MischaT

Bumping this back up. Took it off the market to upgrade the axles. Replaced with custom hardened alloy axle shafts that are 30% stronger than stock Let me know if you're interested! -M

This is if I go with FF duallys right? I'm not seeing singles with that ratio.

What would I be looking for? 4x2, 1 ton, 3.90 ratio, w/o ABS? Just making sure I am narrowing down my search correctly. -M

Here are some pictures of the Full Floating Dually axle for sale near me for $500. I have several questions about it: 1) Does anyone know if the mounts with match up with mine? Apparently there is some variation in that. 2) Similar question for drive train. Same yolks? 3) If I went ahead with this one, does anyone know where I could find some dually rims? 4) I was leaning toward scraping duallys altogether and going for singles, but not sure where to look. I checked a locale yard and there wasn't anything. I really appreciate the tips I was given on where to find a good FF dually axle... Anyone know where to find a cheap single axle? Thanks Mischa

This sounds interesting. My camper is a 1977. Is there anything I can check out to see if its the right mount width? Anyone on here know? I have it at a shop currently, I told they guy I'd try and see what I could find for an axle and he said it was about a half days work to do the swap when I find one. He was pretty adamant on convincing me to buy one from Arizona and have it shipped because of rust problems and moisture freezing/thawing when they're sitting for a long time. Any thoughts on this? I'm trying to get out of this predicament spending as little as possible since I am trying to sell the camper, but I also don't want to cut corners and screw over the next owner.

Hmmm... How would I go about finding this person?

Hmmm... interesting. Can I still use the tires I have? They are in good shape. Yes, I'm 10 mins away from Rathe's. Haven't been to Richard's but I can check and see what they have

I've seen some people on here scrap duallys all together and just put an axle with 2 tires... what are the pros/cons to this vs. full floating duallys?

Vermont

Ha! Thanks, I just found this actually and am reading it now.

So my axle snapped off as I was cruising down the highway. Not that it hasn't been said here before, but I now highly recommend upgrading from the fake duallys! Hopefully you'll do it before this happens to you. Pretty terrifying to be fishtailing back and forth, I was lucky I got it under control and pull over to the breakdown lane. That being said... can anyone point me in the right direction for info on the upgrade? I know it's been gone over somewhere on here before. Specifically, I'm curious what to look for and where for the new full floating axle. Thanks! Mischa

