1988 Toyota Pickup

So, the vehicle chosen to carry us on our monumental journey is my 1988 Toyota Pickup, red in color, with a 4 cylinder 2.4L engine, and 4WD. I (Paul) have had the truck for about 5 years, and I love it. It is not large. It is not powerful. But it will go forever. (Check out the Top Gear on the Toyota Hilux, which is the international version of my truck.)

In front of the pickup, ready to get started!

The pickup started bone stock. It didn't have power anything, no AC, bench seat, basically no options added except 4WD. That has changed. We started planning for this trip about a year ago, and the pickup started to transform...

First there was a new canopy. It is aluminum (super light!) white on top with windows that run the full length of the sides, the back half of which can slide open. I made a net out of paracord for the inside of the canopy, because that seemed useful (spoiler alert, that was one of my best ideas ever). The canopy isn't super tall, but it is light enough that it can be moved easily with 2 people, and by 1 with difficulty, so that seemed like a good way to go.

Some cosmetic upgrades were also needed. I (with the help of a friend) repainted the truck to the stock color (red) because the old paint was fading heavily on the bed, so it looked pretty bad and mismatched. We also took care of some of the rust that had built up in the bed and tailgate. I also got a seat cover for my birthday from my parents! The old seats were ripping pretty badly at the seams, so this was definitely a welcome improvement!

Since most of the additional weight from gear on this trip would be in the bed, and the pickup is only 1/2 ton, it was suggested that I might want to add airbags to the rear suspension so it doesn't sit awkwardly low in the back. I ordered these... then they sat in my room for about 6 months during winter. I also acquired an air conditioner kit about the same time, because lets be honest, September in the south is pretty warm. That also sat in my room. My room is small. It got crowded. But worth it in the end!

The biggest change that had to happen was the sleeping platform. The only possible way to cram all our stuff in the car and still have the option to sleep in it if needed was to build a platform with drawers and storage boxes. Unfortunately I didn't get to start this until the spring. I SHOULD have started it in the winter. I did not. (Spoiler alert... it takes awhile to build them). The sleeping platform is modular. There are 8 sections, each of which can be removed individually. That makes it MUCH easier to install and store.

Drawer construction underway.

Empty pickup bed.

Side boxes in place.

Sleeping platform inside view.

The drawers in place!

The main section is about 4.5' wide and 4' long and houses the 2 drawers. Each drawer rolls on 3/4" square tubing that fits in between a row of bearings. The front 2' of each drawer is made into a cooler section using 1" foam insulation sheets. These drawers represent the majority of our food storage currently. We tried out using dry ice in one of the coolers, but it was expensive and didn't last long enough to make it worth it, so regular ice it is!

The side boxes are all designed to sit flush with the main box. They have lids that lift off to reveal the space underneath. The height of the platform is 12" off the bed, that leaves enough room for Paul to sleep on his side and still have stuff in the net above. The boxes are all covered on top and inside with carpet as well (THANK YOU LISA MCMILLAN!) which makes it far more comfortable to live out of!

Lisa was amazing, carpet and staples were flying!

The back is also newly equipped with its own battery and lighting system. A second battery was added for the sleeping area which charges off the alternator. There is a battery isolator to keep the two batteries separate when discharging. The second "house" battery is a deep cycle marine battery that powers the lighting and a 12v adapter in the back so we can charge cell phones or plug in a 110 inverter if needed to charge other things. The lighting in the back is 6 LED strips that are dimmable.

Since the windows in the canopy are quite extensive and, lets be honest, we are going to be sleeping in from time to time, we needed some blackout curtains. We also want to be able to camp with the rear open so we needed some misquito netting and a rain cover. These were all custom sown (THANK YOU LINDA WILSON!) with velcro and some magnets to fit the various needs. Velcro was added in the appropriate locations and glued and riveted in place. Now we can sleep in blissful darkness all day long!

The last major quality of life upgrade is the air conditioner. I purchased a kit online and installed it. Never having installed an AC before it took quite awhile, but it was all done eventually. We had it charged at a local shop so they could leak test it and verify that everything is in the proper place. Which they did, and it WORKS! Blessedly cold air pours out of the vents when that button is pressed... it is a beautiful thing!

And finally there were some general repairs that had to happen. The biggest was replacing the bushings on the steering knuckle so that we can use 4wd without it vibrating like monstrous angry bee. Thankfully we stopped over to visit Julie's brother and sister in law and her brother (Kirk) let us use the car lift! I also took the opportunity to change the oil, and check all the other fluids, bleed the breaks and clutch lines, and just do a general once over of the car. It looks like it is ready to go!

The car lift makes EVERYTHING easier.

Some shout outs to people who were big helps in this:
Jim Bourdeau (huge help on the drawers in the sleeping platform and painting the pickup)
Lisa McMillan (pretty much all the carpet was done by Lisa)
Linda Wilson (making all the curtains)
Duane Wilson (various improvements and for the use of tools and hanger space)
Kirk Betz (use of tools and car lift)
Christine Betz (for hosting and feeding us as we worked on getting the final touches on the pickup)
There were definitely others, and for each of them we are very grateful. It was truly a team process. Now that the truck is ready to go we kinda feel like we are starting on our adventure AGAIN! Woohoo! Retirement is awesome!