canadasunrader

Thanks Linda. I will pass on to the sew master in the family.

I'm finally getting around to making some curtains for the cabover in our 21' Sunrader. And for the life of me I can't find a link to the attachments/hooks I need to attach the curtains to the original curtain rod that surrounds the space. It looks like it is very specific. Can anyone help? Thank you!!

Jay. You have come so far. Looking so good. Have you been doing any trips? What is left to do? Rick

I'm in Victoria, and happy to have a look if you are ever over on the island. I've spent the last year + restoring my 21ft Sunrader. Rick

Is the "Custom Auto Carpet" something you ordered online?

Further information here on my experience installing a Chinese Diesel Heater in my Sunrader. I am no expert. I barely get my pants on the right way in the morning. But having read a lot about these heaters - and watching all of Aussie John's comprehensive videos - I am managing to get somewhere. Here are a couple of photos so far. I am nearly ready to turn it on, but I still have a few more things to do. Just purchased a 5kw version on ebay from Warmtoo. I am placing it underneath in a space that was previously an outside cabinet for propane. Removed the cabinet. Fiberglassed the void on the outside, so it's a nice, protected space for the heater. Here are a few pictures so far. Not finished yet. As you can see the fuel filter and pump are not secured yet..... A few thoughts: Warmtoo was about as helpful as a wet tissue. I tried to ask about components and differences in the LCD units and remotes before buying, but no help offered. You get what is in the box, and if you don't like it, too bad, return it if you want. I'm not sure why someone doesn't create a business for themselves using these CDHs? Buy the base components from China and then upgrade all the cheap, no good parts that ship with them from sellers on ebay. I must say from someone who is going through this right now as I install, it would have made a huge difference to me to simply buy a pre-tested heater with all the top quality accessory parts already included in the box. Most auto and hardware supply stores I have visited in the last few weeks do not have a clue as to what we need or why. And quite often these dudes are snarky. Ask a stupid question? Get attitude. Not helpful. It is a right pain in the behind to try and find locally the correct fuel line, the rubber fuel line, the fuel filter, the correct clamps, the air intake line, the air intake filter, the exhaust line, the exhaust muffler.... etc etc. As well, how about good, solid information and options with control panels and remotes.... before purchasing?? I replaced the soft fuel line with a hard one I tracked down at Home Depot. And FYI the rubber hose in the photo is just an outside cover that I created to go over the hard fuel line. It just sits on top as protection. I also tracked down a mushroom style air intake filter that is used on motorcycles. The screen on the cheap plastic one provided is crap, and it's ability to properly "filter" is um questionable. I placed the heater inside a tool box to protect it and then bolted it to the floor above. It's solid. I cut a hole in the intake side of the box and put a 4" metal screen in there to help with fresh intake. The fuel tank is directly above inside a cabinet inside the rig. I added a fuel shut off valve between the tank and the filter. I used heat/fire rated spray foam to seal all the holes in the floor. My last issue is Magivering the exhaust pipe into a good place pointing down and out the side. Onward and upward.

The furnace in my 1986 Sunrader was toast when I got him. Didn't want to replace with propane as there is far too much condensation with propane. We have enough problems with condensation in our homes and I want dry heat. So I bought a Chinese knock off of the original Eberspacher diesel parking heater. There are two original ones you can buy with an overall better build than the knock off, but the price - $2K+ - is ridiculous. I bought my Chinese one from a warehouse in the US for $109 with free ship. I've read myriad reviews online. And, yes, there are those that claim the Chinese models will end all your future happiness, but there are also those that swear by them. If you are looking for a great heater and have oodles of cash, then by all means get the original Webasto or Eberspacher diesel heater and have someone install it for you. It will be excellent. However, if you are like most of us, and simply trying to make it all work on a budget, then I highly recommend having a look at the Chinese ones. Before you do, there is an excellent overall series of videos here that explains how they work, how to best install the heater, and how to maintain them. John has many years experience with these heaters and his videos are a lifesaver. Nothing better than someone who knows what they are talking about and is willing to share.

Just following your lead....

Getting somewhere with the front cabover. Final coat of paint coming and then drapes....

Thank you, Linda. Much appreciated. I will keep you posted on progress.:)

Can someone please let me know how this curvy curtain rod works in the cabover of our 1986 Sunrader? I'm ready to reinstall now and although it was originally screwed in place, and the placement is fairly obvious, mine never had any curtains or additional hardware so I am unsure of how this system is designed to work and what else I have to get. Thanks so much, in advance, Rick

Very nice, Jay. Love the before and after. Seems like a lifetime ago we began this crazy Sunrader process. And apologies I am late in replying. I know what you mean that the to-do list only grows as you move inside. I am nearly finished outside. Painted the fiberglass, and still needs a bit of touch up here and there. And finally moving along with electrical. In the process of getting all the parts together, then install. This 22RE has always gone through quite a bit of oil, and that is concerning. This we need to address soon. Why did you decide to place your solar panel on the side rather than up front? We have done a few trips now, and loving the Sunrader more and more each time out. Often we are with friends who are car camping/tenting and they all are rethinking their original thoughts on vanlife/RVs. We don't love the bed up front [awfully tight] so we have been using the bed over the dinette. It is a bit of a pain to put up and down, but using the front area for storage etc works well. It has been so valuable to travel without the inside completely finished. It has given us more ideas of exactly what we want, and don't want.

