Camp'n4me Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Well finally got my toy home after having all the fluids,a tune up and replacing tires and the air bags. Now its time to get to work on changing and re-sealing the roof vents and AC unit. Then its on to the interior to replace the ceiling, floor and stove. Unit came with a new electric hot water heater and a new sink top, but no stove/oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camp'n4me Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 So, I have attempted to post pictures but it says I do not have permission. so here is my up date; So far I have replaced the bathroom vent with a vent with a fan,replaced the refrigerator vent I also pulled the emergency hatch/vent over the bed cleaned around the opening and resealed it. Will remove and replace the air conditioner unit with one I have that has a heating element so when parked and on shore power it will heat the Dolphin. Have done some rewiring and since it does not have a stove/oven we purchased a induction cook top. Plan to start removing and replacing the ceiling panels since they had damage from leaks . will update again when I do some more work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 A couple ideas for you. On the ceiling panels, I had the same issue and then some. I had one of those with total berth rot too. I gutted mine out except the shower wall and fridge cabinet. I found a plywood vendor that sold 3 ply 1/8" luan for the ceiling panels. This saved me a decent amount of weight considering how much I was ripping out and replacing. I found some textured wall covering which seems to be some sort of roll of sheet foam at Lowes. The thinner plywood was a little more than you would pay for 1/4" luan but it was also much easier to work with. In doing the walls of the berth, I was able to make a paper template, trace the covered plywood and cut out the shape and the window holes with a utility knife. I used the instant panel adhesives you find in caulking tubes. I cheated a bit and used a stapler to help tack them up removing the staples after the adhesive fully cured then painted the panels with ceiling paint (optional/wife insisted) I don't know how much cold weather camping you plan on doing but for us early and late in the season it sometimes is fairly cold at night. When we have power we use a small portable electric heater. That would be cheaper unless your air unit is in need of replacement anyway. I ended up with a 3 burner stove top I got off of Ebay for real cheap new. The induction unit is a clever idea but the short coming is you have to have power to cook. That wouldn't work for us. I do have a toaster oven that takes care of not having an oven when we are somewhere with power. So far the only thing to go into it is bread for toast. On the photo issue, I had trouble figuring all that out too. There is an image link button in the menu bar above when your composing that will work with any online photo or file storage service such as photobucket or a drop box public folder. This is not an option for everyone but if you have basic computer skills it is easy to figure out. Being a guy who has his own web sites for more than 15 years, I opted to set up a free wordpress blog page. I post trip photo galleries so I can send the links to my mom. Mostly its a design palette thing where I can experiment with ideas outside of my public websites. My camping page is here Probably not for someone not web savvy but it doesn't take much to figure out how to start a blog page. Good luck and have fun with the restoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camp'n4me Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 So, interior work has for the most part been completed. I ran into a transmission issue that has been my biggest headache. The trans shaft was cracked and its been several months locating one which now has been found, but since this is a one ton transmission finding a trans kit has also been a headache. Most kits have been for 1/2 ton pickups so they don't work. My mechanic and I have decided to replace both the motor and trans with a 6 cylinder and matching transmission out of a 199 4 Runner that we found. Plan to hear the motor tomorrow (2/15) then rebuild it all. I'm having so much fun!!!! Will update soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 14 hours ago, Camp'n4me said: The trans shaft was cracked and its been several months locating one which now has been found, but since this is a one ton transmission finding a trans kit has also been a headache. Most kits have been for 1/2 ton pickups so they don't work. I rebuilt an A43D out of an 87 1 ton and had no trouble getting parts (as far as the clutch and seal kit goes). You've got me a little stumped. What parts or kit did you get for an A43D that would not work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camp'n4me Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 I was told since this is an automatic trans parts are harder to get than a manual transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I doubt that they are any harder to find. Toyota made millions of vehicles with the A43D transmission and almost all Toyota motorhomes with the 4 cylinder have automatic transmissions. Certainly a few manuals but not really that many. Where have you looked for parts. I guess it doesn't matter since your putting in a V6 but they have their own headaches to deal with. Make sure he adjusts the valve before he even puts it in. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.