Jack M.

Installed and working!

It's my fault. I "Hi Jack" it first. I'm replacing my lights, because my truck is too slow on hills and I almost got ran over. So we started talking about that issue as well. I've been lurking around here for a few years also. I bought myself a can-o-worms (that's awesome!) so I'll probably be more active. I really appreciate every opinion. I've already discovered it can be a touchy subject because there's so many different things you can do (with time or money or skills). I'm a little short on all of the above so my projects will likely last forever. First step is to get running and get back out there. It's nice to hear from all of you. This is a "discussion" forum after all. It's good to get to talk about my truck with people who understand. Everyone else seems to think I'm a nut. This has been some great info so far. Can half of the thread be moved to an engine topic?? Either way, other guys who are working on their lights are probably dreaming about a stronger motor also.

There is definitely a lot to consider here. I suppose it does have a lot to do with what you want and how much time/money you have. There seems to be good reason for either building the 22 or swapping 3.4. Either seem like more practical options than swapping the truck for say, a newer Tacoma (we better not even start that conversation!). Going faster is not the primary issue. I think 65 is a very comfortable speed or maybe 70 sometimes if possible. My daily-driver for the last 20 years has been a performance Trans Am that can climb straight up a wall without slowing down. Very fun on winding mtn roads. Anyway, I get the same thrill driving my truck at 65 as the TA at ~120. ...both hands on the wheel, watching everything, focused. I'm ready to slow down and deal with life at a reasonable pace. ...but not THAT slow. To be fair, I was having other vehicle issues when I went through the mountains. The hood got slammed shut and I was low on ATF so I tried to limp back home, then made a wrong turn into the mountains. About two days into my trip the speedo stopped working but I imagine I was only going 20-25 at the end. It would have been less dangerous if I were going the pokey 45 I was getting on hills earlier. For me, one priority would be to fix the "goose fire poker" issue. It's just a little too nerve racking to drive when it sounds like it's about to explode. Bless it's soul with 200k+. The other thing would be power for ac/alt and hills. Sounds like a good step might be to replace the tranny with a better one, ...which I would want for either engine option?? Perhaps gear it for better low-end and sacrifice some of that blazing speed that I get on flat ground.

I definitely respect the opinions of you guys who have actually done these things! Thanks. A motor swap is too big of a project for me so I'll have to take the long way around (pay). I'm glad to hear that swap wasn't too hard and it's working out good for you. Sounds like a good option. You had to swap the tranny too, right?

I'm too new to have a real opinion about anything yet. I've had my eye on a micro rv for about 25 years. I saw my first Sunrader in 1994 and thought it was something special. It always seemed the the perfect backup plan. I finally got one. I love it and wouldn't want anything else, ...but there are definitely some things that can stand to be better. Not too many necessities but a lot to think & dream about and at least a decade of fun projects. Having a little more power seems like a pretty logical step (at some point). $3,700 sounds reasonable to me. The 3.4 conversion would cost $8k plus. Neither would be an easy undertaking. I'd have a shop do the work. I better just plan on making the stock 22 work for me for the foreseeable future.

" a goose being stabbed by a hot fire poker " ...that's it!! That's exactly what my truck sounds like!

"enlightenment for my sunrader" ...you're too funny! My truck sounds like it's working way too hard on mild hills and seems like it might explode on any real mountains. Maybe that's just how they sound?? The race guys also suggested building the 22re. There was a little debate but the final two answers from them was the 3.4 or build the 22r. It looked like it could be more expensive to build the 22 so I figured it might be better to start with a larger motor instead. I figured the short E350's had no problem. That's too bad. I'm probably getting shafted by my automatic tranny as well.

