neubie

spray on glues like 3m 77 can be great BUT most of them will attack and react with foam insulation and destroy enough of the surface that foam might need replacement, others including 77 wont do a great job on foam to wood layers but otherwise arent a bad option. One 3M spray adhesive isnt a substitute for another, use only foam adhesive for foam to wood layers. Remember its a spray, read instructions very carefully (especially the parts about cleaning the surface and waiting for a set period of time before applying surfaces together as well as personal mask/glasses/glove protection). These work well only if you follow instructions to the letter. I did not have great luck with 77. In the end it was good old gorilla glue to the rescue. With gloves there isnt much that goes wrong with it and it holds reasonably well if you can apply sufficient pressure to hold surfaces tight for several hours while it cures. I am only using gorilla glue now. If its only very limited areas then a stingy (otherwise it will ooze at the seams, less is more with gorilla glue) thin layer of gorilla glue followed by pressure from below may be sufficient. Another surprisingly good option is the expanding foam insulation (think great stuff and the like) -- closed cell versions (some are, most arent closed cell) add water protection too. It also will do a great job patching things up and where it oozes due to careless application is usually much easier to scrape off than the other options.

the bottom of the cushions is vinyl. They stood up to a wash for me (ended up throwing them out any way in the end because of tobacco smell). I washed them as a regular wash cycle, and tumble dry at the lowest heat. Dont know that one needs hot water. Because I threw them out, cant say if the fabric portion shrank, vinyl didnt show any signs of fatigue. Your mileage may varry depending upon your washing machines.

You've got me there derek. It doesnt look very different visually -- i guessed weights wouldnt be all that different but if its altogether different tire arrangement then i have no further ideas. its a very rare model.

tires are going on. it takes a while for them to install them. a lot longer than a car. may be experience matters. but either way, new tires. yay! edit -- old tires had nearly all of their tread left, well over 1/4, if I wasnt so worried about rubber age there wasnt much wrong with them. New date codes are 4417, not the newest, not the end of the world. Overall, given the sheer volume the tire shop gets (there wasnt an empty bay for the several hours I was there and the lots were overflowing) I would say they did a good job. Inflated to 60psi, they say. Hopefully nothing was overtorqued or broken. And in the process the vehicle also drove a couple miles each way. Farthest from home in years.

tires appear to be 195/75R14 tires https://www.purplewave.com/auction/120829A/item/C2490

A keystone looks no different than the small dolphin or other micros of the period.

Bad valves arent something you ignore or wait upon. There is more than one valve you have to worry about -- when you drain fuel, air is drawn in through another valve to compensate. https://i1.wp.com/hazmatnation.fireemsblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/157/2015/09/Propanetest.jpg There is no control on relief valves and they can be bad too. Vertical tanks arent supposed to be used horizontal or leaned but knocking is a bad, ominous sign. Reducing pressure should help. How you do it isnt clear if the tank is turned off. Is the fridge off too, then? By any chance is there a portable cooktop connection in the setup somewhere that you can setup away/outside just to burn off and reduce pressure? What does the gauge read full or over? Its not easy to overfill modern tanks -- its probably a sensitive valve.

there is a deposit on hankook ra18 at 99+installation (15 per?) + taxes and fees. around 800 total. nothing to write home about but hopefully a price point for next person looking.

hankook ra18 185r14 d1 : the delivered cost from a warehouse to store (they all get them from the same warehouses) is 77 per tire or lower. local chain outlet had a markup of 33. you cant expect them to do amazon/3rd party price of 87 shipped but i have seen prices that include markup of 47 per tire. Thats another tire worth of markup. went back to see if i can talk to someone reasonable there. long shot. but when shown the markup they adjusted slightly. to 99 per tire+ usual fees. Its less than a hundred dollars at that point and while another time I would have a tire shop just mount and balance, this time its worth the convenience. Hopefully new tires tomorrow. Then finishing up all the minor stuff -- like new window screens yesterday. Testing coach pipes and lines. Then an oil change. There is no reason to be afraid, the car seems to run fine BUT I dread they will find something major wrong. Either way, progress.

searching for manuals here will yield a bunch of pdfs. the manuals werent really something useful, and appliances were manufactured by third parties and share the operation instructions. Just pick any toyotahome manual for the period you find here and it will be enough to get you oriented. Just remember after all these years of customizations, nothing is guaranted to be the way the manual says. Always err on the side of safety.

california prices are completely separated from the rest of the country. Depends upon the shape of the truck and the shell. You might also want to ask for feelers from members of https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToyotaMotorhomeClub/ if you havent already done so. pictures help folks (tires, underside, cab, coach, roof) make more educated guesses.

