# Lifestyles & Discussion > Freedom Living >  BOV: SHTF Bug Out Vehicles

## TRIGRHAPPY

I just thought I would take this opportunity to recommend a good one.

1985 to 1995 Toyota 4x4 Pickup with the 4 cylinder (either diesel or gas, both are good).  I also recommended the extended cab and long bed with a camper shell.

This Toyota pickup (not to be confused with the tacoma) has earned a reputation as one tough little truck.  It also gets good gas mileage, especially the diesel.  Not to mention, if you have the diesel, you can make your own fuel if need be.

These trucks can go 300,000 miles without a rebuilt as long as you change the oil.  The diesels are still going, and they stopped making them in the U.S. in 1986.  Also, since the 1989 - 1995 models are nicer and larger, its good to know that the diesel engine from the 81  to 86 models will literally bolt right into the 89-95 as long as you have the 4 cylinder and manual transmission.

These trucks are regularly used as starter trucks for the trucks used in rock climbing tournaments.  The suspensions hold up to just about anything.  The only real issue these trucks have ever had was cracked heads.....and that was only on the V6.

Also, top gear actually picked up one from a junkyard that had 190,000 miles on it (but still ran), and without doing any work to it whatsoever...  drove it down flights of stairs, crashed it into a tree at about 30mph, sideswiped buildings, hit it with a wrecking ball, crashed it through a wooden shed, dropped it from about 12ft in the air, dropped a small camper on it from about 12ft in the air, left it in the english channel for 5 hours (completely submerged....they actually lost it but it washed up when the tide went out), lit it on fire (cab and bed), and finally......  they put it on top of a 240ft building that was then demolished explosively.  They pulled it out of the rubble, reconnected the battery cable, and started it up.  It still ran, and drove.  

It's commonly referred to as "the indestructable vehicle".  It is also what insurgents the world over use.  The U.S. military refers to them as "technicals".

Best part is, you can pick up a good one for about $2,500.

Here's the videos of it being put through the torture test on Top Gear.

YouTube - Top Gear - killing a Toyota pt 1 - BBC
YouTube - Top Gear - killing a Toyota Pt 2 - BBC
YouTube - Top Gear - killing a Toyota Pt 3 - BBC

What I plan on making mine look like eventually....

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## Captain Bryan

what exact year/model is that tank?

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## TRIGRHAPPY

> what exact year/model is that tank?


It's a 1988 Toyota Hilux with a 2.4 liter diesel 4 cylinder.  In the states, it was simply the Toyota Pickup (didn't have a model name since it was the only truck they offered). From 1985 to 1994 the truck didn't have any significant changes other than body style and the fact that they stopped offering the diesel engine in the U.S. on it in 1987.   The 89 to 95 bodystyle is much nicer and a little bigger.

You can import the diesel engines for it or just pull them out of the 86 and under diesel models.  They literally drop right in and pretty much bolt right up to the manual transmission (as long as you had the 4 banger....the v6 has different motor mounts).

It's worth noting that I believe the gas engines would not have fared nearly as well.  Diesel engines have to be built thicker and strong than the gas engines, which means they can take more of a beating....there's no spark plugs to foul out with seawater, no electronics to speak of (with this model) to short out, it's not as explosive/flammable as gasoline, so the fire didn't really burn very intense and the fuel never caught.  Not to mention, the diesel engines have been known to go 500,000 miles without a rebuilt and still run great.  At "only" 190,000 miles, this engine was pretty much just getting started.

The truck also has a war named after it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War

Suck it GM.....

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## buffalokid777

Toyota makes the best cars on the road,

They have my customer loyalty,

It's amazing how long a car can last when they aren't engineered to fall apart after 5 years so you can sell more new cars after the loan is paid off,

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## youngbuck

That's why I got a yota

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## tmosley

Damn, I think I just found my next vehicle.

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## Baptist

bump because although I don't like 2005+ Toyota trucks/SUVS, the older ones rock.  I disagree with the OP on the 300k figure.  I think the old 22R engines can go at least 400k no prob.

YouTube - A Tribute to the MIGHTY Toyota 22R 2.4L

YouTube - 1985 Toyota 22R cold start, 2 years sitting


YouTube - Toyota Pickup Rock Crawling...

