Hodakaguy's Overland Tacoma Builds - On to new adventures.

[Hodakaguy]

Manual Control over the factory ACR: I want to be able to force the camper to stay separated from the truck batteries under certain conditions. I'm currently running 4 AGM batteries total, two in the camper and two under the hood of the truck. Currently I have 180W of solar on the roof and the solar charge controller will bring all 4 batteries up to 14.7V which is great for proper charge/maint on AGM batteries.

When I'm camping in the same spot for several days and not driving the vehicle and there is limited sun I want all the available charge from the solar controller going into the two camper batteries only, with limited sunlight I don't need any current going up to the truck batts. You can force the factory Blue Sea ACR off by disconnecting the ground wire going to the ACR. With the ground disconnected the ACR cannot sense voltage on either battery bank and will go open, thereby disconnecting the battery banks and separating the camper batteries from the truck batteries.

Since I have my ARB fridge located over the access door to the ACR it makes it inconvenient to access the ARC and lift the ground wire.....Time to install a switch. This morning I installed a Blue Sea Manual ACR switch that I can easily access without moving the fridge, with the switch located in this position I can reach into the camper from the door and turn the ACR on of off in needed. The switch just connects/disconnects the factory ground wire going to the ACR.

Another option would be to replace the factory ACR with a Blue Sea M-ACR that has full manual control. With the M-ACR you can use the same switch I installed to force the ACR Off, On or place it in Automatic. With my power usage I don't expect the need to manually combine the truck aux batt with the camper batteries so the factory ACR and my manual switch should do the trick.


The Blue Sea M-ACR Switch. Any switch will do for this application, I already had this switch so I'll use it. I like that the rocker portion is guarded to resist against accidental switch changes and that if I decide down the road to install a M-ACR I'm all ready to go. Here I'm starting to fabricate a mounting plate for the switch, the wood is to thick for the switch to mount into so I'll fabricate a plate to attach the switch to then screw the plate onto the wood.

All painted up and ready to install.

Hole drilled in the wood and all mounted up. Switch is wired up to break the ground going to the ACR. You can see the rest of the factory spaghetti mess wiring here as well lol.

This location is easy to access and out of the way. It's nice having easy manual control of the ACR when needed.

I need to start getting my fathers electrical system caught up to mine. Starting today by installing the NorthStar Group 31M on the drivers side.

Here's the factory battery setup.

Factory battery removed.

Installing the PelfreyBilt Stainless Steel group 31 battery tray.....fits like a glove! In these shots you can see the stainless studs that we welded onto the top portion of the retaining strap to mount the ACR onto.

The Blue Sea M-ACR mounted into place on the battery tray.

More to come soon.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Installed the passenger side Group 35 Northstar Batt in my fathers truck this morning.

First up I drilled a hole and inserted a Rivet Nut to secure the bottom of the OffGridEnginnering Aluminum Mount. As I found out on my mount OffGridEngineering made this mount for the second Gen and decided not to relocate the lower hole to the proper location for the 3rd Gen trucks. The mount seems to flex more than my liking without the lower bolt so adding the Rivet Nut allows the mount to be secured properly again.

The Rivet Nut Tool, here a Rivet Nut is inserted on the end of the tool and ready to be put in the truck.

And the Rivet Nut installed in the truck. There is a hole very close to where the Rivet Nut needs to be inserted, the hole just needs to be enlarged towards the rear of the truck a bit to accept the Rivet Nut.

Battery Mount bolted into the truck.

And the battery securely in place.

Wiring to come soon....

And now a Quick fix for the factory screen door slider: The factory clear plastic slider on our screen door is frustrating at best. When you go to slide it I've found that you have to put even pressure on the upper and lower finger holds while sliding otherwise the slider often binds and doesn't want to slide..... Time for a fix.

Here's a few pictures of the clear factory slider panel. You can see the molded finger grabs in these pics, they work ok if you grab both of them at the same time but the slider often binds when using only one.

And now the fix. I Went to the hardware store and picked out two matching drawer pulls. Pick ones that have a wide flared base for better support.

I cut one of the bolts down so that each half of the bolt threads almost completely into each pull. Screw the bolt into one of the knobs and mark where it bottoms out (Black marker), then doubled the length and cut the bolt just shy of the total so it leaves enough space to tighten the knobs together tightly without them binding.

Next I Drilled a hole in the door slider right between the two factory finger holds

Applied LocTite on the threads and installed the new knob assembly onto the slider.

