chefdave

Hi im 6' 4" and weigh 220lb most of my weight is muscle. in my 22foot dolphin. have no probs in drivers seat. height in camper part is a little restricted. have slept on pull out sofa bed and over cab. big andy if you need more info message me.

Been stripping out oven to find out how bad a previous leak was. news is not good looking to rebuild frame from rear to folding bed and repanel. not all the frame is rotten over cab bed was far worse had no frame for the bed. have to remove kitchen sink and work top. good news is that i can remodel oven sink area.

Had to swap front drivers side with spare wheel. Idiot who did tracking last year must have used an air gun on max torque. Snapped a 3' breaker bar on first nut. So I improvised got a ratchet socket and a 5' steel tube to slide over ratchet handle then stood on end of tube. Took 2 hours to change wheel. Good job I did this at home. Taking the Dolphin into a different tyre shop for them to remove nuts on other side and torque to correct tightness. Have learned a bitter lesson on this escapade. Don't trust anyone to do a simple job properly. Not rocket science.

Hi storage of plates and cutlery seems a brilliant idea. stove top with drawer under would work well when i remove my oven.

Hi removed my roof top a/c estimated weight 30-40kg. feels better on road less tilting on corners pulls slightly better up hill less likely to kick down. Less twitchy in cross winds. no real mpg improvement

Wme you are so right about previous owners of dolphins. my over cab was rotted out and lower rear wall is non existent. microwave fitting into overhead cupboard leaves a lot to be desired. on the plus side mechanically A1.

Topped up auto box fluid as box was a little snatchy on up changes. feels so much better.

Agree with paul toyota standard fitting is 3vze, unless someone has transplanted a different v6.

Fibreglassed the holes left by removal of cycle rack and external ladder. resealed the hole left by removal of roof top air con unit. Dolphin feels so much better without all that weight on roof.

Looking forward to photos

Removed roof top air con unit what a weight estimate about 30kg or 66lb. not a difficult job but found out the alloy roof seems to of strecthed ? Ummm another prob to sort. thinking of using fire proof expanding foam to take up slack and act as an insulator as no insulation in roof. is it normal to have no insulation in roof.

Hi slightly on topic how much diff oil is required to refill diff. Thanks

Spent all day removing spare wheel mounting bolts from back wall of my dolphin 21ft. Now i can continue rebuilding rear of toy replacing rotten frame.

Oh yes. very interesting to watch.

Hi had to take toy in today for. UK annual mot test. tested items are brakes wipers emissions tyres steering etc etc and corrsion. total of 75 items tested. a legal requirement for all vehicles over 3 years old. for 2nd year running passed 1st time. :-) :-) :-)

Hi derek yes thats correct. wood has a green tint after treatment.

Hi i have this joyous job. replacing my frame work with waterproofed 2x1 then painted with a thinned out marine varnish to seal wood. then painted with a non thinned varnish. going to do the same with plywood sheeting or go extra expense and get marine ply. still using mine as a dd. Its not a scary job as i have built stud walls in houses.

Hi been working on back wall of my 21ft dolphin. not as bad as i feared but had some interesting surprises. the wooden frame is rotten but plywood covering shows no sign of damp. now working out how much wood i will need for reconstruction. Whole of bathroom and closet will be remodelled ie moving toilet away from rear window.

Hi derek do you want to handle sales stateside after i make my ad. Lol :-) :-) :-) montana just added another lead to battery -ve post then to inlet manifold. Vanman i think you are right as i cannot find an engine earthing lead. after 25 years and stored for 2 years with bodged repairs anything is possiable.

Hi derek found this baffling as well but done over 100 miles on 1/2 a tank normally get 75miles. power is up as well. anyone who can explain this please chime in.

Hi Sure this has been mentioned before the biggest change for me was connecting battery negative to inlet manifold via a battery lead. gained 3-4 imperial mpg. also helped to improve starting. my electric wires must be breaking down. this would be part of the big three mentioned on net.

Thanks Linda

Hi linda can you guide me how to start a thread on my rebuild and updating my toy thanks dave

Hi as weather has been kind today. started to strip out rear wall rot lots of it. also got paint with fibreglass strands in it to paint over cracks and holes until i can get round to finishing rear wall and resealing cab over windows. also my lsbv bar i have screwed to floor to increase rear braking.

Thought with 16 hours of daylight (next couple of months goes to 20 hours) i would be able to sort body work with view to painting it before winter. Looks like i missed summer lol.