Totem

I clock in near around 7000 or over with my 21 and that will vary with how much stuff we have. I have done axle, and the 1 ton hub and brake caliper upgrades and I still am scared as heck on highways when the mergers come in. Can't go left from all of the angry traffic blowing by you and the mergers never ever accelerate even though they will be in an Escalade or Corvette. I am not scared of the suspension; I am scared of braking.

No need. It went overweight by 300 lbs post op and was a shorty (would have to be in the 5k before range.) These things are usually over gross specs when stock and I would love to start seeing some people show them on the scales, not that I am calling anyone a liar. Why would I say this? because my 21 weighed in at over 6500 lbs stock before any changes. Call me crazy but I doubt that extra 3 feet equates to 1000 lbs. man I miss getting these discussions going in here lol.

At last we get a weigh in posted. My apologies for my hyperbole at 10,000 lbs and I am assuming that the sunrader was a shorty then and not a full 21 correct? I haven't been on that thread in a while and had thought it was a 21. either way, thanks for showing us that it went up, if even 300 lbs. Was that weighed in empty or full of gear tanks etc? (Be careful, because these clockwatchers have the dry weight in old microfilms I am sure of the original )

Agree to disagree. There is a reason when you tear out all that stuff that its held in there with such light things, staples wood furring, balsa paneling etc. Its the same reason none of the "re-modelers" will weigh their rig and show us where they stand. I wasn't advocating for foolies (obviously) rather stating that step one is full floater. In order to meet the game the manufacturers had to cut weight. Everyone agrees on that. Yet oddly no one steps on a scale after gutting and upgrades. I do agree that this build is far better foundation etc and look forward to seeing its weigh in. In closing I would add that this build started at the mechanical level and then moved to the remodel, which is correct. Well done Anthony!

Love that bike rack! yes it was BFN on the other build, but frankly to me it wasnt the axle swap, or the type of truck etc. It was flat out they put too much stuff into it to make it nice and I guarantee that thing weighed in at over 10k. Taking the rear fooly and replacing with a standard single wheel probably was not wise with that weight. I get where you are going here.. that your truck is all factory etc etc. Weight it for us though. weigh it for yourself. I saw other 4x4 remodels in here that the owner sold immediately also and cannot help but wonder what they came in at.

The build I refereed to in this forum was literally exactly like yours.. same truck everything, except it was a sunrader - and very recently done I might add except they even used lightweight materials. They literally did an amazing job. No complaints from me on how it looked. They even had replaced the lead batteries with LifePO4... for some strange reason they did all that and when they went to drive it it was no bueno. I am hoping to see yours outperform theirs and am fully rooting for you. I respect your choice of road preferences also, similar to my stile also. I can count on 1 finger how many times mine has been on a turnpike. That said, getting it weighed (assuming its drivable presently) and hitting the local scales is still advisable periodically on builds like this and its where they went wrong. I kept thinking to myself as they added this, added that, used ply, and how great it was looking... hmm theres 8 lbs theres 20 lbs etc. Don't get me wrong the rig is great and I am sure it will all work out; but sanity checking a build on something like this can save k9 lives and money. Beefy brakes or no, if your rig comes in at 8900 lbs the only beef about it will be replaced by having to stock cheetos in the cabinets instead of steak in the freezer, which is an awesome add on btw love that low volt fridge; super curious on that and am considering it also. edit- as for offroading, my fun truck is an old l6 cummins ram thats been gutted and set upon 5 inch properly done full lift on 35s with decent fox, basically has no original anything under the frame and I have blown mutiple steering pumps, ball joints and geometry and had to add braces, kits etc to it. Pay to play, I gotcha. ended up just bedlinering the whole thing because I got sick of calico replacement bodyparts. My home is on michigans largest offroad park and my deer camp on the second largest one and even my massey furguson is overloaded just as bad as my sunrader so no judgement just asking if it was weighed. I weigh my rv all the time.

The tank based water heater is next on the chopping block for me. we use one camping that weighs in at 4 lbs and is all you can heat until your propane is gone but only turns on when used and its form factor footprint is literally the size of a box of cereal.. I am stink eyeballing the fridge also but if anything stays that would be it because propane fridges are the way.

