djstory

1984 Dolphin, 4cyl 4sp. I drove coast to coast (8,000 miles) and back this summer with my wife and 4 kids in it. In the mountains, we got as low as 12. But on the flats or moderate hills we got as high as 22. I would say we averaged around 18. We usually drove 60-65. Don www.ShapeNRace.com- discount pricing on pinewood derby car kits

Hi All, I took my 84 Dolphin on a 64 day, 8,000 mile trip this summer and it performed beautifully. Actually, my wife drove it most of the time as I was riding my bicycle from coast-to-coast. The motorhome was awesome, it was a comfortable home to our family of 6 and had no mechanical issues at all. But I got home, parked it for a month, and then tried to start it to move it- no start. I was able to eventually jump it, but only after leaving the cables hooked up for a while. Now another month has gone by and I can't jump it at all. Any ideas on what could be wrong? I am not mechanically inclined, but it seems if it were a bad battery I would have had some issues during our trip. It sat for quite a while before our trip too and always started pretty easily. Can a battery just up and quit like that or is there likely some other electrical issue? I wanted to check on this list before going out and spending the money on a new battery. Thanks Don

We had an access panel door for our 1984 Toyota Dolphin disappear somewhere along the way. It is the access panel on the outside of the motorhome for the refridgerator. Do y'all have any suggestions as to where I might find one of those? Thanks for your help/advice. Don in WA State

I have a 1984 Dolphin (4 cyl 4 speed manual) and just finished a 8,000+ mile trip across the country and back. We averaged about 17mpg, got as low as 12mpg (due to hills, speed, and wind) and as high as 21mpg between fill-ups. We got better mileage when we kept the speed between 55 and 65. Our gas prices ranged from a high of about $5 per gallon (in Canada) to a low of $3.48 (in New Jersey). The power of the engine was adequate to most tasks. I was pretty darned impressed with it's performance. don

Okay, we are well on the way for our trip. We have covered about 1,200 miles so far and the Dolphin has been awesome. Our mileage has ranged from a low of about 10mpg while in the mountains of Montana to a high of 19mpg when the hills were minimal. The bicycle part of the trip has been great too. I ride a recumbent and it has performed flawlessly. That is until somebody rammed into it with their car and I am now stuck in Pierre, SD until it gets fixed. Check it out at : www.storybiketrip.info don

I will be riding a bicycle. I am planning on riding 6 days a week and average about 60-70 miles a day. It will end up being just about 3000 miles from Spokane to Washington DC, so somewhere around 50 days on the bike. We will then drive home over a new route so our kids can see as much of the country as possible. All the best, don

We are starting to prepare for our summer trip. We bought a 1984 Toyota Dolphin for the trip. It has 7,000 miles on a new engine with 87,000 original miles. Our family of six will drive from Spokane, WA to Washington D.C.. I will be riding my bike all the way and two of my kids will ride with me as much as they want. My amazing wife will drive the Dolphin, take care of the kids while I am on the bike, and have grub ready for me when I hit the pitstop for the night. Once we hit DC, the bike goes on the rack and we head up to New York. Then we head home. Our route is not completely planned yet, but we are having our 4 kids (13, 11, 9, 5) help in the planning. We will leave mid-June and be on the road until late-August. There are some big benefits to being a school teacher. All in all, it should be an epic adventure. Don

Hi all, My wife and I bought a 1984 Toyota Dolphin and are in the process of "updating" the interior. The brown shag carpeting is gone, all the pads are getting new coverings, the wood paneling is getting painted. But I am having trouble getting the silly door panels off the cab interior. I have all the screws out and the tabs popped, but the window lever won't let loose. I thought I would ask the list if there are any tricks before I accidentally broke the thing by horsing on it too hard. Thanks for your help. Don

Two good questions Kaya. The current owner said that the previous owner wasn't watching the temperature gauge and overheated the motor. Which makes me wonder if the overheating problem has been fixed. I haven't asked about the clutch, but will remember to do so tomorrow. How much does a new clutch cost?

Hi, I am going to look at a 1984 Toyota Dolphin tomorrow. 22r engine with a 4 speed stick. It has 7,000 miles on a new motor, updated rear axle, almost new tires, supposedly all working appliances (furnace, stove, roof AC, etc), and looks to be in pretty good condition. The owner winterizes very carefully and seems to have maintained the rig pretty well. There has been some leaking in the cabover, but he said it was fixed a couple years ago. There was no wood damage and it hasn't leaked since. He is asking $3.200. I know this isn't a lot to go on, but does it sound like the price is in the ballpark if it is as he says? We are planning a 8,500 cross-country trip during the summer of 2008 and this little rig would be our trusty steed and home away from home. Thanks for the feedback. Don