Lilalchemist Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 With some help from other forum members I figured out my 21ft 1985 Sunrader still has the faulty rear axle. So my question to you all is what kind of rear axles will work with this model? I found a 1989 rear axle, 4x2, double wheel, 1 ton from an old Toyota delivery truck, will this work or is it too wide? If its not going to work, what should I be looking for? Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrader2000 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I don't know brand names and such, but just wanted to say that I have an '84 4wd 18ft Sunrader with more than 203,000 miles on it. I may be one of the few people who isn't really afraid of this problem, because I've replaced the axle a couple of times in the last 20 years but never changed the faux dually or type of axle. I keep an eye on it and one time the wheel got loose and damaged the lug area before I realized the issue, but, for that many miles and as much as I've used it (living full-time the last 6 months), I'm satisfied. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I found a 1989 rear axle, 4x2, double wheel, 1 ton from an old Toyota delivery truck, will this work or is it too wide? Sounds perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 With some help from other forum members I figured out my 21ft 1985 Sunrader still has the faulty rear axle. So my question to you all is what kind of rear axles will work with this model? I found a 1989 rear axle, 4x2, double wheel, 1 ton from an old Toyota delivery truck, will this work or is it too wide? If its not going to work, what should I be looking for? Thanks for your help! Cool that's exactly what you need. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Some would go the extra step and upgrade the front hubs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilalchemist Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Thanks everybody, I'm glad I found this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilalchemist Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Some would go the extra step and upgrade the front hubs too. I haven't read anything about the front axle. Is there something wrong with it too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 No the front axle is fine. Some people do the front upgrade so they have the same tires all around instead of 5 lug in the front. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilalchemist Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 That makes sense. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Don't the 6 lug fronts also have bigger brakes??? If so how much difference is there?? vanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 With some help from other forum members I figured out my 21ft 1985 Sunrader still has the faulty rear axle. So my question to you all is what kind of rear axles will work with this model? I found a 1989 rear axle, 4x2, double wheel, 1 ton from an old Toyota delivery truck, will this work or is it too wide? The axle is the one you want. The wheel-width-track is correct. The mounting width ought to be correct, but not 100% sure. The older Toyota trucks have narrower frames and for them - you have to cut the spring-perch mounts off the new dually rear and weld them back on in new locations. I had to do this when putting a dually into a 1978 and a 1982. I'm pretty sure a 1985 has the "new" wider frame. Easy to verify with a tape measure. Toyota trucks with the narrow frames have those spring-mounts 37" center-to-center. Toyota trucks with the wider frames have the spring mounts on 39 1/4" centers. If you can get them, buy the front hubs, rotors, front wheels, and caliper-mount brackets from the 1989 dually. That's all you need to convert your truck to take the same wheels as what your new rear will take. This way, one spare tire fits front or back. The front brakes in the dually are not any bigger but they have more stopping power because the rotors are larger diameter and the brake calipers mount further out to get more leverage. The 1989 also has a master cylinder with a 1" bore, whereas your 1985 has a 15/16" bore. That won't matter. Brakes will still work fine. I attached a few photos of a dually I had to modify to fit a narrow frame truck. All the duallies are set-up for wide-frame unless from Toyota and specifically packaged for an older truck. Also some brake part images. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I successfully implemented a toyota axle from an older Toyota Uhaul truck in a wrecking yard; yep that will work; the full floaters from same model year uhuals and flatbeds should be fine as long as they are 6 lug. Things you will also need: 1.) Shock Plates (usually not included in a scrap yard setup like something off of car-part.com) - I had mine fabricated cost me $75 total. 2.) wheels, try to make sure you have 6 lug wheels included and get extra ones because you will want them for the front wheels and spares 3.) 1 ton brake brackets and hubs - long story short the guys that make the "5 lug to 6 lug adaptors" are jerks that charge more than you can replace the whole front 1 ton assemblies for, so why not put them in and have better stopping power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 just curious, lilaclchemist, did you buy that sunrader off of ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilalchemist Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 So now I have disassembled the front brakes and removed the rotor and hub to repack the bearings on my 5 lug front. Everything appears to be original. I am planning on installing new shocks, I have some KYB Gas shocks for the front. I am looking into getting some Yokohama Y356 tires. I would like to be able to rotate all my tires, so I would like to upgrade to a 6 lug front. So my question for you all is will the new rotor hub still work on my current spindle? I am assuming that it is a larger rotor for a bigger brake system, is that correct? Does that mean a bigger caliper is needed? Basically, what parts do I need for this conversion? Thanks in advance everybody! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilalchemist Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 just curious, lilaclchemist, did you buy that sunrader off of ebay? Yes I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 did you get that one that had the rear dinette in PA? I loved that rig, looks awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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