Deb Mac Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Have recently passed along my old GMC motorhome (loved that coach but the pension and 9 mpg don't play well together) and have become somewhat enamoured with the Toyota Sunrader. I like fibreglass (I also have an older fibreglass Bigfoot trailer which would likely be sold come spring - don't need 2 RV's) and Toyotas (have a 14yr old 4Runner with 410,000 km on it). I have found a 21ft '82 Sunrader R22, 4-spd RWD, relatively locally, with about 150,000 km on it. It appears to be in very good nick, solar upgrade, all appliances work well (fridge a bit fussy on LP, but I can work on that). Interior is very nice, clean and little signs of wear. Upholstery looks good - not new, but in nice condition. Orange shag rug around the cockpit and overhead bed! Seller is going to do some videos for me tomorrow. Was originally a US vehicle, recently brought up to Canada. Don't know where in the US (desert vs seaside), but the videos should give me a much better idea of the condition of the frame (rust, etc) It does, however, still have the original axle with dual wheels (foolies?). I haven't been down to see it yet, and I have a call into a local Toyota shop for a ball-park $ complete, to help me if I decide to make an offer. (private shop, old school mechanic, does nothing but Toyotas and he comes highly recommended by 3 other Toyota folks I know up here - all older Toyotas too). I am up here in BC, & sometimes auto-wrecker parts can be a little harder to come by than down in the US neck of the woods. Any suggestions, clues, hints, regarding the axle issue (have already downloaded the "Axle Facts") or anything else particular to these beasts I should look out for when I go to see it, would be appreciated. Hoping that I can make this work out, but if it doesn't look like a good bet, also willing to walk away, sadly, but I will walk away. Thanks for the help. Hope to be able to join in the conversation with my own at some point in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Just guessing your talking about this one. https://www.kijiji.ca/v-rv-motorhome/delta-surrey-langley/toyota-sunrader-rv-with-solar-panels/1526625038 It does look cute but the axle is a must. I just searched all of western Canada and found nothing. Only ones I can find are in the US and that would be Alaska. Washington and Oregon. Could be shipped but also very expensive. By the time your done your looking at 15,000 or more Canadian dollars. Don't really know what to say. The closest is Buckley Wa at 330 miles away and they have the axle but no wheels. You would need those too, The border is still closed though so none of this can happen right now Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Mac Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 Thats the one Linda! I like it, but the axle is a big stumbling block. I can wait till I hear back from my Toyota guy and see what he has to say about the possibility of getting it done. I figured I would be looking at a good $2-$3K just for the axle work, plus there’s always something you know nothing about and couldn’t be noted at the time. Tires might be “in good shape” (they always are) but more often than not, they are aged out. And 6 plus a spare is another $2000. But from what I’ve seen on prices on these, if the rest checked out, and I could negotiate a reasonable price, because of the axle, it might be worth a go. I can leave it at the shop all winter if that’s what it took to track down the parts. Not going far in the winter up here anyway. I don't even really know the exact parts I would be hunting for, but hopefully the mechanic could track things down over time. It might all end up moot if the seller isn’t able to come down enough for me to take the chance. And that’s only if the rest of it checks out well. Thanks for the input - it might work, might not. Once I get a better look at it on video, and chat with mechanic, I’ll have a better idea of where it might all land. Or not 🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregone Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 If you decide to get it, I know of a guy in Port Orchard WA with a full float rear axle with the wheels off of a 1983 Dolphin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Mac Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 Excellent. Do you have any idea (ball-park) what he would be wanting for it? Or put him in touch with me - you can PM me for contact info if you want. Trying to figure out the overall cost of doing a swap out so I can work out what I might offer on the coach, if it gets to that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Are you sure it's a full float. Original wheels from an 83 Dolphin would be 5 lug or did you mean 93 Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregone Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 8 minutes ago, linda s said: Are you sure it's a full float. Original wheels from an 83 Dolphin would be 5 lug or did you mean 93 Linda S It was an 83, it must have had the recall performed on it because it had the hubs that stick out and 