Offroading a Fire Truck! JDM Toyota HiAce for Overlanding
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ก.พ. 2020
- If you're roaming the central Oregon backcountry and catch a glint of red through the trees...well, it's probably a red Jeep. But it might be this cool little rig, a small 4x4 fire truck imported from Japan which has found a new life as a compact camping/overlanding adventuremobile.
Meet Norbert the Firetruck (and its driver Andrew) and learn about the quirks and features of this neat little truck including some surprising capabilities.
Follow Norbert's adventures on Instagram:
/ norbert_the_firetruck - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Locking the hubs is just a matter of opening the door and reach down 😂
Really sucks that the US does not get ANY of these cool little trucks. Probably because we are stuck in "bigger is better" mentality. When in reality size doesn't matter for many things 😅
Such a sweet and unique ride! Cabin air intake? That’s Rad! I’d love to see more videos of these unique vehicles!
The cabin air "snorkel" is brilliant. I don't know if it would be easier or harder to integrate into a Forester or a Passport vs the traditional cut-a-hole-in-your-fender-and-hope-to-find-a-snorkel-that-fits approach. It *seems* like it could be do-able.
I'm hoping to cover more unusual rigs like this that go beyond the typical Tacoma, 4runner, Wrangler, or even Subaru options that most people turn to. I was utterly charmed by this little truck...seems like such a fun base to build off of.
Ok that’s freaking awesome
Right I want one
That is a cool little set up. Can’t wait to see how it evolves. Thanks for sharing👍🍻
Now that was cool! Thanks for sharing in the fun.
Awesome lil' truck!
I've been waiting for a video on this one!
Dig the integration of the brake/reverse lights in the bodywork from cutting the bumper.
Love the clear coroplast roof in the box. Great solution for warmth and light.
Reminds me of the temporary storage trailers we used to use.
Oh wait. It's an identical one to your neighbors?
What a strange coincidence.
Well, I first learned about these little trucks from my neighbor, and when I looked his over I was struck by its 4 wheel drive, small size, diesel power, and how fun it would be to build out. Because of that, some months later when I stumbled across Norbert on Instagram, I actually stopped and looked rather than breezing past it as I normally would have in the never-ending onslaught of Instagram posts. Then I noticed that they live in central Oregon, my default adventure area, and decided to reach out. I doubt I would have ever contacted Andrew if I didn't already have the familiarity with the vehicle thanks to my neighbor.
LOL, A gazillion words to say, not really a coincidence, one led to the other.
wow, what a great set-up...just love it !!!
Wow, this is very interesting. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Fire out man !!!🌎🐸🌵🍄🐦🌻🌲🍇🦨🐦
Man! That is too cool, gives a fella ideas-a-plenty! Thanks for sharing it!
That is a super cool truck! Great video! I love watching rig walk around videos like this one. MOAR PLZ!
I love these, and looked at them pretty hard before deciding to upgrade my HiLux. So cool to hear from an actual owner.
Thats so cool! Love it!
Really cool rig and fun video!
What a cool rig! That little diesel will last a very long time, keep up the maintenance anyway. Torque and gearing is amazing on it. Neat video thanks.
I ran across a HiAce last summer. It was from Mexico. I speak no Spanish. The driver of the HiAce spoke no English. I like to think I managed to convey how awesome I thought his vehicle was to him. They are awesome vehicles. They look even cooler in person.
wow overlay compression comparison with subaru size after 2:26 was top notch! Very helpful!
Danny from Vanlife NW is awesome. I didn't buy a van from him but I bought parts for my HiAce and he's been super supportive in answering all my questions. He knows these vans inside out. Kinda wish I bought one from him so it's turnkey
That is so so cool!
Just 3 word: I Love it!
wow thats neat would love to see one of those in person one day
For a long time, I had a crazy idea to get a mil-surp 4X4 truck and convert it to a SHTF RV, but for the last year I've been thinking about getting a 4WD Japanese truck such as a Hiace for an overlander. This is awesome. I particularly liked the camper box on the back. I'd be temped to make an insulated box with 80/20 aluminum extrusions, but I'd make it 7-8 feet long so it's long enough for tall people to sleep inside, and let it hang out the back a little. The LED turn signals recessed into the T slots are clever but they can't be seen from enough of an angle to be legal turn signals.
Good video, keep them coming ✌
That is very cool. I could see a custom aluminum box on the bed of that. Stretch it out a little in width and length but keeping the weight down as that little diesel needs all the help it can get. Maybe a retrofit turbo too? As it is would be just fine too but a guy can dream, right? Can’t believe how straight and clean that truck is for its age but it stands to reason that it didn’t see much use in its lifetime.
