motoyhomme

WOW! I see what you mean by a hassle to remove them. It looks like they're actually bolted to the floor and a rod! The tanks in my former Sunrader just had a bar that passed in front of them and kept them locked in place. Only one wing nut to remove both (see above pics). Someday on the road you may encounter someone who will balk at your fill adapter. Some places won't fill them because of the valve even though we are exempt from the OPD rule. Smart thinking though. The Other Allen

If you have a 21 window Samba you are sitting on a pot of gold.

With your horizontally mounted tank, it MUST be used horizontally and removed and filled vertically. My former Sunrader has two 20 lb tanks mounted horizontally and yes it was a pain to remove and replace them in their compartment. I replaced the original tanks with the OPD valve new ones so I wouldn't have a hassle at some fill stations because of the valves.

IMHO if the original upholstery is clean, not threadbare or holy (have holes and/or rips) and does not smell bad....keep it. If the carpet is clean, not threadbare or holy, and doesn't stink........keep it. If the walls are clean and doesn't have falling wallpaper, etc .......keep it. Does the whole interior look match.......keep it. I actually liked the 80's look, of course I actually liked the 70's with my burgundy plaid bell bottoms, but that's another story. With that all said, it is your camper to enjoy. Some people actually like updating their camper more than camping, but everyone has their druthers. The important thing is what you feel comfortable with. As far as value, original, clean, interiors brings value because it reflects the condition the vehicle was maintained to a future buyer, usually. Value can be added if an update fixes the bad stuff like leaks etc and looks good and doesn't look like a quick cover up just to hide flaws hoping to fool a prospective buyer. Again, it is what you feel comfortable with and what you want to do to make it suit your tastes. Neutral adds more value to future buyers.....IMHO. Allen

I say, "Go for it!".

My Toyota had the valve set and locked to give more power to the rear wheel brakes, but still it wanted to slide at the front. Allen

How did you guys handle braking? I had good traction from the rear on snowy roads but trying to stop increased the pucker factor. Soon as the front disks grabbed hold it would cause the front end to start sliding either left or right depending which way the road sloped and I was driving very very slow. Allen

The rule of thumb that I used was: If it has resort in the name then probably would get rejected and I couldn't afford it anyway. I heard Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and California especially in areas the rich hang out. Allen

I think I had more weight than that. I already had a heavy steel rack so I used that. I was probably way overloaded back there. Allen

I had a roof bag on a car once, it worked great. Used it on a trip from NC to CA. Every time we stopped for the night at a motel had to take it off the car and carry it in to the room for the night and reload it the next morning, PIA. Kept it in a storage shed and the next time I got ready to use it, the mice had made it holy. Used a hitch rack on the rear of the Sunrader with a storage pod on it and a small generator, made the steering too light and scary, so I went without it. Allen

Only one special tool is needed: a front wheel bearing puller. Several of the more talented owners are modifying bearing pullers to fit the GMC and selling them usually thru our suppliers. The Black List readily identifies who has this tool for use. However, the GMC uses all SAE sizes and has no square drive screws. The Toyota's are far more reliable and economical than the GMC could ever hope to be. GMC means "Got More Cash?" Allen

You have cracked 8 ply tires that could work on a car but not a motor home. There is a lot of weight on those tires. The cords could also be dry rotted and disaster is waiting to happen. Hankook tires should be OK on your toy, but I've never used them. Remember, with tires they should never have sunlight beating down on them, cover them, also keep them properly inflated, never let them sit on asphalt for long periods of time and drive on them to keep them flexed. Clean helps too. Allen

Derek, you're very correct. For those not in the know, one GMC Motor home Net user years ago suggested an assist list like Triumph owners had, so a guy by the name of Roger Black decided to start what is officially called the 'GMC Motor home Owners Assist List. Roger said that some twisted minds on the list changed the name to the "Black List". It is nothing like the black list most people think of It is something the Toyota owners should have in my opinion. Some of the GMC guys assist is only a place to park while repairs are made or waiting on other assistance to arrive and to offer cold drinks and coffee. Some guys have facilities to completely rebuild a motor home. No money is usually changed hands, just the feeling of helping someone and maybe needing help yourself when your 40 yo MH breaks down in the boonies as they eventually will. Allen

