Tundrawolf

Haha no, it was cheap and 4 wheel drive so I got it.

Sounds to me like you have more than two scorched valves. A need for constant valve adjustments is not a good sign. Your options, if what I think is right, is either to continue to adjust your valves every few thousand miles, keeping in mind you may try and start it and have low compression in more than one cylinder, or upgrade your engine/transmission. Is there another engine that will mate to your transmission?

I was hoping to avoid external wiring. It's true I am not familiar with nidacore, or even fiberglass and how to bond it. I just don't see any other options for insulation value, light weight, and strength.

Good evening Eric, Thanks for that reply. I will definately try that method, it seems much better than the one I used. As far as wideness goes, I don't know, I will have to measure it and get back to you. My hydraulic brake lines fit perfect. The springs bolted up just fine. I had to change the plates on the bottom of the springs, I think, to use them from the old axle to the new. (I'm not sure though on this) The Ebrake hooked up fine with ubolts, but the passenger side sheath seems to be 10" too long. The mount needs to be moved forward. The yoke holes did not line up with the driveshaft holes. I have to drill 4 new holes. The shock absorber mount on the passenger side is wrong and has to be cut and re-welded. I think that's about all. It's well worth it.

Sean, I hate to say this, but I am the only person alive on the planet today who can take care of your 4x4 RV. I am so sorry. I am willing to pick it up, you don't have to thank me, I will just do it. Pay it forward is all I ask. Seriously, this is what I encountered when I swapped my 83 Dolphin axle out. Standard 5 lug axle to a 6 lug 1 ton full floater. 1. The springs bolted right up without a fuss. 2. The shock absorbers were on opposite sides of the axle, and I was only able to get one bolted up. I have to weld a mount for the other side. I have not driven the vehicle in this condition. 3. Only two of the bolts on the yoke actually line up. I am going to have to drill 4 new holes by hand. Two are dead on, the other two are off only 1/4" or so. The yokes are not interchangeable between the axles. I tried a yoke off of another 1 ton and it had the same pattern as my 1 ton. 4. Hydraulic brake lines bolted up fine. 5. The E-brake lines worked only because I used small u-clamps to connect them to the old lines-but this was the case with the stock Dolphin due to the chassis stretch anyway. The passenger side Ebrake cable sheath seems to be about 10" too long and sags almost to the ground. I will have to re-weld the bracket. Your mileage may vary, but there were some fitting issues with mine. It was far from a "Direct bolt in replacement". Worth it, though.

Hello, Not too long ago I swapped axles in my 83 Dolphin. The axle that came out was, I believe, the standard Toyota truck rear axle. The axle that came in was a larger, full floating Toyota unit. A friend and I locked one wheel on both axles, and measured the amount of times it took to make one full revolution of the free wheel while turning the input where the driveshaft bolts to. The new axle took more turns to complete one rotation. It wasn't by much, I really don't know how to tell what ratio I have, but I would say it is possible the ratio in the new axle is "higher" than in the old axle. Say, 3.75 in the old, 4.00 or 4.21 in the new. (I know those probably aren't actual ratios!) My question is this: How do I fare for gas mileage now? One side of me says I will get better mileage because I won't have to lug the motor so much, the other part says I will get worse because the engine will be turning more RPMs. When I brought it from Dyer, NV to Lucerne, CA, there were hills, and the RV did pretty well and got 15 MPG. But, a lot of the trip the gas pedal was down to the floor to go 55. The reason I ask is because the RV is out of registration and it will be a long time before I can operate it on the road again. Oh, one more thing-how would I fare with a 5 speed transmission now that I have the lower ratio? Is the gearing in the 4 speed 4th gear taller than on the 5 speed 5th gear? I am primarily interested in fuel economy. Thank you for any replies! Dave

I have been considering what it'd be like to live in my 83 Dolphin. 21' I think. How long does propane last you guys? Do you use the furnace? Do you use the fridge on propane? How much do you use the stove? I am interested to see. Dave

I have a 1979 Chevy LUV truck, and I was born in 79. Does that count?

Thank you for that. I understand that using Nida-core will cost me $1,500-2,000 in nidacore alone. Are you saying I cannot use the nidacore alone? I don't quite understand what you mean about the core, is there an air gap where wires can go? I also understand that curves would be difficult, I've never worked with this stuff before. I don't know what else to do, really, I need light weight, strength, and good insulation, because it gets super hot here (120) and super cold (subzero). Wood is light but doesn't insulate as good as fiberglass, but fiberglass is expensive and also very heavy. I need the ability to carry weight, too. Dave P.S. the supercamper article is where I got the idea for nida-core. It seems to me that they just used the nidacore alone. I don't think they have outlets though, or a need for wiring in the walls.

This is exactly right! A locker on a dually means monster traction. Your 2wd Dolphin will go places a 4wd truck can, with the exception of the ground clearance in the rear. You just won't get stuck for lack of traction. It's no true 4wd replacement, but it gives you a massive offroad advantage.

I was disappointed to see that during one jaunt, my pastor was able to get 19.something MPG out of his 35 foot 1993 Vectra Cummins diesel pusher. His RV is significantly larger than mine. He gets 14-19 MPG out of it. I don't know, though. The Dolphin is small and comfortable, and I sort of like that more than a ginormous RV. Less maintnance cost, and not to mention you don't have to put 120 gallons to get the gas gauge to read F. I'll be keeping my RV, but it was interesting to see what an old diesel pusher can get.

