All Activity

Linda - you are the second person who's opinion I respect to say that. I will check into it - good idea.

And your wife is OK with that? Solid white is boring. Since you used a nice wood like birch you could stain at least some areas with a whitewash finish. More interesting and it hides dirt too Linda S You can always paint over it if you don't like it but once it's painted you can never go back.

Thanks, will look at it, and you nailed a concern over the quality of the paint. I have seen others paint cabinets, and the paint seems to remain tacky, or on a hot humid day in a vehicle it becomes soft. So definitely willing to spend what it takes for hard drying paint like what you describe.

If you can manage to find some of the Sherwinn Williams DTM acrylic paint, it’s very good stuff. Have used it on cabinets and holds up well, is washable. Can use a small foam roller and get a slight texture like a commercial airplane interior.

I'm afraid it's just going to be white paint, though I originally envisioned some nice varnished wood like a boat interior. The reason is the white will keep it bright and feeling spacious inside. That's mahogany walls panels and baltic birch for everything else. It's pretty small and tight, and I want to accomplish an airy feel through light colors. I feel a bit like I'm copping out on my intention to have some gorgeous varnished wood in there, so a bit sheepish about it, frankly. There will be some colors - perhaps on the drawers or the cabinet doors. The floor may be a fairly distinct look as well, and the dinette upholstery is already decided as a nutmeg - ish Italian leather.

Agree with Extech. The new fridge has to have a lower vent (intake) and an upper vent (exhaust) to allow the heat to escape the camper. Your current fridge essentially has a sealed off area at the rear for this heat and air flow that prevents heat from entering the camper. So your new fridge with different dimensions will simply need some new wood or another material to also seal it off. For instance, I am installing the largest fridge that I can physically get into my Sunrader, and I will have to do the same thing. I opted to reuse the original fiberglas drip pan under it, by making it wider - you'll have to figure something out as well. Best.

that fridge makes cold by removing heat. it needs somewhere to go. depending on where it comes out will be the deciding factor for where the vent needs to be.

I've been thinking hard lately about pulling the original Norcold 875EG2 out of my rig, replacing with a good mini fridge. The Norcold generally works but is WAY old, hard on the eyes, and BAD at maintaining a consistent temperature across day/night. Also, I already have an (efficient) inverter setup to supply the 110v for a standard mini fridge, and we just never use the existing unit on propane (moot point, for us). Couple thoughts and questions: Anybody done this recently and have thoughts/suggestions/regrets? The Norcold has about 4.5 cu.ft. capacity, is "built in" and fits snugly into the surrounding cabinetry, and is roughly 40" H x 23" W x 20" D. I haven't found anything that matches those ^ dimensions closely, especially in height since most are between 30-33" tall. So I either need to "wall-in" the additional space, or create some kind of cubbyhole storage area, below or above. Any opinions on this? Biggest Concern: should the original fridge outdoor access panel and roof vent be sealed and insulated... or left as-is?

Linda, Thank you kindly. You have been most helpful. I am looking forward to the symmetry of 14s all around and the more suitable tires. I appreciate your knowledge and pragmatic thoughts.

The high load of the Haida tires will more than enough make up for being narrower. Yes your overthinking it. Linda S

Thank you, Linda. Are you thinking that these would be for front and rear? Current rear is quite wide, 225. A 175 is appreciable less. It seems the 225 is not really a truck rated tire and surely no ply near 8 but width does spread the load. Maybe I am overthinking it, as a number of the identical(ish) rigs I have seen show all wheels and tires similar Thoughts? Thank you again.

Found you 14 inch tires that are close to your current wheel diameter. Your current tires are 23.38 diameter. These 14 inch tires are 23.6 and have the load capacity you should really have. Revolutions per mile will be very close to stock Tire Haida Strong HD517 LT 175/70R14 Load D 8 Ply Light Truck - Walmart.com Cheap too Linda S oo

