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I believe it! And I don't want to do any extreme off roading trails. Half my favorite camping spots are covered in snow 6 months out of the year. During the summer I can take my little 2wd pickup truck to most of them, but as soon as the snow falls there's no substitution for 4WD and an air compressor. I've run as low as 6psi in my land cruiser creeping through snow. And you need a tire big enough to give you flotation. My friend just went from 35s to 40s and this weekend he was running 1.5psi that's without a bead-lock. They looked like pancakes! It's amazing what you can get away with in the snow. I feel highly confident that with a tire in the 32-33" range that is nice and wide will be perfectly adequate. for the winter and overkill in the summer. I might even keep a smaller pair around for longer road trips. My co-worker told me about the "put the sawzall down thread" and I checked it out. That's way more work than I'm willing to do but looks fantastic and more off-road capable than most!

I've skimmed through their blog, thanks for reminding me of it while i start working on mine. It will prevent me from tearing out more than I need to haha. Thankfully the roof seems solid all the upper cabinets are staying but might get a coat of paint. Definitely a similar philosophy to what I have in mind. It was really sad to see they lost a tire on the road. It looks like that Sunrader had the 5 lug axle and if memory serves me they had a shop do an aftermarket full floater conversion right before the accident. I believe they sold it because they felt it wouldn't go to the places they like to go. I'm curious where they did that testing, and how they came up with that conclusion. I guess I will find out for myself. Perhaps I won't put a penny back into the interior and just get the frame/drivetrain set up so I can take it out and see what it can handle. There is a recurring issue with us folks who like remote camping but want a nice comfortable shell to get a break from the elements. We usually have hobbies that we like to do in the back country such as biking,kayaking/skiing ect. So people want to take 3 mountain bikes and a canoe with them. Anyway, I was looking at those small fiberglass wheel wells and I have a feeling that they're are going to get modified to fit some larger tires. I don't want to feel like my "sunrader won't make it to the types of places I want to go". I just don't see it being capable enough especially in snow without some 285's. And 16" wheels offer good load ratings. We used 315/75R16 on the Earth Cruisers and they're 12k pounds.

Looks like I'm essentially taking this path! I really like how the toyota cab and shell compliment each other and I pickup up a 4x4 truck for relatively cheap.

Thanks Linda! I will have to think about it. I think there is a custom wheel place here in Bend. I don't mind only being able to do 45 on the highway since most the camping I do is in my back yard here in central Oregon. We had a semi hard time getting to our camping spot in the 4runner last weekend and that was with 285's and only running 10 psi . The snow was wet and turned to ice quick if you had tire spin. For us it's worth it to take an hour to go 5 miles to get to a more remote spot. I upgraded the Land Cruiser to 315's last year and now its easy to get just about anywhere. We use the 4runner now hence why I'm selling the 80. I'm hoping it will be a little lighter without all those old appliances and large propane tanks. I'm going to reconfigure it as much as possible to move weight above or in front of the rear axle. It probably won't have any of the water or black/grey holding tanks after today. I can use my jerry cans, they're removable for winterizing after a weekend of camping. I even have one I modified to pressurize and take showers with. We camp year round currently and I don't want that to slow down because the vehicle isn't capable of driving through deep snow or the systems can't handle freezing temps. If that means we end up with a fiberglass shell full of our usual tent camping gear so be it. I've also been researching the dual transferase set ups but. I think down the road that might be a possibility. Here is a picture of Anna and her 4Runner Ruby, I have a foam bed that slides in the back and it works great for the single night trips that are more for wheeling than camping. But I look forward to something that can do both. Or she can take the 4runner and pull me into the camping spot when needed! Ruby looks so little when parked next to a 80 series on 37's

He pointed out the cracks and I could barely see them, When I got home I tried showing Anna and couldn't even find them. However my 22R engine is only a single timing chain. And you're correct that the 22RE doesn't create mind blowing power compared to the 22R but if you live in a state where you can drive from sea level to 7-8k feet regularly several times a year it might be worth it. That 1994 pickup I posted a picture of would become the donor for all the required 22R parts. That black pickup has a Weber Carb on it that I kinda like just because it doesn't have all the emissions lines coming out of it.

