dogmush

Thanks again for all your help again out there... rims not welded, but right before i got to ordering tires, first hard rain came with high winds and roof sagged... I removed ceiling to find this stick built camper full of dry rot 1x1s, haven't even looked at walls yet. So now i'm thinking of changing gears: i have an 86 toy 4x4 p/u with frame beyond repair and am thinking of just junking the camper and creating a 21 foot 4x4 flat bed, replacing the entire driveline. Does anyone know if an '86 4x4 driveline will bolt right into an '84 2wd longbed (using the camper's existing rear driveshaft)? I'd be replacing the camper 4 spd tranny for the 5spd w/ transfer case, cv joints and rear axle, 22r engine remains along with the rear driveshaft... Any help appreciated.

hey again, checked it out again (with the help of the axle facts page) and it's definitely the 1 ton axle so you're right, the one tire shop i took it too must've just thought they were welded so i'm going to take 'em off myself and get the 185r14's installed... and my tape measure tells me it is 20 feet from bumper to bumper, so i think i should probably just stick w/ the 14" dually set up... now that i'm finally able to be online here at home up here in the northwoods, i look forward to browsing this forum more often, and learning more about these things... thanks again everyone

Hello again guys and thanks so much for all the quick responses and expertise. I love this site. My rv is a 20 foot 1985 coachmen with what i believe is the 1 ton floating rear axle (it has the 6 lug)... I can't weigh her quite yet as she's up on blocks for the new exhaust i just put on. I got rid of the cat and hope to convert her to propane before spring. (Anyone out there done this?) Couldn't i also go to a single rear wheel of wider width if she weighs in at a weight suitable or is it best to keep the dually set up? I was also thinking about 15" rims for this unless you guys think it best to stay w/ 14's... I took this on a cross country trip 3 years ago when i first bought it and i don't run her more than 55 mph (and that's downhill)... my thinking for the single rear rims and 15" all the way around would be easier on the little 22r 4 speed. Is this just neophyte thinking of trying to reinvent the wheel? thanks again and i'll let you know how much she weighs when i can get her to a scale. dogmush

hey guys... it's been awhile, and my toy sat for 2 years, but she's still on the road... i want to replace the tires, but no one in town here says they can deal with changing these welded duallie rims... any help? Or, has anyone tried to replace these 14" rims with 15"s front and back? Any help greatly appreciated...

Greetings to all... Seeing pics of some of your amazing remodeling has whet my appetite... i live out of my toy and i must say, having the side door near the front next to the fridge/stove facing the bathroom/sinks leaves me feeling like a tiger in a cage: only room enough to pace 5-6 feet; so i've decided to rip it all out as money/time allow but would like to see pics of some of your handiwork... from what i've dug into so far, coachmen did a poor job on crafting these things, but i'd really like to see pics of how some of you guys redecked yours... how bout it? care to share? thanks, john

Welcome new owner, mine also had (still does) the standard passenger car tires, p205 r14 and i've put 15k on them since i bought it last fall, but WILL replace them before winter... like yours mine were new when i bought it so i wanted to put the money to other things; just make sure that inflation pressures on each dually stay exactly the same and keep an eye on them. I check my tire pressure every few days with these since they are NOT the recommended d rating. I also had an '80 toy 4x4 that went 300k and i tried synthetic fairly early and it did go right through the rings so switched back to castrol and no problem...

Thanks again Nolan, will keep you posted. John

Hello All, Well, I got my new leaf springs put in today and my rear end now drags 2 1/2 inches CLOSER to the ground than with the old shot springs... needless to say, i got on the horn right away and they're looking for their error tonight. In the meantime, I was wondering if you could try that friend of yours in vegas nolan, the one who got a spring shop to build and install a set for such a great deal. I'd like to know if they would like to build another set and ship them ASAP. After accepting husky spring's excuses for week-and-a-half-late bushings and now springs that don't even come close to doing the job, I'm more than a little peeved and am just going to hand deliver them back. Thank you for this forum guys, not just a great source for info, but ANYTHING that produces hot air needs a vent... thanks for that too. John

Hey thanks again Nolan... maybe that guy with the sway bar was my neighbor, stranger things have happened. I've decided to just go ahead with the springs i have and make a decision on what to add to them next week since procrastination i've heard sometimes serves a purpose. Besides, those old leafs i have on now are so bad, i'm crawling down the road dreading every bump, ready to hear something snap... I have all the extra hardware too, and while the shackles look good enough to use, am i crazy not to just get new ones or is it ok to use the old. I have no idea how long these things are good for. John

Thanks again Nolan, Man, it sounds like your friend with the 83 Dolphin got a grand deal... I called everybody and found all prices (just for the springs) to be around 400 clams. Plus he got 8 leafs installed as opposed to my 6 uninstalled... if this shop is remotely interested in building another pair (i got all the measurements) i would enjoy giving them a call if you have the info. I'd love to be able to just go with a good enough spring pack by itself and not have to bother with anything else. Then i could just return the ones i bought... as usual with you guys, my gratitude overfloweth... BTW, my neighbor is a little down now that he found he's not a misunderstood genius, but just a heavy drinker... John

Thanks for the info Nolan... I guess it also answered my other question regarding drinking and intelligence... BTW, the springs i found are 4 leafs and 2 load springs with the top two leafs being 1 mm thicker than my current springs (6 leafs). The shop i got them from recommends that i utilize something else to help carry the load... I've read all the related threads that cover what other guys have used, from coils between the axle-frame, air bags, and helper springs but it's got me a little confused as to what i should try with mine. Cost is definitely a factor and since i'm not a welder/fabricator i've ruled out the air bags since most of what i've read states that on '84 chassis, there isn't a bolt on application; and i've learned that adding a heavy duty helper will make the ride stiffer, but are there drawbacks to the coils too? If so, i'm ready for enlightenment. Thanks again. John

hello to all once again... thanks in large part to your sound advice my little '85 coachmen has 15000 more miles on it than it did when I bought it last october... the ride has roughened significantly and yes it's them pesky leaf springs. I found new ones but now one neighbor tells me we could just jack between the axle and frame, supposedly to recurve the spring, and then heat it with a torch to set it... he then told me all i would need is a heavy duty helper spring to clamp on top and it would be good to go... is he a genius or does he just drink too much AND is there really a difference? I would rather put the 600 bucks for the new springs/installation into the solar fund but would really like some input from you guys... thanks. john

Thanks so much, getting it done today...

I too prefer the increased performance over comfort. What shocks do you recommend? And yes, the exhaust is in real bad shape, leaks throughout muffler and cat. I saw someone said they got incredible performance increase with a highflow cat and muffler. Knowing NOTHING about exhausts, can I expect this if i get the right parts with the right specs? I saw someone said they got excellent results for their 22RE by using 2" hi flow cat into muffler and ending with 2.25 stainless. Mine's not injected but will this same config do a nice trick of increased perf for me as well? Thanks again.