shibs Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 (edited) worked out a deal with a buddy 1985 with 90k miles pros: new tires, bath fan, tranny rebuilt with bigger cooler cons: pass side door mirror frame damage, hvac vent controls don't work, ladder missing, porch light broken, couple of small fiberglass damage. anyone seen this rader before?? Edited October 3, 2016 by shibs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Nope, haven't seen it. I'll take it off your hands for you if you don't want it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 Nope, haven't seen it. I'll take it off your hands for you if you don't want it though Lol, if I don't get to use it then I just might have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 I walked around the sunrader and found that previous owner removed the ladder (why???) the rivets where flush cut, some of the holes are still open. I also found some stress cracks around the bottom edge on the rear. In the front, gel coat was missing above the pass side door. Q: how do I repair the fiberglass issues? do I apply gel coat epoxy on top of the crack in the pic below and seal it for now from outside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I filled the cracks and dings on my Sunrader by using epoxy putty sticks. The kind that look like a tootsie roll with a center you knead into the outside ring of material. I used the beige colored one they sell for patching holes in wood, it is good on fiberglass too. Then I sanded it smooth, primed with an all purpose white latex wall paint primer first as it stuck well to epoxy whereas the automotive primer did not. Next I did put on some auto body primer and another light sanding until very smooth then sprayed with automotive paint that was a very close color match. Now if you could find one of these over the door LED entry lights or make one with LEDs and an over the door drip cap it would cover over the patched area. Its a Fiamma product but I don't know if Fiamma US carries them. Pretty pricey but it has inspired me to think about installing a motion sensor marine LED strip under my drip cap that is over my Sunrader door. I would add a switch inside the door and use a small solar panel with battery to power it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/CARAVAN-MOTORHOME-AWNING-LIGHT-GUTTER/dp/B005NY5QM0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Here is an informative article on gel coat repair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Here is an informative article on gel coat repair If you are in a ship yard then you have the right materials on hand which makes that article useful. For a few small repairs in a driveway it would be an expensive way to go as you would have to buy sizes way larger than the amounts needed. I tried finding a gel coat color match for my Sunrader. I went to the large supplier in Seattle and they did not have anything that was close. I went to the marine supply store where they sell small quantity kits and they did not have a close color match. As the company that made Sunraders is long gone there is not information as to the original color mix which did vary between the older models and the later models. I was able to get a historic chart of the industry standard gel coat colors from the late 1970's and the 1980's but there was not a close color match on it. But I did find an auto touch up spray paint that is very close so that is what I choose to use for the minor repairs I made to the fiberglass. You can't see the repairs I made unless you specifically go looking for them and it has held up perfectly during the 3 years since I made the repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I took a quick look out of idle curiosity and found that article. It appealed to me as it was short, visual and informative. The reason I went looking was the variety of posts lately such as this one regarding buying another Toyo RV. In Many ways it seems odd but I would consider another one as I've plans to semi-retire soon. If I did the Sunrader has appeal to me. Reading the article I realized I already had most of the materials minus the gel coat. I picked up a decent sized can of marine epoxy to do repairs to the aluminum skin on the Itasca. It was $38. I knew nothing about gel coat but from reading, it seemed similar to working with lacquer. Otherwise paint is the other option and likely easier to get color matched (don't know if you can get custom quarts of gel coat). To me it just seemed within my abilities either way. What I really need to do is possibly get my head examined for just having idle thoughts about buying another toyota but that is a whole other topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 It is not unusual that you can't turn off thinking about it. It often takes a couple of years to break out of a chronic train of thought that always develops on those enjoyable long term projects. Its OK if it is a career or a hobby that is easy to manage. But not so good if you can't afford it financially and physically. One trick mental health counselors teach people that can speed up the end of the obsessive thinking is when you find yourself sliding into a thought train but you really don't want to go there just mentally say words to yourself such as "enough, stop, quit". Most people don't realize they can tell themselves to put a sock in it and that it is an effective way to break habits. After a short while of doing that you will break out of the habit of thinking about it all the time. Toyota Advanced Member 105 posts Posted Yesterday, 02:16 AM I took a quick look out of idle curiosity and found that article. It appealed to me as it was short, visual and informative. The reason I went looking was the variety of posts lately such as this one regarding buying another Toyo RV. In Many ways it seems odd but I would consider another one as I've plans to semi-retire soon. If I did the Sunrader has appeal to me. Reading the article I realized I already had most of the materials minus the gel coat. I picked up a decent sized can of marine epoxy to do repairs to the aluminum skin on the Itasca. It was $38. I knew nothing about gel coat but from reading, it seemed similar to working with lacquer. Otherwise paint is the other option and likely easier to get color matched (don't know if you can get custom quarts of gel coat). To me it just seemed within my abilities either way. What I really need to do is possibly get my head examined for just having idle thoughts about buying another toyota but that is a whole other topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Some interesting and valid points. The idea of another RV is one I got from speaking with Tikka. I am currently in talks with my employer negotiating working out of Florida (south in general) in the winters. We have offices all over the country and I am in field operations. I used to travel all over the country as the company built its operations and regional staffing. I would turn a Sunrader into a rolling office and store it when not there. So the idea has a practical basis. It also affords me the opportunity to roam and decide where I would want to settle in the area if we purchased a winter property. I'm a researcher and planner by nature. I tell people I've made a career out of reading manuals and that is pretty close to accurate. So this sort of quick look at a problem is