shandamac
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Posts posted by shandamac
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Hey T-Dude,
I've heard that most Wal-Marts are very accomodating to RVers. It's possible, if you just slip in a back spot to snooze, you won't get any grief. (Sadie and I dry docked in a hospital parking lot for almost the entire month of February, and nobody said anything.) I bet if you're not planning on hooking up or dumping, you can park just about anywhere.
Please let us know how your holiday goes.
Shanda
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Too much fun!
Sadie'll be gettin' a K&N air filter and a dose or two of injector cleaner a.s.a.p.
Have there been any discussions on 100% gas vs 10% Ethanol? If so, please point me to the posts.
I try to buy only 100%, and she seems run smoother. She might even get a few more miles per gallon too.
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Hi Andy and Nellie,
You're in the right place for Toy Motorhome info. Take your time reading over past posts. (I don't know where Sadie and I would be had it not been for the support and info found on this forum.)
Wishing you all the best, and looking forward to your travel posts.
Shanda
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Happy Travels Lance!!!! Looking forward to the road trip re-cap.
Shanda
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Love it!!!
We have an 85 'Rader' and may follow a similar path. Well done!!
Happy Travels!
James and Jane
Thank you J&J,
I had so much fun painting Sadie. I researched many rolling homes, peddler wagons, roma vardos and painted busses over the last year. I still had no idea how I was going to paint my Sunrader, until I drove her to a rock hunt last month. The flowers are my rendition of the Indian Blankets that grow all along the roadways here in central Oklahoma in early Summer. The orange spirals represent wind, movement and meditation; the yellow dots and spirals, the sun. I like to think we're driving through a field of those flowers....like a girl in a gunne sax dress running through a field of daisies.
Sadie's the first thing I see when I walk out the door on my way to work, and she makes me smile. I'm even happier to drive her....anywhere.
Safe and happy travels to you too!
shanda
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Hi Hawkeye,
Welcome to the forum! You are going to enjoy reading past posts and learning all kinds of things about your new toy.
You're in the same boat I was. I'd never stepped foot in an RV before I bought my little Sunrader last year. Now we're the best of friends. I've had so much fun fixin' her up. I've sealed windows, repaired leaks, replaced carpet, rebuilt a carburator, painted and primped.....all with the support and encouragement from members of this group. (Well, maybe with the exception of Sadie's recent exterior paint fiesta....my own little party with a paint brush....but nobody's said anything negative, and that's okay by me.)
Most member communication is in the General Discussion at the top of the topics list.
If you pop in there and say, "hi" and ask anything about your little Huntsman, you're bound get the answers your looking for. Also, parusing the past posts under all the categories might turn up some very valuable tips too.
Wishing you a fun and relaxing journey as you find your Toy "Happy Place."
shanda
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Howdy Toy Family,
So very neat to see all the new members. Welcome!!!!!
(This forum has been invaluable to me and my little Sunrader.)
Well, other than a few tweaks here and there....a good waxing, a new set of curtains, and a new set of wheel covers, Sadie is one happy little motorhome.
She's ready and I'm ready.
Come this fall she'll take me to overnight fiddling gigs and rock hunts.
Until then, she will take me shopping.
Thought I'd post a few pictures of her new look. There are more in my gallery.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous Summer.
and as always Safe travels!!!
shandamac
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The SkiBumMobile proved to be a wonderful base of operations. A warm, dry & cozy retreat from the storm.
Wow!
What a great read! It's reached the over 100F mark today, and doesn't look like letting up for a while.
PH, I've never experienced a winter with snows anywhere near your description. After reading your tips, I'm halfway tempted to. Sounds like great fun!!!
Somewhere I heard (most likely a past post on this forum) that creating an air barrier by taping (or velcro-ing) heavy gauge plastic sheeting around the base of the MH.....(in wide enough lengths that snow can be packed along the bottom to hold it down....like a reversed tipi liner) might help trap and hold in heat and deter outside air from cooling the floor. I imagine if you spend alot of time chasing snow, that velcro would be the best, and the plastic could be used over and over.
More snow stories please!!!!!!
Shanda and Sadie
Sizzlin' in Central Oklahoma
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Hi Kathy,
I'm not sure about replacement parts, but an auto paint store can mix you up any color under the sun!!! They have books of color chips, just like a Home Depot, only they deal specifially with auto enamel. A pint of auto paint goes a long. long way, and might cost you between $15 -$25 depending upon the color. (However, you may be able to get an auto body paint shop to squirt you out a small amount of a similar color .......something left over from a job and premixed).)
