85Raderguy

Ouch, these look horrible. Is the failure in these on a servicable part like the bearing? or the axle shaft itself snaps? Just trying to determine if my current axle that hasn't yet failed is salvageable insofar as I can get it all serviced, new bearings, and a SRW setup without having to source a new rear axle assembly to do so?

Nice find Derek! Yea, I had a feeling it didn't weigh much. Being able to cruise 50-55 up passes in 4th gear most of the time and averaging about 18.5mpg. Was the fooly setup something that broke because of the actual weight of campers being too much for it, or because of the design itself? I am curious what those '78 dolphins weighed it at wet. I'm also curious if anyone else with a 78 rear door Sunrader and foolys has had an axle failure?

Hmmm, okay. Doubt I'm under 4k. I'd have to wager the rig weighs somewhere around 4200 if I had to guess. Where's the best place to get a proper front and rear axle weight measurements? And assuming I end up being in the 4200-4500 range, what then is the best option / permanent solution for this?

Yup i'm a G082 as well. So, it seems like a conclusive answer here is I can replace my axle shafts with non-abused ones that were from the same era of Toyhome but weren't setup with foolies. Load these up with SRWs in the back and I should be good to go? Any rec's as to maybe doing a wider tire and wheel in the rear to maintain a wider tracking? Or is that not necessary? Thanks for the ongoing help with.

Going to possibly be looking into 90s Odysseys as a second toy, and I know that these came standard with wood framing, but also optioned with aluminum framing ( which came standard only in the americana). Assuming the previous owners don't know, is there anyway to confirm what type of framing is in these without ripping the thing apart? I think this is an important factor when deciding on a purchase. Any ideas on how to check this?

Would this work? https://www.carid.com/1977-toyota-pick-up-performance-driveline-axles/g2-axle-gear-axle-shaft-585734016.html Also, switching from fooly to single would effectively shorten the wheelbase, wouldn't it? Would this be an issue?

Okay thanks you guys are so awesome for helping me out with this. So I have another question. Assuming I can get replacement axle shafts on there and redo bearings / seals etc. I will remove the foolie setup and replace it with 1 wheel. My trucks VIN is: RN28131614. It's noted as a 78 model year on the title, but perhaps is a late 77 model pickup? I can't seem to figure it out from this VIN. Will this single tire setup look a bit strange not being as wide of a stance as the "foolies" ? Thoughts? I'm assuming I would need to order wider wheels and tires to go on as singles in the rear? Or what to do about rear wheel situation once the foolies are off and axles shafts replaced?

And is conversion to the Toyota 6 lug 1 ton dually a possibility?

So Fred, if I can find replacement axle shafts from a junkyard, etc. You are advising replacing these and moving to single wide rear wheels as a feasible option? Just unsure the best course of action here.. I don't want the shaft to break while I"m driving. The rig currently has 111k miles on it, it's survived thus far with this setup, but I'm skeptical to keep pushing it if it's at risk of breaking. Obviously spending 4k to correct this situation is not the preferred route...

Gotcha! So to go wide single rear wheels, would I still need to switch out the rear end?

Also, given the size of this tinier Sunrader - would converting to a single rear wheel setup be okay? I've seen people with Mirages do this, or even chinooks.

Thanks for the info. So, to get this conversion done what all am I going to need to source other than just the axle itself. and 4 wheels? I see there are different ratios of 1 ton axles available. What ratio would I need? What else is needed? What kind of labor costs would I be looking at? Thanks for all the guidance here.

I'm wondering if the 1978 Sunrader 17 ft version with the rear door and full rear opening hatch ( I think this was the first model of Sunrader? ) On the Toyota Truck Chassis. It has a 5 lug front and rear. Any idea if these are in need of full floating rears? And possible to even convert to them? Thanks

Gotcha. Thanks for the tip. What's the best way to seal the vent hose off at either end? Will foil tape do the trick, or do I want to use some sort of sealant to make sure it's air tight?

Yea, I removed it, it was stinky. That photo was from before I did all this work. Attached here is one of what it looks like now. When I replaced the lines I didn't run them through a dryer vent hose. I just covered the hoses where it goes through the floor and where it connects to the filler neck with foil tape... but I still smell a bit of fumes bit when it's hot out. Am I doing it wrong?