YVR

I heartily second Wayne and Irene's comments above. It certainly is time for a Rally / Toy In on the West Coast

Hi Folks, Just to let you know that we won't be stopping by this year. Number 1, I sold the Toy, and number 2, I just booked us on a cruise to Iceland and Greenland in that time period. We hope all attendees have a great time at Nanaimo. We'll try to attend next year, but it most likely will not be in a Toyota - hope that's ok. Ron & Rose

With the shorter days, and cooler evenings, perhaps the folks who live closer to the campground could bring some firewood. There's nothing like good conversation around a nice fire. For sure I'll be bringing wood from the mainland. Together we should have enough wood for a couple of nights. YVR

It appears that another couple of Toys and their proud owners will be attending. Referencing PM's that we've received. YVR

Hello to all those attending the 4th annual Toy In at the Living Forest Naniamo September 5th and 6th. We have booked site 211 for the Friday & Saturday. I did note that all the view sites adjacent to the shelter are reserved. Like Wayne mentioned it's probably a good idea to pick a site (much) sooner rather than later. Like the other attendees we're looking forward to meeting all the Toyota Motorhome owners. For those who are contemplating attending this Toy In, it will not disappoint. Here's the link: http://www.livingforest.com/cmaster/vacancy01all.html Ron & Rose

Hello Toy Oficiando's For us the new dates of the 5th and 6th of September will work out just fine. We usually have the Toy on the road during September as the weather is usually very nice, and the campsites everywhere are not crowded. Thanks very much Wayne for organizing this annual outing - it is appreciated. Ron & Rose

Hello Toy Owners. Wayne has always done such a great job organizing the Van Isle Toy In, and we certainly appreciate his efforts. As for us Wayne, just pick a date and most likely we will be able to make it. Ron & Rose

We want to thank Wayne & Irene and their friends Les & Fran, for an outstanding job of setting up the 2013 Vancouver Island Toy In. It was a geat event, and for sure we'll be looking forward to the 2014 Van Isl Toy In. Thanks again, R & R

That's terrible news! But in looking at the photo's I would be asking the guy - what really happened? The first photo's show no fire near the bumper, and flames are originating from the house portion of the vehicle. It isn't until the 3rd picture that the bumper area is involved. Also it appears the vehicle is on the side of the road, not in a work area where someone is welding a box onto a vehicle. Maybe your mechanic isn't telling you the whole story!

Regarding your roof issue. Like waiter in response #3 says, the ultra best way is to remove the trim piece and replace the tape underneath. However like you, I only wish to apply an external sealant to those seams. Eighteen months ago It was suggested to me by an RV repair shop that I apply Hengs Alkyd Fibred roof coat to my aluminum roof seams. Firstly I removed the old sealant with a heat gun, chemically cleaned the seams, and applied the Heng's product. My advice to you is don't use Heng's! After one year this material which isn't supposed to harden, is rock hard and full of hairline cracks. I wan't a product that's going to stand up to the multitude of weather conditions mother nature throws us, and is still serviceable after a few years, is this too much to ask? So if an owner can tell me his externally applied sealant is holding up satisfactorly (for a least a couple of years) please tell "legends dad" and myself what that product is so that we can apply it soon. By the way I'm going to Copy Heng's on this thread. Ron

Hello Wayne, and other happy Toy owners. We just booked site 167 for the Toy In. We're looking forward to meeting the many Toy owners on the 21st. Looks like it's going to be a great success. Ron & Rose

My local RV repair shop uses the following roof coating / sealant material, and highly recommended it to me. PLAS-T-COTE-: CLEANED® Alkyd Fibered Roof Coating: (not suitable for rubber roofs): Coating for metal and fiberglass roofs. Alkyd Fibered Roof Coating is a non-asphalt, high quality chemically engineered roof coating that contains long fibers, pigments and non-drying resins. It is a thick, white fibered or aluminum fibered colored coating with an amazing ability to conform to, an protect against all weather conditions. It has excellent acoustical and insulating qualities. HOWEVER: My roof now has a myriad of small cracks and personally I'm not impressed. Any material used on an aluminum roof has to be non drying, which is a tall order when the summer temps on that roof can be over a 100F. An al. roof like mine expands and contracts perhaps a 150 thou or even more, so a sealant must be able to move with the roof. My sealant is now 18 months old and appears rock hard. I would like to ask how the EPDM product is holding up, has it hardened (can you stick your fingernail into it), and is there any cracking, (Ref. reply #3 by Waiter) Thanks Ron

Hello Wayne, the Great Van Isle Organizer. Ron and Rose have attended the last two Vancouver Island Toy Ins, and would definitely be interested in year 3. I was out for my daily walk and noted a new addition one block over. A 91 Toyota Odyssey had appeared. Introducing myself to the new owner. One of the many items I mentioned was the Vancouver Island Toy In. These folks have a 9 and a 6 year old so they would like to see another family with kids sign up for this event. (Bunneys are you listening). In the mean time I will ask that he join the forum.

