[newbie with 88 sunrader]

I bought my 1982 Sunrader knowing nothing about Toyota motorhomes, bought Good Sam's towing service, charged my cellphone and took off on a 1200 mile trip. I didn't think about problems and didn't have a single one on the trip. My Sunrader had about 84000 miles on it when I bought it and everything worked. I have made several trips up and down I81 in Virginia and the mountains there don't even phase my little 22R. I developed an exhaust manifold leak and it cost $0 to fix it. Three of the bolts had came loose, just tightened em up and everything was fine.

Part of the fun of owning these antique rigs is the joy of fixing them up. I bought mine because I wanted one. Just jumped in and never regretted it.

Allen

Allen, We agree. We recently bought a 83 Sunrader, 18ft, not so lucky about everything working. The previous owners had let leaks completely ruin everything behind the cab area. We completely gutted the entire inside, down to the fiberglass. We replaced the axles, front and rear now have started on the inside. Last night we put up most of the headliner and today started re-installing the shower unit that had a crack in the bottom and leaked there also.....

The Sundrader is such a cute little vehicle and it will be worth the effort. We hope to have it atleast driveable by the 4th of July, not complete but able to sleep in it at a family location where we need extra beds. We took photos through demo and are taking photos during the remodel. I am with you, get in and drive it. If you have a flat, take one of the dually wheels off and put it on the front until you can get home, that is how we had ours fixed when we changed out the front axle also......

MACLISA

[switching axles]

i have a 1980 sunraider 18ft. Great rv, just needs that six lug axle. Bought a 1982 huntsman that had updated six lug axle. They dont seem to match up. The outside wheel width is the same, 77 1/2. but the leaf springs arent the same. The guy had air bags on my parts rv, so maybe this offset something when they changed them? i dunno. Also i think mine might actually be a 78 body style it does have four headlights. Yet the title says 80 and the door says 79. Anyone have any ideas?

Here is the link that we spoke about today.

http://www.toyotareference.com/truck

I think that these small rvs are worth the effort to repair.. Dont give the joy of this remodel to some one else. Savor it for your self.. When it is finally complete the satisfaction you will feel in the accomplishment is worth every second. Let me know what you decide.

[switching axles]

i have a 1980 sunraider 18ft. Great rv, just needs that six lug axle. Bought a 1982 huntsman that had updated six lug axle. They dont seem to match up. The outside wheel width is the same, 77 1/2. but the leaf springs arent the same. The guy had air bags on my parts rv, so maybe this offset something when they changed them? i dunno. Also i think mine might actually be a 78 body style it does have four headlights. Yet the title says 80 and the door says 79. Anyone have any ideas?

You are welcome to call my husband Mac, he just traded out a six lug axle on our 83 Sundrader. I believe he had to change a few things, he can tell you if it would fit. 334-740-9501

[Who sells 14r 185 load d tires??]

We are redoing a 83 Sunrader, we could not locate tires in Alabama. Found them online in Fresno, CA. They were the correct tires and had six shipped for 389.00 total, 279.60 for the tires and 109.40 freight. 185R14C Wramg;er JT BSL Here is the name: Goodguys Tire Centers #20, 2478 S. Golden State BLVD, Fresno CA. 559-498-7700. Hope this is what you are looking for.

MAC AND LISA

The shop is having trouble locating tires for replacement, is there a site or distributor the board uses?

Tire Rack is one. You can check on the net for 185/14R load range D tires. Brands that come to mind are Sumitomo, Goodyear, etc. Do a google search for other brands.

When I drive it home can I do so leagally with their tags and regestration. While title is already signed in my name and temp INS id number?? Also in my name

Not unless you have at least temporary tags. They are inexpensive and can usually be purchased at a BMV near where you purchase.