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## SerArris

I thought Toyota had a real problem with the beds rusting out prematurely on the older pickups? My friend had one and it ran great, the cab looked pristine, but the bed had giant holes in 

I do work in the auto industry in Michigan but I am not knocking Toyota quality... Just wondering. Although all the crap coming out about Toyota now doesn't really surprise me. Or bother me for that matter.

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## tmosley

You can fix that with a bed liner, or a camper (if there aren't holes already).

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## SerArris

Gotcha. I always kind of liked them but I wouldn't even be able to drive it to work. We have parking lots designated for "Foreign Vehicles".

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## Baptist

> I thought Toyota had a real problem with the beds rusting out prematurely on the older pickups? My friend had one and it ran great, the cab looked pristine, but the bed had giant holes in 
> 
> I do work in the auto industry in Michigan but I am not knocking Toyota quality... Just wondering. Although all the crap coming out about Toyota now doesn't really surprise me. Or bother me for that matter.


I have noticed rust on the bed in older models, but it was never bad if the vehicle lived out west.  That's why I pointed out in the other thread that I would find one that has lived out west its entire life.  Here is the link I provided to what I'm talking about**:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1985-...item27aff2abda

If this truck has lived in Yuma most of its life, there wont be a drop of rust on this sucker anywhere.

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## TonySutton

Replace the bed with a wooden one.  Make the sides and tail gate removable so you have a truly versatile vehicle.

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## SerArris

> I have noticed rust on the bed in older models, but it was never bad if the vehicle lived out west.  That's why I pointed out in the other thread that I would find one that has lived out west its entire life.  Here is the link I provided to what I'm talking about**:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1985-...item27aff2abda
> 
> If this truck has lived in Yuma most of its life, there wont be a drop of rust on this sucker anywhere.


I wouldn't mind having something like that for hauling wood/branches around the property to a burn pile! It's almost up to 3k though and the reserve isn't met! Wonder what his price point is...

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## Baptist

> I wouldn't mind having something like that for hauling wood/branches around the property to a burn pile! It's almost up to 3k though and the reserve isn't met! Wonder what his price point is...


I found it on Craigslist for $5,000.
http://yuma.craigslist.org/cto/1624375428.html



Two years ago I actually saw a 1979 Toyota Pickup go for over $15,000 on Ebay.  The sucker had 14k original miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for the past two decades.  Man I wanted that truck so bad.

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## SerArris

> I found it on Craigslist for $5,000.
> http://yuma.craigslist.org/cto/1624375428.html
> 
> 
> 
> Two years ago I actually saw a 1979 Toyota Pickup go for over $15,000 on Ebay.  The sucker had 14k original miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for the past two decades.  Man I wanted that truck so bad.


Wow! I was thinking around the lines of something to put around the yard with! Way too much for that.

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## thesurvivor

This is our BOV... we are working on a couple of other projects but they are not quite ready... what i like to call special vehicles.... 




we also have a 16 foot trailer (enclosed ) that is hooked up and we roll... the trailer is always ready to go..on a moments notice...

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## Romulus

This would work.

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## thesurvivor

> This would work.


very nice... stronger suspension under it I assume, and a bigger gas tank thatn what comes with it?

very clean looking.... the winch is something that i have but have not bolted it on yet...and i have no exterior night lights mounted yet either... have em but have not done it...

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## moostraks

> Gotcha. I always kind of liked them but I wouldn't even be able to drive it to work. We have parking lots designated for "Foreign Vehicles".


lol...serious? Here it is pretty well understood you don't drive foreign cars at the gm plant but designated? I had not heard that yet...LOL!

Dh is employed in an auto industry related job but not american made specific. However I still haven't seen anyone driving a foreign made car there. Maybe we just never heard it because we are american made only???

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## pacelli

The whole concept of planning ahead of time to bug out seems a little premature.  I can completely understand HAVING to bug out to avoid getting swept up in a storm, but I can't help thinking about these sorts of images, and being in a BOV at the time.  In some of these situations, it doesn't matter whether you have a Ford Focus or an ultimate BOV.  















