July 19, 2019
Base Vehicle: 1999 Ford F-550 4×4 Super Duty, 165” WB Chassis Cab Design and Assembly: The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. Year Built: 2000, modified and updated continuously (as needed) Engine: International 7.3 L Power Stroke Diesel V8 equipped with intercooled ATS Aurora 3000 Turbo, DieselSite Adrenaline high pressure oil pump, DieselSite coolant filtration system, K&N high-flow […]
July 12, 2019
So there you have it, The Turtle V and its Tortuga Expedition Camper. If you have seen The Turtle V blogs #1 to #7 2019 on our website, you now know more about this vehicle than anyone has ever asked or wondered. Ultimate Vehicle If we are talking about the ultimate overland vehicle we need […]
July 8, 2019
What a fun interview! Mark Greene at CarsYeah.com brought back memories I had not thought of for years and he made me also realize that I really am a car guy! Enjoy, Gary Click here to listen! The interview is also live on Cars Yeah, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Radio.com,Alexa TuneIn, and Stitcher Inspiring Automotive Enthusiasts™ […]
July 5, 2019
Let’s walk through the camper The Dinette Our dinette table can sit four in a pinch, but it was sized and designed for two adults and it does not make into a bed. Six-inch medium dense foam with a reclined back make it ideal for working or eating or just relaxing. Behind each seat is […]
June 22, 2019
The Turtle V Expedition Camper A One-of-a-Kind Build After constructing a wood prototype—stick and staple—an aluminum exoskeleton was fabricated and welded at all joints. Inside this exoskeleton, 1 ½ “ panels of honey-comb Nida-Core were hand laid with fiberglass and attached to the aluminum frame with marine Sikaflex adhesive, secured with marine pop rivets where […]
June 14, 2019
The cab is our office on the road. First we applied Rhino Lining to the floor, and to further reduce road noise, the floor and doors are insulated with vibration-dampening Dynamat. Kraco floor mats are easy to clean. For ease of entry, Kodiak Sidewinder automatic folding steps were installed that drop down when the door […]
June 7, 2019
Not the least important part of any vehicle, the drivetrain of The Turtle V has been carefully selected and designed to do a job, reliably. The front differential of the F550 is a heavy duty Dana 60. We added an ARB Air Locker and protected it with the Dynatrac Pro Series off-road differential cover. […]
May 31, 2019
The Turtle V gets a Buckstop front Bumper The front bumper is a custom design by Buckstop Truckware in Oregon, incorporating some of the features of our previous bumpers like lockable storage compartments, two trailer hitch receivers, headlight protection bars and rock deflector in front of the steering cooler. Mounts for a Go Pro camera […]
May 24, 2019
The Turtle V project was full of challenges. First, we had to get rid of the dual rear tires. Duals don’t work on rocky roads and they plow sand, mud and snow. Michelin XZL’s and Rickson steel wheels After some experimentation, we chose Michelin XZL 335/80R20s and mounted them on custom 20X11 Rickson steel […]
May 17, 2019
The latest in the 48-year dynasty of Turtle Expedition research trucks, The Turtle V and its European-style Tortuga Expedition Camper have gone through a continuous process of refinement since it was conceived in 1999. Back then it was an experiment. Now, with over 200,000 miles on the odometer including a two-year/40,000-mile expedition through 26 countries following […]