6 lug wheels. It is sitting in a salvage yard. I was up there a couple weeks ago getting parts for my Dolphin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregone Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 2 hours ago, Deb Mac said: Excellent. Do you have any idea (ball-park) what he would be wanting for it? Or put him in touch with me - you can PM me for contact info if you want. Trying to figure out the overall cost of doing a swap out so I can work out what I might offer on the coach, if it gets to that point. I’ll contact him and find out how much he wants for it and if he still has it. I’ll let you know what he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Mac Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 Thanks much, folks. I'm chatting with the seller later today, after I view some video. I wouldn't even make anything beyond a "would you consider" offer until I saw it & drove it a bit. And even then, I would have a mechanic down that way give it good going over first. And Linda - you are a fount of information! If Oregone's buddy still has the axle & wheels, etc, and if I decide to make an offer, and IF everything checks out at the mechanic, what specifically would I have him look for in that rear axle that would make me comfortable to drive it the 350 km from the lower mainland back here to the interior of BC? I realize that they could go at any time. This one has 150K km on it (maybe 250K if the odometer has rolled over once!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Mac Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 10 minutes ago, Oregone said: I’ll contact him and find out how much he wants for it and if he still has it. I’ll let you know what he says. Thanks Oregone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 To increase your chances of not having a problem to get the axle, make sure the tires are not older than 7 years and inflate the outside rear tires 5 to 10lbs less than the inside. This takes some of the strain off the axle bearings. Are you going to try to get the work done in the states? Don't know if you can get the axle into the Sunrader. Not a lot of clearance at the door and of course it's very heavy. Do you know anyone with a truck you can borrow? Your mechanics at home seem pretty knowledgeable and probably more reasonable. There are a number of things you need to do before the new axle is installed. You need new shock mounts welded on and new ubolts because the full float axle is thicker. And again we don't know when the borders will open. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Mac Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 43 minutes ago, linda s said: To increase your chances of not having a problem to get the axle, make sure the tires are not older than 7 years and inflate the outside rear tires 5 to 10lbs less than the inside. This takes some of the strain off the axle bearings. Are you going to try to get the work done in the states? Don't know if you can get the axle into the Sunrader. Not a lot of clearance at the door and of course it's very heavy. Do you know anyone with a truck you can borrow? Your mechanics at home seem pretty knowledgeable and probably more reasonable. There are a number of things you need to do before the new axle is installed. You need new shock mounts welded on and new ubolts because the full float axle is thicker. And again we don't know when the borders will open. Linda S Thanks Linda. If I decide to make an offer (all depends on what the mechanic and Oregone's buddy with the axle have to say) I would arrange to get the axle set-up shipped up here (get a commercial carrier to haul it across - pricey, but might be worth while - we'll see. Might be the mechanic would have some contacts down that way) and I would meet it at the border with my 4Runner and utility trailer. Got some video from the seller - looks OK - not as nice as in the pictures, but in decent shape. It looks like Pacific northwest coach. Seemed to catch a bit of rust on the springs as the video passed by. I have asked about the frame and rust specifically. Tires are March /19 so they are good. But I would be driving it up here from the Vancouver area, hence the questions about how to check if the axle would be in good shape to drive it here. Continuing saga! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Mac Posted October 11, 2020 Author Share Posted October 11, 2020 (edited) Got a couple of pictures and this really caught my eye. These are the tires that were new in January. The date code says 13/19 so they are only 1 1/2 yrs old, but something is definitely wrong here.... I have since decided that I think I will pass on this one. If they didn't realize the condition of the tires, what else are they not aware of? Was maintenance done? Shame, the perfect floor plan for me, but I'm not willing to take on that big an unknown after seeing these. I'll keep my eyes open. Lots of time. Winter is here and no where to go till spring. Edited October 11, 2020 by Deb Mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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