I'll be the guy that says this looks awesome but asks - has it been weighed>? A trip to the scales fully loaded with your entire crew in, gear and full resources is in order. I have been asking this more and more as my family grows (in weight and age) and I watch the GVWR start to look like the national debt. It all makes sense till the minute the guy in the merge lane decides "yeah I am gonna make you brake hard" as your rig is so loaded its incapable of revving past the jerk in oncoming combat maneuvers. I have also been asking it as we have seen amazing 4x4 builds in this forum that fail to even be drivable after insane amounts of effort and money invested in them but hey they got the video for youtube and the subscribers to cover the new Mercedes based winnabago afterwards. I have also noticed I love traveling without my family from the performance perspective. I typically can go faster and brake much better without the 4 ipads, phones, charges, matching outfits that range from sahara hot to siberia cold rated and the other 250 lbs of other family grabbed miscellaneous gear thats literally so useless and is packed in places it often isnt found until we shut the thing down for the winter. Most recent trip driving to go to fish camp on the Maumee I had road combat ensue when a star studded millennial whom was glued to their phone watching a ticktok video decided they didnt need to speed up on merge and was left to engage extreme defensive braking as well as evasive action. super glad I was alone. edit: my comment is because I always focus in on the materials being used. No one is using balsa and ultra lightweight cabinetry, fascia and finish as they should and as the OEMs did in the 80s. Linda mentioned the entire accompaniment of factory gear was supposedly 200 lbs for OEM water heater, stove and fridge. To me even that is too heavy when one considers the insanity of a 53 lbs full mini oven, a fridge that takes up 20% of the camper and the fact there are tankless propane water heaters that heat on demand and weigh in at less than 5 lbs now. cutting that all out will allow for more finish but the minute I see 8 layer marine grade ply, ovens and fridges I start to think man, how fast can I stop on the road>? In the event of an unlikely crash everything you have will be coming up into your backside or imploding into the crew of the back.. methinks balsa would feel better.

I am finding the weight of the factory appliances to be VERY heavy. By removing them you give yourself the opportunity to have better finish and ER savings through insulation. you inspire me...

Just went through a seek and seal operation on my sunrader. I took it fishing to the walleye run in Maumee and the rain was so intense there it was dripping through side everywhere. On a sunrader... yeah I know what you are thinking. after getting home, wet soggy and fishless I decided to find the leaks. I had just done the marker lights the year before so I knew they were good. The culrpit in my case was every screw in the roof holding the roof antennae aka "roof rack" mounts to those that may not know its an antennae. they had worked loose and caulk failed. but the majority of the water and it was ALOT.. was from the gasket of the rooftop AC unit. tear down and inspection revealed it had jarred off center of the hole and water was able to just pour in. I placed some 2x4s under the unbolted unit and caulked the ever loving dudey out of that gasket and let it ploop back down then torqued it down to spec with the 1/2 inch being maintained and crush indicators perfect. Its pouring rain today and its bone dry. Mission accomplished.

I am dying to know the scale weight of this rig. Has it been weighed?

That’s a nice setup but out of stock. -just got a black stone at Meijer for $106. It makes coffee in the old style blue percolator kettle also, so for me the whole griddle top is a burner. what to use as a nice lightweight counter top.. thinking of calling up the granite shop and asking for a custom cut remnant.

So what am I replacing it with? a Blackstone! (Portable) griddle top and one brass adapter to the fitting. That’s it. It has a grease trap and no more useless oven and you can cook an army of crap on it just like a short order.

Some fun info for those 1986 sunrader owners that were curious how to get the oven out. I asked this question but didn’t get much so here it is. -rear kitchen model. 4 (3 inch) cabinet square head screws In the stove head after removal of top cover and burners then disconnect gas line and that’s it! don’t forget to shut off and drain your propane before doing this (obviously). the fun part - door port is 17 inches so you flip it on it’s back then sideways. No need to remove front seat. total weight on that thing is 50 lbs! (I weighed it.) mine was an elixir travel mate.

