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fishbuck
Banned
Posts: 5318
Registered: 8-31-2006
Member Is Offline
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I love my truck.
I love my truck.
I have a bad donkey truck. 2008 F-350 Supercab, long bed, 4x4 offroad. Gas 5.4 liter V-8.
I bought it used from Enterprise. It was an awesome deal.
It is/was way more truck than I need.
It hauled my motocross bike in V-8 style all over socal. It towed my Sea Ray S-23 like a toy boat.
How can I make it better.
Is there some cool internet router that I can mount in it so my truck always get's internet?
Any other cool stuff that is baja essential?
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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fishbuck
Banned
Posts: 5318
Registered: 8-31-2006
Member Is Offline
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For example.
An Electrical power inverter. So you can have 120 volt power. I think cars and trucks come with it now. Seems very usefu and way more powerful than a
portable generator.
How about a Power take off? Any reason to have one? Seems very useful but I don't know what to use it for. I've used one hooked to a log splitter. Way
easier than by hand. An old Dodge Power Wagon. It was cool.
Extra batteries? Can I stuff a few more batteries under the hood. Will it help.
Solar panel on the roof? Any value to it.
Pipe rack? I had one on a Ranger. It came with it. I loved it but rarely used it. Only time in baja I borrowed a Gregor and in Loreto and took it to
Mag bay and almost drowned. Good times!
Looks cool maybe for a big tin boat.
How about the perverbial baja front bumper, winch, and bull bars.
Any real need or blingy waste of money.
Nerf bars? What are they for. Just a big step? Or protecting the truck.
Can I have a mini satelite dish on my truck somewhere so I can always get the latest on what President Trump and family did now.
You know the important things like the Kardasians...
I want to build a "Smart" baja truck. Utility kind. Not racing kind.
Like a building contracter in Baja would have.
The Jefe's truck...
Mud flaps with chrome senorita's. I can not imagine and red-blooded American Mexican male who could possibly drive a truck with them. Why it would be
down right un-Mexican.
How about a La Cucaracha horn? Where can I get the best one...?
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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advrider
Super Nomad
Posts: 1847
Registered: 10-2-2015
Member Is Offline
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Inverters ate nice to have and cheap these days. ARB or other brand 12v fridge are nice so you don't have to chase ice around. The second battery and
a small solar panel in the window will keep things charged. A decent air compressor is a must if you like to get off road. One of the self jumper
boxes that Costco sells can be a life saver too.
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Maderita
Senior Nomad
Posts: 634
Registered: 12-14-2008
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
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Sounds like you want a macho truck. That is just one easy upgrade:
https://bullsballs.com/shop/truck-nuts/
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Doug/Vamonos
Nomad
Posts: 404
Registered: 6-19-2006
Location: Fullerton, CA/Camp Gecko, Bahia de los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: Muy Pacifico
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I have a diesel F-250. Upgraded the alternator, installed a battery isolator and two big 12-volt batteries in plastic enclosures in the bed. Connected
with 1/0 cables. The batteries power an inverter and anything else I want to connect to it, such as a small chest freezer, lights, 12-volt food
cookers, crock pot for hot food when I get to where I'm going, and compressor for the absolutely necessary loud ass air horn. My original plans were
to use it for camping but that doesn't seem to happen much. But I enjoy the a/c and d/c power back there and use it all the time. Plus the batteries
become backups in case I have a dead boat battery. The other necessity is lights, lights, lights. Super brite LED light bars are cheap nowadays.
[Edited on 3-6-2018 by Doug/Vamonos]
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aguachico
Senior Nomad
Posts: 602
Registered: 3-23-2007
Location: tijuana
Member Is Offline
Mood: logic cannot get thru to the illogical
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I have an 2004 f250 Diesel.
I'm replacing all the soft parts that connect the body to the frame.
Mostly moog sway bar bushing and link bushings. I am going with energy suspension body mounts.
[Edited on 3-6-2018 by aguachico]
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
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Skid plates, if you don't already have them.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Doug/Vamonos
Nomad
Posts: 404
Registered: 6-19-2006
Location: Fullerton, CA/Camp Gecko, Bahia de los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: Muy Pacifico
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The other absolute "necessity" for me was a 60-gallon fuel tank/tool box plumbed to my fill pipe. Flows by gravity as needed. It is awesome not
worrying about the next Pemex having diesel and having a 1,000 plus mile range.