The slider now slides smooth every time using the new knob since your applying pressure evenly on the top and bottom of the slider, it's also a lot easier to grab than the factory finger holds. The knob has plenty of clearance and doesn't interfere with anything. This will make the screen door a lot nicer to use and cost only $3!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

What’s better on the rear camper door than...well a vinyl graphic of your own truck lol. A member on another forum made up a graphic out of one of my photo's and sent it to me, I used that image to cut the sticker out on a Plotter.

Doesn't look as plain now.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Sticker Version #2. While I liked the sticker on the camper door it wasn't quite what I wanted. It was missing the Snorkel (The graphic is from a photo before the snorkel was installed) and I didn't care for the swirly lines behind the truck/camper......sooooo off the sticker comes. Did a bit of work in the editing program and added in the Snorkel then cleaned up the lines behind the truck & Camper.....Diggin this version

I'll be making up a batch of patches and stickers soon as well Fun stuff.

First Version:

Removing the sticker is a pain...heat gun and patience.

And Version 2 installed:

Hodakaguy

 

[Tyler]

Sticker Version #2. While I liked the sticker on the camper door it wasn't quite what I wanted. It was missing the Snorkel (The graphic is from a photo before the snorkel was installed) and I didn't care for the swirly lines behind the truck/camper......sooooo off the sticker comes. Did a bit of work in the editing program and added in the Snorkel then cleaned up the lines behind the truck & Camper.....Diggin this version

I'll be making up a batch of patches and stickers soon as well Fun stuff.

First Version:

Removing the sticker is a pain...heat gun and patients.

And Version 2 installed:

Hodakaguy

That does look better in the rear. Actually shows some ground clearance now. Is there anything you can’t do? Lol.

 

[Hodakaguy]

That does look better in the rear. Actually shows some ground clearance now. Is there anything you can’t do? Lol.

I dabble in a lot of hobbies......to many actually! lol

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Cab mount chop time.....

As the suspension has settled in and we've added more weight to the front of the trucks we've been getting occasional rubbing at full turn on the cab mounts. Time to trim back the cab mounts for more clearance.

Starting on my dads truck first, drivers side.

Tire removed. You can see the marks where the tire has been rubbing on the cab mount (Blue Arrows).

We covered the suspension in a heavy plastic bag to keep metal dust off during the cutting process, we also loosened the bottom of the inner fender liner and tied it up out of the way.

Marked out our cut lines. Will be trimming as much as we can for max clearance.

Getting down to business with a Skinny Wheel.

Cutting finished.

My father cutting out a paper pattern so we can make up a new metal plate.

Cutting out the new plate.

Getting ready to weld the plate onto the cab mount. My father wrapped a piece of leather around the cab mount bushing to help protect it from the heat, he then routed it down through the lower access hole. After the plate is welded in place you just pull on the leather and it will come right out.

Welding the new plate in place.

Primed and Painted.

While I was here I decided to fold over the factory pinch weld a bit for extra clearance, hasn't been rubbing here but it's extra insurance and easy to do.

Next is to re-install the inner fender liner. The liner had been touching the tire slightly in one spot, there is a bulge that sticks out but has nothing under it. I used a heat gun and re-shaped it by pushing the bulge in and holding it till cool. Instant clearance.

And the tire back on the truck. Plenty of clearance now on the cab mount. I got a little sloppy with the paint on this one....I'll mask it off better on the passenger side.

Out of time for today....More to come..

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Made a quick trip down to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum and water park this weekend in McMinnville OR. The Museum is defiantly a must see...although this time we were after the water park for the kiddo

Arriving at the Museum...you can see the Spruce Goose though the glass.

At the water park before opening, all the tube rides originate from up inside the 747 on the roof! Very cool.

Out back of the Museum is a Rutan Starship! This plane is way to cool and rare to be sitting out in the rain.

Setting up "camp" for the day at the water park. The camper is nice for a home base.

Inside the water park. The air and water are both very warm....nice!

We didn't have time to go into the Air and Space museum this time around but I've been there several times in the past. If you haven't been here before it's a must see. Here's a couple shots of the Spruce Goose from a previous trip.

On the way home we stopped for a few quick photos along the way

The first picture is straight out of camera with an in camera filter applied, Olympus EM1 and Oly 75mm F1.8 Lens (had a couple questions about the camera setup). Mt Hood in the background.

Fun stuff.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Summer rain and dry land wheat.

Hodakaguy

 

[AZWM Taco]

Summer rain and dry land wheat.

Hodakaguy

you sir have an amazing build

 

[Sour_Taco]

Man, just found this thread. Also in WA State!

Really can't wait to get my BP-51 kit now. Install looks pretty straight forward, I just wish I had your nice shop!

