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keitholivier

Toyota Advanced Member
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Everything posted by keitholivier

  1. Well folks, the sale of my rear axle closes the chapter for me on the Toyota Motorhome, but at the same time I am in the process of rebuilding a 93 2wd regular cab pickup, so Toyota stays in the family for me. For anyone local (midwest) I still have the radiator support panel and a good condition hood with the hinges which I will donate free to a good home. Send me a PM, and no, I will not be driving it to trucking yard, this is collect only. In the attachments, the rear axle is loaded up by a long distance transport company, on the way to its new owner in Montana.
  2. I have found that it is taking 2-3 minutes (or longer) to upload any page from this site. Picture upload comes back with a message that it can 't complete, even though it seems to upload anyway ? I am on cable, so my service is fast, and other sites load like normal. Preferential service by Comcast ? Any known technical issues that are being resolved ? Keith
  3. Bob The coach was rotted out due to roof leakage and the chassis rusted out from being parked outside for nearly 30 years in the midwest.... If the chassis had been OK I was going to make a flatbed out of it, but the way it is would be more work than its worth. I have a 93 regular cab truck I am restoring so thats enough projects for now. Weather has been lousy several weekends in a row, so I have not yet pulled the axle. If I had a ready buyer I may be more motivated...
  4. Greg, if one does go the way of an adapter, provided that the final offset is correct, the only components that are stressed differently to before are the adapter and the new wheel. Of the 2, the dually was always made for that offset and so was made strong enough. The adapter in the thickness concerned should be plenty strong. Provided the relationship of the tire to wheel bearings is as before, there will be no impact to the wheel bearings whatsoever. The major negative in this conversion is that the unsprung weight goes up by the weight of the spacer, the new wheel studs and the difference in weight of the dually vs regular rim. That weight difference is substantial. Every time you hit a bump in the road all of the suspension components have to work against all that inertia. For a vehicle that does not do a lot of mileage a year, I can see the attraction of having a single spare tire. Where more frequent use is the case, the conversion will lead to ball joints, shocks etc having a substantially reduced lifetime.
  5. In case anyone needs an axle upgrade, I am removing the complete rear full floating axle assembly from my 86 Dolphin. First $600 for the assembly lugnut to lugnut including the wheels and tires. I'm located in the Napoleon, MI area (midwest). The wheels were shot blasted and painted with zinc rich primer before being painted silver again. Thereafter the 4 new tires were fitted and they have less than 6k miles on them. Thanks Keith
  6. For sake of comparison to the OP, I today filled an 8x16x2 trailer with scrap, as well as a second 5x10 trailer. Unfortunately it rained all day and the temperature was in the 40's. By the time I got the trailers loaded up I was soaked. The last bits I shoveled using my snow shovel since there seem to be a million small pieces of 1x framing and insulation. I'm hoping for better weather this week to finish the job. The plywood floor and all the carpet need to come out as well as the front seats. I'm thinking of laminating a layer of Filon on both sides of a 1" sheet of extruded polystyrene to use as the rear wall of the cab. To close the hole over the roof of the cab I was going to also use filon sheet bonded to the roof of the cab and to the laminated panel in the rear. To give the filon roof some stiffness I need to find a curve which still permits attachment on the front and sides. The filon roof will let lots of light into the cab, since it is translucent. If neccersary, one can go to double wall on the roof at a later date, but single wall seems fine for most commercial box truck roofs.
  7. Well, after much procrastination, I today demo'ed the coachwork on my Dolphin. Not wanting to be too subtle, I used the 10' reach backhoe on my TLB. There was nothing to save. I did try to remove the bubble front window over the bunk that so many seem to be looking for, but it was so brittle that it cracked just from its own weight when held by one side... The roof was rotted, the front bunk area was rotted, the floor was rotted, the sills were rotted, need I say more... Hopefully the mold spores don't kill me.... Unfortunately, everyone who responded to my earlier postings wanted it for nothing, so I decided that I would turn it into a flat bed truck. I will get a few pictures of the carnage tomorrow.. The next step is to surgically remove the fiberglass molding at the cab, the cab seats, the rear floor, cut off the frame extensions and get all the trash hauled away. The original cab and doors is still in good shape, I need to rip out all the carpet and deal with any rust issues in the front footwells from water ingress over the years. The frame seems to be at least 4" higher after removal of all that weight... maybe even 6" at the rear. If I was in CA it would probably be no problem to find a donor regular cab, but here in the midwest they are as scarce as heck.
