clemensfield

Thank you Linda. All good points. Any other feedback greatly welcomed as well

Due to the ongoing back trouble I have endured since travelling full time in a pop-top, the time has come to either upgrade to a full size Toyhome or modify the one I have. This truck has been good to me and I don't want to part with it. Because I live in Canada, the weather does not permit me to have the top popped on a daily basis and rain tends to make life miserable when trapped in a small camper with 5' clearance. We are going to build a 14 inch wall around the upper edge where the "top" sits. This space is 1 1/4inch which provides a good base to sit 3/4 inch plywood onto. The idea is to have the roof sit flat on the new wall addition and no longer need to be "popped". This will give me a 6 foot clearance and might potentially save me from a lifetime of neck and lower back problems. This project will start next week, if anyone has any comments, advice, or help from previous experience, please let us know. THANKS!

thanks for sharing!

Found this ad on kijiji when I searched "Toyota RV". Im sharing with fellow toyowners as it actually seems like an ok price for what it is. Could be worse. I'm not affiliated with this person in any way, just sharing out of interest, cheers http://www.kijiji.ca/v-rv-motorhome/north-bay/1977-toyota-chinook-rv/587526571?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Nice one! I have the exact same layout and interior in my 84 Gran Sport.

I removed the canvas from my Gran Sport pop up today (it was Velcroed on) and I was hoping to have it replaced or refurbished as it was pretty nasty looking and the color didn't match anything else in the truck. Has anyone with a Chinook, or any other pop-up models had experience replacing your canvas/tarp piece? Now that's it off, it looks amazing from the inside/out (kinda like a poor mans convertible) and I wish I had something to just roll down when insects are bad. I usually put the top down when I sleep anyway. Anyone out there ever experimented with anything like this? Thanks!

Congrats. Pictures!?

Hey Linda, yeah it does draw a lot of attention. Thankfully most of it people interested in buying it, complements, etc. Sometimes when I'm on the highway other Toyhomes will pass me and they wave. That's my favorite thing. The only changes made to the exterior of the vehicle is paint job. As you can tell it's missing it's racing stripes. This summer I will look to finish the job. From what I know the vehicle was made in California and purchased in Florida. I have made some alterations and renovations to the interior. Thanks!

Nice. Lucky guy

Banjo, my dog is a 2 year old purebred Havanese. He much prefers the Toyota to my previous RV, which was a loud, diesel, short bus- conversion. He likes that the Yoda is quiet and not as much noise, and banging around while driving. He still dislikes it tremendously when cupboard fly open occasionally and things fall out and smash on the floor. I've made a booster seat for him out of recycled blankets that were being thrown out by a pregnancy center. This raises him to the level of being able to see the road clearly, and help navigate which he enjoys. Some nights he prefers to sleep in the cab but usually he will sleep in the bed, at my feet.

1984 Toyota Gran Sport Pop-up by Ranger 22R 4 speed manual 115,000miles 22mpg

Thanks guys, too bad I didn't see the message about changing the oil pump sooner, but you were right it was indeed the front crank seal. Anyway, the guy here did a great job and I got the plugs and distributor cap replaced too, since he was already ripping stuff apart. If anyone is ever stuck in the Buffalo area, I'd highly recommend emailing Craig Manning. He's in the Amherst area and he helped me out on a Sunday morning. His email is "camtransam at gmail dot com" He responds quickly to email.

thank you for your reply!

The mechanic in PA told me that the "gasket behind the timing chain belt" is leaking... He said this is going to be an 8-10 hour job and require everything to come out. Mind you, he wasn't willing to do the work himself so he wasn't trying to "take me for a ride". However, he still may have mis-diagnosed it. Going for a second opinion this morning.

Does anyone have a recommendations for the Buffalo area? I've got the 1984 22R 4 speed manual mini RV with pop up top. Started leaking oil badly today, and it's going to be a big job. Just curious if anyone has any recommendations in this part of NY or the Erie part of Pennsylvania. Thanks

Well, I made the purchase. Maiden voyage was successful. Here's hoping for some good luck, and I'll look forward to sharing my progress. Thanks to those who helped.

Thank you very much Linda, that is helpful. In regards to the MPG I do believe this rig would be in the high 20's. 30 is probably an exaggeration. My 2003 6 cylinder Ford Windstar gets 26 MPG on the highway if I keep it at 90km/hr (56-58 miles/hour).

This is my first time posting in this forum. I apologize in advance if i've posted this thread in the wrong category. I've searched endlessly and found very little information about the Toyota Gran Sport pop-up. I've been considering for the last couple months buying this 1984 Gran Sport but have already had a rough year of vehicle repair bills (over 10k) and looking to avoid another catastrophe... I know someone here will have some useful knowledge or advice. So any help, greatly appreciated. While from the outside it looks like a piece of junk, the unit has a fresh 2 year inspection in Nova Scotia, Canada (where I live) and I have seen it up close and rode as a passenger. The owner wasn't too keen on letting me test drive but insisted that was for insurance reasons. He did let me drive it in his yard for a brief moment. He is the 3rd owner as far as I know and does have the original manual that goes with it. Unlike some of my recent purchases, I know this vehicle has been driven a fair bit in the last couple years and that it hasn't been sitting. I actually think it's pretty decent mechanically speaking, and in the rear most all of the appliances seem to work too. What attracts me is the manual transmission (albeit 4 speed) and the chance to save on gas (I'm a full time touring solo musician) compared to the gas guzzling ford b class I drove all year. I realize that space is limited in the rear and that the pop-up feature is pretty flakey looking but my thought was to take the $10,000 I would spend on a newer rig and use 70% of that money to restore and repair (if/when needed) this vehicle. My biggest worry is moisture. I know this vehicle has been in Nova Scotia for at least a decade and even if it hasn't been winter driven, the salty air alone, combined with the design of the unit has me nervous. From what I can tell this has a wooden frame and although it looks fine on the inside I have no idea what's behind those walls or under the flooring. It could be a mess. Once that happens it's pretty much a lost cause, right? That's what I've been told. http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-RVs-campers-trailers-RVs-motorhomes-1984-Toyota-Camper-from-sunny-Florida-W0QQAdIdZ541931535 Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone when I checked it out: http://postimg.org/gallery/a9bv26us/2e081046/