 

[4WheelYoda]

We have followed your build for a while now and absolutely love the level of detail in your work and write-ups. It has served as a great resource for building our trucks up.

The dual battery setup you did with the smaller starter battery passenger side and the larger aux battery in the stock location is exactly what we were thinking of doing.

Gotta see how much involved moving the stock wiring over to the passenger side. Do you have any pictures showing the route you took with the cables?

 

[Hodakaguy]

We have followed your build for a while now and absolutely love the level of detail in your work and write-ups. It has served as a great resource for building our trucks up.

The dual battery setup you did with the smaller starter battery passenger side and the larger aux battery in the stock location is exactly what we were thinking of doing.

Gotta see how much involved moving the stock wiring over to the passenger side. Do you have any pictures showing the route you took with the cables?

Thanks, the setup is working really well. Glad the Build thread is helping you out, sharing info is what makes these forums so great! I can get you some pictures of the routing but it may be a bit. Hold tight.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Returned last week from a 1900 mile road trip through Yellowstone, camper and truck performed perfectly. Here's a few pics of the truck in different places along the route, I still need to go through the rest of the pictures of the trip when I get the time.

Outside of Jackson Hole WY....the lighting was very cool.

Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone.

Camping at Mammoth Hot Springs

Camp at Lewis and Clark Caverns Park

Heading down LOLO Pass.

I'll try and get some more pictures of the trip loaded up when I get a chance.

This past weekend my father and I went to Plain WA for the NW OverLand Rally....Sooooo many cool rigs there! Had a great time and got to meet a lot of great people. Plans were set in motion for an epic adventure while at the rally....More to come on that later Will defiantly be going back next year.


Here's an overview of the rally from the Drone.

Where's Waldo....we are camping in this section, see the truck?

Home sweet home for a few nights.

The view out of the camper.

DasMule had their big rig at the show

There was a little of everything

Hodakaguy

 

[ROCdermody]

Tom - great build, I love your truck! Glad to see it over here now.

 

[0uTkAsT]

Returned last week from a 1900 mile road trip through Yellowstone, camper and truck performed perfectly. Here's a few pics of the truck in different places along the route, I still need to go through the rest of the pictures of the trip when I get the time.

Outside of Jackson Hole WY....the lighting was very cool.

Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone.

Camping at Mammoth Hot Springs

Camp at Lewis and Clark Caverns Park

Heading down LOLO Pass.

I'll try and get some more pictures of the trip loaded up when I get a chance.

This past weekend my father and I went to Plain WA for the NW OverLand Rally....Sooooo many cool rigs there! Had a great time and got to meet a lot of great people. Plans were set in motion for an epic adventure while at the rally....More to come on that later Will defiantly be going back next year.


Here's an overview of the rally from the Drone.

Where's Waldo....we are camping in this section, see the truck?

Home sweet home for a few nights.

The view out of the camper.

DasMule had their big rig at the show

There was a little of everything

Hodakaguy

Looks awesome and that ('55?) Bel Air is something else!

 

[Tantaco]

Amazing build! Will be stealing a few things for my truck! How do you like the OME suspension set up? I am between that and Icons.

 

[Hodakaguy]

Amazing build! Will be stealing a few things for my truck! How do you like the OME suspension set up? I am between that and Icons.

So far the BP’s are doing great on our rigs...I’ve never ran the Icons though so can’t give a comparison between the two

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Been slammed lately...but time for a update.

At the NorthWest Overland Rally one of our goals was to check out campers for my fathers truck, we had been looking at the new GoFast camper and thinking about placing a order so it would be nice to see them in person. We were able to see all the major brands in one location which was great as it gave us the opportunity to study them and see how each one would fit our needs.

We liked the GoFast unit, light and simple. Construction looked really good and finish work was top notch. Canvas material is similar to what we have on the FWC and it’s been super waterproof. We live in the desert and the camper will be outside 365..the sun here tears things up fast. We both wondered how the composite roof will hold up over time to intense sun, things here die of sun!. Also not sure I like the light coming in through the composite translucent top, I could see times where I want it dark in the tent. Guess one could always make a internal light cover for the top. The tubular frame of the GoFast takes up room and makes the sides harder to insulate. Another thing I didn't care for was the short cab over, this makes for a short sleeping area and you will have to remove a cushion every time you want to drop back down to the truck bed when sleeping. No side window options on the GoFast.

