FredNewell

Leon's muffler in Eureka. They are a full service auto shop. You get what you pay for. They have a good reputation with the locals.

30 minutes and the install is done. I love watching someone else work on my truck. $120 including disposal of old tires. Hummel Tire, Fortuna CA. They are in town, just off of the 101. Next time I would get a quote for tires from them, to support local business. Anyway... When I take the trip next week, I'll be gone a month plus. I won't be concerned with the age of my tires. Rig is ready! Feels good like a kid with new shoes.

FWIW, I called a local brick and mortar store. Les Schwab. They quoted 20 per tire plus 16 for balance. 36x6=forget it. Just thought I'd check their prices. They were apologetic but really don't think it will grow their business. I guess online tire purchase has hit them in the wallet. I have another store who is happy do the install. Les Schwab has long been my go-to store. Spent 3600 on six tires a while back, plus all brake and alignment work there.

Moved from Arroyo Grande to Humboldt county back in 2001. SLO is a great area. Used to work at DCPP. Pismo Beach is one the world's best beaches, IMO. We've met really nice folks over the past 8 years of our Dolphin travels. Some folks like to talk, others don't. There seems to be no standard etiquette. On the open road, we flash headlights, and the other Toyota often returns the same. I've noticed that our 84 Dolphin is usually the only rig of this vintage at RV parks. We have no slide-outs, and no toad. Exception would be one time up near Portland there was a vintage RV group. We gave a neighbor a tour. They also showed us theirs. I painted my back bumper with some black "bed liner paint" from Rustoleum, today. Tomorrow I re-seal the roof area, and will do an exterior wax job. New tires to be installed next week. We're getting ready for our yearly NorCal - Wisconsin - Nashville trip. A month of fun. In the middle of it all, we team up with two Canadian couples (wife's sisters) and we rent an AirBnB house in Branson MO for a week while the Dolphin hides out in Nashville at a kid's house. We travel in the fall, because it is our rule... if we need A/C, then we ain't going. Every year, on our way home, I think of selling the Dolphin, but we keep hanging on. Every year we fix it up a little. It's a very economical motorhome. If I sold it, I'd want another rig, and the proceeds from the Dolphin might almost pay the sales tax and registration on a late model or new MH. I ramble.

6x$15 for installation, plus $5 each for disposal. But I did save sales tax and other fees. The twenty dollar bill has become the new five.

UPDATE: JUST REC'D TIRES. TODAY IS 9/11, DELIVERY TOOK 9 DAYS TO NORTH CALIFORNIA. TIRE DATE 3217. 32ND WEEK IN 2017 IF I AM INTERPRETING CORRECTLY. ALL TIRES CAME NOT BOXED, BUT STRAPPED IN PAIRS (THREE PAIRS) VIA FEDEX. Load Range D. All is ok for me. But if I were being picky, I'd want newer tires if available. sorry about the all caps... Love you guys.

Just ordered a set of 6 from Amazon using the link provided above. 86 bucks each no tax free shipping. I'll update later. Fastlane Tire is the retailer on Amazon.

WME - not that irrelevant, but the feeling of freeway driving at 65-70 mph with new tires is WAY better than 8 year old tires. I had a set of 5 year old Michelins from Costco fail... 3 of 4 tires with sidewall rot. I pulled into a gas station in Rock Springs WY and saw one was low. I filled it, then the other side was low. Returning to the first side, the tire I had just filled was already loosing air. I cancelled my Marriot reservations in SL City, and stayed at the local motel, then limped one block on flat tires to an American Tire Store. Several hundred bucks later, I was back on my way. First and only experience like that. I confess, I was driving close to 80 mph on I-80 westbound just before Rock Springs. The car had just been through a couple of Wisconsin winters and I was bringing it back home to sunny CA. Acura Legend, it was.

Orkey Dorkey. Thx

Well, It has been a while since logging in... Probably tire time again because I plan to keep the Dolphin going for a few more trips. My Sears Tire receipt from October 2010 shows seven of the RA08 tires @ 97.81 each plus fees etc and balancing. 38,000 miles and the tread is still deep. Never had problems. I did keep the pressure checks up. So is this still the "go to" tire? Any better tires or amazing deals? Man... 8 years already, and total reliability truck wise. The coach... sticks and staples... but no leaks due to handyman level maintenance. No complaints. Thanks! Fred

The road closure is for a federal road repair project (not CalTrans). They close from 8-12, 1-5 give or take, Monday thru Thursday. Friday they open at 2:30 PM for the weekend traffic. The closure is at mile marker 36. The camp is at marker 35.2. On Friday, there was a medevac helicopter land right next to us, on the property, to take a driver who was injured on HWY-36. This is a pretty crazy highway, not recommended for normal folks. Just us crazy folks. Humboldt County is crazy and proud of it. We had a great weekend. The propane regulator on the dolphin blew out after the first night. Spent the rest of the weekend without propane. Fortunately, we had hot shower and kitchen facilities included in the deal. FWIW, if you are interested in our craziness, there is a local gal who runs a local news service. Search... Readheaded Blackbelt.

