Seattleguy

I see from another of your posts you may be in Salem, OR. My mechanic is in Woodburn, OR (~17 miles). They did master cylinders/brakes, complete exhaust/manifold, timing chain, and a lot of other work on my Toy (and our cars for years). I'd highly recommend taking it to them - they generally don't charge a diagnostic fee and do great work. And join AAA if you haven't already - worth it for the towing! I had to have mine towed 3x when I first got it - one was 98 miles and would have been $900 if I didn't have AAA RV Plus. Woodburn Automotive Repair Center 555 North Pacific Highway, Woodburn, OR 97071 (503) 981-8247 ‎ Patrick

Stopping the source of the leak should be the main priority. My Nova Star had a leaky front window which rotted out the upper bunk area. After I had the front window completely fiberglassed over, my brother re-built it for me. Mine also has the aluminum framing so there wasn't structural damage. Once you stop the leaks perhaps you could cut a new piece of plywood to lay over the existing bunk in the meantime. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/1055838023/pic/257709231/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc

Depending on when it is, I may be able to swing it. August is looking better than July.

I have an 87 Nova Star. They really are great, top quality rigs. The front overhead window had leaked in mine, so I fiberglassed it over and re-built the upper bunk. Even with all that water damage and rot, there was no structural damage. Here's some pics of mine: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-campers/photos/album/1055838023/pic/list

Mine was like that too...it had 2 bends to get out to the rear of the coach. And then the previous owner must have bumped into it with something cuz it was bent again at the back! When I had the exhaust done from the CAT back, my muffler shop re-routed it out the side instead of all the way to the back.

It's all about supply and demand and what people are willing to pay. Last week a really nice 86 18 footer with only 54k miles sold for $4950 (about 2 hrs south of Seattle).

Some RV places offer beginner courses for new owners--they'll spend an hour or two walking you thru things...that may be worth looking into. Anything over 60 in any Toyhome will significantly cut your MPG. Average really depends on how loaded it is, road terrain, hills, headwind, etc. I usually stay around 60mph, but my Nova Star has no problem getting up to 70 to pass on the flats. Up a mountain pass it's downshifted and around 45mph climbing uphill. Slow and steady...

Yes, you've done a great job with yours Waiter! My Nova Star weighed in at 4400lbs. No generator or roof AC, 1/2 tank gas, other tanks empty. Otherwise loaded w/dishes, chairs, ez-up shade, & everything else that's kept in there. Maybe lighter since no beer/wine on board. Ha Ha

I think I paid around $200 to have mine fiberglassed over. Probably could have figured out how to do it myself, but time vs money and didn't have the time to do it then. I recall getting great advice on how to fiberglass it yourself previously. There are some good how-to videos on youtube as well (if you want to go that route).

Previous owner had originally replaced the front window glass with fiberglass on mine, but it still leaked around the frame. I had them fiberglass over from the back side, so it still retains the 'faux' window look from the outside. Painted black on the outside to look like dark limo tint.

Nice! Good riddance. I also had my front window fiberglassed over by a boat guy and don't miss it one bit.

Unfortunately, I've no recommendations, but check out this site that someone else has blogged about thier Dolphin. Should give you a good idea of what may be involved: http://toyota-dolphin.blogspot.com/ I had extensive water damage in my Nova Star as well, but luckily it's got a fiberglass shell, so no structural damage was done. Luckily my brother is a contractor and could help me re-build it. Many people here and on the yahoo Toyota MH groups have done it. I'm sure others will chime in, too.

Wow, this is an old thread - I ended up buying a different 85 Dolphin (since been sold). And now on to my 2nd toy! There are also lots of files/manuals/brochures on the yahoo toyota campers site.

Looks great!

Another thought would be the type of awnings used on tent trailers. I seem to recall from my previous pop up trailer, there was a rail that the 'bag awning' mounted to. I know those are typically less than box types, so that may be something to consider as well.