jerlwe

Linda, is the sunrader a 4 speed or 5 speed?

My little dolphin has been going through a lot of rehabilitation lately. Rebuilt overcab section, roof coating, seams, new pads, rotors, plugs, cap, wires, oil pan gasket, and oil (I'm sure there's more!) I decided that it would be a good idea to flush out my coolant system the other day, and it was, but it brought to my attention that there is a leak in my radiator. It looks to be from the core and I'm trying to order one up tomorrow (hopefully hitting the road in 8 days!). My problem is that I need to know if different years with the 22r are compatible. Mine is an '81, but I was wondering if an '84+ would work in it. I don't see why not, but I've got myself into problems assuming things before. Thanks for anyones .02 Recommendations to reputable sites with modest pricing and fast shipping would also be great if there are any. I am finding a lot of garbage sites in my searches.

Definitely not stock. Sounds like it will work for me, though. I guess my dreams of 2x6ing through the mountains were only dreams.. dang

Thanks for the usage estimate, Derek! My tank hangs about 1.25in below the floor of the rv. So, from cab to bottom of the tank it is 13.25in(front) 14in(rear). Bottom of frame rail to bottom of tank 4.875(front). Linda, it is slightly lower than the middle of the bolt on the shock mount, but definitely above the lowest part of the shock mount. It feels handmade, not something I want to hit on any obstructions.

I measure it and it comes out to 54x12.5x12.5 = 36.5 gallons (If my math is correct.) I will never know how it does on empty, because the risk of getting some gunk in my system is not worth it to me. Thanks for you reply, Linda. Do you by chance happen to know what your lowest point of clearance is on your vehicle? Does 6" sound excessively low?

Wow, that looks really well done! Can you be more specific about what you used to coat the roof with? I'm in desperate need of coating my roof and was going crazy at home depot. There are so many types of roof sealant, but I got confused and ran away. Also, what did you seal the vents on with? Thanks for your help

So I knew my gas tank wasn't the original when I bought the rv and I planned on the possibility of buying a new one in the future. Well I put my dolphin up on the lift, measured it, and nearly fell over. My big reason for thinking about a new tank was ground clearance, as this is the lowest point of my vehicle at 6" when empty. - What's the lowest point on your rv and what is it? - Who wants to guess how big my tank is? - Maybe I should get some airbags? Thanks, Jeff tanka.bmp

Great suggestion!

Thank you for posting your progress pictures! It looks like you are getting everything done and doing it the right way. It looks like I'll be doing a similar project to mine as well, but seeing your work gives me confidence to just jump in and get after it.

I have a FF rear axle for sale if you are still looking for one. I'm on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Let me know if you're interested! -Jeff

Thank you for all of that information, jdemarris!! That is great, it looks like this project will be more reasonable to pull off than I imagined. A real big thanks for the pics as well. I am on my way to the junkyard to pick up my FF rear end this morning and can't wait to get started on the project. I'll post a pic or two after I get it. I agree with you, I want to relax and enjoy my trip, not wait for my rear end to blow up. I will be living in my dolphin for 6+ months next year and would like to keep her out of the shop as much as possible. Thank you as well, Saltlakecamper. I wish I had a donor vehicle to snag parts from, but I will just have to deal with the obstacles as they come.

Thank you Fred, but I plan on biting the bullet and doing the swap. Thank you for the information jdemarris! That all seems quite manageable. I checked the shocks and they are not-staggered. How many of these have you converted? Have you welded any mounts to the truck frame or just to the bottom brackets? Are those the biggest obstacles to cross? Does the driveshaft need any modification or does it bolt directly on? Thanks for sharing your knowledge. -jeff

I like many others on this forum at one time or another, have purchased a new home. It is an '82 Dolphin with 150k on her odometer! The exclamation point was because it still has the 5 lug, fake duallies and seems to be doing just fine. That being said, I will be strapping about 400lbs to my rear bumper and want to make this baby as strong as I can get her. I will be doing the FF rear end swap and don't mind putting in time to build, adapt, and bleed for this project, but I do need to know what other equipment I will be needing besides the axle itself. I will be using a shop with a large amount of tools at my disposal. My brother is also quite talented with custom fabricating things and I know the owner of a machine shop or two. I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row before I start shooting. Any advice on parts or steps involved would be greatly appreciated. I did many searches but was unable to find what I needed. Thanks for your input! - Jeff