84 Toyota Dolphin

[tamaratrav]

Hello all! Am back RV'ing again, now in a classic 84 Toyota Dolphin; found it with 45,000 miles, stick shift. Goes about 25 MPH in 2nd gear up the passes on the big hills!

[pnichols]

RobertRyan wrote:
Another based on the Ford Ranger

That is one great little RV!

I wish more of that type and size were available in the U.S.. I guess the closest similar model - and maybe just about the only model - in the U.S. would be the Tiger.

[RV_daytrader]

Enjoy your new rig. We love ours. here is a site just for toyota RVers. Lots of good info there.

http://toyotamotorhome.org

[BarabooBob]

We had an '88 Damon Escaper built on the Toyota C&C. that thing was definitely a conversation starter.
We traveled all over the western US including the Big Horn Mtns, Rockies, Yellowstone, Glacier, west coast, Canada. I only had issues on 2 roads-going up 14A from the west in the Big Horns and going up the Beartooth Highway from the west. On both of those roads I stopped for a couple of minutes because the temp gauge moved up a bit, never got hot but got warm.
I had the 22Re engine and loved it. The one thing to remember when driving a Toyota RV is to keep the rpm's up. If you don't have a tach, install one. Those engines are built to spin. We bought ours with 20,000 miles on it and sold it with almost 80,000 miles. We sold because the dash air and roof air didn't work and we wanted to travel a little faster.

[ron_dittmer]

tamaratrav wrote:
My first braking issue is to have e-brake replaced. It's pretty much shot, have to pull it all the way out, and then still leave it in gear.....going to have Toyota dealer do that.

As mentioned by DrewE, I would almost "bet the house" that your parking brake is fine as are your main rear brakes. The rears drum brakes just need adjusting, then your parking brake will work properly with the slack in the parking brake cable removed. That's because the parking brake utilizes the main brake shoes. When your rear brake shoes are adjusted right, it all starts to work right including the parking brake. That is another benefit I forgot to mention.

Make sure the mechanic demonstrates to you the slight drag on each rear corner pair of tires after you see him pump the brake pedal, while the rear end is still raised. He might do a few adjustment cycles and call it a day, but it sounds like 18 per side are in your future as it was with our Toyota.

Both rear corners need to have some drag or the improperly adjusted side will partially cancel out the properly adjusted side...when it comes to stopping power.

If the mechanic says you need rear brake replacement parts, I wouldn't accept that unless there is a fluid leak. Have him take you into his shop and show you why. A fine layer of rust on rear drum brake parts is normal, not a good reason unless it is serious barnacle rust on the brake shoes. Your Toyota's rear axle was installed many years after the RV was initially put into service. If the rear brakes were never adjusted properly as part of the rear axle installation (as in my case), your rear brakes are practically brand new because they have been hardly used. They had lots of motion within the drums preventing the internal assemblies from locking up from lack of use, but the brake shoes hardly made contact to the drums. Make sense?

I am almost so bold to say....tell them not to take any rear tires off the vehicle. Just have the rear brakes adjusted (not inspected) which is done with everything assembled.

About your front brakes, for the most part, just trust his judgement, but have him show you why he recommends replacing something. With the rear brakes being ineffective, along with the rig sitting around a while, he might recommend new front pads and rotors which is understandable. Make sure to mention you want him to lubricate the front brake caliper slides, and if replacing the rotors, clean the front hubs of surface rust where the rotors contact them and add a thin film of anti-seize compound before reassembly. Not just a good idea, but the mechanic will be impressed with your knowledge and will stay on his toes working on your rig.

One more thing you want your mechanic to do is to flush your brake fluid system. That can also be easily done without removing your rear tires.

When you go there, talk like you "know brakes". That will help to assure the mechanic will be detailed and complete in all his work. If he does his job right, you will be so very happy with your main brake and parking brake systems. Your rig will stop so much faster with much better control, especially when braking while taking on curvy mountain and canyon roads. And your parking brake will work perfectly with the cable-slack eliminated.

[DrewE]

tamaratrav wrote:

My first braking issue is to have e-brake replaced. It's pretty much shot, have to pull it all the way out, and then still leave it in gear.....going to have Toyota dealer do that.

That may well just be a regular brake adjustment issue or an emergency brake cable adjustment issue. I don't know about that Toyota chassis specifically, but most often on vehicles with rear drum brakes and often also with disc brakes the e-brake just uses a cable to apply the regular service brakes on the back wheels. (Well, big rigs with air brakes are a different story altogether, but that's immaterial here.)

[tamaratrav]

ron.dittmer wrote:
tamaratrav,

Our originally equipped Toyota/Mirage had very serious handling problems of which were resolved this way. If you experience serious handling troubles, consider what we had done.

- Replaced the rear axle with true dual rear. You have that update already.
- Installed heavy duty Bilstein RV shock absorbers.
- Installed rear air bags with an on-board compressor and controls by the driver. The air bags each had a 5000 pound rating. On my website, you can see the compressor by the battery compartment, and the controls by the driver's left knee.