Post Chernobyl, radiation levels are still too high in these vehicles:





Chernobyl Radioactive Vehicle Park

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## thesurvivor

The entire idea of a bug out is to be alert and plan ahead of such things as the traffic jams. There is no way you are totally going to defeat that mess like you posted but with being alert to what is coming right down the road (right now) at us all... you can devise planning an escape route for you and your family...

You can do it very easy by looking at road maps, plotting alternate routes (I recommend 3 alternates) , studying the traffic patterns and moving forwards with that plan... develop it and practice it...

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## Toureg89

toyota hilux's and toyota dacoma's are 2 different trucks. different engines, different engine fuel source, different frame systems. 

for now, either of these 2 will do for me on spur of the moment:
1987 jeep cherokee, 2.5l 4 inline looks like this but in red. gets about 15 mpg unloaded


2004 sv650s, .65l v twin, gets about 40mpg with make-shift loaded gear


its not an all terrain dirt bike or a ducati multistrada, but it has ok clearance, and i've been able to traverse dirt and grass here and there.

could probably sling a backpack and a rifle over my back, keep a pistol/extra ammo/mags in the trunk, keep one pistol on my hip, and still grab some saddle bags and load more gear if need be.

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## noxagol

I would most certainly use diesel, and I plan to have all future vehicles be diesel. You can run them on a lot of things people consider to be useless waste, such as used motor oil, used vegetable oil, I think I remember a video somewhere of one running on transmission fluid even. Gasoline people recognize as being fuel, it is harder to make therefore rarer, so getting a hold of it will be hard and holding onto it will be dangerous.

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## Old Ducker

powered by wood gas

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## Toureg89

> powered by wood gas


question. how much does the furnace/oven and other stuff used for wood gas production/use weigh? 

and then how far will X amount of wood get you? 

also, how does wood gas function into the maintenance of the engine?

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## pcosmar

> question. how much does the furnace/oven and other stuff used for wood gas production/use weigh? 
> 
> and then how far will X amount of wood get you? 
> 
> also, how does wood gas function into the maintenance of the engine?


Good questions.
Balance that with,
How easy is it to find wood when all gas stations are closed?

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## Toureg89

> Good questions.
> Balance that with,
> How easy is it to find wood when all gas stations are closed?


yeah, i was thinking, if i were on desert plains or in a city metrapolis, it might be a little hard to come by wood. 

wood gas is a good idea for someone who lives in a community of property owners with abundant wood supply, but its not going to be ideal for everyone.

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## pacelli

> The entire idea of a bug out is to be alert and plan ahead of such things as the traffic jams. There is no way you are totally going to defeat that mess like you posted but with being alert to what is coming right down the road (right now) at us all... you can devise planning an escape route for you and your family...
> 
> You can do it very easy by looking at road maps, plotting alternate routes (I recommend 3 alternates) , studying the traffic patterns and moving forwards with that plan... develop it and practice it...



Thanks for the reply.  The power goes out.  No TV.  Nothing on the radio stations.  The only clear station on SW is "Radio Free Cuba".  Do you bug out or bug in?  

I guess my concern here is if all communications are down, how to make the decision to bug out in the BOV?  I think it is important to follow the steps you've outlined once someone has made the decision.

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## Old Ducker

> question. how much does the furnace/oven and other stuff used for wood gas production/use weigh? 
> 
> and then how far will X amount of wood get you? 
> 
> also, how does wood gas function into the maintenance of the engine?


How much does it weigh:  A good question.  It's been a few years since I looked into this.  I bought a set of plans for building one at an alternative technology fair many years ago.  The generator itself, loaded with chips would probably weiigh around 200 lbs and you could easily double that with chip storage.

How far will it get you:  This depends on the size of the combustion chamber.  One the size of the unit pictured would have a range a few hundred miles at freeway speeds.  Its not a matter of miles, its a time function.  Most wood gas generator designs utilize valves that permit operation on gasoline until wood gas is available.  Its really not for quick trips to the store.  Think of it like a steam engine.

Effect on engine maintenance:  Since wood gas isn't a solvent, it actually is better for an engine than gasoline as it doesn't remove oil from the cylinders.

