# Building a hunting truck/wood hauler-I need ideas!



## IHDiesel73L (Oct 26, 2011)

Now my wife and I have decided to shuffle our vehicles (she is getting a new car and I am taking her 2001 Corolla for my 80 mile per day round trip commute) I can start thinking about turning my '91 Toyota Pickup into more of a dedicated off-road vehicle since I'll have a gas sipper for my daily commute. As the title of the thread states the primary use of this truck will be getting to tight deer hunting/firewood cutting spots and hauling out the fruits of both pursuits. Here in NJ we have a lot of public hunting land with long disused roads/trails that have grown in to the point that fullsize trucks couldn't possibly navigate them without risk of serious damage. My '91 will be perfect for getting in deep where other guys don't want to go for fear of ripping off a mirror or rubbing a tree. Right now I cut firewood at a farm in a pretty wide open area, but it would be nice to have a truck that squeeze down a tight trail to get close to a new cutting area if need be. Finally, I'll be driving the truck to work whenever it snows and leaving the Corolla at home. I am cheap. I got this truck free and don't intend to dump a ton of money into it. This will not be an all out, lifted, powered up, armored, off roading machine because much as I'd want to I just don't have the $$$ for something like that. I plan on trolling the U-pulls, Craigslist, E-bay, swap meets, etc...for material/parts, etc...

The first order of business is to get the 22RE running like a top-it runs pretty good as is but needs basic maintenance, including a good oil flush, which I will address in the coming weeks. I'm not sure if the clutch is original or not but it seems to be working fine-the truck is at 160K now. Everything else is working fine and complete with the exception of a missing cupholder which will of course be replaced. Next will be a decent set of mud terrains (31x10.5-as I won't be doing a lift) and some better looking wheels. I'd like to find a compatible steel wheels to replace my pitted rusty stockers. Any cheap MT will do since I won't be pounding the pavement every day. The Aisin hubs seem to be working fine but I need to look at the front axles to see what kind of shape they're in. After that I need to figure something out with my rear bumper-it's completely shot. I'm going to check out a local metal fab shop to see if they can give me a better deal on a very simple steel rear bumper set up for towing as I'll need to pull a small trailer or a log splitter on wood cutting trips. The front is intact and I'll probably leave it alone for now. Additionally I'd like to come up with some kind of headache rack to protect the rear window and mount some lights that could be used for loading up at the end of a hard day cutting or hunting when its getting near dusk. Some kind of integrated saw holder would be nice to. I like to carry my McCulloch 610 and my Stihl 026 as between them they handle anything I might come across. I'll also need some way to organize basic tools and supplies (gas, bar oil, extra chains, etc...) but I don't want a toolbox since I would lose bed space. A place to put a Hi-Lift jack, ax, and shovel would be handy too.

Back under the hood once the basic maintenance is addressed I'd be interested in possibly adding a dual battery setup or at least a larger battery because down the road it would be nice to add a winch for dragging logs or deer. The larger battery would also be good for the extra lights and the fact that I tend to use my truck as a mobile jukebox when I'm loading/unloading/stacking wood. I plan to get the injectors cleaned and investigating opening up the airbox maybe. Inside I've already found a few things I'd like to do on this site such as changing out the dash lighting. I'll figure something out with the stereo as the door speakers in the truck are missing and only one dash speaker is working. I have an old set of Kenwood tweeters and midrange speakers from one of my old cars that I'll swap into the doors. I'm debating on whether or not to swap the stereo itself. I have a Sirius receiver with an antenna adapter which should work just fine with the old shaft style unit that's in there. Other mods will be switches for exterior lighting, and organizational stuff for tools, flashlights, tow straps, and other stuff behind the seat. The reason I started this thread was for suggestions and for the purposes of asking folks to share pictures/descriptions of their rigs outfitted for similar purposes. Let's see 'em! Here's my rig as it sits-bone stock:


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## NCPABill (Oct 26, 2011)

I'll start. On my 2006, there are sliding side rails, which have very handy tie down points. Maybe see if a salvage yard has a set for a cheap upgrade of fastening loose things. Along the same lines, the D rings in the bed are pretty handy too.


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## mlh29 (Nov 3, 2011)

2nds, er the muds

et the truck running well, do prevenative maintenance as needed. Plugs, cap /rotor( seal with silicone) belts , hoses, radiator flush etc check your wiring, pop connector, connections and use dieelectric greas eon everything. Invest in a hi lift or farm jack( can use a imprompt to winch etc) may wish to skip the 31x10.5x 15 tires. I vote on trying to get a set of newer 16 inch wheels from a 4 runner etc and stickin with a set of all terrain s over the muds( narrow is better sometimes, no crap on side of truck etc.. With 31s on that truck you will kill your power with a 22r unless you regear it( big$) Looking at the single cab, setup you have I would look into a roof rack/headache rack( saw storage, high lift jack maybe aux light on it as well as a fuel can or 2), if it is custom made have the shop frame the bed rails with some 1x3 rec box for anchor points and strength, wont cost much more for this and will tie everything together. they could even tie the rails into the bed floor..

If your hubs are good they last / hold up well pull them apart and relube/grease them. 

Towing.. check radiator well.. dont want to overheat etc. maybe get a bumper made local, with a cl 3 hitch plate? Or try to find one off a newer model with hitch plate etc built in? 

I may also suggest getting the do it yourself rhino lining for lower body panels etc. helps keep rust at bay,, good luck


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## Myarmistired (Nov 24, 2011)

If the timing chain has never been done do it. If the chain start slapping the timing cover it will wear a hole into the water jacket which will fill your engine with coolant.


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## JBHandJr (Feb 7, 2012)

I know this is kind of late, but if you are still looking at tires check out Tread Wright. They make very good cheap retreads...I've had mine for about 8,000 miles on my hunting truck.

I don't work for Tread Wright, just a happy (suprisingly) customer.


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## Swamp Man (Dec 18, 2012)

Deuce and a half


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