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The engine in my 1985 Nissan Sunrader needs to be rebuilt to the tune of $10,000+. It also needs a new U joint, spring bushings and muffler. The appliances, water pump, etc. all work and the interior is in fair condition. Needless to say, I do not want to put anymore money into it. It is stranded in Fairbanks, Alaska. Does it make sense to find someone who would like to part it out or just write it off to a lost cause?

Hi all! I am tackling the water damage from a pipe vent leak in the Sunrader next week. Any advice on this is appreciated. Damage is in the cabinet above the fridge. I used silicone as a temporary fix on the roof, leaks have stopped. The goal is to clean the roof and reseal all points of entry once the interior water damage is repaired. Not interested in a full on demo / rebuild of my Sunrader interior; simply want to address the damage and mold in this one spot. Thanks guys!

Hello TM group, Just purchased a 1989 21ft. Sunrader. So Stoked! But there's a lot of work the little lady needs. First, a set of front windows. I read as many post on here as I could about the subject. All seem to be a year or more old. Is there any new info about sourcing some reasonable priced windows? Or is Advanced in Nor-Cal the only way to go. Also thinking of going the DIY route after reading others success in the DIY. Anyone try any different materials besides Plexiglass? I found a pair on CL but they are off of a 1980 18ft and have a width 15-1/2. My width is 12-1/2 top to bottom opening. Could I buy them and cut them down to size? If the length is the same to. https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/rvs/d/sunrader-rv-parts/6591859236.html Thanks for your help, Aaron

https://flagstaff.craigslist.org/rvs/d/completely-restored-1985/6570661992.html is it just me or is this longer than 21’?

I have been lurking and looking for months for a Sunrader. I finally found one in California with only 52000 on it, 1990, V6. I flew out last week to look at it. The guy I bought it from had no clue about motorhomes. He said he used it as a bunk house on the beach. He never turn on the frig, stove or water pump. I spent a day checking everything out and to my surprise everything worked. Propane valve leaked and we took it to a propane supplier and they repaired it for $60. The seller paid. So, I bought it and began my trek home. I was hoping to make it home on the tires but only made to Winslow, AZ. Blew the right outside rear. Fortunately I called Discount Tire in Flagstaff and they had 6 Yokohama 185 Class D 8 ply in stock. They said they see a lot of Toyota MH in the area and stock the tires for them. First thing I am tackling is the timing belt and shocks. Plus, of course, the basics, belts, fluids, and a more thorough inspection. But I made it home 2700 miles at an average of 16mpg. So, I am a happy camper. I have rebuilt old trailers but this is my first motorhome. This one I am doing for me. I work all summer ( I own a state park concession.) and only get to vacation in the fall and winter. I am planning to set this up for cold weather. I am a photographer and want to be outside getting picture. Hotel rooms ae to expensive and I get tired of hauling gear to the 4 runner. I was a mechanic in a former life and actually worked at a Holiday Ramble dealership when I was in my 20's. About 40 years ago. I am looking forward to this build out and plan to seek a lot of advice here. I will try to post what I am doing.

Hey! My Sunrader Diane and I had a long winter and I need to do some repairs in the Los Angeles Area. Unfortunately, I have limited DIY resources because of where it is parked-etc. First, I have some serious water damage from a leak somewhere in the ceiling. I really need it to stop leaking, and obviously, the water damage to the wood is a problem for the future. I noticed that the roof vent for my stove, etc has a crack in the hard plastic. Anyone have any experience with this leaking? I have found replacements on Craigslist, and it seems like this is an easy enough DIY project, am I correct in that assumption? Next, my rear living room window broke out in a tragic Juniper Brush accident this year. Can I go to any old glass auto repair shop to get it done, or RV specific? Anyone have experience replacing these windows in the LA area have a place that you recommend for this sort of work? Thanks! I love reading through the forum. If you ever see me on the road in Southern California, honk and wave! I appreciate your input in advance.