Heading out to a private campground 40 miles away, for our annual family camp. Four days of relaxation, pool with lifeguard for the kids. Nice and quiet. Commercial kitchen where we all take turns at food prep and cleanup. Triumphant Life Camp on HWY 36. 8 of my 11 grandkids will be there. They are excited and have anticipated this all summer, more so than the eclipse. School starts after this weekend.

Aww... go head... pull the ring!

Well, I'm about to torque the rear dual wheel nuts. I was going to ask what torque since the original 85# sticker seems to be for the original factory arrangement. I'm going ahead with 150# plus a little dry without lube.

Not really an oops, but I learned something after 35 years of RVing. My dolphin has a couple of drain valves for the domestic water. They are angle valves that dump through the floor to the driveway. There is a circular pull that looks like the pull ring on a hand grenade. I discovered this today while reinstalling my water heater plumbing. Pretty cool. They are on the floor of the closet, under the water heater. Pull the ring and the water drains. I avoid living where it freezes, or where air conditioning is used. I usually do very little to winterize. Never had a problem.

Did ya know you can reinstall a water heater upside down... except when you go inside the cab, the old propane and water lines ain't right. Reinstalling mine after siding repair. Oh yeah. Time for a break.

Well, after a bit of procrastination (procrastination is a nasty nation) and my trademark analysis paralysis... I did the work on the driver's side. Dolphinite's photos show what I had to do. I did not go back with 3/4" plywood, but used 1/4" primed and painted with house paint to back 3/4" pressure treated (1x4 lumber) and some 1x2 not pressure treated. I pulled the water heater because the wood rot had affected the framing to which the WH is secured. All new and ok now. For tools, I needed the following... 1) a place to work - concrete pad 2) wheelie stool to sit on and scoot around - makes it easier https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000COC67E/ref=od_aui_detailpages02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 3) cheap tarp to cover up when away from the job 4) oscillating multi-tool from amazon (WEN brand 25 dollars) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UKGKYK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 5) tape measure and square 6) 2 cheap clamps from Walmart to hold pieces in place. like these...https://www.amazon.com/MegaDeal-Too-5230-Clamp-Spring-opening/dp/B00CPSJCB8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1502738919&sr=8-7&keywords=clamp 7) Gorilla epoxy glue 8) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BD0B2FC/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 staple gun to re-install siding. Shoots skinny nails which was handy. Trick and tips... when moving the long pieces of siding, they could flop and bend/crimp... therefore clamp it to a piece of 1x4 lumber to carry... keeps it safe. This was quite educational. Later I think I'll do the bottom edge of the back behind the bumper, then the other side, to include rebuilding the door. Then replace interior floors/subfloor where there is a soft spot.., now that I have the tools and greater confidence. Also had to remove the outer wheel to get working space.

Wow! Thanks Dolphinite. I'll copy your process. FWIW, my straps are welded to the frame. Fred

Changed my mind and decided to drop the tanks, if not too difficult. Turns out the straps are fastened at a point that is not accessible from beneath, unless I'm missing something. Looks like they attached the tanks to the chassis, then added the sidewalls later. I'm taking a break to cool off from the frustration, then will take a fresh look later.

That's what I figured. Maybe I will try without dropping thanks. Thanks.

I am currently doing an R&R on the rotted wood behind the aluminum skin that is near the wheel wells. In order to my best work, I think I'll have to drop the black water and the grey water tanks. Anybody done this? Any words of wisdom? Thanks.

Returned home safe and sound. We spent one night at an RV park at the south end of Gold Beach OR. Two nights at an RV park at Seal Rock OR. Then four nights at Pheasant Hill RV park in Wilsonville OR - one very nice park with plenty of stores nearby, like Costco. Indoor pool. I met some guys with their vintage restored trailers. One real nice one is a mid-60's Boles Aero. Sorry no photos were taken. I had decided to sell the Dolphin, but have changed my mind for now.

Repeating the Oregon Coast and over to Portland for a family wedding. This is our third trip this way in the Dolphin. Leaving next Tuesday.

Wow. Exactly what I wanted. Thanks.

I considering selling my rig, but am seriously considering a diy wheel well repair job and keeping it for another few years. The wood behind the aluminum paneling, just before and after the wheel wells, is rotted. This repair probably is not too difficult, but I'd like to know just what I'm going to see when I start removing the existing siding, in terms of what the framing and wood structure looks like. This would be for the entire wall. By chance is there a photo of the bare "naked" exterior wall? This is a 1984 Dolphin, wood sticks and aluminum siding. Thanks