DISCLAIMER: please bear with me. I may be getting over analyitical but I just want to build the best damn thing possible (with little funds) and my mind has been spinning for a year on this.

As it says, what Toyota or other comparable platform/mods would you pick to build a full time camper/expedition vehicle on? I plan to carry 1500 lbs total. I plan on taking this all through South America, Africa, Asia etc. Would it be the best choice to keep alll (maybe some exceptions?) parts stock to maximize world parts support on other contininents? Or would it not be much of an issue to replace aftermarket parts back with stock parts if they break? Are there Toyota parts that can't be found outside of USA? I'm willing to buy the vehicle in any country too, so if there are opinions on best countries/models/parts abroad to go with? I want to of course keep up front cost, cost of ownership and repairs/mods to a minimum. That pushes me towards 1980s pickup/hilux, but I like the extra size and strength offered in the t100 and fzj80. I've also thought about stock diesel hilux and land cruiser options outside of the U.S. But they seem to get into a considerably higher price bracket. After much research I see bits and pieces over various models that I like but not one that has it all.

ENGINE: I definitely want to diesel and I hope to be able to run straight waste vegetable oil. I've read that taking proper precaution with a two tank system, stronger heated lines, stronger pumps etc. people have ran straight veggie with diesel priming without sacrificing the longevity of the engine. I'm thinking the Mercedes om617 diesel would work well with this and it is very durable. Any information on Toyota diesels with this system and their durability compared to the om617? What about world parts support compared to the om617? Any thoughts on isuzu/Mitsubishi/Nissan etc. diesels? In regards to the cheapest, Om617 swap or buying a diesel vehicle abroad?

TRANSMISSION: it definitely has to be manual. I hear the w56 is respectable (certain variants to shoot for/stay away from?). But I've read the r151f is a better performer. How do these compare to the manual land cruiser transmission options? What about the G transmissions? What does the t100 use? Which of these have the best world parts support? Which are the best for sustained off-road with 1500lbs in the bed? I would like to be able to crawl with control so maybe a total crawl ratio somewhere between 60-80:1

TRANSFER CASE: I really only have read much about the pickup transfer cases and to stick with a top shift, gear driven 2.28:1. Do the pickup transfer cases have a stock lock option like the fzj80 transfer case? And if so, only in low or in high too? How does this transfer case compare to and what are the ratios of the t100, fj60 and fzj80 transfer cases? Would dual marlin cases be good bet to take around the world or would it be difficult to maintain due to parts? Or could a stock transfer case be easily swapped back in if the marlin duals get screwy?

DRIVESHAFTS: I really don't have any info here. Anything to be choosy about between the various stock Toyota driveshafts? Should I go aftermarket?

BODY/FRAME/SUSPENSION/AXLES/DIFFS: I want the largest camper possible (I'm thinking 9/10 ft by 7 ft exterior floor dimensions with a cab over bed with 6.5 ft exterior height) while maintaining good off road geometries and the most durable parts. Therefore, the longest wheel base and axles make sense to me but will inches of difference in the frame width and length matter that much? The pickups and t100s have a 121 inch wheelbase and the fzj80 has a 112 inch wheelbase, but I really like the stock front and rear locked full float fzj80 axles with the high pinion diffs. Should I do Front and rear fzj80 axles on a pickup? Or Pickup cab on a fzj80 rolling chassis? Or fzj80 front axle and rear third member on a t100? How will steering have to be changed in regards to each of these? Leaf vs coil suspension? What's easier, better, cheaper, holds more weight in each one of these? Any stock "ish" vehicles abroad fulfilling this better?

ELECTRONICS: I hear people say to stay away from electronics. Is this across the board? Are they beneficial in some areas? Are mechanical lockers better than the Toyota elockers?

 

When I was overseas in the desert, we had factory Toyota diesels in the early to mid 2000's. Those are some great trucks. I don't know if they are available in mid Americas or not and would be one that I would like get my hands on.

I was in Honduras and I seen 89-95 factory solid axle and diesel trucks down there.