Hey everyone, thought I'd share some of the work my wife and I have been doing on our 4x4 Sunrader. We bought it in August 2017 in Bozeman, MT. We drove it around the west coast for a while and then made our way to Florida to begin a renovation on it. My wife and I have been living in a VW Vanagon for the last two years and decided to make the move to the Sunrader for the extra room, 4WD, Toyota reliability, and cheaper parts. We started the renovation at the beginning of November and are currently still working on it. We've heavily documented the process with photos, videos, and blog posts so I'll try not to be too redundant and post links here. I'll keep posting as we have more to show! Her name is Amelia and this was her before we started working on her. There's plenty more picture of her and her interior before we started the process over here: http://www.boundfornowhere.com/blog/2017/new-home-on-wheels Our goal was to start with a clean slate on renovation so we tore her down to the fiberglass and salvaged what we could. We found LOTS of dead mice in the walls which made us feel better about peeling back everything so we could get a fresh start. Here is a video of that process: We also cover it with some photos and writing in this blog post. This post also shows our first attempts at fiberglassing as we decided to teach ourselves. http://www.boundfornowhere.com/blog/build-out-week-1-2 I'll leave it at here for now. Don't want to overwhelm you with too much all at once. Be back soon with some more process. -MAK and Owen

Hello again - my last post was Jan 19 - “Lookin at an ‘85 Sunrader”. Well, I GOT IT! Yay! It’s an ‘84, not ‘85. 4 speed manual transmission, 4 cylinder 22R engine. 160,000 miles. I’ve had some health issues to face this Winter so I have not tended to my baby as of yet - but I hope to begin soon. Happy to post pics along the way if folks are interested in that progress. So stoked to have her and so grateful for this group because I can use ALLLL the help/advice folks are able to give on this new journey. (1st photo was right when I bought her - got an oil change - then took her to the diy car wash - 2nd photo is her cleaned up on the 1st pass - she will need lots of washing/detailing but she shines up pretty good!)

When I bought my 78 micro mini Sunrider last fall the coach battery, a group 27 deep cycle marine, was located under the dinette bench along with an old power converter the previous owner had installed The battery was wired and getting juice from the engine battery but wasn't going through the isolator which he showed me was mounted under the hood near the empty battery tray where I assume the coach battery was intended to live. After doing a bit of research I just picked up a set of 6 V golf cart batteries to upgrade my coach battery capacity. Here is what I'm looking to do and I could use some advice from anyone who's got more experience with this stuff than me, which is probably most of you. Lol. I've now got the 2 6V batteries wired in series under the dinette bench making one 12 V combo. I'd like to move the marine deep cycle to the tray under the hood and have everything go through the isolator the way it should be to protect the engine battery . Does this make sense? What's the best way to wire it up so that I am drawing power from both the new 12v combo and the marine deep cycle or is it a bad idea having the two batteries far away from each other. Also, I haven't come across anything that looks like a power center. Any ideas where it would be located or even if these early models had a power center would be helpful. Thanks.

Hey Sunrader Nerds! My 1985 Nissan Sunrader has a defunct emergency brake so I've been using tire blocks when I park it. I'm dropping it off at the car doctor this week and was hoping to locate a cable for the e-brake so I can have them fix it (I don't trust myself with this task at this point in my tinkering career). They mechanic was concerned that he wouldn't have the part. Does anyone know if it requires the same length cable as a Nissan 720 pickup or is it a longer cable? Bonus points if you include a link to purchase the part Thanks everyone!

Hello! I've been researching online and learning a lot from your forums - thanks for hosting and posting! I'm trying to figure out what is going on here: http://www.dreamchasersrv.com/inventory/1982-other-sunrader-1817-p042647 Is this a Sunrader with a custom window on the back? And what's on the side above the door? I don't know what the "1817" is; VIN # year says 1981 rather than 1982. Also, from a more experienced opinion than mine own - is it too rough or is there potential? Thanks for any info & insight!