Yeah, don't want to go jumping into this one without a lot of research. Luckily, I have plenty of time before that project comes around. Ha. My 22re came with ~115, but that was 30 years and 200k ago. Maybe, since the compression is still good, good plugs & wires, and the best exhaust I could afford to get, I figure I MIGHT have ~95 without ac. The Toyota 3.4 5VZ-FE boasts 190 stock. I think that's close enough to double for generalizations. I've also heard that it's pretty easy to get 225 out of them. The goal would be to go 65 on hills instead of 45. The little 4-banger will already do 68 on flat ground fully-loaded. It takes awhile to get there but that's faster than I will ever need to go. I'd like to use some of that extra hp for ac and a larger alternator. I don't know about these things, so I'll take your word that it may not be all unicorns and butterflies. Something better would be nice. I spoke to some race truck guys who said they would choose the 3.4. I assume it's worth considering. I've heard talk about "slapping-in a smallblock" and that would be awesome. I'm already a fan. However, It's seems the "right" thing to do is put a Toyota motor in it, to keep it "all Toyota." I don't know of a better Toyota motor than that 5VZ-FE and apparently you have to shoehorn it in there. If money wasn't the issue, what motor would you want in yours?

A 3.4 has more than twice the hp. I think that might help a little. Kind of expensive project though. A guy can dream.

Haha, you're funny. To be fair, I probably deserved a few of those fingers. I'm use to driving a regular sports car and my "huge" truck is a new experience for me. I have big mirrors and a camera on the back but it's still much harder to tell what's going on all around. I'd like to nicely let people know that I'm big and slow and partially blind. I was thinking about adding some yellow hazard stripes. Perhaps "caution: slow vehicle" or some other markings like a school bus or driver's ed car. On the I-215 I was happy to see dedicated slow vehicle lanes. I could just fall in line behind a big tanker and keep up with them. Someday there will be an engine swap and slow will no longer be a thing! <sigh>

I can see them giving me the finger during the day and around town because they pull up next to me and stick it in my face, or cut in front and stick their hand out the window. It's actually kinda hard to miss. On the dark mtn road adventure I had, I couldn't see much at all because, well, ...it was dark. I could however hear the blaring horn and hi-beams in my mirrors, and feel the big woosh as they pass a little to close to teach me a lesson about being too slow I suppose. I know how to drive, that's a non-issue since I've been doing it for 35 years. The issue I have is not even going slow, it's being hard to see while going slow. I feel this is a safety issue for me and that's why I'm here getting help with my new lights.

Wow, never even been honked at?? Amazing. I've only been out for a few weeks and it seems the norm to me. I was prepared for it though and just smile and sometimes wave. Most often I get the finger, but I just shrug because what can I do?? That's as fast as I go. The "worry" part for me doesn't seem to have much to do with my gender but more preservation of life or survival. In the city or during the day, being slow is not an issue for me. On a dark and narrow mountain road with a rock face on one side and a cliff on the other, with large trucks passing and blowing my little rig around, and having questionable exterior lighting, ...it's a whole other story. It's more of a concern. I guess worry too, based on fear of dying. I'd rather be extra safe rather than sorry, if I can help it.

"...except to indicate a traffic hazard. " Yeah, that's me on hills. I qualify. I'm sure most people in this group understand the perils of mountain travel. It's new to me.

I came across several 35 mph hill-climbers with their flashers on. It seemed like the thing to do. I think I'd be willing to take my chances with a ticket rather than getting run over.

I should have suspected there would be a little something more to it. I've already switched the markers to led, they look great. Five amber in front and five red in back. The two rear side markers are still incandescent. The new tails will be all led. I suppose that just having good working lights should be enough, ...but I think I'm in the market for something extra. I've even considered getting flashing ambers like a construction vehicle. Haha.

Well, I haven't had a chance to think about it yet but I just thought that's how it was supposed to be. The Bargman 47-84-104's have an amber lamp and at first that seemed like the way to go (more like a regular car) but at the last minute I decided to get 103's (all red) because the original 1400's were all red. I didn't pay too much attention to how they worked because I was never behind myself driving. I just checked that they turned-on. I want to be lit up like a Christmas tree. It's dangerous out there for a slow vehicle and I want everyone to see me clearly at night. I almost got run over so I don't mind over-doing it a little. I've been kicking around the idea of a third brake light, or maybe a tailgate light. I don't mind saving-up for the right parts. I'd rather just take care of it now while I'm at it and the walls are out. I might want to wire-up a trailer light plug too. If I put anything on the bumper (like a bicycle or such) it will cover the lights. If I add a bunch of lights, will I need a gizmo to bump-up the voltage or something like that?? Still considering my options but I want to get this project wrapped-up. Thanks for your help.

