Vehicle InformationIt was not an easy task to choose the car we would take with us to the end of the earth. We’ll travel an estimated 30,000 miles on freeways, toll roads, dirt roads, and some things you probably wouldn’t even call a road. Here you’ll find information about our 1997 Toyota 4Runner, named Blue, including the modifications we’ve done, problems we’ve had and lessons we’ve learned.
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Written by Jared
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September 25, 2011 |
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 Wrapping up loose ends. That's been our story for the past month. The list on the wall seems to grow every day. I cross something off and Jessica adds four new things for us to do. It's a to-do list, in wallpaper form.
A couple weeks ago Kobus and I got around to putting the finishing touches on Blue. We found a place for the wireless router and 3G dongle, added a power adapter to our inverter, mounted a fire extinguisher, ran a USB plug to the back seat, and installed the new roof rack and mounted the Hi-Lift Jack.
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Written by Jared
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August 03, 2011 |
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 Stuff. There is too much of it. How do you pack a car for 15 months of travel? We need room for camping gear, hiking gear, clothes, food, work equipment, the list goes on. And on. Jessica aka "The Stuff Nazi" is guardian of the packing list.
Our best bet is to be smart about using the space we have. This means making a few modifications to the rear cargo area to fit more gear.
We decided to build a folding shelf, nine inches off the floor with the intention of storing odd-shaped stuff underneath like chairs, packs, boots, tents, fishing gear and sleeping bags. On top we'd put plastic bins to hold our daily equipment and personal stuff like clothes, cooking gear, food and toiletries.
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Written by Jared
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July 25, 2011 |
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 One luxury and one necessity. A fridge and a power inverter. We've done long overland trips with a cooler full of warm beer and thawing meat, willing to trade the shirts off our backs for a bag of clean ice and a cold one. This time we figured a fridge would be the one item worth spending a little extra on. Here's hoping it pays off.
We knew from the start we'd need a power inverter. Our ability to work while traveling depends on having charged laptop and mobile phone batteries in just about any condition. This one was a no brainer.
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Written by Jared
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July 19, 2011 |
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After upgrading Blue's electrics, we decided to turn our attention to storage. More specifically, how the hell we were going to fit 15 months worth of stuff in the back of a third generation Toyota 4Runner.
 Security is also a big concern. Keeping our laptops and important paperwork out of sight and making it as difficult as possible for someone to walk off with them is a top priority. We are working on the road, if we lose a laptop it will cost a lot more than just replacement hardware.
Enter: the lock box. A box with a lock that will safely hold three laptops, a couple backup hard drives and a short stack of papers. After a few hours of online research we decided that such a product did not exist. Commercial safes and lock boxes were either the wrong size, too heavy or incredibly expensive. The only choice we had left was to make one ourselves.
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Written by Jared
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July 14, 2011 |
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Part two of our series on upgrading our Blue's electrics to include a dual battery system. Below I'll go over how we handled the wiring and how the whole system works once all the pieces are together.
What we used:
- Intelligent Solenoid by National Luna
- 29 feet of 1 AWG and 20 feet of 10 AWG wire from Wire and Supply
- 50 amp, 100 amp & 150 amp ANL fuses
- 3x e2 ANL fuse holders
- 10x 1 AWG lugs
- 4x battery terminals
- Blade fuse holder
- 15 amp blade fuse
- Rubber grommets
- Mom's Teflon cutting board
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Written by Kobus
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July 12, 2011 |
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Our 15+ month trip to Argentina will require some luxuries, like a fridge and the ability to charge our laptops and cameras. After months of research we decided to finally put dremel to plastic and steel and give Blue’s electrics a little make over.
What we used:
- Optima Dual Battery Box from RuffStuff
- Optima Yellow top 34/78, as auxiliary battery
- Optima Red top 34/78, as starter battery
- Overflow reservoir pipe, roughly a foot and a half
- 1985 Toyota pickup truck overflow reservoir
- 6 Teflon spacers to support the batteries
- 1Teflon Cutting board as battery base
- 4 x 8m 3.5inch Bolts, nuts and lock washers
- 1 can of Spray paint engine enamel
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Written by Kobus
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June 10, 2011 |
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 It’s about time we introduce the fourth member of team Life Remotely. Our truck -- Blue. He’s periwinkle blue or as Toyota called it, azul... seriously WTF it’s blue.
Blue is a 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 with 140K on the dial. Built solid, back in the day when trucks were not made of recycled aluminum cans and plastic.
Finding Blue was a long and drawn out affair. We had exact specifications that had to be met or the truck was automatically disqualified through the magic of Excel. Color was not a criteria.
 Our criteria for a overland vehicle was as follows:
- Spares available through Central and South America
- Cost under $10k with all modifications, services and repairs
- High reliability and safety rating
- A V6. (V8 = too much fuel consumption, 4 cylinder = not enough power)
- 4x4 with high clearance
Our pickiness pointed to one vehicle -- the 3rd generation Toyota 4Runner. Highest reliability ratings for any mid-size SUV in that was actually imported throughout Central and South America.
See this article for more information on choosing an overland vehicle.
We found Blue in Portland, Oregon, a pampered little baby, with a full service history, a clean title, and the right mileage.
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