I put away my Sunrader for the winter. Luckily in the Portland, Oregon, area it doesn't get too cold during the winter months. In addition to draining the water lines and tanks, I covered the Sunrader with a large waterproof tarp. In the spring I would like to look for someone who could (not sure what term to use) clean and polish the fiberglass shell. What type of company or service would I contact who could do this for me?

I am sad to be moving on from my camper adventuring days, but optimistic that this gem can get in the hands of someone else that can enjoy it to its fullest!The "Ponty" is a 1977 Pontiex Pont-X SR-2. The model is somewhat similar to the slightly more common Toyota Chinook. It is very rare and unique and I have only found four other ones in my extensive internet research. The camper company would buy truck cabs from Toyota, build out the campers and then resell them. Its total length is 16.5 feet. Which means you can have what feels like a pretty spacious living area and still fit into a normal parking space!The camper is 40 years strong. It has been on trips all over the Western US and driven across country. In the transitional period as I look for a more practical car, it is has been my daily commuter. Here's a bit about the truck part:To start off it's on a Toyota Truck cab. They were pretty common and you still see a lot of them on the road. They are mechanically straightforward and easy to work on and get parts for still. The truck features the well-regarded 20r engine. I recently rebuilt the heads and the engine is in top shape. The odometer reads 28,000, but only reads 5 digits, so my best guess would be that it has 128k miles on it (possible 228k). It was a 4 speed manual that I upgraded to a 5 speed. Top speed is about 65mph on the highway, more like 45mph going up a hill (depending on how weighted down you are). Not the best vehicle if you're trying to get anywhere in a hurry. I've have been averaging about 17mpg. Pretty good for a home on wheels! Up front it has a cassette player that I never felt the need to upgrade because it has an AUX input, a house speaker hooked up to the radio, seats and dash in pretty good condition for its age (some cracks on the dash and in driver's seat). I recently replaced the carpet in the cab so that is looking pretty spiffy. There are two batteries, a car battery and a house battery with an isolator that keeps the house battery use from draining the car battery. Both batteries are less than 2 years old. The Camper:On the port side there is a table that seats four tightly and drops down for a bed. Underneath one of the benches is a storage space and a water tank under the other. On the starboard side there is a closet with many drawers and storage. The kitchen features a three burner propane Coleman stove with an oven (pretty rare to have an oven in a camper), an icebox fridge (could be upgraded to a mini-fridge but I generally did 6 day adventures at a time so I just got a block of ice), a sink with a pump that brings water from the tank below one of the benches and drains into a grey water tank underneath. There is a fuse box where you can flip a switch to plug straight into electricity if you're at home or at a campground or you can run off the house battery. I put an inverter in so that you can run a laptop and other electronics through it. I also put in a Fantastic Fan Vent that works really well for controlling temps. It has a sensor that closes when it senses rain. Above the cab is another sleeping space or space for storage. You can slide it back and remove a cushion to create more open space. There's also an open flame propane heater. One of the defining features of this camper is its HUGE windows. The full fiberglass shell means that it is safe from much of the leaking damage that many older campers see. Upgrades that have occurred in the last 5 years of ownership• 7 new tires (duallys and a spare)• Rebuilt engine heads• Upgrade from 4 speed to a 5 speed w50 transmission• Clutch• Alternator• Rear differential• Brakes• Rebuilt rear axle and u-joints• Interstate batteries for house and car• Custom carpet in the cab• 350 watt inverter to run electronics• Fantastic Fan Vent for ventilation• Many other small upgradesUpgrades currently undone:• Gas gauge is broken (I never fixed it is because the needle pops up from the other side when there is a few gallons left, plus I have a 5 gallon reserve tank so that always worked for me)• When starting, the engine typically turns over a bit longer than normal, especially when it's cold. It always starts so I haven't looked into it yet but I suspect it could be a carburetor cleaning or rebuild.• The blower in the cab works but doesn't blow heat. Haven't looked into what it needs to work properly.• Some rust showing on the rocker panels and on the hood of the truck (It lived in Nevada and Colorado for all of it's known life. I only brought it to Vermont last year and did not drive it through the winter.)• Lots of little things that could be done if desired to add a personal touch (New curtains? Cushions? Radio/sound? Paint? Solar? Etc.)I'm really looking for the right buyer for this amazing vehicle. I have been burned on internet car sales before and I want to make sure that the buyer has every piece of information they need and walks away happy. Feel free to contact me with any questions, more pictures, etc. $8900. I am looking to upgrade to a Toyota Tacoma and would be willing to consider trades. I'm in no rush to sell so no need to send low-ball offers. It hasn't been updated in a while, but if you want to read about some of this camper's adventures you can check out my blog: https://pontxadventures.wordpress.com/Thanks for looking!Mischa

