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New to the Toyota RV world ---Tear down and slow rebuild thread--- 1982 Dolphin


Wilson_

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Hello Everyone,

I should be picking up our new Dolphin the second week of September.

It need a bunch of clean up and some repair, broken roof vents and a very heavy ac unit causing the problems.

The interior will be mostly gutted and panels replaced and demolded, new flooring and cab carpet. Remove the shower.

The exterior is in need of a scrub down and a roof reseal, and most of the window screen need to be replaced. the windows all seen in good condition and don't seem to be leaking but will be tested.

Some stats

1982 Toyota Dolphin

22R 4spd

112,xxx miles

newer rear end, was part of the recall

Pics

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DSC_0087.jpg

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DSC_0119.jpg

Edited by Wilson_
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Wilson,

Welcome to the forum! You're in for the experience of a lifetime in remodeling your little toyhome. Trust me. It will thank you!!!

Make sure you post updates.

Peace.

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Looks like you have a little work in front of you. :rolleyes:

That looks like a rear bedroom model (500 I think) I have the 900 model, the toilet is in the back and it has a dinette table

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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That looks familiar. I've got one gutted right now that had the same problem with the roof sagging under the weight of the AC. It took a lot of head scratching before I figured out how to take the dip out of the roof, and add some camber so as to prevent the same leaks from happening again.

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Wilson,

Welcome to the forum! You're in for the experience of a lifetime in remodeling your little toyhome. Trust me. It will thank you!!!

Make sure you post updates.

Peace.

I hope it is.. Thanks!

Looks like you have a little work in front of you. :rolleyes:

That looks like a rear bedroom model (500 I think) I have the 900 model, the toilet is in the back and it has a dinette table

John Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

I do have a bunch of work but it will be worth it in the long run. I have been bookmarking a bunch of your posts to help me along the way, Great info and well detailed!!

Thanks!

That looks familiar. I've got one gutted right now that had the same problem with the roof sagging under the weight of the AC. It took a lot of head scratching before I figured out how to take the dip out of the roof, and add some camber so as to prevent the same leaks from happening again.

I have a few Ideas, but would please post some pics or point me to them if you already have?

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...
I have a few Ideas, but would please post some pics or point me to them if you already have? Thanks
I've been meaning to document the re-build, but have just been too busy working on the RV to bother with it. I'll get some pics today and post a thread soon, maybe tonight. Edited by Giant in a Shoebox
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks, I cant wait too! :)

So first things first I pulled the oversized Ac unit off the top, Since it drizzled a small amount last night about about a half gallon of water collected around the unit that I did not see in-till I broke the seal loose and it all came rushing inside. Fun Fun

After that I placed two Deep reach bug bombs inside, then tarped it up for a few days.Each bomb one will cover 1,500 sq feet. There was a lot of stuff moving around in there on the drive home that I wanted "taken care of" before I started the tear down.

Edited by Wilson_
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  • 1 month later...

so on Monday i started with the tear down. I only had about an hour and a half.

I got the nasty carpet and curtains removed and the rear upper storage compartment removed. I also readjusted the tarp on the roof so water would not collect and soak thru and leak inside

Pics

yes that plywood is soaked with water.....

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Does anyone have a wiring diagram for these?

also was the floor designed to have a slope?? i will get a pic tomorrow.

more work tomorrow

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So i pulled the fridge, stove, most of the lower cabinets and all of the upper cabinets on that side out on weds, and I found out why the floor has a "slope".

The floor is rotted and is not attached to the wall next to the door any more. This is also the cause of the door not being able to be locked with the deadbolt.... on with the pics

My slope

IMG_20111116_135136.jpg

Looking from the inside to the door

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Where the fridge was.

IMG_20111116_135215.jpg

next will be removing the front seats to remove the fridge and the truck cab carpet.

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Looks like fun.

On the bright side, you've gotten the cabinets out and are working with a wood floor, ie: you can easily replace what's there with good wood.

As for a wiring diagram, I don't have one, but if your dolphin is like my New Horizon, the 12 v. wiring was run in two circuits down the ceiling, with all of the lights wired in two separate series on each side of the rig. The water pump and tank gauge wires ran up from behind the breaker box , then parallel to the driver's side circuit in the roof, then back down to the water tank. The clearance lights ran off of the truck battery under the coach with the brake lights, then up the wall to the rear passenger side clearance light, and from there they were wired in a series from that back corner over to driver's side rear, then forward, again parallel to that side's 12v circuit up to the driver's side front clearance light, and in a series over to the passenger side front light.

The 110 ran from the plug into the back of the circuit breaker, then up the wall, and across the ceiling to the AC, then down into the cabinet for a plug-in on one side, then the other side ran from the breaker back to another plug-in.

Once you tear into the ceiling you'll know if you're working with a similar system.

Good luck.

Edited by Giant in a Shoebox
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nope, no turning back now. Basically every piece of wood I am pulling out has water damage or mold, from being closed up with it leaking for so long. It could be worse lololol.....

Yes there is a welded piece of angle iron for the seat belts. I would like a few belts back there but set something up a little better.

I should get over there tomorrow for another update.

Edited by Wilson_
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  • 1 month later...

Alright another update. pulled out the sink and bathroom side.

IMG_20111228_154932.jpg

Got a idea on what these switches go to?

IMG_20111228_155132.jpg

Black mold everywhere.....

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next step is removing the last wall and paneling then getting the shop vac in there and cleaning everything. Then sorting out the wiring.

Edited by Wilson_
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  • 6 months later...

just a small update. i have spent hours in this thing pondring ideas. so stuff has been done and old things ripped out. on with the pics.....

i removed the windows, panels and insulation on the passenger side. I removed the rotted wheel well.

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monday i should be able to remove the rear window and panels

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how are the upper cabinets fastened? screwed only? screwed and glued? glue only? eventually i will need to remove to do some water damage repair and wondering if they come down so they can be reused. thanks.

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how are the upper cabinets fastened? screwed only? screwed and glued? glue only? eventually i will need to remove to do some water damage repair and wondering if they come down so they can be reused. thanks.

Yes they are screwed in but there is a catch.. They were installed before the outer siding was. So to get to the screw heads you need to take off the outer panels on the side and the roof to get them out cleanly.

Because everything is 20+ years old the inner panels are very brittle and split and crack very easy.

I will be posting a few more pics tonight of the work that got done today. Tomorrow I will snap a few pics of where the large screws holding the cabinets in are.

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  • 1 year later...

I have this *exact* same model. I rebuilt the engine and trans, put in a full floater in it (Mines a model 500, 1982) and gutted the inside out except for the wheel wells. I've been camping in it several times like this (Oh, and I left the toilet.) and it's great!

But I have a sagging roof, a floor that is collapsing, and rot/ damage everywhere.

Basically I will be doing what you are doing.

Hey- are those 2x2's or 1x1's in the wall? I want to insulate mine with polystyrene foam sheets.

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Wow, lots of damage. Mind if I ask how much you paid for it to begin with? We just got one a couple of weeks ago and its basically ready except for the fridge didn't work. We need to bug bomb it since it has a black ant problem. We cleaned it thourughly and that hasn't worked. We are planning on redoing the inside ala our favorite artist Kid Rock....painting and curtains and redoing the cushions.

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There hasn't been an update from the author in over a year. I see a lot of these rebuild threads dying a slow death.

Be careful and don't bite off more than you can chew!

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  • 2 weeks later...

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