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Message: [QUOTE="Notneb, post: 1351728, member: 22077"] I'd rather just not care about bad guys than feel the need to out run them, lol. I plan on putting AR500 plates around vital areas and the cab, so unless they're packing .50 bmg, all good in the hood. As far as why I'm selecting a deuce or 5 ton, I'm not looking to go fast. The point of this rig is to just go places no one else really pays attention to. I'm not saying I want to bomb through the deserts at 90 or tackle 45 degree inclines strewn with mud and rock. I simply want the best platform for living at my own pace, down south. I guess I should specify more: This trip will be a whole year. I want to start in the US, make my way down through central america, ship the truck to columbia, then continue down as far south as I can, spending about a month or whatever in each country. I want it to be fully self sufficient, so that I never have to stay in a city. Make no mistake, this is not a tourist run, I want to see the actual countries, not the dumb touristy over priced expat destinations. The more I approach this build, the more a bigger military style truck makes sense. I don't have to waterproof it, or build a special intake/exhaust for fording *A deuce can do 10ft of static water*, easily accommodate 150 gallons of fuel *MRAP self seal tank swap*, and it's pretty damn simple to work on. Also I'll be removing the cab and fabbing up my own, to make a smoother transition from cab to camper, it will look like one piece. So while I have the cab off, I'll install airbags to the frame for the cab to sit on. Same concept as big rig cabs, but it will allow me to add more weight and rigidity to the cab/camper in the form of armor, yet not worry about flex on the chassis. This will help with transmitted road vibration also, win win. I like that post, but it's a different style of trekking than I will be doing. I realize I've never been down to SA or driven their roads, but I'm in no hurry, so I have no need to worry about rough roads. If I only make 2 miles a day, big whoop, I've got a rolling hotel, lol. Another thing that is a HIGH possibility is I might not bring the truck back, and if it's a 70's deuce, the laws that prohibit it staying in country, no longer apply. To bring this novel to an end: I have a year to do the trip, maybe more, depends on if I like it down there enough to stay longer. Cost is NOT an issue *don't let the gf see this* in this build, just might take me longer lol. Keep the comments coming, seriously good stuff. It's a fluid build, if enough people have legit reasons why one platform just won't work better than another, could end up in a hilux... lol [/QUOTE]