  8. Unfortunately, the ball/cup and the pressed steel backing, even the tubing is just mild steel. The design lifetime could not be more than 8 years, perhaps only 3 years in coastal areas. On some of the trucking sites there is better hardware out there, but the tubular frame has to be modified to fit our Toyotas and since they are stainless, not cheap. The one I found below is more reasonable than any I came across on my earlier searches: Take a look at this example here : https://www.berrylan...ror-p-7602.html
  9. Doug, the mirrors are the originals and not in good shape. The would continuously drift out of position and I doubt they are worth saving. If it wasn't for the fact that nothing new is a direct fit, I would have replaced them before my first trip.
  10. Well, the summer has come and gone, but no takers on the Dolphin. I guess it has been a pretty extreme year financially, so maybe that is not too surprising. If anyone is looking for a full floating rear axle or a rebuilt 22RE motor I could think of pulling them. Before winter comes this unit is going to the crusher. It also has sandblasted rims painted with cold galvanizing paint and 4 new load D range tires (on the rear axle) that have only done one 6000 mile trip. Here is a new link to one of the photos. Keith Near Napoleon,MI
  11. Greg If you had the tranny out, then you have been through the hardest work already and getting those tight bellhousing bolts out will be easy now. I found rebuilding the motor to be fairly easy. I had the block and sump sand blasted to grey metal and painted it with zinc rich primer, then high temp black paint to prevent future corrosion issues (road salt in my case). I also had worn out bearings at 70k, I guess the previous owners didn't change the oil or filter much. I did new piston, rings and new standard size mains and big ends. Despite the shot bearings, the crankpins were all in spec and finding a place to grind the crank was a major headache and not financially viable. I put on a new head (about $280 complete), oil pump, timing gear, chain,tensioner and sprockets. Deflashed and deburred the intake manifold so it would not strip the skin off my forearm when working near it. Put on a new exhaust manifold and heat shield (best $60 I ever spent). Put in a new thermostat. Water pump was fine, but replaced the hoses out of caution. If you go this route, I found Rock auto the best, but you will also find deals on ebay (buy it now). Check the deck height on new pistons. I didn't and between the new pistons and the new head, the compression ratio was that much higher that I had to buy premium fuel ever since the rebuild.
  12. Maineah, I think when they were first used, it was due to legitimate concerns regarding the rear axle weight rating. Once Toyota stepped in with the beefier axle, the tag axle was dropped to save costs and increase interior room. From that point, I guess the manufacturers kept piling more and more crap into the vehicles until even the rating of the dually axle was exceeded. Along with exceeding the rear axle weight rating, today typically the front is overloaded too. There does not seem to be a history of the proper full floating axles failing, no matter how overloaded the MH is, but with 14" wheels, one is at the end of the road tire wise. Even now, getting 14" class D tires is becoming more and more difficult. Tire Rack seems to have stopped carrying them. Last time I bought they were the last in stock at the warehouse in Indiana.
  13. I was at an RV surplus store today and trailer axles (complete with disk brakes) are a dime a dozen.. well almost. It seems that adding a second axle behind the existing drive axle will alleviate one of the biggest problems (overloading the rear axle). I take for granted that the chassis would have to be properly extended (seems many of the OE extensions were very weak). Going with a tag axle would allow lower spring rate springs on both axles, thus improving the ride. From my experience with trailers, I would expect an improvement in stability with the tandem axle. So does anyone have any feedback regarding their experiences ?
