Contributor I
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- Richard
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- Gabat
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27050
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- Nightrunner
2WD TRD Off-road still can get the job done!
2wd rigs in action. Photos encouraged!
- Thread starter rho
- Start date
I'll need to dig through the old photo albums and try to find pics from our Epic Eastern Oregon Rock hounding trip with our PopTop 69 Ford Econoline camper van. I have two pics now one scanned and one I need to. Meet Harvey :) Two pics one from around 1976 and the other from 1985. This is a Travel Equipment Company build, I was told that this was part of a fleet built for the US Airforce and NASA. Never confirmed that, never seen another wit the RV windows and full hookups (fresh water, waste, propane, A/C in) on driver side like ours did.
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Influencer III
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- Rex
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Try cutting down the front like Border Patrol trucks to get a more approach angle.
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Influencer III
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Hmmmm. I removed the air dam a while back which helped. The rear is a bigger concern. Ultimately I think I’ll end up with a hitch swing tire mount.
Influencer III
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Member III
Very cool to see some more shots in here, especially of some older rigs!! I've been laid up from surgery recovery for a while so we haven't done anything with our truck lately (and my jeep is in the shop getting a front axle truss and new brackets....) but I'm hoping to get ours out soon. We have a small list of "must do" before our next major desert trip due to some of the limitations of the factory front end in ours, namely addressing the alignment cams on the front control arms. But we're hoping to bring it out to the white rim trail in April.
Influencer III
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Junogwat
Rank I
Enthusiast I
I'm new to the whole Overlanding and was a little concerned that I would need a different vehicle if I wanted to do this. After seeing these posts, I feel a lot better about my two wheel drive f350. If a fwd rental can get out and play, I'm good. lol
Member III
Totally, with good tires you can really get to some cool places. The biggest thing is having your recovery points, good tires (airing up and down helps) annnnddddd the driver! :D
Junogwat
Rank I
Enthusiast I
Junogwat
Rank I
Enthusiast I
Member III
Good stuff! Our GMC has seen a lot of time down in that area, there is a TON to explore down there.
Two questions, lol....
First... How do you like the soft top on your bed? We're looking at getting one for our truck so but we don't know many folks with them locally. So we have questions. How much of a pain are they setup/tear down? Do you have any issues with dust intrusion into the zippers or into the softtop? How has sealing been inside it for say, dust and dirt and stuff?
Second q.... do those 2wd TRD tacos have a rear locker or just a LSD?
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Advocate III
Gravel travel along the border four years ago:
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In the forests of New England:
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On the beaches around the Gulf of Mexico:
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Borderlands:
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In the forests of New England:
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On the beaches around the Gulf of Mexico:
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Borderlands:
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Member III
@Road I was wondering when your van was gonna show up here! I have a love/hate relationship with those vans, I drove a 1/2 ton Express Van for a few years in college at a job working a not for profit art thing and well. They have a lot to be desired in how they drive and behave but they don't die, LOL.
How many miles do you have on it these days?
How many miles do you have on it these days?
Mine is the Sport so it's mechanical limited slip. Works good, but not as good as a locker. I've flirted with the idea of going with an ARB but so far this has been just fine. The softopper is great. It's five years old now and treats me well. Super easy to fold down so you can haul something tall. Takes like a minute or less. But mine is up most of the time. Keeps things dry and most of the dust out. But it's not 100%. Good enough for my needs. As you would with a hard top, you should seal up any bed cubbies. That's where most of the off-road dirt comes in. I sleep back there on trips where it's just my son and I. Take naps on my lunch breaks at work since we don't have break rooms. Love that you can run them in safari mode with the sides up.
I wrote a big review about it a few years ago:
Why I love my Softopper - a 3 year review - Dirt N Smores
The Softopper has been installed on my Toyota Tacoma for 3 years. Read my "pros and cons" review and why I like it better than a hard camper shell.
dirtnsmores.com
Advocate III
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I've had a 1/2 ton Ford lwb Ford van, but only 3/4 ton Chevy and GMC vans, both long wheelbase, too. This one upgraded to some 1 ton parts by Penske in suspension or drive-train. I wasn't a fan of the Ford's handling, but this GMC Savana, and the Chevy Express before it, both big diesels, have handled just fine for me, whether slow and steady back country, tooling down two-lane blacktop, or cruising the interstates. They're certainly not nimble little pickups, though. This ol' gal absolutely loves the long haul of highway driving, solid and steady, as much as she relishes gravel travel and rocky roads back country.
Mileage as of 04/28, a week ago:
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She's running great right now, too, after not even using a tank of fuel in a year. Was throwing codes, would go into "Engine power reduced" after 10 mins, and had an exhaust joint separate and old gasket disintegrate, so was clanging like a drunk steel drum player. Got that fixed, loaded her up with fresh fuel, some Red Line, a clean new air filter, aired the tires up, patted her on the hood and said "let's get out of here!"
She's raring to go.
Good to see you getting good traction with this thread!
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