I am sad to be moving on from my camper adventuring days, but optimistic that this gem can get in the hands of someone else that can enjoy it to its fullest!The "Ponty" is a 1977 Pontiex Pont-X SR-2. The model is somewhat similar to the slightly more common Toyota Chinook. It is very rare and unique and I have only found four other ones in my extensive internet research. The camper company would buy truck cabs from Toyota, build out the campers and then resell them. Its total length is 16.5 feet. Which means you can have what feels like a pretty spacious living area and still fit into a normal parking space!The camper is 40 years strong. It has been on trips all over the Western US and driven across country. In the transitional period as I look for a more practical car, it is has been my daily commuter. Here's a bit about the truck part:To start off it's on a Toyota Truck cab. They were pretty common and you still see a lot of them on the road. They are mechanically straightforward and easy to work on and get parts for still. The truck features the well-regarded 20r engine. I recently rebuilt the heads and the engine is in top shape. The odometer reads 28,000, but only reads 5 digits, so my best guess would be that it has 128k miles on it (possible 228k). It was a 4 speed manual that I upgraded to a 5 speed. Top speed is about 65mph on the highway, more like 45mph going up a hill (depending on how weighted down you are). Not the best vehicle if you're trying to get anywhere in a hurry. I've have been averaging about 17mpg. Pretty good for a home on wheels! Up front it has a cassette player that I never felt the need to upgrade because it has an AUX input, a house speaker hooked up to the radio, seats and dash in pretty good condition for its age (some cracks on the dash and in driver's seat). I recently replaced the carpet in the cab so that is looking pretty spiffy. There are two batteries, a car battery and a house battery with an isolator that keeps the house battery use from draining the car battery. Both batteries are less than 2 years old. The Camper:On the port side there is a table that seats four tightly and drops down for a bed. Underneath one of the benches is a storage space and a water tank under the other. On the starboard side there is a closet with many drawers and storage. The kitchen features a three burner propane Coleman stove with an oven (pretty rare to have an oven in a camper), an icebox fridge (could be upgraded to a mini-fridge but I generally did 6 day adventures at a time so I just got a block of ice), a sink with a pump that brings water from the tank below one of the benches and drains into a grey water tank underneath. There is a fuse box where you can flip a switch to plug straight into electricity if you're at home or at a campground or you can run off the house battery. I put an inverter in so that you can run a laptop and other electronics through it. I also put in a Fantastic Fan Vent that works really well for controlling temps. It has a sensor that closes when it senses rain. Above the cab is another sleeping space or space for storage. You can slide it back and remove a cushion to create more open space. There's also an open flame propane heater. One of the defining features of this camper is its HUGE windows. The full fiberglass shell means that it is safe from much of the leaking damage that many older campers see. Upgrades that have occurred in the last 5 years of ownership• 7 new tires (duallys and a spare)• Rebuilt engine heads• Upgrade from 4 speed to a 5 speed w50 transmission• Clutch• Alternator• Rear differential• Brakes• Rebuilt rear axle and u-joints• Interstate batteries for house and car• Custom carpet in the cab• 350 watt inverter to run electronics• Fantastic Fan Vent for ventilation• Many other small upgradesUpgrades currently undone:• Gas gauge is broken (I never fixed it is because the needle pops up from the other side when there is a few gallons left, plus I have a 5 gallon reserve tank so that always worked for me)• When starting, the engine typically turns over a bit longer than normal, especially when it's cold. It always starts so I haven't looked into it yet but I suspect it could be a carburetor cleaning or rebuild.• The blower in the cab works but doesn't blow heat. Haven't looked into what it needs to work properly.• Some rust showing on the rocker panels and on the hood of the truck (It lived in Nevada and Colorado for all of it's known life. I only brought it to Vermont last year and did not drive it through the winter.)• Lots of little things that could be done if desired to add a personal touch (New curtains? Cushions? Radio/sound? Paint? Solar? Etc.)I'm really looking for the right buyer for this amazing vehicle. I have been burned on internet car sales before and I want to make sure that the buyer has every piece of information they need and walks away happy. Feel free to contact me with any questions, more pictures, etc. $8900. I am looking to upgrade to a Toyota Tacoma and would be willing to consider trades. I'm in no rush to sell so no need to send low-ball offers. It hasn't been updated in a while, but if you want to read about some of this camper's adventures you can check out my blog: https://pontxadventures.wordpress.com/Thanks for looking!Mischa

It's crazy how these things bounce around if you look for long enough. I'm pretty sure the camper you bought was for sale in Tuscon several years ago. The one-strip paint job on the door and the layout seem to match. I took some screen shots of that craigslist post and wrote about it on my blog! https://pontxadventures.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/pontx-sr2s-for-sale/ Mischa

Wow! This looks looks super cool! Looks like you got a gem. Let me know if you have any specific Pont-X upgrade questions. Mine's the one in the breaking bad looking picture on this thread. -Mischa

Well thats interesting! Maybe I'll just sand them down and fill the holes. Easier that way! It also looks like there was were fender modifications that wrapped around the whole front of the truck that it doesn't have now. I imagine lots of changes have been made over the course of this vehicles life. -Mischa

I've had my camper for a few years now, but I just saw this post so posting now! My rig is a 1977 Toyota Pontiex Pont-X SR-2. I bought it in Tahoe and lived in Durango, CO for a few years in it. At the time it was perfect since I had a job where I was backpacking with youth for a week at a time, then off and traveling for the next week. Took it on many trips around CO and to UT, NM, and NV. I recently drove it across country to move back to Vermont! The "Ponty" has a 20r engine and a 5 speed transmission that I recently upgraded when the 4 speed bit the dust. The shell is fully fiberglass so no leeks! The Ponty seems to have seen many upgrades and remodels throughout its life. The interior is in great condition. Considering some version 3.0 upgrades on the layout, carpet, paint, etc. Here are some photos. For more photos and specific upgrades check out the link to my blog. Enjoy! Mischa www.pontxadventures.wordpress.com

Anyone know where I can find the part to replace what was probably once around this rear wheel well on my 1977 Toyota Pontiex Pont-X SR-2? Here are some pictures. You can see the covering on the front fenders and nothing on the rear. Thanks! Mischa www.pontxadventures.wordpresss.com

I have a dropdown dinette in my 1977 Toyota Pont-X. This works great for me when I am traveling alone in my camper, but for trips with my girlfriend it is just too small. At first one of us would sleep on the bed and one would put a camping mat on the floor. Then I came up with a temporary solution of taking a big piece of plywood and putting it on two folding chairs in the center galley. This gave us the dimensions of a full size bed and was great for trips. The only problem is that there is no good place to store the massive piece of plywood and it is a pain to move around. I am looking for ideas for a classy permanent fix to this. I'm thinking of a couch that would fold out into a double in the place of the side dinette. Would love to see any pictures of your upgrades! Mischa www.pontxadventures.wordpress.com

The following picture is to the top of my engine (after I cleaned a lot of gunk). That small hole right behind the engine oil cap is slowly spitting oil up at the hood of my car (which is then dripping down). I imagine there is a tube or something that is supposed to connect to this but I just can't figure out what it is. Anyone with a 20r mind looking at theirs and seeing what that is supposed to connect to? If nothing, do you have a similar oil problem? Thanks! Mischa www.pontxadventures.wordpress.com

Not at all. Can't say that I notice all that much in 1st gear. I do definitely notice how nice it is to have 5th when I'm going 65 on the highway instead of revving high in 4th. I do seem to have a transmission fluid leak. A slow drip where it slip fits into the drive train. I can't really tell if it is coming from there or if it is dripping from above where the shifter meets the trans. Any thoughts on that? Thanks! Mischa www.pontxadventures.wordpress.com

It's a '77, has points, condenser coil & dizzy. It has something with a silver bracket, 2 terminals, bolted to coil.I thought it's a ballast resistor. Is an igniter the same thing as a ballast resistor? Drove the camper from Arizona to Vermont - started getting harder to start towards the end, and finally today it wouldn't start. Didn't fire at all. Started to smell flooded, and there was gas smell when we pulled the plugs. Plugs looked good - a bit sooty around the rim, but nice brown on inner electrode insulator. We sandblasted and gapped plugs, plugged them into the wires and rested them on the head, cranked and saw no spark. Haven't checked points yet - ran out of time. We'll try to to that tomorrow.

My rig has stopped wanting to start now that I have gotten up into the cold Northeast. We took the spark plugs out and sand blasted and gapped them but when we tested them in place they don't seem to be producing a spark. Thinking that it has to be distributor or coil. Curious if anyone has replaced coils recently and has recommendations for them. Existing coil looks like it has a ballast resistor to it and that seems like it may be old technology. What do you suggest for a new coil? -Mischa www.pontxadventures.wordpress.com

So it's all sorted out. Thanks for the help. Here are some pictures so that anyone doing the same swap can see. The first picture you can see how the W50 shifter sits a couple inches back so you need to cut back the hole a bit. The second picture is the mod to the crossmember. The shop I took it to was a fabrication/hot rod shop so I'm not sure if they did this a little more fancy and complicated then they needed to, but they did a bit of welding and notched in a small rectangular platform for the trans mount to fit on. JD - here's a shifter knob that I got at O'Reily for $12. It has several adapters so that it can fit different sized shifter rods with little screws so that it will fit right. Thought it may be a good option instead of the drawn in 5th gear