Oh, that explains a lot. I was trying to hook them together and that's why I had an extra wire. I'll try it this way next weekend. Since both of the lights have red lenses, I thought they would both light for brake and both flash for turn. If I understand correctly, I can have it that way IF I get a tail light converter?? Then it should work like a trailer that only has one light on each side, except I'll have two (plus reverse)?? There may also be a short causing some confusion. I may rewire it from the connector to the lights.

Derek, no I didn't. That's going to come in handy. Thank you!

Something like this?? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EKW0DC/

Well, except they were very dim and the lenses were all cracked, but yes it had brake lights, turn signals, hazards, and everything seemed to worked. ...then I had a rough trip through the mountains and everything started acting funny then stopped working. I almost got ran over a couple of times on a lonely highway because I was only going 20 mph or so (speedo quit) and I had no lights. No where to pull off and a cliff on one side. Very scary. So, I thought I'd start by getting some new lights and get them mounted, then figure out how to get them to work or take it to a shop. Maybe there are other underlying issues, huh??

It has a single bulb in each triple. It is for the reverse light. It is a single-filament #1156. I'd like to switch it for a LED replacement so all the bulbs will be LED. On the old fixture (reflect-o-lite 1400), there are three incandescent bulbs in each one. Two are #1156 and one is #1157 (double-filament). What is "any type" can you provide an example link? There seems to be a lot of different types, I wonder why so?? Thanks!

That's helpful but still leaves me confused. The wires ARE labeled in the plastic as "Stop & Turn" and "Tail" (I believe). So that part is clear. I'm getting some very strange behavior though. 1. I have it correctly grounded. When I connect "Tail" it works correctly. All the LEDs light up. No brake, hazard, or turn. 2. If I connect my red wire (one of two) to the reverse light (this can not be correct because I know which wire is for reverse and this is not it), but then the hazards work correctly!! ...but if I connect the same wire to the same spot on the other side also, hazards don't work. No turn, no brake. 3. If I connect the one wire on the reverse light to the wire that went to the old reverse light, the reverse light doesn't light up. I checked it with a meter and it shows 2 volts when in reverse gear. No turn, no brake. 4. The old lights seemed to work correctly before I removed them, except for one with a broken socket. I'm pretty new at this and also the wiring is very hackish. I just want to get pointed in the right direction because It's obviously not plug-n-play and I must be overlooking something. I'm going to order a new flasher but if I need something like a "tail light converter" then I want to get it ordered as well.

I'm updating to LED. Besides changing the relay and filling the gap, does anyone know if a "Tail Light Converter" is required and which one?? The Bargman 30-84-103's have different wiring than the Reflect-O-Lite 1400's. The same light is used for tail, brake, hazard, and turn, whereas the old ones had only one function each. Anyone know how to make this work?

Thanks for the response! It does not appear to have an emissions sticker on it anywhere. I wonder how big of an issue that is? CA DMV states that it must still pass the CA smog test even if it's not a 50 state vehicle. There's a smog exemption but only for 1975 and older. I was told it would fail now for no horn or battery tray. I have some work to do.

I've been lurking in these forums for the last 3 years and thought it was time to introduce myself now that I have joined your ranks! 1987 Sunrader 210-RS 4 cycl (2.4L) 22RE Automatic Transmission It's somewhat rough with 200K miles but that gives me a lot of room to (eventually) customize, ...and the price was right. I found it in Arizona but need to take it to CA. I don't know if it will meet CA emissions because this one was built in Indiana(?). Nice bonus that it doesn't have the wraparound windows. I haven't had a chance to go through it good yet. I'm happy and excited!