I forgot to ask about tire/wheel options. I have done a little research but I'm not sure I understand all my options. I would like to run 31" tires if possible. I have the 6 lug dually rear axle with 14" wheels and the front will be the regular Toyota 6 lug pattern on 4x4 trucks. It's my understanding that factory Sunraders with 4x4 came with a 15" dually correct? So I either need to find a set of those or have them custom made. Are there super single wheels that can be used on the front and rear? perhaps something that can run a 285/75R16 ?

Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delayed response. I've only made a little progress so far on this journey. However I plan on making plenty the next 2 weeks before going back to work in Florida in January. I pulled the head and took it to the local NAPA to be re-surfaced. They said there are a few tiny cracks in the valve seats and that it's not worth having them fixed and that I should get a new head. so they basically just kept the $50 deposit for cleaning and inspecting the head. So I've decided to put the engine on hold for now. I bought a 1985 pickup 4x4 with a 22r engine that has low compression in #4 from a gouge on the cylinder wall. This is what the previous owner was told by a mechanic. I drove the truck home and it seemed to do fine but I only got it up to 55 once. Was taking the back roads at 45. This truck has the desirable solid front axle. However It is a short wheelbase. I tried finding a long wheelbase truck but in my area they were all around $2K-$2.5k so I decided for $1,100 to just get this truck and then graph the rear portion of the camper frame with all its camper specific supports to the front of the 4x4 frame. I have a friend who is a certified welder who will. I plan on adding extra supports to the frame while we're doing this work. I also plan on swapping the rear springs above the axle to match the front. I started removing the appliances. At first I did this just to reduce weight for lifting the camper. However after looking closer at how everything is installed I think I will change things up. Once this is 4x4 it will mostly be used on bouncy forest service roads and I'm going to upgrade with the modern appliances I already own such as a ARB fridge. MR Buddy heater, 2,0000 watt pure sine inverter/charger ect. All the appliances are for sale. When I pickup up the camper the previous owner had the fridge one so I know that works but I haven't checked any others. Has anyone ever removed a cab and camper still connected to each other? I've seen plenty of pictures with just the camper being removed however I would like to leave them connected if possible. I was thinking of taking the doors off and running beams through the cab and placingfoam between the wood and the cab/camper. I would use some under hoist tripod stands and some high lift jacks. Then running some beams under the camper from driver side to passenger side maybe where the door is and using a floor jack on each side. And then taking out the rear window, using a engine hoist and running the chain through the floor to a support that spreads out under the floor. Here are a few pictures of my camper. I'm not sure why the other interior picture failed to load twice. The interior was really nice I just don't think it would have held up as long or handled as well offload. Anna and I don't plan on ever being hooked up to any utilities so most of it isn't required. For the engine I'me debating between swapping the 22RE from my 94 pickup or building a 22r out of the two other engines I have or swapping something else in there... Also my 80 series will be going up for sale sometime next year if anyone is looking for one or knows someone looking. It has 140k miles and factory triple lockers.

Yeah I usually use OEM Toyota OEM parts and end up replacing other things while I'm in there. I usually have the head tested at a machine shop and they will always take your money for things like valve guides and what not. I guess I could just take it apart and replace the head gasket and see what happens. I built full height shelves in my girlfriends garage this weekend and that was the first step to free up the space to work on this. Unfortunately I will be extremely busy this weekend and then next week I leave for Florida until Halloween. I'm mulling things over in my head constantly and honestly leaning more towards leaving the rig 2wd. There's a lot of factors for why it should remain 2wd. I could use a little extra ground clearance however but I don't think I want to do a spring over axle swap. I appreciate all the posts so far and I promise to get some pictures up this weekend of the camper!

When I bought my 80 the previous owner recommended I replace the head gasket because “ they’re notorious for blowing” that truck has 110k miles when I bought it and I did a complete top end for basically no reason the first week I owned it haha I’ve done a dodge neon and a Mitsubishi Montero where the harmonic balancer bolt broke inside the crankshaft! the head gasket on this engine doesn’t really intimidate me I just didn’t want to put $500 into this engine if my end goal is V8 and 4x4 but I will probably end up doing the head gasket just so we can use it some and see what we think of the interior layout. I think it’s brilliant but I haven’t lived in it for a month yet. Thanks for the heads up on the hidden bolt! I might do a timing chain and guide if it needs it. The radiator is original and once and engine is at risk of being overheated I usually upgrade the cooling system at the same time.