There’s a guy in Eugene with a RHD Mitsubishi Delica l300 with all the off-road goodies! Definitely do more rig reviews, they’re in abundance here.
The person who gave this a thumbs down needs to rethink every aspect of their life. This thing is awesome, I love seeing all of the creative setups people have and this is one of the most unique I have ever seen!
Haha, there's always at least one. :-)
Loved this video! Neat truck too and cool owner too!
I was super happy to meet Andrew, really great guy.
That’s the thing about fire trucks in some places they don’t get much use, I have just bought a Daihatsu terios 1.5 ltr petrol 107 bhp 4 wheel drive with diff lock it goes everywhere , I am slowly converting it to do some over landing , many thanks Steve
That is super cool, so many possibilities 👍
For sure, seems like a ton of fun as a base for a DIY build.
That is one awesome overland camping vehicle! I experienced the "passing problem" driving my American car in the UK and if you were behind a lorry (truck) you were often at the mercy of the lorry driver. If he used his left-right turn signal in succession that meant it was safe to pass but if he tapped the brake lights repetitively that meant no go. I would love to see the Hiace be imported into the U.S. as an overland camping alternative. One of the coolest vehicles I drove overseas was a Nissan Patrol that was provided to me by the Saudi military while working with them in Dhahran. That thing drove through the desert with such ease I was never concerned about getting stuck.
Nissan Safari JDM better with legendaru TD42 diesel
Cool truck! Actually, this may sound crazy but in Mongolia where I live most of the cars are JDM, so we all got used to sitting on the right side.
Thought I recognized that truck! When I saw those yellow Les Schwab bags I new it was the same one I worked on just a few weeks ago 😆
I was importing these in from Japan, couldn't give them away. I have one and will not part with it, just love it.
I love it!!
I keep following the JDM website as they have vehicles you just cant find anywhere else. I'm not that far away so I really want to visit the lot. Thanks.
Very cool the stickers would come off on the front and doors if mine.
I love the decals showing its origins! But to each their own. :-) Thanks for watching!
@@softroadingthewest very true 👍
Very cool.
That thing is awesome. Not fast but perfect trail camp rig. That or an awd diesel powered van would be perfect. Cheers
Browsing the Vanlife Northwest website, one definitely starts getting ideas, heh. Thanks for watching!
I love getting out and exploring with the forester, Though I went out near sisters this past weekend snow camping and I must say an awd van would have been a nice addition at that moment over the forester for comfort but it was still so much fun.
I drive JDM cars when i go back to my island and yes the column stalks confuse me too. lol
I'd be curious to see his camping setup both now and as he builds it out more.
I expect we'll cross paths again, I'll definitely update when we do!
I have a 1996 4WD Hijet truck and I'm thinking of building a 7 foot long camper box that can be secured to the 6 foot bed to make a micro overland SHTF RV.
just took mine offroad and oh buddy i need like 6" more in clearance lol we made it but dang i did alot of "weight reduction" in the skidplate dept
That's cool! Why is it that Toyota has never had cool stuff like that in the states? Or any diesels??
because if they did the Toyota Hilux would absolutely dominate the truck market.
So cool he bought it fro. Pacific coast auto
Sweet, second one in OR that I’m aware of @the_redbrick being the other.
David G Perfectdaycalendar Make that three, as there are two Oregon HiAce fire trucks in my video, the featured one from Bend and a glimpse of my neighbor here in Eugene who has one also. ✌️
I’m seeing more and more jdm trucks and van overlanding out this way Sw Portland area
Hi, great item - and quirky little truck. Question for Andrew: you seem comfortable in the driver's seat. Can I ask how tall you are? I am concerned about my legs hitting the steering wheel or dash. I'm just over 6'1. I hope you are still enjoying trips with your Hiace fire truck. Thanks!
I doubt Andrew will see this, it's a pretty old video. You could try to message him on Instagram or post a comment on one of his photos:
instagram.com/norbert_the_firetruck/
I haven't seen him be active for quite a while, but there are a lot of other people on Instagram with Hiace trucks like this, you can probably find an owner to ask. Good luck, it's definitely a nifty little rig!
Thanks for the review! I'm looking for a 4x4 cabover and have been researching these firetrucks. There are many details you mention in this video I haven't seen anywhere else. Do you have recommendations for further reading on these?