We both really liked the Vagabond unit a lot as well, the construction is top notch and we both prefer the solid aluminum construction, insulated aluminum roof and less seals on the sides (I see this as being a lot more water/dust proof over time). They also have similar canvas material to the FWC which again we have found bullet proof in rain. We liked the longer extension over the cab and the ability to have a standing space with the bed deployed. The Drifter is also built out of thicker aluminum than the AT and was really rock solid! We also liked the side windows in the Drifter and they will be offering the Dometic windows. Without the tube frame of the GoFast the interior seems more roomy and offers more options for build outs. We really liked the one piece aluminum roof and it would be great for mounting solar or carrying my Kayaks.

The AT was great as well but higher $$ and the canvas material looked more like treated tent material than a true waterproof material like the others. I hung around twice to talk to the AT rep but never got the chance. The fit and finish of the AT was really good. They had the habitat on display as well but we both prefer the wedge design over the Habitat.

They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but the Drifter fits our needs the best.

And a couple of the campers.

AT

Vagabond

Gofast

We recently pulled the trigger and ordered a Vagabond Drifter camper for my fathers truck. This unit will remain on his truck year round unless we want to swap over the FWC for a longer trip. Can't wait to build it out, we will be adding insulation, lighting and heat. We will keep this camper very basic and light.


Next up...Awning swap. At the same rally we had the opportunity to look at the Alu-Cab 270 Deg Shadow Awning, we really liked the construction and that it can handle higher winds than our Batwing awning without the legs being deployed. Since we live in the desert and winds are very common this is an important feature for us. Our existing Batwing will hold up to wind as well but they recommend always using the legs and staking them down, I really prefer the free span option of the Alu-Cab. After returning home from the rally we sold the Batwing and purchased a Shadow unit.

The coverage is also slightly better with the Alu-Cab and it uses a more square shape, you can get a idea from these two drawings.

Batwing

Shadow

Batwing removed from the truck. Here you can see the factory FWC 1/4" stainless mounts for the Batwing, we will re-use these mounts for the Shadow and fabricate a 4th bracket as well for additional hinge support. The mounts go through the frame and have backing plates on the inside wall.

Here is a shot of the Batwing next to the Shadow awning. The shadow is a little larger and not as compact when collapsed.

Differences in mounting requirements. The Batwing uses an extruded rail along the back of the awning allowing for a lot of adjustment and easy installation. The Shadow has mounting holes on the internal framework and the bag completely encloses the mount, you need to pick your mounting holes then punch a hold through the bag for the bolts to pass through.

This is what allows the Shadow awning to remain free-spanning in higher winds (up to 20+ mph). The support arms on the Shadow are completely boxed for added strength and fully welded at the hinge assembly where the Batwing uses lighter open C-channel tubing and a extruded/riveted hinge assy. Again the Batwing works just fine and is slightly lighter and more compact but does need to be staked down with legs in higher winds.

Batwing

Shadow

With the help of 3 people we held the Shadow awning up in place and determined how far back the rear hinge needed to be. Once that was determined we started marking out the hole locations on the awning mounting brackets to match up to the FWC brackets. Since our awning brackets are already mounted on the camper we will modify the holes on the awning to match the brackets.

The existing brackets on the camper have a wider bolt pattern than the awning so a few new holes were in order.

The 3rd mounting bracket on the camper (rear most bracket) is located right where the hinge assembly starts in the awning, preventing me from drilling holes in this location. Since the bracket is already on the camper we will modify the bracket by adding a stainless extension and move the mounting location slightly forward for clearance.

Fabricating the extension out of 1/4" stainless to match the OEM mounts.

It will be welded onto the bracket at this location.

We will have to fabricate a custom 4th bracket that will directly support the hinge assembly on the awning, this will tie into the corner of the camper. More on this soon as progress happens.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

A few more pics of the install.

Yesterday we welded the extension tab on the rear OEM awning mount.

Next up was to fabricate a stainless backing plate for the mount directly behind the hinge, this mount takes the majority of the load when the awning is extended so it needs to be very secure.

Supporting the weight of the awning while we fabricate the hinge support.

We were busy and I didn't go a great job at taking pictures, so now the awning is magically on the truck lol.

Here you can see the stainless steel hinge support. After looking at several different options we decided to support the rear of the awning off the Jack mount. This mount ended up being very low profile and offers a ton of support, the awning is rock solid when deployed.

I re-purposed the Batwing catch that was already on the camper, it is now the latch point for the Shadow tension strap.

I like this flip up leg on the center arm, it slopes the top so rain will run off and not pool up.

Not the best shots as the light was getting low but you can see the coverage of the shadow awning. Living in the desert the shade will be appreciated . It's amazing how solid this awning feels, just like their commercial I can pull myself up on the center arm and it barely moves!

