Tony Dobbs
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About Tony Dobbs
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My Toyota Motorhome
None yet :(
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Location
NorCal
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Fixing and building stuff :)
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I actually saw that one and put in an offer... the problem is it's too perfect! ? By that I mean it's a bit out of my budget unfortunately. I was hoping to find one in need of some TLC, as I am rather capable, but this one doesn't need a thing... it's absolutely perfect! Unless you want to loan me $2000 Linda? ? Not only is it the perfect layout of the perfect model, but yours in particular is the perfect RV. You have done an absolutely spectacular job with it, and I am not an easily impressed craftsman. I actually had put an offer in on your RV on ebay before seeing your post on here. Good luck with your sale! Someone is going to be buying a spectacular RV... hopefully someone on this forum!
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It's really a case by case basis. Having a different number of cylinders doesn't exclude the possibility of a high degree of relation. Take the GM Atlas engines for example. The I6 and I5's are remarkably similar. Ah, I had my engines mixed up, I was thinking of the OM647, which I believe is a complete unrelated engine. They're known to routinely last until 500k, but they can be a real headache.
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How similar is that engine to the OM602? I have that engine in my Sprinter, and while there is a lot to love, it would be far from my first choice in engine for a Toyota based motorhome.
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It's not an Americana. The Americana has a fiberglass exterior.
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Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Also, in case anyone is wondering it is possible to build your own fiberglass shell over an existing RV body; however it would require a ton of prep work and construction time and the cost by my initial estimation is north of $5000. I don't recommend this route to anyone, and I'm fairly crazy. -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Thanks Linda. You're most definitely right regarding the time required to find the right motorhome! I will to remain patient and wait for the right one to enter the market. -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Interesting... it might be possible to increase the height of the Sunrader interior without cutting the fiberglass if you could raise the attachment points and enclose the bottom portion... Still a lot of work, but a lot less than it would be to expand the actual fiberglass shell. I'm surprised more people aren't modifying these things, but perhaps that's just my bias showing. I need to make sure I don't buy a sunrader... great RV's but it would take me a year to get it all setup the way I want! -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Dang, I wrote a long response and then I accidentally lost it... I will write an abridged version. Here is where I found info claiming that it has an aluminum frame: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?/topic/4629-aluminum-framing/&do=findComment&comment=27596 As far as strength goes, if you are referring to the Specific Stiffness, which is the material's youn's modulus normalized by weight... Fiberglass is stronger than steel or aluminum. My previous comments may have lost some accuracy for the sake of brevity. My concern was specific to dynamic vertical loading from a heavy load being transported on the roof. I could definitely reinforce the fiberglass structure to negate this concern, but it would be a bit annoying... Ideally I would gusset the corners and add some form of ribbing to the underside of the roof, but I would prefer not to deal with the headache. Thanks for all the info Linda... I think for now I will continue looking for Americanas, but I suppose if I don't find one by July, I will consider modifying a Sunrader... Derek might be a bad influence on me Edit: Does the sunrader have a fiberglass bottom/sublfoor? I'd love to see how they built that portion, and how it attaches to the frame. If they chose to bolt through the fiberglass that would be most impressive! -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Out of curiosity, do you know how the two halves of a sunrader body are joined together? -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Yea, I'm not putting too much stock in their marketing jargon, but from an engineering perspective aluminum framing does have some tangible advantages! -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
That is a good point... I think at the end of the day I would end up with a similar RV in terms of specifications, but at the expense of a lot of additional time that I'm not sure is worth it. I do also wonder if the Americanas are a more durable platform due to their aluminum framing. As far as I know the Sunraders don't have real framing and instead rely on the strength of the fiberglass, which I am not a fan of. -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Those are very cool as far as class A's go, but I really like the cabover bunk and the fuel economy of these toyota RVs! -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
That's a bit easier than my idea of cutting it horizontally under the roof like a belt -
Why is it so hard to find Odyssey Americanas?
Tony Dobbs replied to Tony Dobbs's topic in General Discussion
Don't tempt me, Derek! I have thought about that.. the issue is that the Sunrader is not only more narrow, it's also shorter. If I only had to extend the body in one direction I would probably be looking at Sunraders right now haha.