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.

A much easier and less expensive option is an EZ Up canopy. It stows in it's own bag easily inside, doesn't require drilling more holes into the coach and will probably save you $500+ compared to buying an awning that mounts. I use one and it works quite easily. Link to some here: http://tinyurl.com/4hscz8p

Thanks for the tips. Now that I think of it, there is a double throw switch that I didn't know what is for...maybe it's just that. I will have to tinker with it.

Wondering how difficult it may be to switch the radio/CD player to run off the coach battery instead of the engine battery. I have a great sound system now, but would prefer to have it hooked to the coach battery, so as to not drain the engine battery when parked. The previous owner had done this in my Dolphin. Wondering if anyone else has and what may be involved? Thanks!

I think the deposit is the best way to hold something. When I sold my Dolphin, I had so much interest in it and people wanting to fly in from all over. Lots turned out to be flakes/no-shows, so it really does come down to (as a seller) first come with cash, first served. If you're patient, a Sunrader will show up -- but they get bought even more quickly than the others, it seems. A 21'er is really not all that much bigger, so you may find something else you like as well. In fact, my '21 foot' Dolphin was actually just shy of 20 feet, bumper to bumper.

I agree with going for a 1 piece platform/mattress. We did this when re-building the upper bunk on my Nova Star. I got a 4 or 6" memory foam topper (can't remember how thick now) which is really comfortable. Can see some pics here of mine. Now I don't remember how thick the plywood we used is, either... http://tinyurl.com/4gl68va

Looks like you got a DEAL! Have fun tinkering with your new Toy.

I installed 6 RA08 tires on my rig last summer from Discount/America's Tire Co. For quicker results, you just need to call your local Discount Shop and tell them what you've found, then they'll beat/match the price. Sometimes they want a printout of the website you found, sometimes not. This is the 2nd set I've purchased from them and I've always had good service.

Where are you located? Tacoma, WA I'd guess from your name? What's your budget and are you only looking for a Sunrader?

My shop did an exhaust manifold, 02 sensor and everything new from the cat back for somewhere around $500. They rerouted it out the side behind the tires, as the old one was mounted close to the holding tanks (which i wouldn't want to melt!) and out the back (too many bends). They also used a little bigger tailpipe, which helps a bit with airflow. Sounds a bit 'beefier', as much as a little 4 banger pushing 5k pounds can be!

And the ECU is located on the right passenger side (kick panel). At least it is in my 87 22re. After many tests, my mechanic finally figured out that mine was shot. There are a lot of other things to check first, which I'm sure others will be able to give more advice on.