[Edited on 3-16-2018 by Doug/Vamonos]
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
Member Is Offline
Mood: Weary
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Don't forget the fuzzy dice
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billklaser
Nomad
Posts: 142
Registered: 3-31-2011
Location: Loreto, Lopez Mateos
Member Is Offline
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Agree with Doug. Mine is a F-350 7.3, have a 98 gal. Transfer Flow fuel tank. Very useful not to worry about fuel. I always thought about a power
takeoff to have compressed air tank under the bed. Never have done it though. Great trucks. (except for trans issues).
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bajatrailrider
Super Nomad
Posts: 2423
Registered: 1-24-2015
Location: Mexico
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy
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On the early Ford 7.3s good engine weak auto trans, while The manual 6sp is the way to go. Even back in 96 I knew all the autos weak so I ordered my
96 dodge diesel manual trans 4x4. To date still on factory Cultch. Lucky you did not get the 6.0 Ford diesel.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64478
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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You all know I love my truck...
Ford seems to be the #1 full-size truck of Nomad's, followed by the Toyota Tundra, and then the Dodge (I guess it is now called a Ram?) truck.
The mid-size trucks are far and away led by the Toyota Tacoma with Nomads in popularity. The four-door model is even made in Baja California at the
Toyota factory along the road to Tecate, outside of Tijuana. The Nissan Frontier seems good, but you just don't see too many. Even rarer is the Newly
redesigned Honda Ridgeline, New GMC & Chevy Colorado, the Mitsubishi (what is their truck called? I used to own a Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x2 and it
was great).
Fishbuck mentions the power inverter... It was the TRD model Tacomas that first appeared with a 110v outlet in the bed back in 2005. The Off Road TRD
Tacoma comes standard with a locking rear differential and the 4x4 Off Road model has a traction control system that mimics a front locker (and works
the rear end too) without the steering problems a locked differential has.
With all those features, the main reason I think we Toyota owners love our trucks is reliability. Unlike when I owned a Jeep, I can do hard four
wheeling on the weekend or on a Baja trip and dive it home and use it as a daily driver. Things just don't fail typically or require fixes constantly.
The quality is high and workmanship is solid on a Toyota. It is also comfortable to drive on the highway, even far above the speed limit...
So, I am on my third (and final) 4x4 Off Road TRD Tacoma.
The first was a 2001 2-door Xtra cab... Not an issue for 136,000 miles in 4 years... replaced a water pump when the timing belt was changed at 90,000
miles.
The second was a 2005 4-door Double cab... I had it for 4 years and 102,000 miles. It had some brake noise until new pads installed and ABS braking
issues (my 2001 didn't have), the rear springs were too soft (requiring my adding Ride-Rites), and the clock-spring wire (as they call it) in the
steering column needed to be replaced. Other than that, it was great and roomy for passengers or more gear on the inside.
The third is a 2010, also a double cab. I got it in December 2009 and after 8 years it only has 111,100 miles (far less driving per year as my first
two Tacomas with the drop in business). This one has been fantastic (no ABS brake issues at all) and is my favorite 4x4 of all I have owned. This is
because of the A-TRAC (now part of the new Multi-Terrain-Select & Crawl) system that is like having lockers on the front and back. Makes the
Tacoma climb and crawl like a tank. I have been unable to get this Tacoma stuck. No longer does one front tire spin and the other does nothing in a
stuck... same on the rear, but I could engage the locker so they both would get balanced power.
Fails? Yes one, as you may have read last October (at 109,000 miles), my rear brake cylinder seal failed on the road to Mike's Sky Rancho from El
Coyote. With some borrowed rubber hose (thanks, Michael Diogo) and vise grips (thanks, bajatrailrider, Larry)... I could drive home.
Not bad for over 100,000 miles and never any engine or transmission issues. All were V-6 automatics. The first was a 3.4 liter with a 4-speed and the
next two were 4.0 liter with 5-speed automatics. I changed the oil on time or sooner (3,000-5,000 miles) and have switched to synthetic on the current
one, going 10,000 miles max. The differentials and transfer case oil is changed about every 30,000 miles (synthetic Mobil 1) and the synthetic auto
tran fluid was changed at 85,000 miles (100,000 recommendation).
Modifications:
*Increased the tire height 1" by going from the stock 265/70-16" to 265/75-16". This raised my minimum ground clearance from the stock 9.25" to 9.75".
The speedometer now reads accurately, too (made to read 2 mph faster than you are really going at 60 mph)... but the odometer is 4% slower, which I
adjust for my trip reports, but when deflated for dirt, it balances out.
