BOV: SHTF Bug Out Vehicles

TRIGRHAPPY

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Joined
Jun 19, 2009
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218
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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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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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,
 
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. :D
 
You can fix that with a bed liner, or a camper (if there aren't holes already).
 
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".
 
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. :D

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...ewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item27aff2abda

If this truck has lived in Yuma most of its life, there wont be a drop of rust on this sucker anywhere.
 
Replace the bed with a wooden one. Make the sides and tail gate removable so you have a truly versatile vehicle.
 
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...ewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=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...
 
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.
 
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....

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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...
 
This would work.

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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...
 
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???
 
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.

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

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Chernobyl Radioactive Vehicle Park
 
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