I don't have any suggestions for you, it's really outside my wheelhouse and I only know what Andrew here told me, but I believe there is a whole online community of people who run these little imported JDM trucks, there may be a forum out there somewhere. Good luck!
softroadingthewest I'd be surprised if there wasn't, honestly. Thanks for the reply
Nice! I believe the truck is bought from Pacific Coast Auto if I'm not wrong.
Vanlife Northwest actually
softroadingthewest
Owh, I thought that it came from Pacific Coast Auto based on the pictures shown in the video. I thought that this is the same truck which is in the link below.
th-cam.com/video/Rh3Dl2fCEos/w-d-xo.html
I found your channel a few days ago and I love your channel. You got a new subscriber. Greetings from Malaysia and I'm sorry for your drone. Maybe the new drone will be better from the previous one.
I purchased a Datsun fire truck in Japan and will ship it to the US soon. mine has all the hoses and a portable pump in the bed. have you experience any issues with the equipment when it is freighted to the US?
Imagine converting it like an off-road recovery vehicle, give it a winch and aggressive tire,
What kind of mpg is that awesome thing getting?
Can you still get parts for it?
If so how?
Great video and an awesome little van/truck!
That's a good question I don't know the answer to. I wish I had thought to ask it though, that's an excellent point.
Short answer, yes. Long answer depends on what part you need/want... some are easy to get stateside, others require shipping from Japan/Australia/New Zealand, ect., and some are better just to go custom/upgrade.
WE have same truck in stock Hiace Fire Truck 1989 yes parts is available OEM from Japan megazip.net
also Nissan Atlas TD27 fire truck 4x4 we have for sale
jdm car and motorcycle
What's the height of it in that configuration, not including box and rack? Trying to see if I can fit one in my garage
Such a cool rig! Did you guys talk about fuel burn rates? I bet the range with stock tanks is really good
If I remember right his range is similar to my Forester, but it's a pretty small tank. I mean, compared to any other 4x4 truck, it'll certainly go further on X gallons of diesel. I think he may have talked about eventually adding a second fuel tank...I didn't put every single thing in the final video and some of it is already fuzzy in my memory, heh. :-)
Roughly a 300mi range currently. 15gallon tank running somewhere between 20-25 MPG depending on driving conditions. Will be adding an aux tank, or swapping to a larger main tank, for greater range before too long. (it is nice that each standard jerry can of diesel will give me a safe 100 miles extra)
If that truck has a 24v system I would've got EuroPoint tail lights. They're way better than what he has and even better than US truck tail lights.
I am left handed and a mail carrier for 15 years,I drive a rt hand drive 4door jeep.people ask me about it alot.lol.more comfortable for me.just dont do drive thrus or pass
How hard is it getting parts and doing maintenance? Have you been abe to just go to the auto parts store and get anything
Any concern with such a high center of gravity? That looks like a awesome project. I hope to see more updates. But it doesn’t look like it would handle much side lean. Especially with adding stuff up higher.
This was definitely something on Andrew's mind. I may have cut it out of the final video but he told me his use of aluminum to make the upper structure was to minimize any weight he was adding up there. Still, driving one of these, you'd definitely have to think twice about certain off-camber scenarios that I don't hesitate to tackle in my Subaru. You do see quite a few people running lifted Delicas with a bunch of gear on the roof as overland rigs and those seem super tippy in my imagination...I guess it's probably a question of keeping it in mind and making smart choices on what line you drive. :-)
It definitely looks a lot more top heavy than it is. I'd venture to guess about 80% of the 4,500lbs is in the bottom half. Much like a sprinter van, where it looks like you could almost push it over, but in reality the center of gravity is much lower than it appears. I still don't want to test the tip over point unnecessarily on any trails though!
we drove in siberia with this truck loaded with unother car in the bed, 5000ml via frozen rivers and taiga and tundra, best truck from japan JDM nissan atlas , MMC Canter and more
I have not seen one and you have seen two! What are the odds of that? Pretty cool! George.
SW Idaho Overlanding Well, admittedly one sort of led to the other. I had chatted with my neighbor about his. Some months later, I stumbled across Norbert on Instagram and probably would’ve breezed right past it if I hadn’t recognized it as being virtually identical to my neighbor’s truck. Instead I stopped to check out his page and discovered he was in Bend, so I arranged to meet him during one of my trips that way. So I really have my neighbor to thank. 😄 I love seeing that thing truckin’ down the alley.
@@softroadingthewest They make some great little 4x4 vehicles over there. Too bad we don't see more over here. Would love to see the Suzuki Jimny imported to the states, but we don't get the cool stuff.
@@swidahooverlanding2867 Couldn't agree more. If the new Jimny was sold here, that's exactly what I would be driving (though clearly not sleeping inside of it, heh).
