Toyota Sunrader rebuild

climberchick

Observer
Hi all!

We are getting rolling on our 1988 Toyota Sunrader, and I thought I'd make posts here as we go for comments, suggestions, etc. You can also follow along on my blog.

Vehicle: 1988 4×4 Toyota Sunrader 18-foot mini-RV
Engine: 5-speed, 4-cyl 22RE


When we got the Sunrader a couple months ago, the interior was almost all original. Yes, that means nasty carpet and moldy pink upholstery. The previous owner had taken good care of her, though, and installed a new stovetop and redid the plumbing to properly dispose of separate grey water and black water. The recalled rear axle had been replaced with a full float, a large storage box added on the back, and roof mounts for kayaks installed. Other features include: roof/dash AC and heat, cruise control, 3-way Dometic fridge, 26 gallon gas tank, 6 gallon hot water heater, RV battery, double row timing chain with steel backed guides, air vent installed above the bed, patio awning, stereo and speakers, CB radio.

We expect to put a few thousand dollars and several months of work into this RV to get it ready for the PanAm. So far, we have done the following:

  • Replaced the exhaust system
  • Installed a new clutch slave cylinder
  • Removed all the moldy carpet, paneling and upholstery from bed area
  • Bought and tested a new futon/memory foam bed
  • Removed the cumbersome and insecure storage box from the back bumper
  • Reinforced cabover bunk roof with support beams and patched fiberglass
  • Removed and repaired fiberglass door frame to properly seal the door
  • Removed the cabover wrap windows that were warped and leaking, molded fiberglass over the voids
  • New insulation and paneling in cabover area

Next on the agenda:

  • Replace the rear end with a LandCruiser axle and new suspension, 15″ single wheels instead of 14″ duallies
  • Replace the front 14″ wheels with 15″ wheels
  • New tires all around
  • Refinish exterior fiberglass
  • Remove all carpet and install vinyl in the cab, laminate flooring in the camper
  • Fabricate a new rear bumper
  • Install new, smaller storage bins on the rear and front bumpers
  • Various cosmetic and security improvements

We will also be doing a laundry list of security upgrades before we embark on our PanAm trip next year. We're digging into the fiberglass work this week! Ugh.

Do you have any suggestions for modifications we might not be considering? Feedback welcome.

Here are some before photos, after we ripped out the moldy cabover paneling and removed the rear storage box.
 

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getout

Adventurer
I've got one that much more disassembled than yours so I'm excited to watch you put this back together.
 

fly12fire

New member
Well it looks like it needs a little more work than I thought. Those front windows need to be resealed with new weatherstrip. Careful when doing that. I managed to break one I was putting in cause they get brittle with age. So is there a generator in the rear compartment? The door says there used to be one there. I will keep watching your build. Love to see it with the new axle
Linda S
 

climberchick

Observer
Well it looks like it needs a little more work than I thought. Those front windows need to be resealed with new weatherstrip. Careful when doing that. I managed to break one I was putting in cause they get brittle with age. So is there a generator in the rear compartment? The door says there used to be one there. I will keep watching your build. Love to see it with the new axle
Linda S

Yes, it needs some lovin' for sure. ;) We're actually removing those front windows entirely, and molding fiberglass over the void, probably with new small portal windows. Ben is out sanding the fiberglass as I type, to prepare for the repairs.

There is no generator now - we will be buying a new one. We already bought the axle - waiting for it to arrive!
 

ejwan

Member
Looking forward to this build!

I am doing a sas on my truck for the front and have a dually rear setup. I am in the planning stages for a 4x2 to 4x4 conversion. I want to keep it simple and just use 14" rims. I really can't find any info on if 14" rims will work up front until i see that you state yours came with 14". I know that all toyota 4x4 came in 15" and up. How is the clearance between the rim and break caliper?
 

climberchick

Observer
Looking forward to this build!

I am doing a sas on my truck for the front and have a dually rear setup. I am in the planning stages for a 4x2 to 4x4 conversion. I want to keep it simple and just use 14" rims. I really can't find any info on if 14" rims will work up front until i see that you state yours came with 14". I know that all toyota 4x4 came in 15" and up. How is the clearance between the rim and break caliper?

