguy]

No Pictures but I changed the Diff oils again on my truck, installed Redline Full Syn 75W-140. I went with the heavier oil since I live in a hot climate and will be pulling hills with the camper on the back.

Time to install the Sliders.

The fit of the RCI Sliders is excellent! I will replace their backing washers with something thicker and more HD but other than that I'm very impressed. Again I was way sick here so not as many pics as I would have liked.

They look great and will do a long way in protecting the truck.

Next up modify the spare tire chain hoist location. When installing the larger tire in the stock location you have to pull rearward pretty hard on the tire while at the same time trying to crank the tire up into position. This will be a royal pain to do out on the trail. After looking at the hoist mechanism it will be very easy to move it rearward enough so that you can crank the winch without having to pull on the tire.
Spare tire removed and this picture shows the hoisting mechanism in the stock location.

Hoist removed.

New hole locations marked and drilled

Edges cleaned up, painted/sealed and hoist re-installed. Tire cranks up nice and easy now

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

3 Updates today...other two above....

Next up....install the FWC!

My father and I left at 2am Sunday morning and by 5pm we were sitting in front of Four Wheel Campers in Woodland CA. After this picture we headed off to the hotel to get dinner and some rest.

Monday morning at 8am we were back at FWC and ready to install the camper. Here they pulled my truck around the back and we are waiting for them to take us back to the install area, checking out all the cool pics.

While they were fetching our camper we checked out the showroom and got our first glimpse of a Swift model....lots more room than we were expecting!

Their small demo model showing the welded aluminum construction.

Here comes our camper

Normally you would bolt on 4 manual camper jacks to install the camper, to speed things up they used an old fashioned 2 post lift and transferred the camper directly from the fork lift. The camper is attached to the truck via 4 turn buckles that are hidden in the bed, the turn buckles are accessed via the 4 trap doors on the FWC.

Checking out a load of campers heading out to a dealer.

And installed. Install takes about 15 minutes. I had the wiring per-installed before showing up.

Filled the air bags, adjusted the tire pressures and adjusted the suspension. I've been running the shocks on #1 compression and 4 Rebound when empty, re-adjusted all 4 corners to #7 compression and #6 Rebound. Having the shocks stiff worked great on the trip home, the road manners were awesome and there was Very little body roll while weaving through the mountain passes.

Dad checking out the interior. We ordered the shell model which is minus the sink and cook stove. The full kitchen model takes up a lot of space and weights a good chunk more, we found that we rarely used the water system and prefer the light weight setup of the shell models. I carry ultra light backpacking gear for cooking etc.

Just as we were leaving FWC they pulled out another Tacoma getting a camper installed the same day....had to pull over for a picture

Pulled over to get a shot of Mt Shasta and the cinder cone in the Background.

Stopped in Grants Pass OR for a IN-N-Out Burger....Yummmm.

About 8:30 we pulled over at a truck stop for the night....home sweet home. Not the most ideal spot but it's right off the highway and free!

Stopped at StoneHenge this morning on the final leg home.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

Weather was awesome so I decided to snap some better pictures of the setup.

Batwing Awning deployed. Love the coverage of this awning! There are 3 legs that drop down so you can brace the awning for wind. Takes about 30 seconds to deploy.

Top up. Takes under 2 minutes to pop the top. The awning can go out with the top up or down.

Interior. Our interior has two beds (one up and the bottom couch rolls over into a bed as well). There is a forced air furnace, two batteries, LED lighting, forced ceiling fan, storage under the seat and in several cubby holes. We will install an ARB Fridge on the drivers side as well.

Nice and comfy!

Lower bed folded down. You can sleep here with the top down if you want to stealth camp.

Upper bed slid out to make a Queen size bed. I usually sleep sideways without sliding it out.

Rear.

Batwing

More to come....
Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Testing the ARB fridge for fit in the camper. The ledge in the shell model is a perfect fit for the ARB!

ARB Compressor Fridge/Freezer. These units are awesome, very efficient and keeps items cold or frozen if needed. You also loose less cool air when you open the lid compared to a standard fridge with the door on the side.

This is the area in the camper where the stove and sink would be if you ordered the full camper model. Since we ordered the Shell model the kitchen was left out and this empty bench is left. The ARB makes a better fridge and we found we didn't use the water system in our VW Syncro so the shell model works perfect for us. I will use backpack camping gear for cooking etc.