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## thesurvivor

> Thanks for the reply.  The power goes out.  No TV.  Nothing on the radio stations.  The only clear station on SW is "Radio Free Cuba".  Do you bug out or bug in?  
> 
> I guess my concern here is if all communications are down, how to make the decision to bug out in the BOV?  I think it is important to follow the steps you've outlined once someone has made the decision.



For us... when SHTF...we are good as gone...we spent a long time building a large underground shelter and that is where we are going along with a specific number of people ... when we see that certain things are happening all over the place...and the things I see as warnings might be very different than what you or some one else might consider to be the pivot of it all...

What we have done in our group is that we all have short wave and back up systems to monitor... the power might go out but it will not fully be out for a few weeks... lots of fuel to keep all that running for awhile. 
There are going to be a lot of problems that go along with a BO and in a vehicle you are going to want to get away from the city proper as fast as possible... to put it bluntly there are going to be things going on that you nor I really want to consider as being "for real".... crime out of control, and well to put is nicely...any woman or child is going to be a target for the reeps that are going to be running amok...I see anarchy in the worst possible way...and there is no one in this government that is going to be able to slow it down... let alone curtail it.

The military and LE people are going to be looking after their own families, so there is going to be little hope there... or help..Basically i am saying that people are pretty much going to be on their own...I understand that this is not a good nor pretty picture, but it is based upon reality and past situations in other nations when the government and society collapsed.... so why should or would the US be any different...

That is why i say to plan out the routes way before hand and time your evacs and the times from point A to point B... and do it at all different hours... the rush hour is going to be the worst times...and that is understandable... so this is why the alterante routes are so important...

The other thing that i stress here is that once it all falls (and it could) you need to understand that the most most dangerous creature out there is the... human .

Therefore it is not a pleasant thing to say when I say it , but you are the target that that criminal element "human" is going to be going after.... the reasons will vary, but you will have food, and other items...and if you have women with you... well nuff said there.

There is also the ugly reality that you are or may be required to shoot first and ask questions later... sadly they will be doing the very same thing towards you... so the folks in your group had better be resolved that they will have to shoot if needed...

In my group (and we are a large armed group).. every single person has that mentality that it is either them or us... therefore the american way of life and the constitution must survive if any of us are to survive. We (all of us) have no qualms about shooting someone or anyone that is intent upon harming any member in our group... Our shelter is manned 24/7 all year long, so there is always a force there. 

BO is highly important... and a person cannot have enough spare parts around in one place and some fuel stored away in case of the possibility you have to move out. 

If you have additional questions i can attempt to answer them, to the best of my ability...

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## GunnyFreedom

It is my intention to acquire a base 4x4 truck in the next few months and record a video journal of converting it into an ultimate BO/SHTF vehicle.  When I do, I will post it in Freedom Living beside the PAW thread

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## Bruno

> *Toyota makes the best cars on the road*,
> 
> They have my customer loyalty,
> 
> It's amazing how long a car can last when they aren't engineered to fall apart after 5 years so you can sell more new cars after the loan is paid off,


well....about that....

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## TruckinMike

I have 758,000 miles on my Peterbilt (w/cat C-15). And still get 6+ mpg weighing 80,000 lbs.!

They can make a truck last if they want to. 

Back on topic ---- Here is my dream BOV, with an RV bolted on back of course.



I hauled one of these from the plant in Washington down to Houston (I think it was under 11 feet  wide??). It drives real nice.

TMike

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## torchbearer

> I have 758,000 miles on my Peterbilt (w/cat C-15). And still get 6+ mpg weighing 80,000 lbs.!
> 
> They can make a truck last if they want to. 
> 
> Back on topic ---- Here is my dream BOV, with an RV bolted on back of course.
> 
> 
> 
> I hauled one of these from the plant in Washington down to Houston (I think it was under 11 feet  wide??). It drives real nice.
> ...


I had no idea Kenworth made trucks. I had a DVD drive made by them.

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## GunnyFreedom

> I had no idea Kenworth made trucks. I had a DVD drive made by them.


Kenworth makes something other than trucks? 

ETA:  Wikipedia seems to be under the impression that all Kenworth does is trucks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenworth

ETAA:  maybe you are thinking of Kenwood?

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