Tony Dobbs
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Posts posted by Tony Dobbs
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Well is a 5 cylindersimlar to a 6?
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.
QuoteOm602 was known for problems which is partially why the new ones have 6’s as in 6 cylinders. I forget which cylinder would go bad and lose compression on the 602 but one of them would. Known for cracked heads the 602 also
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.
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5 hours ago, Totem said:
om606 from the 1998-99 series would be awesome power and a chain that has been recorded to go well past 800,000 kilometers in Germany. but most importantly its setup already to run RWD and is a inline 6... no messing with belts and pumps every 60-80k etc. There wont be any chain issues on THAT motor, of that I guarantee. Mine is well over 300,000 miles on it original. ALH is interference motor...lose belt grenade over.
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.
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2nd: How would I determine if this is an Americana of simply a regular Odyssey?
It's not an Americana. The Americana has a fiberglass exterior.
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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.
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2 minutes ago, linda s said:
You've done your homework. If Dennis says that's the framework I trust him. You just didn't give yourself the time to find one of the rarer motorhomes. Took me 2 years to find my 18ft Sunrader but I knew what I wanted and just waited it out. Good luck in your search. I will keep an eye out for you.
Linda S
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.
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1 hour ago, Derek up North said:
Nope, no FG floor for the Sunrader. It's weak(est) point in fact.
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!
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4 hours ago, linda s said:
They are fiberglassed. The trim strip is just to give a finished off look to that area. I can't find anything referring to the Odyssey's having an aluminum frame in the coach. Only thing I see is where they make the claim about the steel reinforced 2 ton roof.
If you knew the G forces that a fiberglass boat takes when racing you would understand just how strong a material it is. I saw a Sunrader that had been rear ended. Frame of the truck was completely bent and interior floor was wasted but from the outside you could barely tell it had been in an accident. Shell just popped right back to shape
Linda S
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!
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1 hour ago, Derek up North said:
Yep, no real need to raise the cupboards as well. Just the strip down the middle.
Out of curiosity, do you know how the two halves of a sunrader body are joined together?
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18 minutes ago, Derek up North said:
Well, you could buy into the Odyssey 'Two Ton Torture Test' roof. Whatever that is!! They never seem to say what it is!
Yea, I'm not putting too much stock in their marketing jargon, but from an engineering perspective aluminum framing does have some tangible advantages!
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2 minutes ago, Derek up North said:
Yep, no real need to raise the cupboards as well. Just the strip down the middle.
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.
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7 minutes ago, linda s said:
Well Sunrader did make a small class A motorhome called an Aero Cruiser. All fiberglass and in reality way smaller than it looks in the picture
Linda S
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!
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Wow, great work! I'm curious to see what your fuel economy is with the new engine!
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8 minutes ago, Derek up North said:
Easy peasy. Just make a 30' wide cut down the middle of the roof, space it up 6" and glass it in.
Easier said than done, of course!
That's a bit easier than my idea of cutting it horizontally under the roof like a belt
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2 minutes ago, Derek up North said:
If you can use a Sawzall and fiberglass, you can make an XL Sunrader.
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.
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2 minutes ago, linda s said:
I would suggest you put an ad on craigslist Humboldt asking if they still have it. Very possible the ad just expired. Was up there a long time. They were asking less than 10 grand
Linda S
Thanks, Linda, that's an excellent idea!
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2 hours ago, Totem said:
The Americana had fiberglass I thought? - just not single piece. Still is one of my favorites, they just never come around.
Exactly! Great RVs, but super rare... Almost like owning a piece of history...
4 hours ago, Derek up North said: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.
4 hours ago, odysseybernard said:I believe one just sold bin on eBay last week for $17.2. rear panoramic windows just like our Odyssey ponderosa. Was in great shape and owner had put a lot of work into it. I'm putting a Ford center console foldable jump seat with seat belt in the isle behind the driver's seat against the outside of the shower wall, he had 2 there for his kids. Nice upgrade for the rear panoramic window layouts.
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.
10 hours ago, linda s said:Just so you know the Americana does not have a fiberglass roof like a Sunrader. They have rubber roofs and if not properly maintained can develop serious leaks. Are you not considering a Sunrader because you like the larger size of the Odysseys?
Linda S
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!
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1 hour ago, linda s said:
There was one for sale near me in Eureka Ca for a long time. Gone now but helps to search all Toyota motorhomes because they often don't list the model. Yes they were expensive, top of the line for Odyssey the years made so fewer were made.
Linda S
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.
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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.
1985 Odyssey
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by Tony Dobbs
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!