  14. This has been one of the best postings in recent memory ! Congrats.
  15. Well, updates so far: 1 caller from Seattle for whom I am too far away 1 caller from somewhere in the Midwest who wants to gut the interior so that he can put his motorcycles inside, but who wants to know if the Toy will run 70mph on the Interstate. My reply was something along the lines of "well, if it is downhill AND you have a tailwind..." If I could find a donor cab, I would just turn the thing into a nice pickup again, which would tow a trailer full of motorcycles just fine at 70mph. If there is anyone in the Midwest area who knows where I might find a cab, or a pickup without engine and tranny, I would appreciate knowing. I'm guessing they are not too common here, and the few examples are mostly rusted out after 20+ winters
  16. There were problems with the tensioners breaking / wearing through on some of the 22RE engines, so it is recommended to replace the tensioner. If the tensioner had failed, the timing cover may be damaged (worn away). Rock Auto has all the replacements and it is not expensive, but would ideally be done with the engine removed. Not sure I would try it in situ. But generally, timing chains which are lubricated with engine oil will go the life of the engine. If you rebuild, you would have to be nuts not to replace all that stuff.
  17. The single wall box on the back of the U haul weighs a lot less than the "MDF+Siding+insulation+sheathing" of the Dolphin. Not to mention the weight of the oven, heater, inverter/battery/shower/toilet/grey-black water tanks/fresh water tank/cabinets/closet/sofa/benches/captains chairs. It would be like comparing the weight of a empty garden trailer, to the same trailer with a full load of trash on it... Most of the MH's tend to be totally maxed out or over gross weight. The U haul basically just has the chassis, fuel tank and aluminum box sitting on it. The difference is the amount you can load into it. Even if your MH is gutted, the construction of the walls and roof doesn't match. And did you tear out the old stuff under the floor (black/grey/fresh water tanks & plumbing ? How would you get anything sizeable into the beast ? Surely the side door is too narrow ?
  18. Hi folks It may be heresy, but I recently bought a 22ft HiLo trailer for an unbeatable price and my Toyota motorhome is one project too many at this point. See the add here: http://www.toyotamotorhome.org/classifieds...ng.php?view=546 Anyone who wants to see pictures can see them in my album here: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.ph...er&user=761 Right now it is a complete unit. It has the 22RE engine with about 6000 miles since a complete overhaul. The overhaul included a brand new cylinder head, new pistons/rings, new standard size bearings, new timing chain, cover/tensioner. It has the 3 speed+overdrive automatic transmission and we stopped driving it when it refused to upshift from first until the transmission oil warmed up. When the oil is warm it appears to work perfectly, but when cold, all you get is 1st and reverse. The unit has 6 new tires with the same 6000 miles on as the engine. I had all the wheels sandblasted down to bare steel, then painted with "cold galvanizing" zink rich primer, then painted silver. This was done prior to fitting the new tires 2 years ago. The cab is in reasonable shape, doors are good and everything works up front. There are a few rust holes at the deepest spot in the floor. The carpets are only fit to be torn out and replaced. The rear coachwork is in poor shape and if I was keeping it I would do a complete rebuild with aluminum tubing and foam/filon sandwich like the newer RV's. It has the gas range/cooker. The ammonia refrigerator works but it looks like crap. I have never used the water heater or pump system. The unit has the proper fully floating rear axle, although I would prefer to sell the RV to someone as either a rolling chassis or as a complete unit with the camper body on it. I will be waiting for the weather to improve before tearing into it, so if you would like some or all of it, send me a PM. Obviously, someone who would take it off my hands would be preferred. I have about $2000 in it, just in the engine rebuild and tires, before considering the purchase price in the first place. Thanks Keith (near Napoleon MI)
  19. I shortened my exhaust so that it exits in front of the left rear wheel. In the process I replaced the catalytic converter and muffler that was rusted out with take outs from smashed late model trucks (muffler from a Tundra and catalyst from a GM SUV) A muffler shop put it all together for me for less than $200 excluding parts and it is all stainless steel so it should last a long time.
  20. Dennis, I have spent almost every weekend this summer driving from Michigan to Nebraska and back for work and almost all the mileage was with the Dodge sprinter turbo diesel. Even carrying over a ton and driving 75-80mph, one gets at least 20mpg (depending on headwind) driving west is typically right on 20 and east may rack up to 26. It certainly is a very economical vehicle. The EPA modified their fuel economy test because of how peoples driving style had developed due to years of cheap gas (lots of aggressive acceleration etc). Unfortunately, they introduced the new standard right at the point where the fuel price had climbed over $2.50/gal and with prices being where they are now, most people have toned down their driving in reaction to sticker shock they get at the pump. The right thing for the EPA to do at this point would be to switch back to the original test which fits the current economic climate.
