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Tony Dobbs

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Everything posted by Tony Dobbs

  1. I actually saw that one and put in an offer... the problem is it's too perfect! ? By that I mean it's a bit out of my budget unfortunately. I was hoping to find one in need of some TLC, as I am rather capable, but this one doesn't need a thing... it's absolutely perfect! Unless you want to loan me $2000 Linda? ? Not only is it the perfect layout of the perfect model, but yours in particular is the perfect RV. You have done an absolutely spectacular job with it, and I am not an easily impressed craftsman. I actually had put an offer in on your RV on ebay before seeing your post on here. Good luck with your sale! Someone is going to be buying a spectacular RV... hopefully someone on this forum!
  2. It's really a case by case basis. Having a different number of cylinders doesn't exclude the possibility of a high degree of relation. Take the GM Atlas engines for example. The I6 and I5's are remarkably similar. Ah, I had my engines mixed up, I was thinking of the OM647, which I believe is a complete unrelated engine. They're known to routinely last until 500k, but they can be a real headache.
  3. How similar is that engine to the OM602? I have that engine in my Sprinter, and while there is a lot to love, it would be far from my first choice in engine for a Toyota based motorhome.
  4. It's not an Americana. The Americana has a fiberglass exterior.
  5. Also, in case anyone is wondering it is possible to build your own fiberglass shell over an existing RV body; however it would require a ton of prep work and construction time and the cost by my initial estimation is north of $5000. I don't recommend this route to anyone, and I'm fairly crazy.
  6. Thanks Linda. You're most definitely right regarding the time required to find the right motorhome! I will to remain patient and wait for the right one to enter the market.
  7. Interesting... it might be possible to increase the height of the Sunrader interior without cutting the fiberglass if you could raise the attachment points and enclose the bottom portion... Still a lot of work, but a lot less than it would be to expand the actual fiberglass shell. I'm surprised more people aren't modifying these things, but perhaps that's just my bias showing. I need to make sure I don't buy a sunrader... great RV's but it would take me a year to get it all setup the way I want!
  8. Dang, I wrote a long response and then I accidentally lost it... I will write an abridged version. Here is where I found info claiming that it has an aluminum frame: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?/topic/4629-aluminum-framing/&do=findComment&comment=27596 As far as strength goes, if you are referring to the Specific Stiffness, which is the material's youn's modulus normalized by weight... Fiberglass is stronger than steel or aluminum. My previous comments may have lost some accuracy for the sake of brevity. My concern was specific to dynamic vertical loading from a heavy load being transported on the roof. I could definitely reinforce the fiberglass structure to negate this concern, but it would be a bit annoying... Ideally I would gusset the corners and add some form of ribbing to the underside of the roof, but I would prefer not to deal with the headache. Thanks for all the info Linda... I think for now I will continue looking for Americanas, but I suppose if I don't find one by July, I will consider modifying a Sunrader... Derek might be a bad influence on me Edit: Does the sunrader have a fiberglass bottom/sublfoor? I'd love to see how they built that portion, and how it attaches to the frame. If they chose to bolt through the fiberglass that would be most impressive!
  9. Out of curiosity, do you know how the two halves of a sunrader body are joined together?
  10. Yea, I'm not putting too much stock in their marketing jargon, but from an engineering perspective aluminum framing does have some tangible advantages!
  11. That is a good point... I think at the end of the day I would end up with a similar RV in terms of specifications, but at the expense of a lot of additional time that I'm not sure is worth it. I do also wonder if the Americanas are a more durable platform due to their aluminum framing. As far as I know the Sunraders don't have real framing and instead rely on the strength of the fiberglass, which I am not a fan of.
  12. Those are very cool as far as class A's go, but I really like the cabover bunk and the fuel economy of these toyota RVs!
  13. That's a bit easier than my idea of cutting it horizontally under the roof like a belt
  14. Don't tempt me, Derek! I have thought about that.. the issue is that the Sunrader is not only more narrow, it's also shorter. If I only had to extend the body in one direction I would probably be looking at Sunraders right now haha.
  15. Exactly! Great RVs, but super rare... Almost like owning a piece of history... So many great non-fiberglass RVs out there... If I could think of a way to reasonably create my own fiberglass shell I would totally do so, but I think it makes more sense to remain patient and wait for an Americana to pop up. Damn, that must have been right after I started my hunt! That's a bit steep for my budget anyway. I would rather find one that needs some love, and completely restore it myself. That way I know everything is built properly. I did not realize that! It's hard to find all the necessary details on these things... I did see that someone had put a new rubber roof on theirs, but was unsure if that was how they were originally built. And I do want the odyssey for the extra size. If there was a Sunrader XL, I would be all over that!
  16. Damn, that's not too far from me! I've started searching through all Toyota motorhomes in hopes of one turning up, but it hasn't yet. Thanks for the info, hopefully something turns up in the next few months. At this point I might consider buying a badly damaged RV from another brand, and constructing a new body for it.. I would much rather find the perfect Americana though.
  17. Were these very expensive when new? Or were not very many made? It seems like Dolphins and Sunraders are a dime a dozen, but I can't find a single Odyssey Americana on any Craigslist or other website. It almost makes me want to buy a dolphin and fiberglass the whole thing myself... Almost, but not quite.
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