Project Across the Americas

[hunter]

Hello, I am new to this forum and would like to share some of my pictures of my current project. A few years ago I got this crazy idea of traveling across the Americas from California to Alaska and back one year and another year from California to Chile and back. I did a lot of research looking for the vehicle, I wanted a fuel efficient, reliable, 4wd capability, something I can sleep in and if it was to break down on me, something I could just kick down a cliff and fly back to California. I finally decided on the Tercel Wagon, I found an old Tercel in Visalia, Ca. and bought it for $500 (245k miles). I been working on it little by little, I rebuilt the engine and currently working on the interior and exterior roof rack and bumpers. It will take me at least 6 more months to complete it. I will try to do a test drive down to La Paz Baja California this summer and back. In the summer of 2015 I will drive up to Clam Gulch AK. and back then 2016 down to Chile and back. Even though I am new to this site, I been reading a lot of your post for the past a couple years getting a lot of great ideas for my project. Here are a few pictures of my tercel and I will continue to post more as I progress with my project. thank you for reading and giving me the inspiration to built my tercel.

[Petros]

welcome to the forum hunter!

that is an ambitious project, I have thought of such a similar endeavor in fact. I highly approve of your choice of vehicle of course, and in fact I think some of those mods you are doing are not even necessary. that is quite a front bumper you built there, though it seems you have increased the weight quite a bit. I would not doubt the need for some more protection up front however, of the many cross country "rescues" of old Tercel4wd i have done, the only time I had to abandon one was after I struck a deer on a Texas highway. I did manage to go back and retrieve it later (with the help of forum member Dano), but with some protection up front it would have been unnecessary and saved me about $400.

How many of you are going on the road trip? It seems to me that massive roof rack is likely unnecessary as well, it puts a lot of weight up high and it would cut down on the fuel economy too. do you really need that much extra carrying capacity?

what other mods, upgrades, etc have you done to the engine, suspension and everything else?

BTW, you are welcome to stop by my place in Washington state on your way north if it convenient for your travel plans.

[Gottolovem]

WOW I bet They can track you from space with that light rack.
There is a member trying to sell a heater he used in Alaska it might save your life.
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9666
Good luck I look forward to hearing about your adventure.

[dlb]

that's awesome. what a fantastic road trip. i can't wait to hear how it goes. ditto on gottolovem's idea about the heater if you plan on sleeping in the car in winter.

i love the look of the tire mounted in the front bumper but i would worry about it decreasing airflow over the rad. i would test drive some mountain passes in the heat, once with the tire in the bumper and then again with it elsewhere, and see if the gauge reads any differently.

good luck and keep us updated!

[hunter]

thanks for all the suggestions.. that is right.. I will end up moving the tire somewhere else, since it will reduce the air flow..
I also think the roof rack is a little over kill, is more for looks.. I do have a canoe that will go on the rack and I will take with me to AK but not to South America.
keeping the weight to a minimum is a concern but I really want to protect the front end and outer windshield part of the vehicle, since I would not want for a moose, deer or livestock to go trough my windshield.
I did completely rebuilt the engine, new clutch kit but I have not done any work to the suspension yet.. I am getting a lot of great ideas on what to do from reading all your post...
for the trip, I will be taking my 11 year old son and my Dog.

[dlb]

for the trip, I will be taking my 11 year old son

he might not know it yet but this will surely be a life-changing trip for him. that's super cool.

[Gottolovem]

Back when I was a little guy my parents bought a big motor home quit work for a year and traveled the US.
Wonderful memories I will carry for the rest of my life.

[Devin]

I would wager that everyone on this forum has wanted to do a similar journey. I slept in my Tercel when I went from Colorado to California last September. I removed the rear seat backs and made a wooden platform to extend that rear flat section. It looks like half a table. With the front to seats pushed all the way forward, it's quite spacious. I had no problem fitting a twin sized air mattress in. Curtains are a good idea also. There is zero tint to the glass.
Good luck and keep us posted!

[Petros]

actually I have been thinking about the tire location, I doubt it will affect cooling flow as much as you think, it is far out in front of the radiator and grill, far enough that there should be plenty of airflow. Most the cooling air comes from under the bumper anyway, and the cooling system does not require as much air flow as you might think. You get no more airflow through the radiator above about 30 mph anyway, and with a double row radiator (which the 4wd is supposed to have in it), it will have plenty of cooling capacity. at lower speeds the cooling fan kicks in and you get all the air flow you need.

I would be more concerned about having all that weigh up front. these cars tend to have heavy understeer and be heavily weighted toward the front any way. Adding that much weight that far forward might tend to over load the front tires, suspension and brakes (which are pretty flimsy as they are). It would be more desirable to try and get more weight shifted to the rear if possible, it would balance the brakes better. Of course fully loaded with travel gear it may be balanced well anyway, but that will only happen if you plan the loading and packing of the vehicle.

[LittleRed4wd]

Very cool, I love the bumper and the rack! Throw some stiffer springs on the front and you should be golden. Any plans for engine upgrades? Im my off road adventures I've found the stock setup doesn't always cut it- but if you're sticking to graded roads you should be fine. You may want to consider a Weber carb as well to simplify things under the hood. Some people even say they get more power and/or better milage with one.

Keep us updated, I'd love to see one of these cars take on an expedition like you have planned!