1. I Dunno. 2. At this point, finding parts as specific replacements for either is going to be next to impossible. Your better off upgrading. 3. To be honest, they both probably handle like a motorcycle carrying a cabover camper. I know my Dolphin does. 4. Dunno, either. The MOST important upgrade you need to be aware of is the true one ton axle. See the article on this site. 5. Not aware of any. The allure to these RVS are the fuel efficiency and the self-contained nature.\ 6. I'd pick the Dolphin, cause it is what I have and it is made pretty well. P.S. my dog loves the Dolphin, but I think it might just be because it's also named after a mammal.

Hello, So I have a Dolphin that is literally falling apart. The walls are peeling and rotted to the insulation, the ceiling is caving in, and the floors are also caving in. I have upgraded the axle to the true 1 ton. I need to tear it down to the frame and re-do it. I am very interested in the nida-core because it is so extremely lightweight, yet is very strong. My problem is this: the nida-core is pretty much a solid wall. How would I mount an outlet inside it? Not to mention the wiring! So how would I go about doing this? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. http://www.nida-core.com/ Dave

Hello, I am trying to make this as short and aswee tas possible, but... A while back someone posted a link to a website of a couple who built their own motorhome out of a more modern Toyota. They used some sort of spage-aged paneling that has a honeycomb in the center. I forget the name... For those of you who are familiar with the project: This paneling-is it strong enough to stand on the roof if that is what the RV is made of? If not, how do I make it so I can store stuff on the top? Do I need to gusset it up? How do I adhere the sides? Something lightweight that has a great insulation value is what I am after. I might have a good job coming up and the RV is a priority for me. Thanks!!

If that is the only problem, then I am OK, because the yokes are self-centering! Ther is a sort of circular protrusion on one of the yokes that fits without any slop into the pumpkin yoke, so that with some effort it may be rotated and the holes perfectly aligned. I would imagine there would not be too much stress with adding 4 extra holes in the yoke of the pumpkin, but I could be wrong.

Yes... that is what I was trying to do. Except, not even what SHOULD have been a mate worked. So I take it it is NOT a good idea to drill holes in the pumpkin shaft connection to allow the driveshaft to work? Otherwise, I have no idea what to do, now.

Hello, I have a 1982 Dolphin. I recently swapped out the axle, but have a question... The new 1 ton axle has a different gearing than the old 5 lug axle, the 1 ton seems to have a taller gearset (Or, more for "towing", not as good for highway). The transmission is a 4 speed, with this new taller gearing in the axle, would a 5 speed manual be feasible for the little 22R? It is a 20' motorhome. If I could do a 5 speed swap, what is neccesary for that? Just a shorter drivehsaft?

I was blessed to already have a full floating 1 ton axle I had pruchased when I was working years back to make my S10 a flatbed.. Anyway, the little 5 lug that was in my Dolphin did fine, on the 300 mile highway (Hills, curves, etc) trip home. What I did was drain ALL of the fluid out of it, and put LUCAS in, nto Lucas and oil, 100% LUCAS oil. I don't work for Lucas, but I believe they have a good product, and it sure got me home 100%. The thing is, axles may be rare, but Toyota motorhomes are even more rare. For me, it was worth it. Prayers help, too!

Hello! I need you guys' help! I just swapped otu the old 5 lug semi full floating axle for a 6 lug Toyota full floating axle out of whatI think is a mid 90's Toyota pickup.. The problem is... The driveshaft bolt pattern is different than the bolt pattern on the pumpkin shaft! Only two bolt holes line up any way you try and mate them! So.. I went to a junkyard and found a Toyota RV chassis that had been stripped, and took the yoke off of the driveshaft of that, because the axle (Even though it had been gutted) on that particular RV was a true 1 ton just like mine.. Except THAT axle has the same driveshaft bolt pattern as my non full fooating axle!! I thought for sure it would work!! So now I am at a loss here. Would it be totally a bad thing to drill new holes in the pumpkin driveshaft so that the driveshaft will bolt up to it?? Also, the shocks do not bolt up, is it possible to swap out the bottom plates with the 5 lug and the 6 lug? They look the same... Otherwise, it went well! Thank you!!

It actually uses 2 D cell batteries to ignite when it senses the water flowing. I guess I'll just mount it on the outside somewhere in a box..

I did a pretty much all uphill drive and got over 14 MPG, 1/4 of the time was pedal to the metal (And not really going anywhere!). however, I was impressed, and thought it'd end up being a lot less. The trip was 300 miles.

Hello, I have a battery powered on-demand water heater (Approx. 11"x26"x18") that does not require any external venting. I'd like to keep it out of the weather, but... Has anyone ever mounted one of these in their RVs? This water heater will allow a family of 3 to take regular showers for 6 months on >5 gallons of propane. I do not think the water heater in my rv is that efficient. It is an Excel JSQ20-L.

I wish I could help you.. What do you mean, like lighting the fridge? There are instruction manuals available for download on the toyota motorhome website, those will undoubtedly help you. If you have tech or repair questions you can PM me and I will pm you my email.

I believe that per code people are REQUIRED to have cleanouts at various locations of their homes, making this possible for just about anyone who can bring their RV over to the cleanout. Clever to discover, nontheless!

I'd jump on it, but ask them if it has the full floating rear axle. It was not a deal breaker when I bought mine and I do not regret it.