My grandson doesn't seem to be too interested in motor homes right now but when he was about 4 yo, he and I spent many nights camping out in my driveway watching tons of cartoon DVDs and sneaking cookies, etc from grandma. Right now his interest is in the Jeep Wrangler I have waiting for him until his senior year in HS. My oldest son, who died 2 years almost to the day before his mother, wanted his nephew to have the Jeep whenever he came of age. I have kept it cleaned and running waiting for that day to pass it on. That would make me happy, I've had enough sadness in the past several years. My granddaughter wants her grandmother's red Sebring convertible, but not a chance. When she graduated HS her parents bought her a 2 year old Toyota Corolla on my recommendation, that was promptly totaled 3 weeks later in a single car accident, we suspect was caused by texting. Her parents bought her a Saturn Ion that she totaled, suspect texting. She was never hurt either time. To compound stupidity, her parents and her other grandfather bought her a junker which she has never even scratched, go figure. To get the shiny convertible, not a chance, besides, I look good in it :-) Happy birthday to me today (Aug 11), 70 and still going. Allen

You want a "D" rated tire. Usually Max tire pressure is marked 65psi. Also the tire should be prefixed with LT for light truck, vans, and micro mini motor homes. I prefer Yokohoma tires for the Toyota. Allen

Thank you Linda for your kindness. I remember you commenting on her a couple of years ago. The interior is still nice as when the pics were taken, but can you say faded gel coat and paint and a hail storm. Danny is more than willing to get her in top notch shape. She still runs great too. Before I signed it over to him I put a new C&C 1 ton master cylinder on it because I wanted it to be safe while he fixed the cosmetic issues and could still be using it, I had previously installed new shoes and pads on the brakes. Somehow I'm just not a good businessman, too soft hearted I guess. At least it will still bring joy to someone else. Thanks, Allen

John*Thomas welcome to the forum, almost everything about Toyotas you need to know can be found on this site. Do like I did and look at as many as you can and pick one that fits your needs. You will eventually find one, as stated before, I found mine 4 miles from my house after I had actively stopped looking for one. I know what you mean about putting gas in things. I used to cringe filling up the optional 26 gal tank on the Sunrader, the GMC has dual 25 gal tanks, talk about stomach churning. The GMC is the largest motor home I want to get. The Palm Beach model seems to be the most popular model. They came in green and white with green plaid interior. I have the Eleganza II model that was partially remodeled back in the 90's by a previous owner. It was originally beige and white with a brown interior. It now has a faded silver exterior with tons of large decal stripes. Keep searching, Allen

Totem, thanks for your expression of sorrow for my late wife, I truly appreciate it. She really loved Sunny, especially because she thought I'd run over things in a larger motor home. We traveled all over the place in the little Toyota. I paid $3500 for mine several years ago. I replaced the rear bumper because the original bumper for the Sunrader is thin 4x4 steel with a cover of aluminum to make it pretty, and the steel rusts away hidden behind the aluminum. I got thick 4x4 metal was metal supply shop who cut it to size and welded it on to the frame. A can of paint and it was pretty. Mine had 6 new Yokohomas on it, and everything worked. I searched 3 states trying to find a small motorhome and ended up finding Sunny 4 miles from my house. I didn't know of Toyota motorhomes until I saw this one. I really lucked out because it had the 1 ton rear which I also didn't know was an issue. I was going to sell it, but because of all of the many small things and labor required to get it spic and span I decided to give it to someone I felt was deserving. Danny is a recent retired Tennessee state trooper who likes to go camping, etc with his grandson, who by the way was absolutely blown away by the idea of riding in it and camping overnight (7 yo). Allen Lenoir City, TN

