McShank

My '88 Sunrader has wrap around split front windows which I think are plastic or plexiglass. Over time they have turned white with oxidation from ovehead and I don't know what product to use to bring them back to their original tint. Anyone have success doing this and what did you use. Seamus

Stamar, The engine from the Camaro is a '01 3800 Series II, they ran these from '97 to '02 in RWD for Camaro and Firebird only, the rest were FWD. I will know the MPG after a few trips but the Series II lists a 20% increase over the '96 in mileage, horsepower and torque, and the one I found has less than 10K miles on a GM factory rebuild. I hope this gives me reasonable mileage for power gained. McShank

I was looking for a part in a Phoenix, Az. junk yard today and they have a Toyota motorhome with the full floater rear axle, 6 lug front and 6 tires/rims if anyone is looking. Tires are probably shot but those rims are hard to find. Seamus McShank

More months have gone by and the temps have been breaking records, 116 yesterday. It has only gotten a few hours of attention a week but we are close to getting it back on the road. Fired up last weekend but still have a short list of items that have to be done; shift linkage, mount radiator fan and wire it up, find a replacement coil pack bracket that got broken, idle air. We've gone back to all 2001 components, throttle body, electric throttle pedal. The computer shuts down after 15 seconds because of theft prevention that needs to be circumvented. This has been a long journey but the end it near. I'll get pictures once my Sunrader is back at home. Seamus McShank

We've had July heat in May so things are inching along slowly. Mounts are complete, compartment is undercoated and painted. Engine/trans will be mounted today, then exhaust, intake and connections can begin. I'll post updated pics later. Seamus McShank

One week morphs into two weeks real easy. The Toyota parts are out (ad on Craig's list) and the V6/trans is sitting in place, not mounted yet just dry fit. Length of the drive shaft looks like a match, have to change cv nuckle. Mounts being made by Monday, exhaust after that Have to swap the mounting position of the alternator and ac compressor for ac lines but not very difficult. There's more room than I had imagined. I don't have any good pictures yet but will before this week is done. Possibility it will drive by the Saturday (but one week can morph into two). Seamus McShank

Now know there are no compatible intake systems that will work, so we are going with the relocation of the throttle body idea. We might get this started this weekend. McShank

Kweerone, No outcome yet. Most of the delay is due to loosing the mechanic and his garage space who first wanted to do the swap. With work I only have weekends free. I now have found someone who specializes in swaps, rat rods and trikes. There is one clearance issue not anticipated, namely the throttle body on this version of the Buick V6 extends out from the manifold too far to clear the radiator shroud. Considering remote mount slightly off to the side and some fabrication to connect. Also looking into compatible intakes from other years. One great piece of news is that upon close inspection the motor I got out of the wreck is a genuine GM rebuild with an id tag dated 2/15/11, practically brand new. If we get over the throttle body issue actual swap could start in two weeks and take about that long to complete. Gotta hurry up because summer is when we get the most time off to get on the road. Seamus McShank

Been much too busy with work to get anything done in the past few weeks. Engine and trans are out of the doner car and although I bought a 5 speed manual we may take the easier route and keep the automatic that came with it. Hope to get the 22RE and trans out next weekend. Seamus

BigDog, I replaced the Kohler with an Onan 2.8 in my Sunrader. The Kohler is a narrow upright design with engine on top and generator undeneath. You will have to enlarge the compartment because the Onan is wider than the Kohler. I cut more of the floor out and boxed it all in with plywood and sheet metal lining. The braces that the Kohler mounted to make a solid mount for the Onan, but I installed it from above by removing the cushion and plywood from the couch. This was erasier than enlarging the outside compartment door. It's so much quieter and was worth the effort. Seamus McShank

Derek, You're right, the S10 has a low 1st gear, plus the shifter lines up into a Toyota cab about the same as an S10 cab. A T5 from a Camaro would have the shifter at the end of the tailcone and would be too far back to comfortably reach. Seamus

This has been on my mind since the first trip with my Sunrader five years ago. Mostly tired of holding up traffic climbing hills and on mountain roads, my Toy has a few problems that need attention very soon and looking at the cost of upcoming repairs brought me close enough to jump into the swap. No turning back now, I bought a salvage wrecked '01 Camaro with a Buick V6 and a 5 speed manual transmission from an S10. This should be an easier fit than most other choices but time will tell. I'll take progress pictures and post them along the way. Seamus McShank

Dusty, I have an '88 Sunrader that came with a Kohler 2.5 installed in a metal box like yours. It was very loud, had difficulty getting parts so I found a used Onan 2.8 and switched them. I doubt you could find a running Kohler, but the Kohler was tall and not very wide and the Onan is wide and not very tall; I had to make a larger enclosure, seal it tight and line it with metal. Access is from above. I live in Arizona and did all that because I want to run my roof ac while driving in the summer heat. If you are looking for an easy way to charge your batteries while camping it is much less expensive to find a small generator like Maineah suggests. Seamus McShank