Of course, there's always good ol' Krylon or Rustoleum Spray paint, but color matching might be tricky.
Best Wishes.
shanda
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Hi Norm,
After clicking on the words: "Log in", you'll see a pink area right above the User Name and Password fields. In that area will be a link to help you if you've forgotton your password. Follow the instructions. If that doesn't work. Greg should be on soon to help you out.
Shanda
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John,
That's a lovely story. I bet KY was beautiful. What I love about our little toys, is that they allow us to take our time and really enjoy the scenery.
Thanks for sharing.
shanda
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Hi 2Wheels,
She's a charmer!!!!
What an amazing gift!
Keep us posted on your travels!
shanda
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CU,
How exciting! I can totally relate! Really looking forward to your pictures and posts!
Welcome to the family.
shanda
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NO.....Probably Not. YUP.....That's better.
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Stroker,
Can we have an update soon. We like 'during project' pics too.
shanda
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Greg,
70's Groove.....You're so right!!!!
Those are dew drops, not bubbles on the cab. That paint is good and stuck there. Yes...thanks for the tip on the fiberglass.....scrubby pad to start.....gel coat wax to finish....got it! I'll try to keep her clean and sealed, but I'm expecting the art to age gracefully over time. Like me.
Have a great day!
s
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Hi Toy Family and new members!!!!!!
A quick Sadie update since Jen the youngest is only alloting me 20 minutes. Snap! Whatever!!!
So....too busy for many road trips this Summer, Sadie and I are looking forward to the music festivals and workshops coming up this Fall.
We're gonna be ready!!!!!!
For months, I'd been mulling over ideas for decorating the outside of my little motorhome.
I also wanted to stay true to her 80's vibe. I drew a few pictures: brainstormed an idea or two, but nothing was "doing it" for me.
Until a few weeks ago, on a relatively cool Saturday, my oldest daughter, Gileigh and I took Sadie out rock hunting. We drove past dusty patches of red, rust and gold wild flowers towards the Sasakwa gravel pit to hunt for the deep red and rust Boley agates, and I had a vision. I think Sadie did too.
The following weeks, I sketched , went to the auto paint store, had few colors mixed up.....chili pepper red, tangerine, and sunburst yellow, and this last Saturday I started painting.
I'm attaching a link to a quick video from Sunday morning....
Sunrader...the ultimate canvas for folk art.
cut and paste this link in your url field.
Wishing you all a safe and happy Summer!!!!
shanda
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First of all.
Trish! Congratulations!!!! You have come to the right place to find answers to every and all question you might ever have regarding your new little toy. The guys and girls on this forum have been amazingly helpful to me and my little 81 Sunrader. You're also in for tons of fun!!!!
Please don't get frustrated. These babies are worth the the time and work we put into them.
Take one project at a time.
First thing I did, when I bought Sadie last May was to seal her windows. I removed them, cleaned the tracks and weep holes and applied fresh butyl tape I bought from O'Reilly's. (The black stuff they use to hold in windshields in cars)
(Paruse past posts. You'll find all answers there.)
I'm not familiar enough with the Granville, but several owners on this site have rebuilt the cab over bunks....they even have pictures...
Keep looking, you'll find them...
Sadie's window's had leaked pretty badly for several years while in the "care" of her previous owners.....
I had to rip out rotted paneling and backer cushions under her 3 main windows. I replaced the paneling, and painted it, and built new backer cushions .
After the windows and skylites were cleaned and sealed and the inside dried out, I mainly did cosmetic stuff....(paint hides alot of sins)....
Fabreezed the cushions. (they were halfway salvageable)....covered them with pretty fabric.....scented oil and potpourri in a basket on the counter top.....
Your can have your own little santuary, and you don't even have to leave the driveway if you don't want to.
Your positives.....good engine....good carpet...cold a/c...etc.... That's fantastic!
You can do this. Remember....one step at a time!!!!!!
Post some pictures and keep in touch!!!!
Shandaleigh
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A quick pop in to paruse the new entries and to say hello to new members and toy owners.
Hello!!!! By now you know you're on the right path.
Well, Sadie, (my little 81 Sundrader that I will have owned 1 year come next month....woo hoo!)
know holds an even more special place in my heart since January 31st. Early that morning,
my 18 year old daughter flipped her car after hitting a patch of ice, and had to be medi flighted to
the OU trauma center in OKC (about an hour drive from home). Her pelvis had been shattered and her leg almost torn off during
her partial ejection. The following hours of waiting while she underwent several surgeries to realign and stabilize her pelvis and reconnect
soft tissue were spent in much prayer and positive preparation for the upcoming ICU and Recovery weeks ahead. Gil was going to live.