Hello! My name is Jon and I live in Hamilton Square, a small village outside of Stroudsburg, PA approximately 8 miles west of the Delaware Water Gap NJ/PA border. I have been looking for a Toyota based RV for well over 4 years now, I have participated in groups, drooled over craigslist ads, and even helped a friend of mine buy a Dolphin in Florida so he and his girlfriend could travel the country for 2 years. But I never found my rig or one in my price range. Everything I had ever looked at or found, I internally compared to a Sunrader.. It's like my machinist buddies say " no matter what mill you buy, you'll always wish it was a Bridgeport" So I held out and bought a Bridgeport.. Well, one day Karma stepped in and somehow provided to me.... This is my 85 Sunrader. I like to say that I rescued it from a the clutches of nature. This Shorty used to belong to an older gentleman who has since passed. Sadly, his house and and associated property went up for tax sale in 2012. But since the house was is such disrepair it sat and sat and sat...until a friend of mine picked it up for something ridiculous like $10k. During a casual conversation about Toyota based motorhomes my friend mentioned he thought he had one in the driveway of a property he bought. It was late but he asked if I wanted to check it out.. I sort of reluctantly said yes. I was already assuming it would be a rotten and rusty heap of garbage and that I'd be doing nothing more than helping him dispose of it somehow. I followed him down several unfamiliar roads for about 15 mins and up one big steep hill that resembled pikes peak. this road eventually opened up into a lovely neighborhood full of well groomed hedges and striped lawns. We travelled down another 1/4 mile and then my friend stopped next to what appeared to be an undeveloped lot. I thought he wanted to relay some directions to me when he hopped out of his truck and started walking toward me in my jeep so I dropped the window and stuck my head out. Then he said " here we are! park there"... It was 9:30 and pretty darn dark out so I popped on my flashlight app in my phone and followed him through the woods.. he was 5 feet in front of me and held up a pine tree branch as we descended down a small bank. thats when I spotted what appeared to be a mid 90's dodge pickup. I started to check it out and then I heard my pal over in the dark say " Here it is. come check it out". I turned and took a few steps toward his voice. I then lifted my light and saw the toyota grille and headlights and then confirmed to him that yes, it is a Toyota. I then lifted my light and once my eyes focused what I gazed upon were two, glorious, magical, wrap around windows.. It only took a second and then my adrenaline started surging! I couldn't believe it! I was in the presence of an actual Sunrader.. something I always pined over but gave up on many moons ago.. I started getting whimpery and acting giddy.. I then stepped to the side and realized that it was a shorty!! I couldn't barely contain myself. My friend couldn't understand my excitement. I kept saying things like "Unicorn" and "Hens Teeth" and other words describing rare things. That's when with his bewildered face on he asked me "You like this kind of thing?" I quickly exploded with a rambunctious unbridled "YES!!". What I saw wasn't pretty, but I knew it could be and will be one day.. A few mins passed and He still didn't understand my fascination but without a missed beat he said.. " heh', shit.. you can have it.."