what I do in order to move in the right direction. Call it habit, discipline or obsession, it pretty much is all the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Some interesting and valid points. The idea of another RV is one I got from speaking with Tikka. I am currently in talks with my employer negotiating working out of Florida (south in general) in the winters. We have offices all over the country and I am in field operations. I used to travel all over the country as the company built its operations and regional staffing. I would turn a Sunrader into a rolling office and store it when not there. So the idea has a practical basis. It also affords me the opportunity to roam and decide where I would want to settle in the area if we purchased a winter property. I'm a researcher and planner by nature. I tell people I've made a career out of reading manuals and that is pretty close to accurate. So this sort of quick look at a problem is what I do in order to move in the right direction. Call it habit, discipline or obsession, it pretty much is all the same thing. I thought about camping while working out of state but my work took to me the most unsafe parts of our nation. Even considered buying a 30 some boat and park it at marina while I worked in Baltimore :-). I think I will get claustrophobic spending so much time in a confined space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Don et Corbin, thanks, I will fill the hole with the epoxy putty and then apply a layer of gel coat on top, not worried about color matching right now, just perverse and prevent further damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Another question, the light above the door is broken, this is unlike the other porch lights I have seen in Sunrader pics. What can I get to replace this broken light in pic below, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 That looks similar to the shape of the Bargman lights in their 80-30-?? series. However as it is surface mounted with two screws you can remove what is left of the old light and replace it with a new LED outside light. They are not all that expensive so it would be a good option over trying to fix it up. My 1980 Sunrader does not have an exterior light so maybe that was something a previous owner put on which would explain why you have not seen it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Is this the top left of the door? On mine the stove top vent is right next to where this looks to be but I can't see it on yours. Yes I have never seen a light like this before but removing it and installing a new one shouldn't be too hard. Check the wires and see if there is power to them. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Seems very likely that they could have tapped into the wires that came up into the overhead cabinet which provide power for the stove vent hood. You can pop out the bottom panel inside that cabinet and see the wires in that hollow between the bottom outside of the cabinet and the inside lower surface of it. But you won't need to do that unless there is no power at the wires. In my Sunrader that wiring to the vent hood came from the lower kitchen cabinet. It ran up behind the wall to the upper cabinet at the end over by the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Don et Corbin, thanks, I will fill the hole with the epoxy putty and then apply a layer of gel coat on top, not worried about color matching right now, just perverse and prevent further damage. Here is a color recommended on the Aero Cruiser website. They were a small class A built by Sunrader and the coaches use the same fiberglass construction. Comments were that is was almost perfect match to Sunrader color. Linda http://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-BFM0041-Wimbledon-Exact-Match-Automotive/dp/B00407XAGK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Is this the top left of the door? On mine the stove top vent is right next to where this looks to be but I can't see it on yours. Yes I have never seen a light like this before but removing it and installing a new one shouldn't be too hard. Check the wires and see if there is power to them. Linda S Linda, yes, left of the side door. The wires should have power when the truck is running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Linda, yes, left of the side door. The wires should have power when the truck is running? No the wires should have power from the coach battery. Porch or door lights are for lighting when your camping and the engine is off. Linda S Look on the side wall of the stove right in the entry way. There should be a little switch there to turn on outside lights and a tiny light in your entry step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 No the wires should have power from the coach battery. Porch or door lights are for lighting when your camping and the engine is off. Linda S Look on the side wall of the stove right in the entry way. There should be a little switch there to turn on outside lights and a tiny light in your entry step. Thanks Linda, I will test the wires and seal the holes before I remove the coach battery to bring it back home to charge it. Same on the paint link for the white paint, I was wondering how I was going to match the gel coat :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Here is a color recommended on the Aero Cruiser website. They were a small class A built by Sunrader and the coaches use the same fiberglass construction. Comments were that is was almost perfect match to Sunrader color. Linda http://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-BFM0041-Wimbledon-Exact-Match-Automotive/dp/B00407XAGK That is the color I have used on my rig and it is indeed a very close match to the color of my 1980 Sunrader. It took resorting to taking in a small piece of fiberglass I removed in my renovation of the interior to figure it out as I did not want to move the RV to the store since I had the seats out of it to make it easier to remove the refrigerator and stove. I had to patch in some slight damage to the fiberglass at a lower rear corner. You can't see the repair unless you are really looking for trouble If you need to go looking for pieces like the vinyl trim to put in the shell's joint line metal trim, a plastic water filler or electrical hatches, exterior stove vents, louvered vents for the fridge and such the color choice on those items that is a close match to the body of the Sunrader is "Colonial white". I think that is why they chose that particular color for the gel coat, to make it a match to that standard offering of trim color of the mass market RV fittings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Don et Corbin, thanks, I will fill the hole with the epoxy putty and then apply a layer of gel coat on top, not worried about color matching right now, just perverse and prevent further damage. that is a really funny typo with the right letters used in the wrong order. I suspect you did not mean to say you are perverse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 that is a really funny typo with the right letters used in the wrong order. I suspect you did not mean to say you are perverse lol, I think I typed it incorrectly and the forum auto correct picked it up, I should proof read my posts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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