Ernie B

Howdy friends! On our trip to Mexico last winter the Sunrader ran great with almost no issues until the last day of our 3ish month trip when part of the exhaust pipe rusted through and broke. The whole exhaust system is pretty rusty and it looks like it wouldn't be a bad idea to just replace the whole thing. I'm curious if anyone has replaced their exhaust system and knows whether it is a stock Toyota Pickup system or if it was customized to fit the motorhome. It seems within my abilities to replace the exhaust system if I can get my hands on the right parts, if not it might be best just to take it to a muffler/auto shop and see what they say about it? My only hesitation with that is there isn't a good shop very nearby and I won't have time to bring it in any time soon. Any experience, advice or input is welcomed and appreciated. Cheers! -Ernie

Got the wheel/tire! Thanks mpanzar!

Sounds like a great option, thanks so much mpanzar! I’ll send you a message and we’ll figure something out.

Great, thank you both! We will give the spot in Texas a call. Mpanzar, shipping from Seattle doesn’t sound ideal, but if it comes to that we will definitely keep you in mind. Much appreciated! How hard is it to find just the tire? I know there is the option of rolling on three tires in the back until you can get to a shop, but what do you think the odds are that a tire shop in Baja could get the correct size tire? Just weighing our options.

Howdy Yotahome folk, I’m searching for info on getting a spare rear wheel/ tire for our 86’ Sunrader. 6 lug full float axle. How hard are these to find? We are planning on heading to Mexico for a few months and thought it would be a good idea to have a spare for the front (5 lug, which we already have) as well as one for the rear. Any thoughts, ideas, advice, or spare wheels that people have laying around are greatly appreciated! Cheers! Ernie

Hey there Toyhome people, Looking for recommendations on a good mechanic around the Moab, UT or Southern Colorado area for our 86’ Sunrader. Just looking to get an overall inspection before heading down to Baja this fall. Anyone know somebody? Thanks in advance! -Ernie

They’re looking pretty rough but they might still be salvageable! I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for the tips!

Howdy! I am trying to find the correct replacement outer gasket for the front overcab plexi windows on my 86 Sunrader. As shown in the pictures, it is the rubber gasket that goes between the outer window and window frame. The gaskets are separating from the frame in the corner and the previous owner tried to remedy this by covering them in a ton of some kind of sealant. I’m hoping to fix his “fix”. Thanks in advance!

Great thanks for the help everyone! Got it sealed up and seems to be watertight so far!

Aaaaaand I just realized this was from 2013.... 🤦‍♂️ haha. Still looking for a ladder for an 86 Sunrader if anyone has one lying around!

Hi brp, I’m interested in the ladder (if it has one) and maybe the tool box! Any chance you have any pictures? Unfortunately I’m out in Moab, Utah. But maybe we could figure something out. Thanks!

Hi, our ac unit on our 87 Sunrader has been leaking. It’s the original Coleman Mach unit. I am about to replace the gasket on the unit and I’m wondering if it would be best just to use the replacement gasket or to try putting a strip of butyl tape on the gasket that goes around the 14x14 opening before reinstalling. I’m hoping to get it done this evening, any input is appreciated! Thanks!

Linda, the gas vent line is the one at the top of the photo. Someone replaced it with a copper pipe that had a big downward bend in it. I cut out the bend and extended the rubber hose to make a more direct “downhill” line to the tank. The other line in the photo is a propane line that isn’t currently hooked up to anything. Would have taken me forever to figure out this solution without digging through these forums!

Hey there! Me and my partner picked up an 86 Sunrader (21 footer) about a month ago up in Driggs, Idaho that had been gutted and partially rebuilt. We drove it down to Denver and realized that the transmission was having some issues so after about 2 weeks and lots of $ dumped into it, we got it down to Southern Colorado with a rebuilt transmission. We spent the last couple weeks doing some improvements on it and are finally going to hit the road tomorrow heading south through New Mexico to Texas for the next couple months. Here’s a few photos and a list of some of the improvements we’ve done so far. -fixed sag in gas vent line (and hopefully fixed our gas filling issue, not fully tested yet) -changed rear diff oil -fixed sketchy isolator wiring -replaced front rotors, pads, bearings and seals -finished the mostly done cedar paneling - made curtains/ insulated coverings for windows - built a cup holder - new seat covers -new wood lower door panels -installed sink -built out mtn bike storage area There are about a million other projects on the list but for now we’re callin it good and gettin er out on the road! This website is an absolute wealth of knowledge and everyone’s input is so appreciated! Couldn’t imagine trying to do this without this resource. We’re stoked to join the Toyhome club! She doesn’t have a name yet but I’m sure she will by the end of the trip. Here’s some pics! Cheers!

Awesome, thanks for that info! Lookin like I probably won’t get around to that project any time soon but I’ll keep this in mind when I do.

Hi wonderful Toyhome people, I recently picked up an 86 Sunrader with a 1 ton full float axle and have been doing a little work on it before hitting the road. I just ordered brake rotors, pads, bearings and seals from Rock Auto for the front end. As I was replacing the pads I realized I had messed up. The pads were too small and the rotors fit on fine but look like they are also too small for the pads. I ordered the 1/2 ton pads and rotors and realized I need the 1 ton ( I think). I found these parts on rock auto and just want to verify that they are the right parts before messing up my order again. I’ll add pictures of the old pads and rotors and the new ones w/ part #s from rock auto. Also, the pads don’t say that they include new hardware so if anyone has ordered these pads before, do you usually reuse the old hardware or order new? (Part number for that?) Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Nice, thanks! Any idea what the material was called or how to find it on their website? I'm checking out their website and it is a little confusing.

Hi JaySam, I recently picked up an 86 Sunrader that has been stripped and partially rebuilt. My girlfriend and I are doing some basic renovations before hitting the road for the next couple months. I was wondering what you used for ceiling panelling. We have cedar paneling installed on the majority of the ceiling but noticed that the area above the cabover isn't insulated like the rest of the ceiling is. The only thing I've thought of so far is to put furring strips across the ceiling, put in some insulation then nail more cedar planks to the furring strips but we would lose a decent amount of headroom doing this (a couple inches). Just wondering what material you used, if it is insulated, and if you did anything different for the cabover area than for the rest of the ceiling? Your whole build looks great by the way! I'm definitely drawing a lot of inspiration from it for future projects! Thanks so much! Cheers!