The Gringo Expedition

madmonk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Location
greensboro nc
This is my brothers (wes) 96 land cruiser that we are going to drive across Mexico to Belize and Guatemala. This is a very cool truck that should be alot of fun to drive and camp in or out of. Here is a list of mods that have been done to the truck so far.
tires-285 bfg all terrains
3 in old man emu lift
arb front bumper
warn 9000 xd winch
national luna dual battery set up
Eezi-awn roof tent 1600 series 3
roof rack -Front Runner
2 5 gal jerry cans and mount for the roof rack
cobra hand held cb w/firestick ant
awning - Eezi-Awn 2000 mounted on roof rack
Engel fridge
12v recepticles fuse block and wiring from West Marine
Heres some pics of the progress so far.
this is the roof tent in the travel position
ai17.photobucket.com_albums_b60_1madmonk_cruiser3.jpg

tent open
ai17.photobucket.com_albums_b60_1madmonk_cruiser4.jpg

ai17.photobucket.com_albums_b60_1madmonk_cruiser5.jpg

ai17.photobucket.com_albums_b60_1madmonk_cruiser6.jpg
 
What a hack job!


Just kidding! Looks like you've put a BUNCH of thought and time into the mods... very clean! Are the pigtails (twin holes) in the rear for additional power? Fridge mounted in the aft end?

Have you set a date for departure?

Since this falls under one of my "must do's", I'll be following it closely! :beer:
 
yeah the holes are for the 12v recepticles from West Marine. There are 4 in the rear for the fridge and what ever else we might need power for, 2 in the back of the center console & 2 on the pass side of the shifter console for the GPS, phones & sat radio. I forgot to mention that Wes also has a SPOT so that we can be tracked on our adventure. This is pretty cool, it reports in every 15min and post your location on their website so the wives will know our where-a-bouts. It also has a we're okay button that sends an email to whoever you have it set up for that tells them your location and that your okay. Heres the website , check it out. http://www.findmespot.com/en/
Wes is leaving from Ohio apr 15-16 and I am flying to Houston apr 17 to meet him. I believe this is about 6K miles for him and about 3k miles traveled for me.
 
scott i am jelous, i wish i could go on a trip like that. how do you get that much time off of work?
 
dont forget a spare spare tire. from what i hear 1 isnt enough.

wish i was going!
 
Theres a brand new spare you can see under the back bumper. and a new plug kit + an air compressor. Metty why don't you come with us, I'm sure we could use you for bait somewhere on this trip or trade you for a nice sombrero. They might think you are a chupracabra though.
 
Good luck man. I would love to do a trip like this... hopefully I'll be able to wheel the western continental divide sometime later in my life.
 
with things like they are right now in mexico, you better be installing some bullet proof glass in that thing..




j/k, sort of.........

looks good tho!
 
hey man how heavy is the tent on top. Dose it affect your capabilitys offroad? Been looking at these for the family adventures. Could you put it on a offroad trailer?
 
Camel Trophy event potential......cool and very purpose built.:beer:
 
Looks awesome, can't wait to see the trip pictures. As a side note, how safe do you think you guys will be? Is there any concern with the violence in mexico recently?
 
madmonk said:
Theres a brand new spare you can see under the back bumper. and a new plug kit + an air compressor. Metty why don't you come with us, I'm sure we could use you for bait somewhere on this trip or trade you for a nice sombrero. They might think you are a chupracabra though.
Click to expand...
i would go at the drop of a hat if i had the opportunity
 
Crossing the border at Brownsville, TX is probably your best best. Matamoros, MX is one of the safer border towns (if there is such a thing) compared to Nuevo Laredo or Juarez. I've spent quite a bit of time in Matamoros over the past 3 years for business and as long as you're not in the city after 9 or 10 PM, you shouldn't have a problem.

You're right in saying most of the issues in Mexico occur in the border towns, although there has been some activity inland - all drug cartel related stuff. Be careful and be aware of your surroundings.

Have fun, take alot of pics, and be careful.
 
This part of a mission trip or just for fun? Keep safe guys..and sweet choice of a rig and setup! (Not sure if you have time now / but HAM license might have been cool too)
 
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