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pandu

Toyota Advanced Member
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Posts posted by pandu

  1. Hey Coachmates,

    I no longer want to use the chems for winterizing. My '84 Dolphin has what looks like a custom-built system whereby you can take an inflator hose for tires and blow out all the water.

    So, for you of a plumbing intelligence let me tell you my setup and maybe you can help me do this right.

    I never use my water heater and it's very hard to get at for putting a bypass on. Instead, I drained the WH and even sucked it out with a vacuum. Then I took off the hot water knobs so I wouldn't draw any water into it.

    I want to use this air system to blow things out. What should I have on and off to clean out all the lines and not put any new water into the WH?

    tanx,

    Jim

    As part of this, should the cock on the WH be closed to create resistance to any water getting into it? Would that be enough?

  2. Wonderful stuff. Thank you all, especially John for his pics on 'how to'.

    I have the drain cock open and what I did earlier today was to tightly shut the 2 hot water faucets and then I removed the handles. I figured if no water was drawn then none would come into the tank and that the WH would end up being bone dry after the summer.

    Any thoughts on this simple fix? Will it serve?

    thanks,

    Jim

  3. Hi Everyone,

    I have an '84 Dolphin and never use my water heater, I just boil a little water on the stove when I need it. The water heater is the ONE reason I have had to have her winterized because I'm afraid of freezing water ruining it. I'm looking inside and around and I think there must be a valve that will turn off the water to it. Then I'm thinking that if I leave the drain valve open all summer it should be bone dry by winter and I can just blow out my pipes instead of using this nasty antifreeze each year.

    Is that all there is to it? So far I don't find the shutoff but it must be in there somewhere.

    Anyway, would that work?

    thanks,

    Jim

  4. Installed on my Dolphin when purchased was a compressed air blowout system for winterizing. I'm not sure how to use this or what its capabilities are. My local RV place sold me on their winterizing last year telling me my system won't blow out the water heater and other nooks and crannies so my Dolphin could sustain some real damage over the winter. I had them put in their antifreeze and all this summer could not get the awful taste out of my water tank.

    I'd like to use the system that I have so I wonder if any of you have experience with this kind of thing and can guide me. There is no instruction book with what I have.

  5. You could contact me next year. I'm in the midst of deciding whether to let Annie go or not.

    I've got a 1984 Dolphin "700" which puts the emphasis on sleeping space with a 2nd rear bed. Very rare model.

    I looked for months and travelled to 4 states before I found this one. What sold me was the condition. It lived most of it's life in Oregon where there was no salt. Nonetheless it was rustproofed one year after it was purchased new and then spent a few years of its later years in Michigan.

    It has no rust underneath which as most of you know is extremely rare. The 2 major owners took excellent care of it. I've put about $3,500 into it mostly in new, custom built springs, tires and an awning.

    I still don't know if I'm going to let her go. I've found my wife is not that big on camping out so I mostly go alone which is a bit lonely and boring. I think I'm going to try to go one more early season before I make up my mind.

    Price would be around 12k if I do decide to go with a sale. I attended a Toyhome rally in Shipshewana last year where there were 17 other Toys and I heard from at least 3 people that they thought mine was the nicest one.

    post-5274-0-61184100-1351688873_thumb.jp

    post-5274-0-77766600-1351688899_thumb.jp

  6. This spring I purchased my first Toy, an '84 Dolphin (Annie) with a rear bed. Seems like this is a rare configuration from what I was told at the Shipshewana toy-in this fall. It lived most of its life in WA state and was rustproofed way back in '85. Clean, no rust. Now she lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and loves to go North! hyper.gif I came home the other day and there was a car sitting in my driveway. Couple of guys admiring Annie. Wanted to know if I wanted to sell her.

    Put all new Hancook tires on it and had custom springs built for the rear. Rides like a dream for such a landship.