... That's when I lost my mind and I may have even pee'd a little... That moment on began the planning of the reclamation of the Sunrader from the clutches of nature. I returned the next day with some yard tools and a mission.... The first order of business was to figure out where the heck it was?! So I began the itchy and tedious process of bushwhacking my way into the property. . It was hidden behind this poor neglected Ram.. but that thing had to get lost before I could extract this gem from the driveway. with all of the trees cut I still had to wait for the Dodge to leave so I did what anyone impatient would do.. try to start the rig! I installed a new battery and after a bunch of squirting gasoline into a vacuum hose the 22RE came to life and kept running on it's own! 7+year old fuel still burning nice! Cycled the transmission and it went forward and reverse WAHOO! A few days went by and I got the call that the Dodge was being picked up that evening so I planned on the next day to be rescue day. After work I rushed over, turned the key and moved the rig out of it's sleeping area. the sound of vines ripping and tearing was something else. this rig was becoming part of the scenery. I pulled it out and onto the other driveway area to take a look at the sides I couldn't really see before now and boy was it filthy. The rig was clearly converted to makeshift hot dog cart and unfortunately for me the ladder was cut off and the rear window was removed in order to hack in this abomination of a window as well as a crappy service counter. The installer of this mess clearly had no respect for the rig . A few mins later We loaded her up and headed home..( had to stop for air in the trailer tires) The next day I figured the only way to get my wife to be ok with the Sunrader was to take some of the eyesore factor away from it.. a quick localized cleaning revealed that the years of scum and scuz had protected the gelcoat quite well. So I set forth and fired up the pressure washer and wouldn't you know it.. The rig isn't all that bad looking after all. Sure there markers are all missing and there are lots of little holes and damages caused by the previous owner but overall it's not in bad shape. While the exterior is not too shabby, the interior is an entirely different story as It was abused, neglected, and home to various rodents and spiders for so many years. Part of the dinette will need to be rebuilt and the cabinets need several missing doors fabricated but I'm currently working on trying to clean it up. I think this is going to be a terrific project with lots of hurdles, lessons, and rewards. I have three issues as of now some I need help with from the community. 1. Sourcing a 1 Ton FF rear axle and wheels (locally) 2. Sourcing a large format rear window 66" x 30" ( or whatever the larger picture windows dimensions are) (locally if possible) 3. Fiberglass in a support beam to repair the roof sag caused by the AC and time When I say locally I mean NJ, NY, PA, DE, VT, NH, ME, MA, RI... Basically anywhere within 5 hrs of me. Glad to be here. Thanks for having me. Jon Attached you will find other photos of various filth and disgust.