@@softroadingthewest I do know where you could get help to build your own super light trailer (like mine). Perfect for low powered tow vehicles...
Can you show us more gear and mod videos?
This is awesome ,how much can one expect to pay for importing and purchasing one of these?
I don't recall if I got an exact figure from Andrew, but I believe one can expect to pay somewhere between $15,000-$20,000 if purchasing from an importer. It's not exactly a budget buy by my definition (I paid a lot less than that for my Forester) but they are generally very low miles and almost like new despite being 25+ years old.
@@softroadingthewest thanks for the info 👍
Maybe you can get them together on the trail?
Oooh yesss...that's an excellent idea! That just might be possible!
Omg someone please build out an Ice Cream truck 🍦 🙏🏻
LOLOL...if anyone does, please contact me, I'll gladly feature it. Assuming there's a fudgesicle or two in it for me. :-)
do you know any TH-camrs who camp with an Outback with a CVT? wanna see what they do.
Irish Pride Check out @bruceyyyyy (he commented on this video so if you look through the comments here you should find him). He offroads his CVT Outback.
Can you tell us about import process?
I don't know any more than what Andrew talked about in this video, I've not imported a vehicle myself. Most people work with an importer, they are easy to find via Google. From what I've seen, the process can vary from buying a vehicle that's already been imported and ready to go, to working with an importer to find a vehicle that is still overseas. Each importer usually has some information about the process on their website, and if you find an importer close to you, they would be the best to detail out their specific process.
Could become a repetitive segment, just saying. You know, when times are slow on the trail.
Oh man I'm sooo backlogged on videos...I have stuff I shot last summer that I haven't put together yet. But I do like the idea of looking at unusual vehicle options and I may very well have another one coming down the line soon. :-)
softroadingthewest awesome, ‘Reader’s Rides’ haha. We have loads of unique JDM’s vehicles here in NZ also.
Late to the party, but I second this. A few other offroading channels I watch do this with great success, would be great to have a segment like this on more oddball or conventional vehicles that have been put to use overlanding.
Is a guy in Vancouver fabbing your bumper?
If he is, this is the first I've heard about it. :-) I'm still at the early-design phase / figuring-out-if-I-can-afford-it phase and I haven't spoken with a single fabricator yet. That'll certainly be much later in the year if it happens at all this year. :-)
softroadingthewest - oh, I’ve see another rig like yours in his shop. Hit me up if you are in Portland and in mood to explore.
What is the max speed on one of these lil guys? 85mph?
Oof, I doubt it would even do 85 unless maybe it was going downhill, heh. :-) I thought he mentioned it, though perhaps I cut that from the final video, but I have something like 70mph in my head as being about as fast as he could get it, and happier cruising closer to 60. They're definitely not geared for speed. :-)
softroadingthewest Nice, 70 highway is still decent. Thanks!
What's the cost to import one of these?
I would take a look at some of the importers' websites. If I remember right, I think they paid ~$16,000 for this truck out the door (bearing in mind, it was essentially like-new with ~4,000 miles on the odometer) but that's been some years ago so I don't know what prices are like these days.
Did he say hoe much it cost him?
Sweet van but the 80HP IDK if I could handle that gutless wonder.
Diesel motors make Huge Torque, and they often respond quite well to positive manifold pressure(Turbo). Horsepower = Torque x RPM. Diesels simply can not rev high due to their long piston stroke and direct injection.
Rudolf Diesel designed his engine from the ground up to run on vegetable oils. He was found floating facedown in a ditch for his efforts.
I think it has all the guts it needs on the trail, but for sure, I could see the limited top speeds getting old pretty quickly, especially if you wanted to go someplace that takes a day or two of highway driving to get there...that would probably be the biggest reason I would hesitate to go in this direction. Even if it could go faster, not sure I'd want to be driving that truck at 75mph anyway, the rest of it is definitely not built for speed. :-) Thanks for watching!
@@softroadingthewest Everything you guys are say is spot on . I have something very similar a Mitsubishi L200 truck with a German made JB 500 camper . when we plan a trip with it we try to map out secondary roads . That way you see a lot more and it's a much More relaxed drive .I have lifted the front of my truck 3 3/4 inches and the back 4 1/2 as well as cutting 4 inches off the sides and 8 inches off the back of the body.Lots of fun, thanks for showing it to us .
Unless you removed the siren and the microphone you could always get on your my can tell the Person move it or lose it
Then tap the siren
Can you say VW Syncro!
How much
Forget about that, find a Mitsubishi Delica.