There were no upper body, head, or spinal injuries. She was one blessed little girl, but she was also going to be in the hospital for
a while. All I knew is that we would need our little motorhome.
Garymac went home that night to pick up Sadie while I pulled an all nighter in the waiting room (a story in itself).
For 4 weeks Sadie stayed in the parking lot next to the emergency room entrance... Winterized and a tad chilly in the
evenings but still a place of sanctuary and solitude. Gary worked nights, so would come to the hospital in the morning, then used the motorhome to nap off and on during the day until I arrived after off work. Jen (our youngest) stayed at home with the animals and visited on weekends. Friends and family supplied plenty of food to stock Sadie's fridge and cupboards, and I slept in the motorhome at night until Gil was finally moved out of ICU and I was allowed to stay in her room in the evenings. During that time, friends and family who came to visit Gil were treated to coffee and sometimes meals in the motorhome. Several local friends requested that we use thier homes.... and "warm beds" during Gil's stay at OU, but we had Sadie. She was perfect... and even though I hadn't purchased a generator yet, and was no where near an electricity source, my little LED camp lights were adequate for lighting, and a quick run on the propane stove would warm the camper enough to get snuggled under my down and wool bedding. One night it got below freezing...middle 20F's.....a tip from a friend who used to live in his truck camper (which he'd learned from a homeless man)......heavy guage plastic!.....
I layed a sheet of it on the mattress, under a wool blanket and my down sleeping bag on top of that, then wrapped the blanket over the sleeping bag, and the plastic over that......It got hot!....... Well, to make a long story short. 4 weeks later, Sadie made the treck back home, and after a month and half of physical therapy here at our local facility, Gil is now walking...yeah....and talking of becoming a physical therapist herself . Every day is precious!
For Sadie's next tour of duty, I am joining our community rock hound club. Not only will she be taking me to upcoming fiddle gigs, but will also join me on the hunt for local agate and rose rocks.....or maybe just sand stone.
DeWinterization Begins!!!!!
Have the most wonderful and prosperous of Summers Toy Family.
shanda
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Kirby!
Congratulations! She's beautiful!!!
Toyotasalvage.com in Phoenix is where I found the one ton 6 lug rearend for Sadie, my little 18ft '81 Rader. Had a local axle guy do the swap.
If you can, when you're pricing the 1 ton rearend, make sure you have them figure in the brake lines and sway bar. (At the time, I didn't know that the old sway bar would be too short for the new rearend) Even though I feel the 1 ton rearened w/o the sway bar is much, much sturdier than the lighter rearend with a sway bar was, I wish I'd thought about it at the time. I just opted to leave it off instead of having to pay another set of shipping charges... Still very happy....and in Oklahoma straightline winds too.
A leaking skylite over the wet head softened Sadie's roof just enough that I wouldn't trust it to walk on either, however, I have seen some impressive carrier racks fabricated by other toy owners on this forum....just keep on the lookout.
I'm looking forward to hearing your up and coming Toy Stories.....
safe travels,
shanda
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Oh Wow! Robert and Mrs! Your toy looks beautiful! Perfect!!!! Thanks for keeping us posted.
shanda
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Hi Georgek,
Welcome to the forum! I have an 81 sunrader too! I can empathize with you on the seats. Sadie's are a little mushy, but there are no springs poking through, so I just imagine I'm sitting on "cloud 9" while I'm driving her.
I do like the idea of the memory foam cushion.Let's see some pictures!!!
shanda
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Adel,
Please keep us posted!!!!! Would love to hear about your toy travels.
Safe Journey.
shanda
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Hey Jots,
I've kinda been out of the loop for a while too. Glad we're both back.
I'm all for fun. I wouldn't worry one little bit about resale; not having to pitch a tent, no guy lines, or crouching, or leaky tarps...minimal loading and unloading.....your own toilet and shower....and you can set up anywhere.....!!!! Perfect!!!
Reading through the past posts is helping me with my toy withdrawals. (Sadie's winterized and we can't go anywhere.) Once in a while, I'll just pop inside to encourage her....., "Spring's just around the corner. Keep yer chin up 'ol girl." <sigh>
How was your drive in the snow!?!?!
shanda
NO.....Probably Not.
I do like the idea of the memory foam cushion.
Washington Island and Rock Island Wisconsin
in Trip Reports
Posted
Ah Dennis!!!!
Great photos! Beautiful Family, Beautiful Dog, Beautiful motorhome!!!!!
Love the Sunset!
shanda