



So why an '87 4Runner to drive half-way around the world? Honestly, it was just sitting in the driveway. We didn’t obsess over finding the perfect vehicle, we just decided to make what we have work for our particular needs.

Build thread on the Expedition Portal forum.

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Sharing, wine and pasta with another traveler at El Fin Del Mundo in Tierra del Fuego.









Wild guanaco & Andean flamingos in Sud Lipez, Bolivia.







Hours of corrugated nothingness on the Bolivian altiplano.







GENERAL VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS

1987 Toyota 4Runner DLX Mileage = 320,000 miles and counting We are the 3rd owners, with all records including every tank of fuel from the previous 2 owners!







Souvenirs and signatures from the road. Photo courtesy of Clint Davis Photography.





22RE 4 cylinder EFI engine

5-speed W56 manual transmission

SUSPENSION

OME suspension looking clean immediately after installation.









TOOLS & RECOVERY EQUIPMENT

two 5 Gal. / 20 Liter fuel cans increasing range to 500 miles

machete & shovel

60" Hi-lift jack and upgraded bottle jack

recovery shackles, tree straps & tow strap

kinetic recovery snatch strap

"waffleboard" fiberglass traction mats (integrated into the rear swing out bumper we built)









Free FRG "waffle board" scraps from an industrial job site and some ARB goodies for recovery.





Photo courtesy of Clint Davis Photography. Tire repair kit: plugs, patches & wire







SPARE PARTS

belts, hose repair kit

alternator brush assembly which we used in Guatemala



brake caliper rebuild kit

TPS (throttle position sensor) & MAS (mass airflow sensor)

fuses and relays starter solenoid contacts & idler arm bushing from 4Crawler Offroad brake caliper rebuild kitTPS (throttle position sensor) & MAS (mass airflow sensor)fuses and relays











Loading up for the ferry near the Pacific coast of Guatemala

Lots of Gorilla tape, JB Weld, Krazy Glue and zip-ties!

VEHICLE SECURITY

locking rear-seat delete panel with access hatch under sleeping area for valuables

locking ammo-can center console

locking fuel cap + locking fuel door

multiple kill switches

Viper 3-way alarm system

limo tinted windows

exterior hockey-puck locks

situational awareness

*the best security we have found is being smart about where you park and situational awareness







The 3-way Alarm system that eventually gave us problems and headaches in Guatemala.



Hockey Puck locks to make up for the pathetic Toyota locks.







NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATIONS

Garmin GPS

Open Source Maps









Mitad del Mundo. Crossing the Equator in Ecuador.

Photo courtesy of Clint Davis Photography.







MULTIMEDIA & DOCUMENTATION

300w inverter to charge our laptop while driving















The overbuilt 1/4" steel safe that we fabricated, which replaced the rear seats.

3 External Hard Drives for photo storage and backup





WATER









No shortage of good book exchanges along the route.

Fuel for our Coleman stove and a few reference books in the library.

Door pockets made from a carwash bucket organizer.











MISC. STORAGE



replaced crappy factory console with locking surplus ammo can

Tuffy cupholders Eagle Creek Pack-it organizers for clothingreplaced crappy factory console with locking surplus ammo canTuffy cupholders

storage benches along the sides of the bed allow access to space between body panels



rear swing-out waffleboards for increased work & cooking surfaces

Eventually sourced







gear loft cargo nets suspended from ceiling for lightweight items and drying clothesrear swing-out waffleboards for increased work & cooking surfacesEventually sourced military surplus aluminum medical chests (medium) for rooftop storage

KITCHEN

















Cooking in a parking lot next to our Swiss friend's LC in Bogota, Colombia.



Beach camping near a glacier in Chilean Patagonia.



INSIDE THE KITCHEN BINS Engel 14qt 12v fridge/freezer - left in USA but it did fit perfectly behind driver's seat



compact coffee grinder GSI Personal Java Press for our daily coffee fixcompact coffee grinder

72 hours of backpacker meals as emergency rations











The beautiful chuck box our friend Micah helped us build with removable threaded PVC legs

(we ditched this chuck box in Costa Rica due to the unnecessary weight and space it occupied)





COMFORT

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 backpacking tent



Surfboard (gave to a new friend in Central America)





Right before a freak hail storm broke our awning pole in Colombia.

Luckily ARB has incredible customer support!



Reading in the hammock next to the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mex.



Just to give an idea of how narrow the bed was, 38" wide, the size of a twin mattress.

5" thick, twin-sized gel foam mattress padSurfboard (gave to a new friend in Central America)





BRIBE AVOIDANCE

safety reflective triangles

reflective vest



Coca Colas, cigarettes and LOTS OF SMILES!





A mild water crossing early on in the trip south.

mini fire extinguisher - SAVED THE DAY IN PANAMÁ Coca Colas, cigarettes and LOTS OF SMILES!

One of the last sightings of our dual fuel stove before it walked away



