There’s a 1978 Toyota Chinook Camper Attached to This 2001 Tacoma
New Terra Grappler tires, leaf springs, and hand-laid red cedar interior paneling; this rig has had a lot of work poured into it.
Meet "Doris": a 2001 Toyota Tacoma topped with a vintage 1978 Toyota Chinook camper. She is owned by Coloradan Phil Burdette and his family, and they’ve embarked on quite a few overlanding adventures in the last few years. First scouted by Down2Mob Overland's Phil Kockerbeck, who recently chopped a Jeep Gladiator in half to make his own rig, this Tacoma and Chinook is a match made in camping culture heaven.
Burdette combined the Taco with the Chinook himself, making some serious modifications along the way. He pushed the rear axle back eight inches and added Old Man Emu (which surely ranks as one of the best brand names ever) heavy springs and shocks with an extra leaf spring. An ARB bumper protects the front end. And the truck runs with a 3.4-liter V6; manual transmission fans, you’ll be happy to hear that he has been rowing his own in this Taco.
It appears Burdette has been working on this rig for at least three years, putting a lot of sweat equity into it. He added keyless entry to the Chinook, sound dampening materials in the Taco cab, and covered the whole thing with Monstaliner in a monochromatic shade of ecru.
The inside is impressive, including all-new Polk speakers, custom-cut vinyl shades that adhere to the windows when you want some privacy, a deep stainless steel sink, easy-to-clean composite flooring, tons of storage, and a 30-gallon water tank. The 89-quarter SnoMaster fridge/freezer combo looks like a cooler with a bisected lid and sits in a handy drawer that pulls out; it retails at about $1400 brand new all by itself. Burdette also added red cedar panels throughout to complete the rustic feel of the inside. The swiveling table rotates down to make way for a large bed in this cozy abode on wheels.
Burdette says he needs more room and he wants to go bigger, so he’s parting with this overlanding beast. Listed for $35,000 on Facebook Marketplace, the Tacoma/Chinook combination is seeking adoption by a new family. Before you get too excited, know that Doris has 281,000 miles on her odometer. However, Burdette is optimistic about his camper. He just added a brand-new set of Nitto Terra Grappler tires and seems to think she has a long way to go yet before she retires.
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