And fridge in place. Fit's perfectly on the shelf. I will make a tie down attachment point to anchor the fridge in place.

Hodakaguy

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Great spot for the fridge.
Nice looking.
Frank

 

[Hodakaguy]

Our second SSO Bumper showed up and we opened it up for inspection.

The hoop on this one was straight so no having to cut and repair on the hoop like we did the first one......BUT. The welds holding the hoop on are terrible, I can't believe they allowed this to leave the factory this way. The rest of the welds on the bumper were OK but the ones on the hoop look bad and need to be fixed. The packaging was also terrible with very little padding in the box resulting in one of the sharp bottom corners becoming bent/cracked in shipping.

We didn't want to wait weeks for a new one so time to fix it so we can get the unit installed.

Bumper as it arrived.

Bent Corner

Factory SSO Welds on the hoop. Man I would be embarrassed to let this go out the door.

Going over the factory welds to clean them up. Not as pretty as starting with bare metal but a BIG improvement. Now it won't bug me to look at the bumper every time I walk by the truck

Straightening out the corner bend, welding it up and blending it back down again.

After welding we tweaked the sheet metal back to level above the light bar opening with a piece of wood and some wedges.

Now to get the bumpers primed, painted and installed.

More to come soon....
Hodakaguy

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

It's a shame to purchase something and have to "remake"
it due to poor craftsmanship.Your welds sure look better then the factory
and should hold up better.
Frank

 

[Hodakaguy]

Update on the SSO Bumper. Kevin (Owner at SSO) posted on my FB post regarding the factory welds...here's his comment: " Tom, you're right. That weld is not acceptable. Had I seen it personally, it would have been re done. You are clearly a skilled craftsman and I wish all of my employees had you talents.

We have had our share of issues these past few months as we expand and hire new employees. I will be showing these photos and comments to my guys fist thing Monday morning so they understand the importance of their work. I'll also be personally reviewing our qc process to ensure this type of issue never happens again.

I've also initiated a refund for one of your bumpers because of the defects."

I appreciate Kevin reaching out and wanting to ensure these issues are fixed before sending out any more orders, shows that he cares about the reputation of his company and the quality of the product that he is putting out the door. Thanks Kevin.

Hodakguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Time to get the bumpers coated in Primer.

LOTS of sanding and cleaning. These pics were taken before cleaning all the welds with a wire wheel.

Getting ready for Primer.

And 2K Epoxy bare metal primer applied. Now to let it dry and get the top coat applied.

More to come....

Hodakaguy

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Update on the SSO Bumper. Kevin (Owner at SSO) posted on my FB post regarding the factory welds...here's his comment: " Tom, you're right. That weld is not acceptable. Had I seen it personally, it would have been re done. You are clearly a skilled craftsman and I wish all of my employees had you talents.

We have had our share of issues these past few months as we expand and hire new employees. I will be showing these photos and comments to my guys fist thing Monday morning so they understand the importance of their work. I'll also be personally reviewing our qc process to ensure this type of issue never happens again.

I've also initiated a refund for one of your bumpers because of the defects."

I appreciate Kevin reaching out and wanting to ensure these issues are fixed before sending out any more orders, shows that he cares about the reputation of his company and the quality of the product that he is putting out the door. Thanks Kevin.

Hodakguy

That was a nice response from them. That's good customer service.
It would be nice if more companies were like that.
Frank

 

[craig333]

I was going to say I'll bet it was trainee. Glad to see they're taking care of it. This is a fun build. I've often dreamed of doing all my upgrades at once, on a clean vehicle. But as they say, if wishes were horses beggars would ride. Why a beggar wants to ride a horse I have no idea. Strange saying

 

[Hodakaguy]

Out cruising the back roads tonight and snapped a few pics.

Hodakaguy

 

[smlobx]

Man I have to say this is one of the best taco builds I have ever seen!
You clearly have talent and have put a lot of thought into these builds.

One question that I have with all the upgrades you've done did you ever consider upgrading the rear brakes since you're adding weight back there?

Keep posting!

 

[Hodakaguy]

Man I have to say this is one of the best taco builds I have ever seen!
You clearly have talent and have put a lot of thought into these builds.

One question that I have with all the upgrades you've done did you ever consider upgrading the rear brakes since you're adding weight back there?

Keep posting!

Thanks! So far the rear brakes are doing fine, not sure the upgrade to disk brakes is worth the $$.

Hodakaguy