El Karacho1647545492 Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 1) Unimog 2) My uncle has a pop-up bed camper in his Nissan Frontier. He lives in Berkeley CA but often goes up to Tahoe and lives out of that for weeks at a time with his wife. He has a motorcycle he uses to putz about the Bay Area so he doesn't have to drive the truck much, but that would be my suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Love the camper vans that are posted. plus side to these, is they are already set up for more of a living area, with a little tweaking would be perfect. Down fall to those is the ground clearance due to the ground affects, rip those off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugen Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 buy a van and tow a camper trailer. park the trailer at the camp ground and then drive the van/truck around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 It's looking like a truck with trailer will be my ideal set up since I'll be in one area a majority of the year. I'm still looking at other options but, if anyone has a lead on a Xtra cab/access cab TRD Tacoma 2wd with locker or 4x4 please let me know, preferably with the frame replaced or down south. Cash in hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 What are common issues with the vans? What's their life expectancy? At what mileage do they start showing problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 What are common issues with the vans? What's their life expectancy? At what mileage do they start showing problems? #1 common issue is people will always assume you're a rapist and/or narcotics trafficker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 What are common issues with the vans? What's their life expectancy? At what mileage do they start showing problems? Not a mechanic, but all the people i follow have 200k+ out of theres. No real issues that ive seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSSon Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 The wife and I flew out west and rented a car to drive around for 10 days last year. We didn't end up anyplace that REQUIRED 4wd, but there were a few times where ground clearance was a must and 4wd would have been nice. Specifically I'm talking about some (curated) off-road trails at Island in the Sky in Canyon Lands and the trail at The View in Monument Valley. Those were places we didn't to go in our rental Impala. The two of us were car camping and backpacking out of that impala, and it was tight at times. A crew cab full size truck with lockable bed may be manageable, but I think an SUV or van would be a better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SloSVTruck Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 I have an 99 astro van i use for my electrical work. It does ok and like said the 4.3 is pretty bulletproof. Although i can't say the same for chevys ignition system on the vans from say 95-02....... Not sure if its the way the distributor is designed or what.... but if you go somewhere and it rains or snows overnight make sure you have a hair dryer with you to warm the cap up on the distributor. They are super prone to getting moisture under them and not starting the next morning. And yea AWD astros can be had for pretty cheap. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted April 13, 2016 Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 A little late to this thread but... I've always had a weird thing for Quigley conversion vans. Since they're aftermarket I think they can be somewhat expensive and i think they primarily do Fords. Chevy actually factory produced 4x4 Express and GMC fullsize vans in gas or diesel that might be a bit cheaper if you found them used. As for reliability/dependability factors. I work PT for a catering company and we have a small fleet of Chevy and GMC full size vans. honestly, they're beat to shit but keep on moving. A lot of city miles, a lot of traffic, and not a lot of love. Other than normal wear and tear things going wrong they keep on moving. You already have your eyes set on a truck but if it were my decision I'd try and find a used 4x4 van, preferably diesel. a quick google search turned up this bad boy, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-E-Series-Van-/141954641170 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 If I get a truck I'm going to build out an enclosed v nose trailer. I'll be in Kentucky at the same campground for 7 to 8 months of the first year so I can just park my home. Running water, showers and electricity are on sight. My plus to this is if something happens to my vehicle I'm not out my living quarters and I'm not using excess gas with the added weight. I haven't ruled out a van or set myself on any one vehicle. I try to make it a point to check out all of the dirt bags set ups every weekend I'm in kentucky. Some people are living in their tents out of accords, some are sleeping in Volvo wagons and I've seen some of the coolest van set ups as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted May 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Well if you didn't see the Corral I snagged up an 06 Tundra with 137k on it. 4x4 4.7l Double Cab with 6'2" bed and the rear window goes all the way down. Flew to Oklahoma to pick it up and drove it back. Has some dings on the rear bumper and some hail damage but none of that bothers me. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=655&pictureid=8526 Took off the chrome fender flares and am looking to remove the chrome on the front mirrors and would like to get a non chrome grill as well but that's last on the list. Took it to my buddies and changed all of the fluids. Had a leaky strut and broken strut so Bilstein struts are ordered and on their way. Ordered the timing belt and waterpump, new front pads, steering rack bushings and probably some other odds and ends I can't remember right now to get it to 100 percent. Nothing else is leaking, and there is only some very very minor rust on the frame but all gas lines, brake lines and cables are in very good condition showing no rust. I'm going to do the spray on stuff to the frame to keep the rust from getting worse. Looking at picking up a Leer 122 cap and looking at the leer 180 cap as well. If anyone has either of these caps on a similar sized truck it would be great if I could come check it out and assess what I need for myself. Once I get everything replaced and get a cap put on I'm going to start building the bed. I've decided on building a platform in the bed that sits above the wheel wells. It'll have 3 sections of wood on top so I can remove the middle section to allow me to sit down in it when I'm not using to sleep. It'll also allow for a more stealth set up to store my possessions while I'm parked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleguy Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Congrats, truck looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verse Posted May 31, 2016 Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Looking at picking up a Leer 122 cap and looking at the leer 180 cap as well. If anyone has either of these caps on a similar sized truck it would be great if I could come check it out and assess what I need for myself. A guy at work has one of those Leer caps that he took off a used car during inspection. It's red, but I can see if he wants to sell it. Edit: NVM it's for the 07+ body style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radio Flyer1647545514 Posted May 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 I'm not going to get picky about color, just window options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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