It would have been great if a front and rear stabilizer bar was available, especially a heavy duty version, but none was available for our 1st generation chassis. I suggest you look into that along with the other upgrades we had done.

About the air lift kit. Not just to lift the rear higher, but doing so also stabilized the rear end. The motor home handled like a drunken sailor until after all our upgrades were implemented. Don't try to live with a mess. Fix it right away to benefit all throughout your ownership.

About your replacement rear axle with heavy duty rear drum brakes. I advise to perform this test. Drive your rig in your neighborhood and hit your brakes real hard while in a turn at an intersection. If the front tires lock up quickly causing the rig to slide forward instead of go into the turn, you need to get your rear drum brakes adjusted.

We were in the mountains before I adjusted the rear drum brakes. While going down winding mountain byways in the turns, what saved our lives was down-shifting. Otherwise the rig would have gone right over a cliff. After I adjusted the rear drum brakes at home, the 4 rear tires woke up with braking power, a night and day difference with control and stopping distance.

The brakes need to be adjusted so that there is a slight drag after the brakes are pumped. It took me 18 adjustment cycles per rear drum before I got the slight drag and it was absolutely awesome afterward. I placed the rear axle up on huge wooden blocks, laid on my back with the adjustment tool, had my wife in the driver seat to pump the brake when needed, and our son spinning the dual rear tire-pair. I would adjust until there was shoe contact to the drum, then called to my wife to pump the brake which centered the shoes which made the tires spin freely again, then repeated until there was a drag after she pumped the brake pedal. I think taking 18 adjustment cycles to get them right meant the rear drum brakes were originally not functioning at all. Being a heavy duty setup back there, getting them working efficiently is surely worth the effort or money spent.

.

Ron - have your post, and processing this. I'll consider taking it to Les Schwab on the brakes; as I'm not set up to really try this.

My first braking issue is to have e-brake replaced. It's pretty much shot, have to pull it all the way out, and then still leave it in gear.....going to have Toyota dealer do that.

[tamaratrav]

wow! I want it! that is awesome!

[RobertRyan]

Another based on the Ford Ranger

[ron_dittmer]

tamaratrav,

Our originally equipped Toyota/Mirage had very serious handling problems of which were resolved this way. If you experience serious handling troubles, consider what we had done.

- Replaced the rear axle with true dual rear. You have that update already.
- Installed heavy duty Bilstein RV shock absorbers.
- Installed rear air bags with an on-board compressor and controls by the driver. The air bags each had a 5000 pound rating. On my website, you can see the compressor by the battery compartment, and the controls by the driver's left knee.

It would have been great if a front and rear stabilizer bar was available, especially a heavy duty version, but none was available for our 1st generation chassis. I suggest you look into that along with the other upgrades we had done.

About the air lift kit. Not just to lift the rear higher, but doing so also stabilized the rear end. The motor home handled like a drunken sailor until after all our upgrades were implemented. Don't try to live with a mess. Fix it right away to benefit all throughout your ownership.

About your replacement rear axle with heavy duty rear drum brakes. I advise to perform this test. Drive your rig in your neighborhood and hit your brakes real hard while in a turn at an intersection. If the front tires lock up quickly causing the rig to slide forward instead of go into the turn, you need to get your rear drum brakes adjusted.

We were in the mountains before I adjusted the rear drum brakes. While going down winding mountain byways in the turns, what saved our lives was down-shifting. Otherwise the rig would have gone right over a cliff. After I adjusted the rear drum brakes at home, the 4 rear tires woke up with braking power, a night and day difference with control and stopping distance.

The brakes need to be adjusted so that there is a slight drag after the brakes are pumped. It took me 18 adjustment cycles per rear drum before I got the slight drag and it was absolutely awesome afterward. I placed the rear axle up on huge wooden blocks, laid on my back with the adjustment tool, had my wife in the driver seat to pump the brake when needed, and our son spinning the dual rear tire-pair. I would adjust until there was shoe contact to the drum, then called to my wife to pump the brake which centered the shoes which made the tires spin freely again, then repeated until there was a drag after she pumped the brake pedal. I think taking 18 adjustment cycles to get them right meant the rear drum brakes were originally not functioning at all. Being a heavy duty setup back there, getting them working efficiently is surely worth the effort or money spent.

[RobertRyan]

Wow - now THOSE are very fascinating - too bad they're right hand drive, would love to have one here. almost worth it just to take an Aussie vacation and buy one for awhile to hit the outback in style. are there a lot of 4WD roads in mountains in Australia you need 4WD for? Here in Oregon and also Colorado where I grew up, definitely best to have, but am of course doing without it currently. probably safer, since I like to push it. really just need a little Jeep or 70's Landcruiser. Or an FJCruisr. we almost bought one of those a couple weeks before we saw this 84 Dolphin. 

