Technical modifications

We learn quickly – a car and a living cabin are not enough. But what technical upgrades do you really need, what is “nice to have” if the budget allows it and what to leave out, even if other world travelers swear by it? In addition to research on the Internet and some forums, both Stefan Decker from Fiftyten and Swen Weigler from the Toyotahaus of the same name provided us with valuable information. The patient advice from the off-road manufacturer in Hamburg regarding necessary and desirable conversions rounds off our research.

But the more opinions we gathered, the more confusing the picture became on some topics. Here is an overview of our considerations , which also served us newcomers to sort ourselves out.

After we had decided on the most important things (loading, tires/rims, underbody) and wanted to carry out the technical modifications at Weigler, it was important to clarify the order of work between Fiftyten and Weigler. The project becomes concrete!

It's such a pity that we have to give our car back after the first test night. But the following should now be done:

  • 5x BF Goodrich on heavy-duty rims Delta WP 17 black (265/65R17)
  • EFS suspension (matched to the cabin weight) including load assessment
  • Snorkel (Safari) including increased rear axle ventilation
  • Aluminum 6mm underrun protection (Rival) for gearbox, transfer case, AdBlue tank, exhaust gas sensors
  • TimeMax Strong underbody protection and cavity sealing, additionally with Time Max Body for wishbones, axles
  • Rival aluminum bumper with winch WARN EVO 12S (Yes, after careful consideration, that too)

We have an extremely good impression, the handover meeting with the mechanics is well structured and knowledgeable and the final details are being agreed. The complete individual inspection by the TÜV will then take place here.

We look forward to receiving the first photos of the winch being installed. Perhaps we can use one of the appointments we have already booked at the state transport authority to register the changes?

The workshop has already completed most of the work and sent us photos. How cool. We are currently working out how the TÜV inspector will register the vehicle. This requires a few phone calls to insurance companies, which we may need later for overseas use. The key words are pickup truck with a camper van, so that the vehicle can be fully insured as a camper van and not as a truck with a load.

All that is missing now is the underbody seal and the underrun protection as well as parts for the rear protection around the trailer hitch, after which the TÜV report can be completed.

The time has come. We can finally pick up our car. The Dekra report is here and even if two small things are still missing, we can take it to the registration office on Monday and then test our one-room apartment. Setting off yesterday turned out to be a good decision – it took us 4 hours to get to Hannover-Langenhagen. After an overnight stay at the wonderful Gut Kump near Hamm, we are rested enough today to manage the journey home with two vehicles. For a change, we choose the traffic jam via Bremen and creep to Hamburg with a trailer (and the original tires). To avoid getting too boring, we are on the phone the whole time – so for the first time we are really making use of the flat rate of our communication contract :-)

We are looking forward to trying it out and dealing with the details that still need to be dealt with.