I'll get some better pics soon.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Couple shots from up above, you can really see the massive coverage in these shots.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Time to get my fathers electrical finished up. I'll be installing the same setup in my fathers truck as I'm running in mine, Two NorthStar batteries and a ML-ACR for combining duties. The larger Group 31M battery on the drivers side will be the Aux battery and the smaller Group 35 battery on the passenger side will be the trucks starting battery.

First up install the SwitchPro assembly. Parts laid out and ready to assemble.

Going Together...

PowerTray and SwitchPro unit in the truck.....fit's like a glove!

Wiring up the SwitchPro.

Wiring up the 30" S8 light bar in the SSO Hybrid Bumper.

Labeling makes troubleshooting down the road sooooo much easier!

SwitchPro head unit installed in the SDHQ mount, clean and factory looking.

With the SwitchPro installed it's time to install the ML-ACR and wire up the two batteries. I'll be using 1/0 welding cable.

We welded studs onto the top of the battery tray to mount the ML-ACR. The ACR is held down via the front two studs, the rear studs are cut short for clearance and offer support from side to side movement.

Changing out the OEM battery end for one compatible with the new terminal.

Extending the SwitchPro positive cable.

Extending the OEM Positive cable.

Used 1/0 Welding Cable to tie the two batteries together. Low profile 300A fuses used on each end of the positive cable for direct short protection.

And all wired up! I need to pick up some more white heat shrink tubing so I can finish labeling the rest of the wiring.

Hodakaguy

 

[taco.hog]

Awesome build! Thanks for sharing

 

[Hodakaguy]

My father has an upcoming trip planned with his brother so it's time to get his truck set up for the Camper.

First item up is to install the wiring to connect the camper to the trucks Aux battery.

Four Wheel Camper uses an Attwood 3 prong trolling motor connector for the truck to camper power interface. Here I'm getting set up to splice the plug onto the Ancor marine wire.

On all my projects I like to use Ancor Pre-Tinned marine wire, each strand is tinned before it's made into the actual wire. Tinning helps keep the wire corrosion resistant in marine and non-marine environments and keeps the wire reliable for years to come.

Connected

Hole drilled in the corner of the bed for the power plug.

This is a de-burring tool and is sooooo handy. You use it to eliminate the sharp edges around the hole to prevent stress cracks from developing down the road. Because of the shape of the tip you can de-burr the inner and outer edges easily.

Plug installed

Terminating the wire on the fuse box next to the SwitchPro.

Getting ready to swap over the camper to my fathers rig. Before Shot.

Attaching the jacks.

We fabricated some stand off brackets from some plate steel so the front jacks will clear the fenders of the truck when we drop the camper and pull forward.

The passenger side rear jack mount needed a quick mod to allow the jack to function, when we added the stainless mount to the OEM bracket to support the Shadow awning it caused a slight interference issue when mounting the jack. We fabbed up a quick stand off plate to allow the jack to bolt on with the awning brace in place (Short a couple bolts in these pics).

This adapter allows you to use a drill to run the jacks up and down instead of having to use the hand cranks. Very handy!

Jacks going down, turn buckles removed and camper coming off the truck.

These are the bed bars and camper attach points for the 5' Tacoma trucks, the bars attach to the bed using the factory bed hold down bolts. Tip: To make install easy use a snap tie to attach the front turn buckets to the mounting bar before you install the camper, once the camper is on the truck you can lift up the turn buckle and attach it to the camper without having to fish for the lower tie point. Turn buckles are quick and easy with this method.

Camper installed on my fathers truck, tire pressures set and air bags inflated...here we are watching some aviation videos and my father and uncle are swapping flying stories

And back outside. We swapped my fathers canopy over to my truck.

Bammmm....they look totally different now lol.

Hodakaguy

 

[Tantaco]

So you are getting the vagabond on your truck then?

 

[mcharfauros]

@Hodakaguy hella dig your work!

 

[Adventurer]

Did you build the in-bed tie-down brackets or purchase. If purchase, from what manufacturer?

 

[Nick BBP]

Sold his truck a long time ago he doesn’t log in

 

[Tacomadad18]

Okay so he sold his truck and is not on here.... but why?!

I didn’t catch a picture of their mog, did anyone else?? Wtf that’s just a way to start a really good build thread

 

[Nick BBP]

Okay so he sold his truck and is not on here.... but why?!

I didn’t catch a picture of their mog, did anyone else?? Wtf that’s just a way to start a really good build thread

He bought a plane lol