Ours was converted to 14" when the recalled rear axle was replaced (that bolt pattern only came in 14"). Instead of paying to get 4 custom 15" rims for the back, they simply put 14" on the front as well so they all matched in size. The clearance hasn't been an issue, but we would prefer to have bigger rims. The 14s throw off our odometer and probably hurt our gas mileage, plus we want the extra clearance for rough roads.

Good luck!
 

4x4kayaker

Observer
I've got an 87 4x4 22rte Toyota Sunrader that I'm fixing up. Curious why you are getting rid of the duallys? Especially now you have the full floating axle?
 

climberchick

Observer
I've got an 87 4x4 22rte Toyota Sunrader that I'm fixing up. Curious why you are getting rid of the duallys? Especially now you have the full floating axle?

A couple reasons. #1: Single wheels in back mean fewer tires to go flat, and an easier time avoiding obstacles on rough South American roads. #2: We want the clearance of 15" wheels (like it is supposed to have), and to get that size with the current bolt pattern we would need to buy custom duallies. This is not only expensive, but also requires us to have custom spares on hand in addition to a spare for the front wheels, which have a different bolt pattern.

Do you have 14" duallies? What is your plan for your wheels, or are you going to leave them as-is?
 

climberchick

Observer
OK, it's fiberglass time! We had some major repairs that we knew would require fiberglass work, namely: the sagging roof in the cabover bed area due to a poorly-installed vent, the warped and leaking front windows, and the drafty gap in our door frame. So, here is what we're up to:

1. Glue in 4 wooden cross-beam supports for the roof, and fiberglass in the ends.
2. Repair thin/cracked fiberglass in corner of cabover bunk.
3. Saw out the door frame, sand it down and fiberglass it back in correctly.
4. Remove front windows entirely, sand down the fiberglass, and install full-coverage fiberglass over the void. We are also installing two small portal windows here.

Fiberglass work is messy and tedious, but we're excited to hopefully finish up this weekend. Here are a few process photos...
_KRN5387.jpg_KRN5388.jpg_KRN5390.jpg_KRN5394.jpgIMG_20131214_091716_094s.jpgIMG_20131214_122629_123s.jpg
 
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haven

Expedition Leader
Keep us posted on your progress. It's great to see an older camper get back on the road. :victory:
 

getout

Adventurer
What did you do on your door? I'm thinking about moving mine up higher.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2
 

climberchick

Observer
Fiberglass progress

OK, here's our progress from the weekend:

1. Fiberglassed over window void. We used a piece of wood paneling covered in duct tape for the rigid backing, screwed onto the exterior and fiberglassed from the inside. We used three layers of fiberglass and it turned out pretty good for our first time. We'll be gel-coating and painting it later.

2. Fixed the door frame. We simply sawed it away from the surrounding fiberglass, propped it into the correct position, and fiberglassed it back in to fix the gap. Turned out great.

3. Finished the cabover roof and vent framing to prevent leaks. The vent was poorly installed, not only causing the roof sag but potentially leaking in the future. We took care of that with butyl tape and framing!

We'll be doing the other cabover window this week. Almost done with the fiberglass work - yay!

_KRN5394.jpg_KRN5390.jpgIMG_20131218_110958_990s.jpgIMG_20131218_111026_661s.jpgIMG_20131215_174444_556s.jpgIMG_20131218_110921_238s.jpgIMG_20131218_110822_351s.jpgIMG_20131218_111124_747.jpg
 

4x4kayaker

Observer
duallys

I must have custom wheels as I have 15 inch duallys on right now. Brand new tires when I bought it so I'll stay with them for now. Post a pic of your landcruiser rear axle - I understand not having to deal with buying 6 tires! I'm keeping an eye on your build. What insulation are you using on the cab over ?
Here is a link to my Sunrader flickr photo page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi_adventures/sets/72157638814822985/
 
Last edited:

java

Expedition Leader
Keep up the progress!

One question though, why not glass the "rafters" all the way across? It would make them way stiffer.
 

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