  21. To keep the weight down I will use the CF-39 which is much lighter and $3.14/ sq ft. I will not be re-building the overhead bunk, since that is the biggest obstacle to achieving a reasonable drag design. I will probably end up with some cabinets or the like in the overhead bunk area. My rough estimate is about 500 ft of Cflex for a cost of about $1500 + resin of course. + a bit more for internal ribs. I am figuring on a 13 ft long coach in my case. No wooden structure whatsoever to rot out and I can get an aerodynamic front end, a rounded roof and a smooth exterior. Looking at the weight, it should work out about 300lb according to the spec sheet. I have to think about whether to build any of the interior fixtures from the same material, to avoid adding wood in order to keep the weight down. The interior will have to be insulated and therefore need a second "skin" which I need to still work out.
  22. Dave, My situation is a bit better than yours, but I have no intention of re-building the way it was originally built. These trucks had an empty weight of less than 3000lb, including the steel load box and a payload of about 2600lb. Somehow, the original construction of the Dolphin adds almost 3000lb to the weight of the vehicle (too much heavy and weak materials used). As you have found, they are also water sensitive. The drag of the present design is yet another factor that limits speed and pushes up fuel consumption. It was in fact my goal to have my rebuild project underway, but my work situation has gone a little crazy with the result that I have been home fewer than 5 weekends since March. Having said that, I am now leaning towards re-fabricating the entire coachwork from a fiberglass material called "C-Flex" that lends itself to "1 off" boat building. The goal is a vehicle shaped more like the Mercedes Sprinter based motorhomes (or similar type B vans) if one ignores the long "snout". Just a word of warning on the rear bath layout. It may look nice on paper, but it does move a lot of weight to the extreme rear of the vehicle where the chassis rails have been extended rather poorly by the coach builders. I personally like the rear dinette layout, since it allows a nice panoramic view and keeps the weight down at the very end of the vehicle. Everybody's needs varies, in my case it is just my wife and I and we don't need too much space. What we want is a much lighter gross weight for improved hill climbing and reduced drag to improve the MPG without requiring one to drive at 50mph for thousands of miles across such a big country. We may even do some aerodynamic mods to the front end as part of the drag reduction concept. We had to rent a trailer this summer for a short notice vacation out west and towed the smallest trailer we could rent (21 ft long x 12 ft high) over 4000 miles @ 10mpg with my Dodge ram truck. Do the math and it was over $1600 worth of fuel just for the towing...
  23. Bufbooth has the factory explanation. Powder coating is cured in an oven at quite a high temperature (to melt the epoxy powder). Going this route will force you to replace any seals that are in that assembly because they will be fried and you have the danger of getting abrasive into the assembly, thereby possibly ruining the hubs. You will have to remove the bearing races else they may lose some of their temper since they are heat treated. Obviously what you are suggesting can be done, but using a catalytic paint is much less work and less risk because no disassembly is needed and there is no baking process. Powder coat tends to look more pleasing because it smooths marks a little, but that is a pretty rough part, so unless you spend a lot of time polishing it up by hand it will still look rough.
  24. Jack up and support axle safely. Remove wheels. Remove the nuts that hold down the axle shaft flange. Underneath are "cone washers" that lock the flange to the studs. Best tool to loosen their grip is a slide hammer There are tapped holes in the flange where a slide hammer can be screwed into and grip of the cone washers broken. Once you get the cone washers out, the half shaft with flange will slide out, be careful to support it to avoid damaging the inner oil seal, or else you will soon be re-doing the job again and replacing the oil seals. If it will be open for more than a few minutes, cover the opening with aluminum foil secured with duct tape to prevent crap getting into the bearings and ruining them, since they won't be cheap. If you want to remove the entire hub and not just the central flange, you will then have to remove the pair of special nuts that preload the bearings, which will then allow the entire hub / drum assembly to slide out. You then have to split the hub / drum assembly which leaves you with the hub casting/forging. Now you have even more disassembly to remove the bearings and cover everything up prior to sandblasting. If I were you I would rather try to find a way of taking the vehicle somewhere to get it sandblasted in situ and then paint it with a proper catalytic paint. Less risk of getting the sandblasting media into such an expensive and safety critical assembly.
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