*Installed Ride-Rite Air Bags on the rear springs to stiffen/raise the rear suspension for hauling cargo and keep the truck level. I had these on my
2005 Tacoma whose springs were too soft. The 2010 didn't need them until a few years later.
*Installed Bilstein 5100 shocks all around... the fronts have a height adjustment, and I set them at the first level above stock, 0.85". The other two
choices are 1.75" and 2.5". These babies are near twice the shock of the stock Bilstein Toyota puts on the TRD Off Road Tacoma, but are not expensive.
*Light bar and four Cree 7" LED lamps in front. My step-son Josh, a mechanic/ fabricator at Stewart's Race Works made me a custom light bar for my
2005 Tacoma and that got transferred onto my 2010. I had first the Kragen HIDs, but Baja washboard roads eventually cracked their plastic bodies,
next, all-metal big Hella lamps from an off-road racer, and I converted them to HID, and in 2016 I was given a pair and bought two more of these Cree
LED lamps... instant bright (HID needs to warm up) and small power draw.
*Removed the stock mud flaps. They are a hard plastic so they don't give if you drop into a rut or drive over big rocks like I do. That snaps them off
(and you can snap them back on). The back ones have 4X4 on them and is the only identifier that the truck is four wheel drive.. but reattaching them
over and over gets old.
The Off Road TRD Tacoma really doesn't need much to go most anywhere, but there are many mods available to raise it more, and bigger tires, etc.
Coming down the grade west of Rancho San Antonio, headed fo Bahía Blanco.
[Edited on 3-16-2018 by David K]
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
Member Is Offline
Mood: Weary
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Ol Smokey, 1996 Dodge Cummins, 359000 miles on it...Stone Stock except for radio....still puffin....Replaced clutch once....Cant even imagine having
to add all that aftermarket stuff....I DO have a big inverter to run impact wrench and compressor....
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 17289
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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I like my truck.
I dont love my truck..
It's a flocking truck, for christ's sake!
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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norte
Super Nomad
Posts: 1163
Registered: 10-8-2008
Member Is Offline
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Too bad more people do not buy the HONDA. Toyota is falling behind...better keep your old one. https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-pickup-...
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chuckie
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6082
Registered: 2-20-2012
Location: Kansas Prairies
Member Is Offline
Mood: Weary
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Well, sometimes I think about buying a new truck.....Smokey still does everything...Just got back from wintering in Az....Pulling a heavy trailer 1100
miles each way, I averaged over 15MPG....Used about 1/2 qt of oil in 7200 miles.(since last change).....Will put new tires on it and full service in
the near future...Oh yes, It has a 5 speed manual transmission...
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Lee
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3455
Registered: 10-2-2006
Location: High in the Colorado Rockies
Member Is Offline
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Miss my Lariat F350 diesel, had the infamous 6.0L, leaky head gasket was the only problem during ownership.
A Baja truck with 1-2 deep cell batteries, 2k inverter and panels on the roof would power anything including tools making it a workshop on wheels.
Airbags (Firestone Ride Rite) with cabin gauge for hauling.
Coming up on 2 years and miss the truck every day. Didn't know how attached I was till it was gone.
US Marines: providing enemies of America an opportunity to die for their country since 1775.
What I say before any important decision.
F*ck it.
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bajabuddha
Banned
Posts: 4024
Registered: 4-12-2013
Location: Baja New Mexico
Member Is Offline
Mood: Always cranky unless medicated
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Always maintained that people you're stuck with, especially relatives (and yes, even old goathead)... but dawgs, cars and guitars are FAMILY.
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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The difference between love and like.
Back in Dec. of 1990 I was in the market to purchase a new car for my wife. I asked several friends about their car and some complete strangers I
met in parking lots etc. I never really got any negative comments about any brand or model mostly it was I like or I really like my car and why. The
one thing that really stood out was what almost every owner of a Toyota Camry said. It was that they loved their Camry. So I purchased a new 1991
Camry for my wife. We had it for 7 years then gave it to our daughter who needed a car. She had it for another 7 years before trading it in for a New
Dodge. She only had the Dodge 2 years (many problems) before trading it in for a Lincoln Navigator.
It was one of two of the best cars I've ever owned. The other is our 1998 Acura which we still have.
[Edited on 3-16-2018 by TMW]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64478
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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TW, your Toyota Tacoma is not too bad either... Pulls Ford Broncos on the Pole Line Road with ease!
[Edited on 3-16-2018 by David K]
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