    Took it to the Sleeping Bear Dunes national park up in northern Michigan this summer. Great way to start my camping with it.

    post-5274-0-28621700-1322408732_thumb.jp

  7. Its all about that green dollar bill! Godaddy has kept us alive with low rates for the last couple of years. Nothing is free including this software for the discussion board. Those dollars have to come from somewhere and go somewhere to keep us online. At the time because those $ where in short supply GoDaddy being really cheap for two years got the check. We will make the transition back to Lonex, but they are twice the cost for just one year so it maybe that one day the plug for this site will get yanked out of the wall and its lights will go out.

    also... have you looked into Lunarpages? They are very reasonable and are very reliable and fast. I used them for some years.

  8. Its all about that green dollar bill! Godaddy has kept us alive with low rates for the last couple of years. Nothing is free including this software for the discussion board. Those dollars have to come from somewhere and go somewhere to keep us online. At the time because those $ where in short supply GoDaddy being really cheap for two years got the check. We will make the transition back to Lonex, but they are twice the cost for just one year so it maybe that one day the plug for this site will get yanked out of the wall and its lights will go out.

    Users should give a little green to the site. I did earlier this year when I bought my Toy. It seems right to support something that is this helpful. I'll bet that the site has saved everyone some real money with the shared advice.

    I believe in a lot of people doing a little bit. That can generate enough green to keep us playin' here. Please do donate something!

  9. Screaming speed this afternoon. very fast

    I have NEVER seen screaming speed. This site is frustrating to the point of dissuading people from posting anything. I'm sure we would have a much livelier board if this ran well.

    It won't let me upload anything but a 150x150 pic no matter where I do it. It's always sloooooow. It just told me, though I was signed in, that I did not have permission to click a + green button. I signed out and back in and tried it again and was told that I had already reached my quota for clicking + green buttons.

  10. Okay, guys. The knowledge is here in this topic but it's never become quite clear enough. SteveJ's post above really says it all. I emailed him and asked if using the new fixture, which is readily available, really worked to replace the old one.

    Here is what he told me, "It fit in the hole, perfectly. It did have different mounting hole locations, so I had to drill 4 small holes for that. The original holes are covered. No big deal. Looks like original. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Make sure you've got some putty tape to seal it off. Go for it! :)"

    So there you go! Use this link http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bargman-Lighted-Door-Assist-Handle-RV-New-/140338537913?pt=Motors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20acd425b9

    to buy the new one and it will work. So cool.

  11. This is on an 86 Sunrader. Right by the front door there is a recessed handle with a light bulb in the top section. This is your combination handle to get in the door and porch light. The whole thing is 5 inches wide by 9 inches tall. The upper light section is 3 3/4" wide X 3" tall X 5/8 inches deep. It has a screw hole in the bottom middle and two tabs on the top that hold it in place. The local MH part house can not find this light cover part in their catalogs. Does anyone know where to look for these?

    Today we got (6) 8 ply tires and a muffler, a rather expensive day...

    So far in reading this whole post it seems that we can only find the newer model, the Bargman #70-32-00 which is wider than the old one and a touch shorter. Has anyone found a solution to finding the old one or it's lens? Maybe someone has a Toy on this site for parts. I'm pretty sure the new one won't fit in the old slot and I would dearly like to find an original lens.

  12. Freshly back from my first trip. Getting used to the 'squeeze' in the Toy took some doing. I just kept thinking "tent" so that I was comparing it to that instead of some larger more human size rv. Still, very nice having a stove and refrigerator on board. The trips into Traverse City were usually 4 to 5 hours in which time the fridge never lost it's chill. I was impressed with that. I didn't have to fire up the gas system for it.

    Now, the Platte River Campground -WOW! I've camped around Michigan at the state parks (Ludington, P. J. Hoffmaster, Grand Haven) and other places all my life. Platte River may well be the nicest in Michigan. Totally wooded, largest campsites I've seen and at least for the 10 days I was there it was very quiet. Sort of an upscale site for camping. The Platte river runs alongside it and there is a livery with canoes, kayaks and tubes. Rent any of them and float down the river for 2 hours. Swimming on beaches along Lake Michigan all around. Or take the scenic M22 route up around the Leelanau peninsula through the quaint little towns like Leelanau, Northport, Sutton's Bay or go into Traverse city for a movie or whatever. Lots to do. Wonderful restaurants around and good camping neighbors. Certainly a recommendation :ThumbUp:

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