Any of the extended cab conversions I’ve seen don’t looks as good as the single cabs. And the older cabs seem to fit better because they’re square in the back. I looked at pictures of a 80 land cruiser under one and thought it looked fugly so now I’m not sure I can do that to my LC. The mid80s early 90s F-250 look pretty decent. I think f-350 has Dana 60s front and back plenty to hold one of these I would think .

WOW that tundra doesn’t look good on there at all! I agree the Chevy looked good. My coworkers 88 F-250 single cab looks really good. I think a single cab looks better than extended or crew cabs.

Hahah I like this. Actually I have more spare time at the moment I just haven’t decided if I want to use that time turning wrenches again or hiking and dancing. I have a feeling that I will be inspecting the engine this weekend and determining if It’s in good enough shape to keep running.

Today my co-workers recommend I put the sunrader on my land cruiser. That would be attention getting but I'm not sure I want that much of a project. Actually I'm not sure I even want to flatbed it after torturing myself for the past 24 hours. It looks like mounting it on the 80 would require moving the rear axle back and perhaps converting to leaf springs. If I didn't want to use this camper so much then perhaps I would consider that.

Hey Linda! Thanks for posting the Chevy conversion pic! I’ve been curious if I need a 1 ton or if a Chevy 3/4 will work. The bed payload of the old F-250 is about the same as a newer f-150. 10th gen f-150s look like a ugly Taurus and seem to be cheap with the 4.6 V8 however the payload is only 2k lbs. but the IFS would prevent me from going large tires and would handle better on the road. My coworker still has the gantry he built to remove the shell. After talking with the girl friend and thinking about this all last night I might start by pulling the head and seeing if it’s a cheap head gasket fix or if it needs a new head. If it’s a cheap fix I’m willing to do the head gasket. If it’s not then possibly swap in the 22RE I have. We really want to use this because the camper is in really good shape! And I work for Earth Cruiser. Fiberglass RVs and campers built for exploring just like the sunrader!

Hahaha Actually when my co-worker bought his Sunrader he was contemplating a 4x4 conversion. I had a pair of factory Land cruiser axles however I just sold them. Also the current cab/chassis has rust issues from being on the Oregon coast. I guess I do have the 94 cab but then I would have to figure out the frame and it's a shorter wheelbase. He put his on a similar year F-250 and I think It looks really good! I have to be careful though because If I put it on a big diesel I will be tempted to do gears and 40's. And the point of this camper isn't to replace our offload vehicles. However 4x4 is almost a necessity to go camp where we do in rural Oregon. Honestly if just had 31's maybe 33's for snow wheeling and 4 wheel drive and could get 15 mpg that would be perfect!

Hello Toyota motorhomes! I'm the proud new owner of the above mentioned Rader. My girlfriend and I are both Toyota fans owning 4 now. my DD is a94 pickup 22RE, 2wd 5speed. Hers is a 2015 4runner and then we have a 94 Land Cruiser that doesn't get driven much anymore. After a year of working for a company that builds campers and contemplating on building my own or converting the Land Cruiser into a pop top or a camper I've decided it would be better to just buy a Sunrader. Unfortunately to get a good deal on it I had to find one that has a blown head gasket. And now I'm not sure what path I should take The options I see are A- rebuild the current 22R. B- replace the 22R with the 22RE out of my pickup/ then possibly put the 22R in the pickup after fixing it. Or just part out the pickup and engine. I'm not overly attached to the pickup C- copy my co-worker and transplant the camper onto an older F-250. Or I think a 1997-2003 F-150 would work. I like all the options for different reasons A-is the cheapest/quickest B-is a better engine that I know and trust and C-is what I truly want which is a 4x4 camper. Being that my co-worker has already done a swap and we work for a company that builds campers the resources are there it's more a matter of time. I look forward to your comments and suggestions and hope that I can make a decision soon so I can use this beautiful camper! Cheers, Joe