IHDiesel73L
Adventurer
I tried some searching on this but all I came up with were a few folks who were lucky enough to find one of the super-rare factory 4x4 Toyota motorhomes. This one is for sale by me:
It's an '87 with 41K original miles. The Mini-Cruiser shell was built by a company called RBR-they're not known to the best of the RV builders-at least in the case of the Toyota motorhomes, but I've yet to get inside of it. The cab, from what I can see, is very clean. I've poked around the Toyota Motorhome forum a bit and there really isn't much in the way of information on 4x4 conversions either. I get the feeling most of the folks there are happy to pull up to an RV park for the night. I'm looking to the Toyota for it's small size and compatibility with off the shelf 4WD parts as I want to build something I can take to the beach (surf fishing for me and bathroom/kitchen/sleep accommodations for the wife and kids), camping to some more out of the way places, etc... A lot of the hangup (at least on the motorhome forum) seems to be with the rear axle because the FF dually rear has an oddball bolt pattern which doesn't match up with any 4WD hubs for the front either with IFS, or a SAS.
However, it seems to me that there's a simple solution:
Use a standard Toyota truck rearend in the rear, converted to a FF using the Front Range Off Road kit:
http://frontrangeoffroadfab.com/full-floater-conversion/
Run 16x7 Tundra steel wheels like these:
Then fit some wide E-load range tires. This way you're matched up with the front in terms of bolt pattern and width, and the rearend will handle the weight just as well as the dually.
I've already got a complete running '91 4WD so I could transfer the entire drivetrain over with the only modification being the FROR kit. Another nice bonus of the FROR kit is it also converts the rearend to disc brakes, which would probably translate to a decent improvement of stopping ability. I've already converted my front hubs (IFS) to T-100 1 Ton discs and calipers. With regard to the IFS I would probably swap it over, taking care to replace the bushings, etc...while it's apart, because though I want 4WD, it's not like I'm going to be getting into situations where I need the extreme articulation that a SAS could offer. Dual T-cases would be tempting since with a 135" wheelbase there's plenty of driveline room, and the flexibility they offer could could come in handy. I'd love to hear from someone who has done this, and would really love pictures! :Wow1:
It's an '87 with 41K original miles. The Mini-Cruiser shell was built by a company called RBR-they're not known to the best of the RV builders-at least in the case of the Toyota motorhomes, but I've yet to get inside of it. The cab, from what I can see, is very clean. I've poked around the Toyota Motorhome forum a bit and there really isn't much in the way of information on 4x4 conversions either. I get the feeling most of the folks there are happy to pull up to an RV park for the night. I'm looking to the Toyota for it's small size and compatibility with off the shelf 4WD parts as I want to build something I can take to the beach (surf fishing for me and bathroom/kitchen/sleep accommodations for the wife and kids), camping to some more out of the way places, etc... A lot of the hangup (at least on the motorhome forum) seems to be with the rear axle because the FF dually rear has an oddball bolt pattern which doesn't match up with any 4WD hubs for the front either with IFS, or a SAS.
However, it seems to me that there's a simple solution:
Use a standard Toyota truck rearend in the rear, converted to a FF using the Front Range Off Road kit:
http://frontrangeoffroadfab.com/full-floater-conversion/
Run 16x7 Tundra steel wheels like these:
Then fit some wide E-load range tires. This way you're matched up with the front in terms of bolt pattern and width, and the rearend will handle the weight just as well as the dually.
I've already got a complete running '91 4WD so I could transfer the entire drivetrain over with the only modification being the FROR kit. Another nice bonus of the FROR kit is it also converts the rearend to disc brakes, which would probably translate to a decent improvement of stopping ability. I've already converted my front hubs (IFS) to T-100 1 Ton discs and calipers. With regard to the IFS I would probably swap it over, taking care to replace the bushings, etc...while it's apart, because though I want 4WD, it's not like I'm going to be getting into situations where I need the extreme articulation that a SAS could offer. Dual T-cases would be tempting since with a 135" wheelbase there's plenty of driveline room, and the flexibility they offer could could come in handy. I'd love to hear from someone who has done this, and would really love pictures! :Wow1: