turtle

It's not too hard but there is always more you will find once you start taking it apart. Basic carpentry skills are all that is required. I did a major interior renovation on a 1981 diesel. If it weren't a rare diesel the cost would have outweighed the benefit. This is something you need to decide when purchasing. Rot equals time. Materials are not going to be much but add in a few months of work and you will need to decide if it is a good deal or not. http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/D-reno/interior.html There's always a little bit of final work to keep the water from coming back in http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/D-reno/roof.html

I'd suggest Vaseline or a NON hardening silicone lube (not sealer). Not something permanent like pipe/thread compound. See if there is a pool supply store near you. They sell a blue grease for rubber o-ring gaskets in pool circulation components. It is water proof and does not harden Someone is going to want to take it apart someday. Maybe not you and maybe not for a while but sooner or later someone will want to replace or re-route things. If yours starts to leak you can always shove a fernco over the connection and tighten down the clamps until the leak stops (not to much as you don't want to crack either part) .

Use a razor knife (straight and hooked blade) and cut it close if you can't "yank" it out from under the door frame. What are you planning to put down in place of the carpet? Cork? vinyl? More carpet?

Very common problem with column shift Toyota trucks.

Verizon 4G LTE Jet Pac. There has been a few places without a signal but I find that refreshing. If you want absolute coverage (no dark spots). Get a roof bird. This one needs a home if you feel you MUST have total coverage, everywhere.

Oye..... I've done 2 replacements since that one. Now I do not even have a converter as my charging and AC/DC/xfer is handled by a Xantrex 2 KW unit. Uber sweet.

For the past 20 years I have used the 2 volume (east/west) Allstate RV Park and Campground Directory . It has the best and most complete listing of all state and national forest campsites which we prefer as they are seldom used but well maintained. These books are almost impossible to source now as the last publish date was 1991.

I've had 2 done for me, both 4.56:1 The first was by the Toyota dealer and was a gear/pinion swap. The second was a complete 3rd member replacement also done by the same Toyota dealer. Both went with any issues. This is NOT something I would want to do myself.

I was going to offer my help and expertise in all things web related. I don't wish to post my email address as in 19 +/- years on the web none of my addresses have ever been harvested. Greg can contact me though my helpdesk system after which I can get his and he can get my email address so that we can discuss his options. https://www.gothosting.biz/helpdesk.cfm I rarely come on here as the forum software is just too painful to use but I can help if he is contemplating a change. Mike (turtle)

"Man Cave on Wheels" from our drive through West Virginia

Yea, DO NOT circle bin the old reflect-o-lites. They are worth their weight in gold as the triples have not been made for the past 15 YEARS and all of the NOS are long gone everywhere. Not sure how I missed this thread........ I did a rebuild on the old reflect-o-lites on my 1981 and used LED bulbs inside of the originals. I had the triple SURFACE mounts which have been out of production for OVER 20 years. Had to cannibalize 2 dual light NOS reflect-o-lites to get mine working again http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/Rear_Lights/ On my 1991 Sunrader I kept the stock Bargman triples but rewired everything like I did on the 81 diesel with twin brake/park lights and a center turn. Moved the backup lights to the poo bumper using trailer light housings BEST thing I ever did for rear visibility to others on the road http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/backup_lights/

If you can't get your column shift out of park the mech in the column is sticky. This is one of those "protect you from yourself" safety features. Two things need to happen before you can take the vehicle out of park #1 The key must be in the "run" position. This will disengage the steering wheel lock and let the brake safety switch become disengaged when you depress the brake peddle #2 The brake pedal must be depressed which disengages the shift lock. If #1 works and #2 doesn't it is real pain. Typically this is from lack of use. My Sunrader had under 30k miles on it when I purchased it. The column lock got stuck the first year I owned it and the Sunrader sat in my garage for a full year while I "fought" with the shift lock mech. The worst thing was it started acting up when we were way off the grid in the UP of Michigan and the moose, wolves, and deer were of little help in fixing it Removing the cable from the brake pedal housing will NOT fix the issue as the real problem is the steering column not the brake pedal or cable. The "fix" is to use your RV frequently. If you're on the road when this happens you "can" shut it off in neutral which will stop the park lock from engaging. .....BUT...... you can't pull the key out with the shifter in neutral...... So far I have not found a way round this as the floor shift steering column and the column shift steering column are too different to disassemble both types and get a column shift with NO shift lock. I did look into trying to adapt the electric/relay type floor shift lock to the column shift so I could use a dash switch to lock and unlock the shift lever but here again the physical steering columns are just too different between the electronic shift lock of the floor shifter and the mechanical/cable shift lock of the column shift steering column. So after a few years I still have no "real/permanent" fix for this problem The link Linda posted to the toyota-campers yahoo group photo section requires you to be a member so I've uploaded the page from the factory service manual to my photobucket account so that you can view it here http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u414/turtle-web/RV/sunrader/brake-park_lock_zps2d535a7c.jpg turtle

Everyone needs two... one for each foot http://www.toymike.com/diesel/pics/toyhouseScaffolding.jpg

I welded some trailer lights on the bumper and put in some bright white lites (rear and side facing). Then in the freed up backup position in the 3 light bargman I put the turn sig, took the inside and outside and made them into dual stop/running lights. Put LED Bargmans in and wow it is bright back there now Now I have backup lights almost as bright as headlights that illuminate side and rear and LOTS of red and yellow on the back http://www.toymike.com/sunrader/pics/backup_lights/

I put stainless braided Kevlar brake hoses on my 1991 shorty Sunrader. Cheap insurance.... I can't recall where I had them fabricated and I am on the road now so no access to records

I have an air locker in my 74 land rover 88 and a limited slip in my 1988 toyota 4x4 (pickup not RV) Neither of these is something I would recommend for an RV as you would snap an axel shaft if you ever engaged a locker on dry pavement (been there, done that and have the snapped axel shaft on the garage wall to prove it AND rover axel shafts make the Toyota ones look like toothpicks). My pickup will hop/slip around corners if I put a little foot into it, in an RV you would bend or break an axel shaft if this happened. Not fun being broken down on the side of the road with a snapped axel shaft. Your diff and drive line is something you should NOT have to worry about. It should just be there and work. If you want an improvement get some lower gears than the stock 4.10:1 gearing. I've always gone 4.56:1 in my Toy RVs with a standard HD open Toyota diff and been very pleased with the increase in performance this has given me.

Last pads I put on my 1991 were Axxis high metal content (high performance street pads not the ones that say "for racing ONLY"). These do tend to "eat" rotors faster but they stop faster and do not fade when heated (like when going down steep grades). Whether you use a standard grade replacement pad and go for long rotor and pad life or use a HD high metal content or ceramic pad and get better stopping ablility is up to you. Not sure this link will take you to the options, if not enter your vehicle into the search and you should find some other options http://www.buybrakes.com/c-87-replacement-pads.aspx Understand that high performance brake pads will cost more and will wear faster but you will not lose your braking ability when things get stressed and heated up like you will with standard pads.

Never had an issue using the proper sized vent. I did raise the roof using glass on one Toyota RV but it was a choice not necessity. If you want to use the vent you purchased used off of craigs list instead of getting the proper one that will fit, you can make a riser out of some pressure treated, screw it into the roof, and cover it with eternabond tape (white or silver). This would be a cheap way to go if you don't want to get the proper vent for your application. Personally I would not modify the RV, I would get the correct sized vent and install it normally

If you want decent coffee start with a Melitta "kit" from the grocery store and find a local specialty roasting house near you. Buy no more coffee than you can consume in a week. By fresh roasted whole beans (not ground). If you do not want to spend $100 +/- on a good quality entry level electric grinder pick up a Kyocera CM-50 or Hario Skerton hand mill (CM-50 and Skerton are the same grinder, sold under different brand names so either one will be the same). These are NOT inexpensive hand grinders but they are about 1/2 of what a good budged electric will cost you AND as a bonus you can take it AND your Melitta along when you travel so you can enjoy good coffee everywhere. going this route you will have around $15 in the Melitta dripper and filters and $50 in your grinder but you will also have very good tasting coffee too. Whatever you do, don't forego the grinder as you don't want to use pre-ground coffee if you can avoid it.

The pickup trucks these RVs were made from could cruise at 70-75 mph on the highway when they were empty with the engine turning 2800-3000 rpm or so and just lope along getting great gas mileage The RV you are driving does not need to run at this speed so they do benefit from lowering the gearing in the rear end. 4.56:1 seems the ticket for me as it allows my V-6 to cruise at highway speed but with a 4 cyl and an attitude that 55 is fine 4.88:1 might be a better choice. This is just talk as I have no first hand experience with the lower 4.88:1 gearing and 4 cylinder gas engines.

Find a late model V-6 (89-91) 4-runner in a salvage yard near you. Most came with 4.56:1 and some came with 4.88:1 The VIN will tell you what came standard and you can pretty much bet it is still standard as a change means a change to both front and rear dif on a 4x4 If you get the entire dif, it is a simple swap. Almost any shop can do it and many who have automotive experience can do it at home. My 4.56:1 diff came out of a 1991 V-6 4-runner

$15k for 50k miles seems on the higher end of reasonable. these are getting older and finding a creampuff is becoming a longer process. I looked for 3 years solid to find my 1991 V-6 shorty (18') Sunrader and when I did find it it was 3k miles away on the left coast. It had just under 30k miles, one owner (+ one flipper), garage kept, the epitome of what a cream puff should be. I was after 1 model year, one body style, and one manufacturer. Not many 91 shorties made as they closed shop mid year 1991. I don't want to say what I paid for it but it was tall money. I've put a lot of $$ into modifications to the suspension and other parts (2kw inverter, genset, custom other things too like custom ECU programing, free flow air intake, and rear end re-gearing). AND... I built a garage to keep only the Sunrader in.... ( well and the lawn mower)

YEP..... That's the place. I called on the phone. Made and shipped to me the day I talked to them. This is what they look like (small)