Maineah, Happy Holidays back to you from a New Englandah in Arizona. Seamus McShank

The problem is solved, though not understood. The switch was not bad, more out of adjustment. I turned the threads so there was more clearance between the trigger pin and the brake pedal and that did the trick. I used the "what works" approach to the two severed wires that did not look like stock wiring, and without tracing the origin tried to reconnect them one-at-a-time and discovered that everything works with one of them feeding the switch. Didn't do anything with the second severed wire. There is quite a pile of mystery wiring running everywhere under the dash that's not stock, and the emergency brake had severed that feed wire where it was snaked around and into the engine compartment. A few days of heat pads and neck message got rid of the pain I got from standing on my head under the dash. Seamus

Zeke, I would love to know more about your conversion as I have been planning my swap of a later model Buick into my Sunrader for awhile. Pictures would be terrific. Stock exhause manifold? Do you know what radiator you have? Also interested in mileage, cruising rpm. Have you considered changing your trans to a 700R or 4L60E with overdrive? Seamus McShank

Bryan B. I have found a radiator that will fit nicely with no modifiaction. Its an aftermarket aluminum 4 row made for an early 60's Mustang V8. Brand name is Champion and I found it on Ebay here in Phoenix for under $300. Went to "Oscar's" shop The Taurus fan will cover nicely and there are many used fans available. My search for the perfect engine to swap keeps coming back to the late 90's Camaro or Firebird 3.8 V6 because its a little smaller, will fit easier, stock manifolds will clear the frame rails, Ward's Best Engine, OBDII, SFI, plenty of power and easy to find. The 1UZ just looks so tight in the compartment. I'm still just planning this swap and won't have time to do it until next summer. Seamus McShank

John Mc, Standing on my head is an accurate description. I found the switch but it looks like I have a different problem. There are two push on connectors with brightly colored wiring that look like non factory wiring. My brake lights are add ons like you see on small trailers and are attached above the factory tail lights. To confuse matters more, both wires look to be severed cleanly and are attached to nothing. No lights at all now. Didn't have time to find the other ends or figure what caused them to be cut, but will dive back in this weekend. Not many things up there that move and could have pinched the wiring, emergency brake lever and steering column, should be easy. There is never a shortage little electrical puzzles. Seamus McShank

Sometimes my brake lights stay on after use, and I only noticed because it got dark. Now they are going on and off while I'm driving down the road. Sounds like a bad switch. To replace it the Toyota manual says "disconnect switch - unbolt - remove". My problem is I thought the switch would be attached to the brake pedal and in plain view but nothing jumps out at me. Can anyone give me directions to find this should-be-easy-to-change switch? Seamus McShank

We took the faded and cracked decals off our Sunrader using an "eraser wheel" attachment and an electric drill. Kid at a body shop showed us how he does it. Got the 5" wheel on obay and it worked great. Just don't press too hard or a burn mark will occur. McShank

Bryan, On UZSwap.com there is a lot of info for Toyotas and in one section they seperate 'gen 2' as the generation up tp 1988 and a 'gen 3' that covers 1989 and newer. I don't think any ToyHomes were available in '88 with a V6. I want to make sure the gen 3 changes did not affect the dimensions of the engine compartment before I move forward. Seamus

Bryan, I just noticed you mentioned the engine compartment in a '89 is the same as 4runner. Is there a difference between my '88 and your '89 that changes this swap? Seamus McShank

Dan, My Sunrader had the Kohler and I replaced it with a used Onan 2.8 I found. I had to expand the compartment size, cut out a little of the floor and build a new cover but I didn't change the outside access door. It drops in from the top but it sits on top of the old Kohler supports. The Kohler is really loud as you know all too well, the Onan is quiet enough to run in National Park campgrounds. Seamus McShank

Bryan, What about JDM sources. JDM distributors usually only have engines or long blocks ($500 to $800) but I saw a complete pull-out '94 iuzfe w/ auto trans, ecu, alternator, ac, power steering pump, etc. available for $1900 delivered to my door. No need to match components or electronics since all original wiring is still in place. As far as installing a larger radiator, in my '88 4 cyl. 2WD there are heavy metal braces, or gussets, that support the front end allignmnt rods and they fasten to the front end below the radiator, thus blocking the bolt-in types that hang 5" lower. Are the radiators you mentioned the same dimension as my stock one, just thicker cores? Where I live the temps are over 100 all summer. And your company makes motor mounts? Can you give estimates of costs involved in this swap? The more I read about this swap on UZSwap or Lextreme the more I want to do this, just still a little nervous about the unknown. Seamus McShank