Hello Toy fans, we have booked site 186 for the Toy in. I think it's a good idea when checking in to let the staff know that your are with the Toyota Motorhome group. When I made my reservation I told them their campground is well publicized on the Toyota motorhome site. In mentioning the free advertising they are getting from our site perhaps they may give you the group rate. In other words if you don't ask for the group discount you won't receive it! Ron & Rose

Hello Wayne and Toy home fans. We are definitely planning on attending. However we won't be able to commit until we return from vacation in early June. It was a great time last year and hopefully we will be able to attend next month. Ron & Rose

Bryan, Thanks for your additional information. When you say "factory 4 speed auto", would that be the original tranny from the Toyota motorhome? If so how did the attachment to the engine go - ie, any issues with bolt up? Perhaps you can shoot a series of photo's for us including the exhaust system . If I drove my motorhome into your shop, do you have a ballpark figure on how much would this conversion would cost? Many thanks, YVR (Ron)

Nice swap Bryan, It looks fairly tight in there. I'm assuming your using a very thin rad, would you post the dimensions and vendor. Are you suing the Lexus tranny or have you bolted up the existing 4speed auto? How many problems did you have with ECU compatibility? What other issues did you encounter? You've given us a very good teaser, but several of us now need the details, including costing. Thank you for getting numerous members interested in the Lexus swap. YVR (Ron)

I should have added to post #13 above that I had a quote from a spring shop in Vancouver B.C. that would make new leaf springs for around $630 tax in. I was hoping to find a shop - North of Mount Vernon Washington that could fit a new leaf or two into the pack for considerably less. Here in Canada fitting, a new leaf was almost the same price as manufacturing new spring packs. So I was hoping our American neighbors would be slightly more competitive. Thanks, YVR (Ron)

Like most of our units my leaf springs have 20 years of hauling around the Winnebago box, and they now sag. I have air bags, but mine do not really give much lift. Board members have posted various repair methods. For me, I definitely need to lift 3 to 4inches. Just a quick synopsis reveals - One member used the $40.00 long leaf, while another said it was too weak. I just wonder how much lift these provided? Someone else said use the Hellwig system which is supposed to be good for 1500 lbs, and is in the $150 range? Will these lift 3 - 4 inches, and are they the grand answer? Another board member used a spring shop, while this is obviously the best, it's also the most expensive. Along this line, does anyone have a Spring Shop recommendation for North West Washington state? Looking at the above postings folks seem to be all over the place. So what has worked best for lifting the back end 3 to 4 inches, and what was the price, and are you satisfied? Thanks, YVR (Ron)

I had the pleasure of meeting board member "Jim" last week. He has installed the Toyota 3.4 engine from an extend cab 1995 T100 into his Itasca. Jim pointed out the problem areas he had such as the alternator bracket and the exhaust on the right side. I believe there were a couple of computer codes that caused a few minor problems as well. Jim also asked if I would like to take it for a drive. Well I must have had a smile a mile wide. For sure this is the engine that should have been standard equipment from the get go. I noticed better acceleration, and the ability to hold speeds above 60mph without difficulty. I said that I would attempt to put some photo's of Jim's installation up on the site, so please bear with me as this is my first attempt to attach photo's. If I can get the photo's up I hope Jim can add some text to explain his problem areas. Before attempting to add several photo's can someone pls tell me if this pic is too large, or is it acceptable? Well there was a photo there, and I suppose it was too large. I'll try later. YVR (Ron)

JIm, Please check your personal mail. We will be transiting your city Monday the 24th, and would sure like to see your handy work. YVR Ron

Jim, We are anxiously awaiting the photo's of your engine swap, and important details you can highlight. YVR (Ron)

Hello Jim, Like Andrew says were on our way over to check this out. Both of us have very seriously discussed swapping out the 3, for the 3.4 litre. Andrew has the engine and ECU, and wants to move ahead. On the other hand I would probably have someone perform the work, and would need the donor vehicle. You have broken new ground, because searching this sight and the Yahoo Campers you don't see folks who've swapped in the 3.4. Please make sure you take lots of photo's. Of course there's nothing like seeing your handy work first hand. From your posting I'm assuming your in Alberta, for sure Andrew and I would definitely like to see your rig. Thanks, Ron

Like the other Toy owners have said - it was a great weekend. Certainly the potluck dinners and the camaraderie of the attendees made this a wonderful event to attend. Now someone mentioned a Toy In around the 3rd week of September somewhere in Oregon. Sounds good to me! YVR Ron & Rose