Can you do 195R15s? I believe my 86 gulfstream is strictly 185r14s. The challenge wasnt to find them cheaper (amazon has ra18s at 87 shipped) it was to have them mounted/balanced without moving them around yourself. I am resigning to paying 110+mounting fees this time.

Pricematch is a possibility, the challenge is that amazon seller is a third party if I recall right. I can get RA18s at around 110 at america's tire, plus whatever fees they add. Am leaning there for now. Its a hundred bucks extra or so but keeps actual work off my hands. Lets see if that works out.

On to the inside. Cabover is covered in plastic. The bed space is reclaimed to a great extent with a metal frame. The dinette is one seat and a smaller round table top. Appliances are sort of in their place. There is a sink and vinyl covers the FRP for appearance. Everything is still quite rough. But as long as its screwed in place, and tested free of leaks and defects the finishing will happen over the winter. Paint work has gotten dirty over the delayed reconstruction already. No point in trying to make it look better at this point, there are too many little imperfections that will keep that from happening. The backup camera wires into a dual camera dvr. The batteries are now in generator space. The rest is just reconnected. Hopefully in two weeks I can finish cleanup and testing and start thinking about use.

At this point I have gotten to where most people start when they buy one of these, except that the parts are new. There is a ton of minor fixups left but I am hoping to do the new tires + oil change thing as soon as I can finish testing propane and water lines and appliances. Here is the outside in its sort of after pictures. The backup camera is next to the license plate light. Still not firmly attached.

Yup. Was told Hankook no longer makes RA08 and that RA18 is the replacement.

Its about a hundred dollar difference between doing this or just letting the local tire store overcharge. My back has been rather lousy of late, which makes me extra skittish about handling tires myself. Any other time I would do as you suggest, this time I am hesitent to do this myself. Fear it will just get stuck incomplete. Will think it over and see if I can convince myself I can still get it done.

I made a reasonable plywood box for my fridge and then a vent on top. All dimensions carefully measured. Then it turns out my wall isnt at right angles with the floor, at least not anymore. There is a gap that will need a moulding. But otherwise, its just a matter of sealing properly and hooking up power and propane. When this happens, all new appliances will be in, plumbed and wired. Everything else is sealing this, tightening that. Except the tires, and the oil change, and undiscovered mechanical issues.

Yes, take out the bead, wash in hot water with dawn or something and stick back while still pliant.

A tank should not be knocking. Its usually due to a valve issue or air/fuel mixture issue. But thats based on non-rv propane tank experience. If the tank isnt big, is it possible to disconnect it safely? Does it knock even when its turned off completely? May be at least reduce the pressure as much as possible by burning off some of the gas at a slow rate? Then have the tank and lines inspected.

The local tire store wasnt welcoming, and the monkey manning the terminal wasnt very attentive (sorry, but bad behavior is bad behavior when you expect to dust a thousand dollars off an unsuspecting customer). Pointed the right direction, eventually came up with RA08 then priced them an quoted an amount and a couple days to get them. Clicked through and screen changed to RA18s and obviously the higher price. Pretended or didnt notice. When shown the change went back and forth a couple times and feigned ignorance. Said would call Hankook tomorrow and let me know, they had apparently closed already for the day. This just seems like a bad database entry with this tire store chain. I am not holding my breath. They are way too busy, at least the local store, to pay any attention to any single order or quote. Their customers werent discerning either, didnt seem to know what they were looking for. Strike 2 in tire hunt. Onward to next option.

Took me a long time before the "oh, god will it even be done?" moment. There is very little left -- hook up a few hoses and pipes, make a fridge vent, new tires and an oil change. Hopefully. My part is all but done. But the little niggles -- seal roof and windows again, fix holding tank straps, and similar finally depressed me. Recovering one as far gone as mine is really only a professional's job.

Tires are really sparingly used with no evidence of problems, but given that a tire failure isnt something small for me like it is for many folks, new tires it is. Havent solved which ones yet but Hankooks RA08 or RA18 seem to be the leading contenders.

Got the fridge on its new cupboard pedestal but missed out on checking up tires today. Hopefully tomorrow. Will check date codes. There seemed to be a good deal on RA08s at a local tire store, but it could well be old stock or a bait and switch. Lets see when I get a chance to investigate.

ps: What PSI do folks keep in them? The numbers are all faded on the truck.