Thanks Linda. Obviously I know absolutely nothing about electrical. I am just now pricing out my solar plan for the Sunrader and am comparing the pure wave with the modified. Price is double. And reading about the modified, the concern is appliances etc with a motor. I don't have a fridge, microwave or AC so I am probably going with the inexpensive inverter [for now]. What your saying is that the heater can just run off the house battery? Rick

It's this one. Yes 12V. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/5KW-5000W-12V-Air-diesel-Fuel-Heater-For-Car-Truck-Motor-home-Boat-Bus-Van/123873442686?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Dca7bc4f3f3ad4bb0a786fe11a810a407%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D264401202678%26itm%3D123873442686%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26brand%3DVevor&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Aa3f1d3e3-0596-11eb-86f5-fa40414076b4|parentrq%3Aef52bfee1740ac3d2e826894ffe7808d|iid%3A1

Will a modified power inverter be enough for my Chinese diesel heater, or do I have to have pure sine wave? Will a modified inverter overheat the motor in this little heater, or will it be just fine?

Thanks you two. I will do those things. I have had two separate compression tests done and compression came back very good. Which has always been encouraging and why we have continued working away on him.

I spent the last six months working on inside and outside improvements to our 21' 1986 Sunrader. It has been a long strange, and fun, journey so far. After taking a few trips we are hoping to improve the 22Re motor somewhat. We knew when we bought him that there is an issue with oil consumption. Ha!! We are using more than a litre of oil per tank of fuel. Not burning blue, or seeing anything when driving. And the oil is not leaking per se onto the ground. I am not a mechanic, but I am assuming this is a seal issue. Can anybody recommend what we should do? Thanks. Rick

Beauty. I love the garage and all the various sized storage compartments.

Thanks you Tundrader. Great find. On another note: is there a link somewhere here on how you put your 88 onto your Tundra? Did you do this conversion? EDIT: I took a trip through your insta page and got a good look from beginning to now. Nice project. Really looks nice.

Build your own safe. I built one in our previous van, and just finished a new one in our Sunrader. You can do this easily and put it anywhere you like. Mine is a simple box three sides made from 5/8 ply screwed onto a basic frame. The open side where the door goes is a piece of 16 gauge cold rolled steel. At the bottom of this sheet of steel I glued a long hinge and then glued and screwed that hinge down into the frame. The top of this door butts up against a piece of angle iron steel that is screwed/glued into the top of the frame. I drilled a hole in this angle iron and bolted on an eye bolt. Then you drill out an elongated hole in the sheet of steel so the eye bolt comes through when the door is closed. You can then add whatever lock you want. I also welded on a lock cover so no one can access the lock with a grinder. All of this can be done for well under $100. Mine is 2 feet x 2 feet x 2 feet. I lined it with board insulation. It's a perfect place to store computers, electronics, cameras etc etc. And.... just so you know. This is in no way 100% safe. What it does is it stops those who only have time for a quick smash and grab. It will not stop someone with tools and time. But most break and enters are only after something they can quickly grab. I also built two smaller "safes" into my cabinets that have fake electrical outlet covers on them. This holds important paperwork, passports, wallets, phones etc that I can quickly store and feel good that they won't be found. First photo is of the van safe. Second is the Sunrader we are working on..... safe is lower right. That white thing is a magnet on the lock cover.

Hey Jay. How goes the progress?

Hey Blake. I just spent the last six months gutting and rebuilding a Sunrader. On the bright side you now have an open book. Exciting to be able to envision exactly what you want. Before you begin just make sure the motor/trans are good. Otherwise, before you know it you are going to have a beautiful custom built motorhome you can be proud of. Rick

Thanks. Tires are good. Spring bushings are the issue. Will get to it some day...

We bought our 21' 1986 Sunrader in California at the end of December. It has 85,000 mi. It was a steal at less than $3K, but had suffered from neglect and a large tree branch that crashed right through the roof in a few places. I bought it from a trailer rebuilder who repaired the roof. He had it up and running, barely. And then gave up on it. My plan was to spend a few months and a bare bones budget restoring it. This turned into six months of hard work. And it continues. With it came big challenges and an interesting learning curve. The members here on the forum have been invaluable, and I am so grateful you exist. In early July we set a date and rushed to get Big Juan ready for a trip up over the Rockies to visit friends and family. We are back home now. A few reflections. The mountains were difficult, but not impossible. Not sure I would do that again. May just stay closer to home and not travel over moutain passes in future. Juan is not visibly burning oil, but went through a good amount of oil. Looks like we need some work on the top end of the motor. I replaced all shocks and steering stabilizer, but he is still a bit rough. Probably needs work on springs and maybe install some air bags at some point. Otherwise, he ran very well, with no sign of overheating despite hot weather. We always travelled either early or late and avoided the mid day. Our goal was to avoid campgrounds that are all chock full. We spent our days on the road in parks near lakes and rivers. And then parked and slept at pullouts and safe spots we prescouted. No one bothered us. In fact, we mostly had a lot of folks gawking at Juan as they had never seen anything like him. I knew that the Sunrader was a rare bird in western Canada, but didn't realize just how rare. Overall, the two of us had a great time. We cooked all our meals outside on a camp stove. We don't have a house battery yet, so no power. We used a double cooler system with ice and nothing spoiled. Seems like refridgeration will be one of the biggest issues camping forward. I am still working on the exterior. The tree branch caused a lot of damage to the shell. I am nearly ready for paint. It won't ever be perfect, but will be nice to 'finish.' And it was nice to travel in him without the interior being completed as we learned a lot about trailer life and flow. It was hot so we converted the rear dinette into a large bed and enjoy sleeping there as opposed to the overcab bed which can be tight for two. Anyway..... just wanted to check in and again say thank you to everyone here. Onward and upward. Rick

I have a similar problem, Tom. I have a 1986 21 Sunrader. It doesn't have a proper gas cap. Instead, it has what looks two be a radiator cap on it. Would like to eventually get the right one. Rick