I'll post some more pics when the engine is running we're very close to being done

So, hey everybody. i did some searching, both here and in the internets, and I can't find any article, video or topic discussing the effective removal of tires on the welded 14" semifloating wheels that came on the early 80's toyota RVs. I have a 18' Sunrader and I'm replacing the rear end with the full floating axle. But in order to get the rv home, I bought 6 new tires to put on the old wheels. Now I 'd like to pull them off and sell them ( they're regular car tires, oops) but everyone in my town says that in order to get them off, they're likely going to mess up the inner bead in doing so..., really! I mean, there has to be a technic to removing them without damaging them? Anyone have any info, opinion or a link to a video showing the process, carefulyl or not? Thanks!

I've lost the transmission and crankshaft on my 1984 Toyota Motorhome. I am having a difficult time finding the parts and someone to work on this. Any ideas?

I currently have a 78' Toyota chassis that used to have a camper shell on her, but the previous owner tore it off. Looking to buy a new camper shell for her now that the restoration process is almost complete. Please contact me if you can help me out. Thanks a lot

I'm still new here so let me know if these kind of posts should go somewhere else. I just saw this come up for sale on Craigslist - it's in Petaluma California. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/rvs/6175367542.html

FYI, I recently found a plastics shop which can fabricate replacement, wrap-around cab-over windows for the Sunraders at $175 each. Q&I Plastics, 445 Portal St #9, Cotati, CA 94931; (707) 795-0612 The owner's name is Rick. My passenger side window ('85, narrow profile) was cracked badly but intact. I dropped it off at this place and within a few hours Rick had the new window done. I took the rv back and he helped me install it. It had to be trimmed a little bit, but once in fits perfectly and looks fantastic. Rick's got my old window and could use that as a template, or if you've got an intact one you could send it to him. HOWEVER, Rick is very conscientious and would really prefer to have the rv there to make sure the finished product is perfect. If you are willing to reassure him you're happy to do any trimming yourself, he'll likely be willing to ship a finished product to you. (Rick uses a dremel mounted to a work bench to do his trimming)

Hi all, After spending a lot of time and effort rebuilding my old sunrader, it's time for me to let it go and put some money into a house that isn't on wheels. I made a post about it last fall showing the remodel and the work done on it. I'm just curious what everyone thinks a fair price would be to ask for it after the time and money that I put into it. Here's a link to the original post with pics Thanks!

Greeting! LOVE this forum and have been lurking for awhile. My name is Shane and my family and I live in the Black Hills in South Dakota. My wife and I have been weighing whether we wanted a turn key outfit or a project and after 3 years of looking at every Toyota Motorhome craigslist post we could find (rarely seeing a Sunrader), we decided on a PROJECT. This is a 1984 21' Sunrader. 84,000 on the 22R, 4 speed manual. It does have the 6 lug swap out, and it runs well. We drove it home for $2500. That's about the end of the 'pros'. Cons are the leaky roof openings (a/c and vent). One cab-over window is shot. The rest of the windows seem to be holding a good seal. There is some damaged fiberglass between the 2 cab-over windows and near the rear drivers side tire. The roof has a sag where the a/c unit sits. The po also removed the passenger side cabinetry. I have paperwork from less than 2 years ago that show a previous owner had a new alternator, battery isolater and battery installed. None the less, no power to the coach. (Although the marker/ running lights work! I was surprised!) Not sure if any of the appliances/ systems work. The water holding tank, water heater, water pump and grey water tank are all still there. The original furnace is still there, but to the best of the po's knowledge, non-functional. It has the original stove/ oven, but a leaky propane line that I need to repair before I can test. The fridge is electric and not original. The previous owner never used any of the systems. Just the bed. Have only had it for a week and all we've done is clean it up a bit inside and out. The next stop will be our Toyota mechanic's shop to make sure all the fluids are changed, check all the hoses and rubber and whatever else he recommends, and then we'll get started on digging into it! I've read a lot on this forum and I am really grateful for such a killer resource and all the knowledge and wisdom shared here, so THANKS!

I just stumbled across this and wanted to pass it along. I know dreamers and wishers visit this site and may be ready to buy. This is on the high side money wise but he will get it because it is clean and beautiful. Mechanical? Who knows. Sunrader For Sale

I'm thinking of installing a new clutch kit in my 1985 Sunrader, 4 cyl 4-speed manual. I don't think it's ever had any tranny work done, so it's likely got whatever tranny they normally came with. Would it just take a standard 1985 toyota pickup kit or was a different tranny used due to the weight of the rig? Any recommendations as far as manufacturers? And, since the rig weighs in at around 6300# fully loaded, is a heavy duty kit recommended? Thanks for any advice from those better versed than me.

I would like to have the two 6 volts batteries (and maybe even 4 later) in a metal box located just aft of the differential kind of like this https://www.vanspecialties.com/gallery_van/yota-4x4/ (see last few photos). Instead of a bracket that requires one to crawl around underneath like they did, I would prefer to access the batteries through a flush hatch in the floor. There's no way I could hang all that weight off the floor so it will require a metal box that's welded to the frame underneath. I was wondering if anyone has done something like that?