John H

[Urgent Help Needed - Mid 80's Axle and Rear end]

We purchased an 83 toyota Sunrader with 5 lug axles. After searching for two weeks I finally found a 1 ton full floating rear axle. How I knew it would fit the 83 was that I measured center line to center line of the leaf springs (side to side) and bolt to bolt (front to back) of the leaf springs. I also measured backing plate to backing plate (side to side) on the rear end. So the rear end I puchased fit perfectly. The problem was that I had no dually wheels (rims). The wheels are made by TOPY. I finally found the rims and puchased another front and rear end. The rear end replacement was a major challenge I had to modify the muffler, sway bar and shocks. While I was in there I went ahead and pulled the axles, packed the wheel bearings, adjusted the breaks, changed the oil in the differential, bled the breaks, drained the fuel tank and I will take it down off of the jack stands tomorrow.

Its worth every minute

Mac

I am in the same boat. I have a Huntsmant with a 5 lug rear. The gear ratio is 2.20 which means it is set up for good highway mileage. The 20R motor has only 16K. I will be changing the differential to a 1 to full floater. The optional gear rations were 4.10 up so I will be loosing mileage. I was hoping to find someone who knew about this from these forums. Thanks, Matt P.S. How can I do my own post here?

[1984 Sunrader - Bought it yesterday!]

That is great. We have just purchased our Sundrader in March, the axle we knew had to be changed. FInally found one and are almost finished changing them out.

Ours was leaky and very smelly. We have completely gutted the inside and are in the process of re-doing all of it.....

We have plenty of photos we can upload if anyone is interested.

MacLisa

Thanks for having such a useful forum; I have been lurking for 2 years while casually looking for a rig and learning about them. Two months ago the search intensified with a little 18' Sunrader in Portland, OR- $2000 leaky, saggy, stinky, 5 lug. But it drove great and I fell in love- but not with that one. It became an obsession -complete with google alerts, whole country CL searches, and serious Sunrader envy everytime I saw one! After several cat-and-mouse chases with Sunraders on Craigslist, I finally found one that was not sold in the first 2 hours. She's a 1983 cab with an 1984 18' Sunrader with 81k miles, second owner, everything works, minimal leaks, and in overall great shape for something 25 years old. All manuals including the original Sunrader flier included. We drove it home 160 miles yesterday and then immediately drank bottle of wine in the dinette while watching the sunset. This is going to be fun!

I am now ready for the axle replacement as I want no concerns while crusing with my soon-to-be wife and dog. So a few questions:

1) Anyone have info on axles in the Northwest? I'm in the Columbia River Gorge. I found one on this site in AZ that is available and my mechanic friend is now also on the hunt.

2) I live in a VERY windy area- will the axle upgrade make the rig more stable? And are there other recommendations on increasing stability in crosswinds?

3) How do most folks carry things like surfboards, kayaks, etc. Roof racks are the obvious answer but it seems like walking on the fiberglass roof a lot is not a great idea. I have a few ideas and will probable be building something soon.

Thanks in advance for any help/answers. See you on the road!

Kirby

[Urgent Help Needed - Mid 80's Axle and Rear end]

We have just installed a rear end such as this. Would be happy to have a conversation with you about it. Email me with a phone number and I will call you.

Mac

[Urgent Help Needed - Mid 80's Axle and Rear end]

We have just installed a rear end such as this. Would be happy to have a conversation with you about it. Email me with a phone number and I will call you.

Mac

Hi all...I have just purchased a 1984 New Horizon with the bad rear axle and now I also purchased a 1986 1 ton dually toyota pickup with the 6 lug setup.

I have searched and searched for a topic on this but had no luck...my vehicles are jacked up and I am ready to start the work but.

I was planning on unbolting the shocks, leaf assemblies and brake lines so I could just roll the entire assembly under the RV but I just noticed the rear end on my RV is larger then the rear end on my parts truck but the axle housing diameter is smaller.

The rouch dimension of the rear end on my RV is about one inch larger all the way around and the axle housing is a half inch smaller.

My questions are...

Which rear end would be better (or can I tell just by the housing size)?

Is what I am attempting to do the proper way of doing things?

Sorry if I am using the worng terminology...I don't know much about this stuff obviously...and I am sure I am in over my head by now

Any help will be greatly appreciated...I am running out of time very rapidly since I am doing this work on the street and am sure the neighbors are not pleased.

Thank you,

Christian

p.s. If there are any experts in on this stuff I would be more then happy to pay them for a phone conversation. I am really lost right now and want to so the right things.