Yes there are

[Hank85713]

There was a guy looking for one a couple weeks back, dont know if he ever found it? Anyhow there is one for sale here locally, have seen it on sundays when going to church. Never really paid it much mind so dont know anything about it. However, if someone is looking for one I can stop and see what its all about. Just drop a line.

Hank

[tamaratrav]

RobertRyan wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
Our 1984 Toyota Mirage SEEN HERE was built on a 1983 Toyota C&C chassis. I believe your 1984 chassis has the same 2.4L engine, but with multi-port fuel injection which is so much better. Not just 19 more horse power compared to our California emissions carbureted engine, but today's fuel with 10% ethanol was so hard on a cold start diaphragm on the side of the carb. I had to replace it every-other year due it getting stiff and ineffective. It was dang hard to get and later very expensive to purchase.

It looks like your rig also has the updated rear axle with true duel rear wheels. You are all set with that.

Our little Toyota had a stick shift 4-speed and it was great. We bought it brand new in the fall of 1983 and sold it 23 years later with 107K miles for $4625 less than we paid brand new. It was one of our best investments in life.

We drove a slow and steady 57 mph on the open road, let everyone pass us by, and it served us well. Our trip average fuel economy was often just over 20 mpg, but that rig weight only 3500 pounds plus what we added into it.

Be very slow indeed.They are making modern versions of these in Australia with 4x2 or 4x4 Drive. They keep up with the traffic going up hills , Diesel Toyota Powered

Wow - now THOSE are very fascinating - too bad they're right hand drive, would love to have one here. almost worth it just to take an Aussie vacation and buy one for awhile to hit the outback in style. are there a lot of 4WD roads in mountains in Australia you need 4WD for? Here in Oregon and also Colorado where I grew up, definitely best to have, but am of course doing without it currently. probably safer, since I like to push it. really just need a little Jeep or 70's Landcruiser. Or an FJCruisr. we almost bought one of those a couple weeks before we saw this 84 Dolphin.

[tamaratrav]

Chum lee wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
Those are great little units. One issue I'd worry about is lack of parts. Anything that old is REALLY scarce in junkyards as very few keep older stuff around long anymore. Even simple parts, while still available are no longer kept on the shelf in many parts houses.

In 1984, the Toyota Pickup truck was without question, the most popular small pickup truck in the US, bar none. (probably around the world too) Finding parts, both new and used shouldn't be a problem for the foreseeable future. If you gotta have an older small truck, that would be my choice. That platform would even be a good candidate for a 4wd conversion. Just don't plan on carrying much or towing anything.

Chum lee

agreed on 80's Toyos. nope, gonna leave this unit as-is. for the $8K we spent on it, and the condition, not gonna mess with it.

[tamaratrav]

ron.dittmer wrote:
Our 1984 Toyota Mirage SEEN HERE was built on a 1983 Toyota C&C chassis. I believe your 1984 chassis has the same 2.4L engine, but with multi-port fuel injection which is so much better. Not just 19 more horse power compared to our California emissions carbureted engine, but today's fuel with 10% ethanol was so hard on a cold start diaphragm on the side of the carb. I had to replace it every-other year due it getting stiff and ineffective. It was dang hard to get and later very expensive to purchase.

It looks like your rig also has the updated rear axle with true duel rear wheels. You are all set with that.

Our little Toyota had a stick shift 4-speed and it was great. We bought it brand new in the fall of 1983 and sold it 23 years later with 107K miles for $4625 less than we paid brand new. It was one of our best investments in life.

We drove a slow and steady 57 mph on the open road, let everyone pass us by, and it served us well. Our trip average fuel economy was often just over 20 mpg, but that rig weight only 3500 pounds plus what we added into it.

oh, yes, it;'s got the 6 bolt wheels on the back. whew. I didn't know enough to research that when we bought it....

[tamaratrav]

ron.dittmer wrote:
Our 1984 Toyota Mirage SEEN HERE was built on a 1983 Toyota C&C chassis. I believe your 1984 chassis has the same 2.4L engine, but with multi-port fuel injection which is so much better. Not just 19 more horse power compared to our California emissions carbureted engine, but today's fuel with 10% ethanol was so hard on a cold start diaphragm on the side of the carb. I had to replace it every-other year due it getting stiff and ineffective. It was dang hard to get and later very expensive to purchase.

It looks like your rig also has the updated rear axle with true duel rear wheels. You are all set with that.

Our little Toyota had a stick shift 4-speed and it was great. We bought it brand new in the fall of 1983 and sold it 23 years later with 107K miles for $4625 less than we paid brand new. It was one of our best investments in life.

We drove a slow and steady 57 mph on the open road, let everyone pass us by, and it served us well. Our trip average fuel economy was often just over 20 mpg, but that rig weight only 3500 pounds plus what we added into it.

your Mirage looked really cool and tight. thanks!'