Linda, WWE, et al: I am new here. Pic attachment will not function, so here I go: Rig: 1994 Toyota LiteAce/TownAce, Euro Camper CM550037242, 2wd, AT with overdrive. Rear rim is 12.5" with a 225/50R12.5 tire. Front rim is 13" with a 165R13LT. This IS OEM configuration - one configuration among several. However, there are other oem configs for the exact vehicle. For example, my euro camper starts with a standard liteAce truck chassy. There are literally millions of these in a myriad configurations. Some are pickups, some are vans, some are campers - tear off the sheet metal or F glass camper, they are all essentially identical. Curiously, the van config does not use a rear 12.5 wheel at all. Same engine and running gear as my camper, but all 13 or 14" rims. Similarly, some campers just like mine are five bolt or are 14", despite the same engine and running gear, tranny, gear box etc. I can read a simple tire/wheel conversion table - easy peasy. That is not the question. The question is: how do I properly upgrade to a larger rim and tire? I have read a number of old posts where they start out like this: "first thing I did was take off the pos wheels and tires and installed 14" rims with ---- tires." Obviously wheel rotations per minute, wheel well space, gear ratio, etc., etc., factors were considered. Hence, my query to this board. Maybe some mods are required, maybe some tweaks here or there, but this is the land of ingenuity. A tire/wheel conversion chart didn't seem to stop those souls before me and I hope it will not stop me. I am looking for solutions, not "it cant be dones." 12.5" rear wheels is a nogo. Hell, half the flatbed imports I have seen online had the rear 12.5s pulled off before the import ink even dried. My rig, which this site seems impossible to post a picture to, is a townace euro camper with a factory A'm Craft F glass camper shell. 100s are in the US. I just want to get some respectable wheels and tires under my feet. Oh, yeah, btw, you ever tried to buy a 225/50R12.5 tire??? Not a good setup for trips beyond the garage. That's my dilemma, folks. Any thoughts on rational and reasonable solutions would be sincerely appreciated.

A 225/50/12.5 tire turns 944 revs per mile, a 185/14 LT turns 819 revs per mile so your going to be working your, no power, engine harder. Steel rims with correct offset and bolt pattern are problematic.

Well a link to where you saw that. Model number of your truck. Picture? All might help track down what you really need. Linda S

I do see a site that confirms the 4 bolt 4.5" lug pattern on a 165R13, which is what I have. Is it possible u r looking at the 4wd setup that does have oem 14", usually five lug? When I look at the Townace light pickup, it has the exact hacky wheels and tires that I have - 12.5" 4 bolt rear, 13" 4 bolt front. If my hubs (front and rear) can take a 14" rim with decent tires, them I'm golden but I am trying to be mindful to not cause gearing issues or some other prob. Did the spec site show what should be on the rear for rim and tire? Thank you kindly.

Can't imagine how it would not fit since that's what Toyota put on it at the factory. Original equipment is always the way to go Linda S

Seen a number the exact same, but I agree with you. With the 12.5" rear and 13" front, 4 bolt on 4.5" centers, you think I can just swap the 14" rims front and back with a 4.5" bolt pattern and larger tires? I know you are knowledgeable, as I have read your posts. I would love a 5 bolt pattern but the rig is not so blessed, as the same year 4x4 are.

That's what it originally came with. Some hack put on the mess you have now. Original is always the safer option Linda S

Linda, thank you. Do you think my 13" in front and 12.5" on rear are swappable with the 14"? Currently my 13" front rim has a 165R13LT, which I think is 65 on the sidewall, but it is not marked. The rear runs the 12.5" rim with the 225/50/12.5. You think 14s all around is okay?

Looks like the OEM size for your wheels is 14 inches with a 175x14 inch 6 ply tire. 1993 Toyota Town Ace - Wheel & Tire Sizes, PCD, Offset and Rims specs | Wheel-Size.com Possible wheels 14in Wheels 4x4.5 for sale | eBay Tires, These are stronger than stock but guessing your camper is quite a bit heavier than a plain van. Haida HD501 175R14 99/97S D (8 Ply) - prioritytire.com Linda S

Thank you. I have single axel four bolt. Auto trans with overdrive. I can find 4 bolt wheels up to 15" but the wheel tire combo affects the gear box. Still, I see similar rigs with the larger rims and tires. I'm running a 4 cy diesel 2C motor with about 75hp.

Do you have dual rear tires? (4 tires) The four bolt hubs are going to be the main sticking point. Most of us have Hilux based campers, the Townace is a JDM model

Sorry for the basic nature of this question, but info seems illusive. My camper has the ridiculous 12.5" rims on the rear with 225/50R non truck rated tires and 13" rims on the front with LT tires. My goal is at least 14" (15s, if possible) rims all around with proper truck tires with sidewalls still intact (not just reduced per rim size increase). Aside from speedo effect and high end ratio impact, I would like to complete this, as many seem to have done. Advice would be sincerely appreciated. I have 4 bolt hubs. Thank you, Geest31c

Great work, Doug! Really enjoy seeing your progress, so thanks for posting. Any idea yet what will be the final finish on these exposed wood surfaces?