noobz Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 So I picked up a 1982 Toyota sunrader about a year ago thinking that I would do a minor remodel and have a solid unit to do some road tripping. I bought it sign unseen for $2500 CAD from a guy in rural Alberta and immediately drove it back to BC to get to work on it. As I'm sure most of these things go, things inside of the 34 year old motorhome were worse than originally expected and the project grew. A lot. Here are some pics of the progress up to this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noobz Posted September 25, 2016 Author Share Posted September 25, 2016 I knew it was going to be a bit rough around the edges with it being a 34 year old motorhome, it turned out to be worse than that. All the panelling was rotten, and it was full of mice droppings, nests, and mold. A total gut job. There are plenty of pictures so I'll just post a link to the photos if anyone is interested in seeing them. I've tried to organize them chronologically as best as I could. http://imgur.com/a/aiOUc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 Know the feeling. I bought a 93 that needed a redo. On top of what I knew needed being redone and what I knew I wanted to do or try, see my other post every &^%$#@ part is broken! I delude myself by repeating no matter how much I put in this it will still be way less than the depreciation on a new one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 Wow a ton of work but it looks fantastic Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicoastal eric Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Ohh my goodness. Looks great! I probably would have just cleaned out the mouse poop and used it, but your way clearly better in the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noobz Posted September 30, 2016 Author Share Posted September 30, 2016 Thanks! Here's the finished product. Should be on the road in the next couple days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 You may have just tripled the value of your motorhome. Super nice Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noobz Posted September 30, 2016 Author Share Posted September 30, 2016 12 hours ago, linda s said: You may have just tripled the value of your motorhome. Super nice Linda S oh that would be nice... if only i hadn't quadrupled the amount i spent on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaunt Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 wow, looks amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermonter Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Epic rebuild. I'm really liking the barn boards look. I'm assuming pallet pieces? GREAT job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Nice looking rig, and so quick! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noobz Posted October 13, 2016 Author Share Posted October 13, 2016 On 10/10/2016 at 10:46 PM, Vermonter said: Epic rebuild. I'm really liking the barn boards look. I'm assuming pallet pieces? GREAT job! yup, mostly pallet pieces. And a few fence boards when I got tired of cleaning up pallets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemensfield Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Great job, thank you for step by step pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimgillaspy Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Going down this road as we speak. The early stage photos look just like the memories that currently haunt me from last summer. I'm going with the original design look, but with better woods. Wondering if you'll make it up over the hills with some of those sweet rustic wood pieces you added.. Looks great! Question, did the roof stay bowed after your efforts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 I don't know if the original poster still has that Sunrader. I saw it listed on craigslist a while back. he was asking a pretty penny for his upgrades. 13 grand I think Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noobz Posted August 3, 2017 Author Share Posted August 3, 2017 On 7/25/2017 at 8:35 PM, jimgillaspy said: Going down this road as we speak. The early stage photos look just like the memories that currently haunt me from last summer. I'm going with the original design look, but with better woods. Wondering if you'll make it up over the hills with some of those sweet rustic wood pieces you added.. Looks great! Question, did the roof stay bowed after your efforts? I did sell the unit, but everything was as good as can be when I let it go. The roof held up well over the time I had it and even over winter with some pretty extensive snowfalls. Overall, I think the laminated wood beams were a good way to go because they gave a bit of flex whenever there was some load on the roof and then sprung back up afterwards. As far as weight goes, I think it was actually quite a bit lighter than stock after redoing it. When i weighed in, it was 5300 lbs total (1300 front and 4000 rear), but that was fully loaded with camp gear, full tank of gas, 2 full propane tanks, 2 people, an 80 lb dog, full thule on the roof and a 250 dirtbike and rack on the back. Don't get me wrong, it was still as slow as can be on the hills, but I don't blame the wood on this one. 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.