Actually, my post and login activity are here for all to see and note I dropped off the face of the planet... I used to like posting and sharing, but slowed down because everyone is so dang sensitive about everything; was not aimed at you Linda, per say, but apparently you seem to think it was. I dropped by to check on leaky roof strategy for sunraders and immediately I saw the same old stuff, with people being rude. I haven’t logged in in quite some time but my advice if it is even worth anything to everyone is this: People will forget what you did but they will never forget how you made them feel. I used to hate that saying; but now I get it. Again, my apologies to the guy that put a Lexus V8 Into a toy. I was wrong to have a negative opinion like that.

Derek’s advice is sage on this topic. first time roof leaks on my 1986 sunrader were coming from the marker lights, the window sills and roof antennae screws. All had caulk failures from failed 30 year caulking. Peel it all off, recaulk and good for another 35, hopefully. You should have bought it. I just did mine in about 2 hours.

Think of this site as a mini Facebook or Twitter. Step out of line and you will be banned for life. It was a great resource for me as long as I kept it on topic. Swallowing the imperialism and a thick skin are required- more please tastes great! That being said taking a shell and making a camper out of it, if that is your desire does in fact trump having it destroyed. I am all for saving these as long as you share what you Learned. I remember several years ago after I gave a guy crap for installing a mega V8 into one of these trucks; but now looking back who cares. Do what you want. if I have offended anyone, my apologies, send me to the bucket. if not I will post again next year to check in on the maturity level again which appears to decrease each year. -Totem

Never thought getting a windshield would be this bad. They are not made anymore and must be scavenged. That being said i scored from a california based company that handles everything for you no mater what lower 48 you may be in. They send it to you and install. $350 out the door is what i got. They lost 2 windshields in transfer accidents with the 3rd making it here. The guy said they are VERY hard to find now. So if you need glass better get on the train and get your rig some soon.

normally i would laugh at this thing but now I am not so sure... who wants to touch the campground machines or laundry mats?

I could be persuaded to sell my Sunrader for the right price... Mine has a brand new motor I had custom built for more speed plus I have the original serial number motor which has nothing wrong with it also. Its getting new Tires and brake inspection tomorrow. Things I upgraded -bilstein shocks -stainless steel wheel covers -swaybar -4/6 poly bushings on springs -new firestone air bags -new altenator -new battery seperator -new battery -new jegs performance exhaust -ultra high efficient New roof AC that can be run off of very small generators - tiger bamboo flooring -tongue and groove cedar paneling -leather sofas that flip together to make a standard queen -memory foam upper level bed -Vortex fan in bathroom with LED garnish -rebuilt on board propane tank and also has external propane tank connector Needless to say I have a lot of money in it. its history is here online. only problem it ever gave me was mice but they were eliminated. DM me if interested

to your question.. you want to re-seal all your marker lights as the screws they used will be rusted out and are leak points - same with the antennae mount screws. If you have not already you should get some shark fin vortex vent caps that spin 360 to replace the factory stink pipe covers. Agree with Linda on new butyl tape for the vent shroud mounts but would add to also replace those screws also rust. i just redid my roof points also.

Noticed my mech from previous town skipped both sets of rear bushings in the leaf springs... so I put in the lower ones this past week. wow were the old ones chewed up. the upper rears are trapped by the stairs construction and black tank but looked to be much better from visual. Job took about an hour.. jacked up the camper by frame on to stands until wheels spun then cradled the pumpkin with a quick 3 ton jack. easy peasy. a LOT of the jarring on road is now reduced or gone. get poly bushings if you haven't already... best cheap upgrade.

One thing I keep meaning to ask and forgetting to...Did you guys weigh the sunrader before and after alterations. I am super curious on that as it would seem you added a LOT of things to it that were not light weight and thereby probably contributing to both the wheel failure "bad things" as well as the stability issues that ultimately ended up in its forced sale. The lack of dual wheels for sure did not help with the stability either; I often see people muse in here on just getting rid of the dual wheels in favor of one and to me the physics of that present a risk that was probably exacerbated by the additional weight. I could be wrong though on weight - because you also removed EVERYTHING original - so did you guys post weights before and after by chance?

I cant do moth balls. They set off my asthma.

The dash outside air vent damper is indeed an entry point. They popped out my headliner after crawling up the a pillar! Ugh. A little known gem thats better than great stuff foam is the foam that orkin sells, its black foam containing small bits of carbide shavings that cut vermin’s mouth they will not chew it. I will be sealing the rig with it after the remodel.