As requested, the following info and pics are added: The GMC is the only motorhome that was designed and built by a major car/truck manufacturer, not to be confused with a motorhome built upon a GMC chassis. The chief designer was an aeronautical engineer and built it like an airplane. It is fiberglass from ground up to beltline and then aluminum up and over the top with triple thick aluminum on top with it all glued to an aluminum frame with a special glue GM developed way back then. It has a 455 ci Olds engine and front wheel drive. It was built from 1973 to 1978, discontinued because more money could be made by switching the line over to trucks. It has dual tandem wheels in the rear with air suspension, no springs, it floats over bumps etc. You can ride in the very back and a bump won't send you to the ceiling. The driver can control ride height, leveling, and automatic traveling height from switches at his finger tips. They came in 23' and 26' length (mine is 26). They had several floor plans, mine was the dry bath (separate shower) and twin beds in the rear that double as a sitting area. About 13,000 were built and over 8000 are still on the road with several shops set up to deal only with these GMCs. Several small businesses are manufacturing replacement parts including mechanical and body parts. Lots of improvements are being made and installed to lengthen the life span of these units. There are several clubs offering all kinds of help and especially is a list we have of folks around the US and Canada mainly, that are within distance to offer help if you breakdown, virtually anywhere. The pics that I have included are of mine. Since I bought it, $7000 I have installed improved air bags in the rear suspension, dual low profile AC units on the roof (not in the picture) and lots of little things under the hood and inside, I really like my satellite radio and 6000 KW generator. I don't like the 8 to 10 mpg vs the 14 to 17 mpg the Sunrader got. On the way home last night from picking up my Sunrader, Danny and his wife stopped for dinner, a guy came over wanting to know what is it, where did he get it, and could he buy it. Lots of people still want the little Toyotas. I did not want to take the time and expense to make my 'rader perfect for selling it. However I did not give away a junk heap, it was still in good shape and I didn't remove anything from it including the flat screen TV and microwave. I even included all new front and rear LED clearance lights for the roof that I never got around to installing. It also has the 1 ton rear. I didn't need the money, just the time and space. Allen

Today I gave my 83 Sunrader away to someone who is prepared to enjoy it as I have the past years. Actually I did a little barter deal and traded it for a few labor jobs around the house, probably about 300 dollars worth of labor. It has a few minor repairs to make it great again. I put new truck and house batteries on it, a new ignition coil, and a new master cylinder to make sure it ran great and everything worked. The new parts came close to the $300 labor I received. So to my way of thinking that made it a free motor home. I had ignored it the past 2 years while I fixed up my retirement home, and then to have my wife of 47 years to die right after we retired. I got over my grief over the past 2 years and purchased my classic 77 GMC Motor Home which I have always wanted. Since I couldn't work on 2 projects I decided to give "Sunny" to someone who really wanted her and was prepared to keep her going and to really use her. It was sad but something I wanted to do. I gave the new owner the forum info for here and Toyota campers, so Danny will be joining you all in the near future. He also received manuals from me and was told he had to join this forum to help him keep it running because of all of the knowledgeable people on here. Pictures of the Sunrader are in the albums I believe titled 83 Sunrader. I would have posted pics with this message but I couldn't seem to get them to upload on my android tablet. I will still lurk here on the forum and maybe throw in my two cents occasionally. Allen

Sunraders are bad about losing ground to the clearance lights because of the fiberglass construction. Try running a wire from a chassis ground to the base of one light. With the light switch on, and a known good bulb, observe what happens when the test ground is touched to the light. Does that light come on? Or do they all come on? That would indicate a bad ground to either that light or a bad master ground to all lights. I think they're all linked together. If nothing comes on then it would be a power problem. I think there is a Sunrader wiring diagram in the files. I've been away for several years and I just can't remember where things are anymore. Allen 83 Sunrader

When I was looking for a motor home back in 2005, I traveled to 3 states looking at small RVs, most were junk and not Toyota's. I gave up looking for one and a week later I found my Sunrader less than 5 miles from my house. It's an 83 and still runs good however it doesn't get the 20 MPG that the Sante Fe unit gets, but it will when I get closer to selling it. I also found my "new" 1977 GMC Motorhome just a few miles from my home. Moral of this story is: what Linda said. Allen 83 Sunrader 77 GMC Eleganza ll

Hi All, I just retired in March and moved to my home in Tennessee and have been very busy aand not on the computer. Still have my 83 Sunrader but have to do a ton of work to it, as in hail damage: hood, fenders, clearance lights, AC cover, vent cover, batwing tv antenna. However, the windows and fiberglass body had no damage. Now to get time to work on it. Allen

Go to the Fuel Tanks and Etc discussion on this site, scroll all the way down to the bottom and read both discussions by Sitztoy. This is what you are probably up against. Allen

If your tank looks like either of these (newer vs older) then it is a horizontal tank, to be used horizontal but must be filled in the vertical. Allen