Kiki's Adventures

Hello fellow RV enthusiasts! 🚐 We have some BIG news....

We are SELLING our 1988 Toyota Dolphin RV. This RV has been designed, built, and tested for off-grid camping. We purchased this RV in December of 2020 from the original owner. It is originally from California, so the frame and cab are rust-free. The RV had been sitting for a few years, so when we purchased it we decided to do a complete gut. We didn’t put down some new flooring and paint the cabinets, oh no, we rebuilt the ENTIRE interior. The roof was in poor condition so we took the opportunity to rebuild it from inside out. The roof was rebuilt in a similar fashion of the original roof, with a combination of square steel tube, wood, one inch foam board insulation and aluminum sheeting. The exterior portion of the roof is one piece of aluminum sheeting with no seems (NO leaks!). The aluminum is the same material that is used on semi trailers and it is much thicker than what was originally used. The exterior of the RV was painted with marine grade fiberglass boat paint. The cab has not been painted to retain the nice patina. We installed a new one-piece molded vinyl floor in the cab of the RV. The original seats are in great condition and we put new seat covers on them to keep them that way. This unit has the reliable 22RE powering it, with a four speed automatic transmission. I have documentation that the transmission was rebuilt at 115,000 miles ($2500). All work done to the RV was completed throughout 2021. The following work was done to the engine and drivetrain:

-all coolant hoses and belts replaced
-new radiator
-new Toyota Red coolant
-new water pump
-new valve cover gasket
-new vacuum hoses
-valves adjusted
-new exhaust manifold gasket
-new upper and lower ball joints
-new tie rod ends
-new front brake rotors and pads
-new rear brake shoes
-rear axle bearings repacked
-new drive shaft carrier bearing
-new rear engine mount
-new spark plugs
-new spark plug wires and distributor cap and rotor
-new Interstate battery
-new master cylinder
-new rear driver side wheel cylinder
-new transmission cooler lines
-transmission fluid changed
-rear differential fluid changed
-new headlight
-7 new 8 ply tires (six on the unit and one spare)
-new Bilstein shocks front and rear
-rear air bags installed
-new catalytic converter ($900)
-muffler and 90 percent of the exhaust system has been replaced

On the coach side, the interior has been completely gutted and rebuilt. The following work was done to the interior:

-The old grey and black water tanks were removed.
-A new cassette toilet was installed (we only went number one in it). The benefit of a cassette toilet over a traditional RV black water tank is that you can empty the cassette at any roadside rest stop toilet, porta potty, gas station bathroom, etc, instead of having to seek out a dump station.
-The grey water goes into a six gallon jug that can be dumped at many places as well. We designed this RV to be used in the winter, so all plumbing and water lines are on the interior. During the summer months the grey water drains into a jug located in an external storage compartment that previously housed the generator. In the winter, the grey water drains into a jug located directly under the sink to keep it from freezing.
-New diesel heater installed. We camped in sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta and British Columbia and the heater kept us warm. The diesel heater puts out hot, dry air that helps keep condensation down. The heater is very efficient, in terms of electrical usage to run its fan, as well as diesel consumption.
-The electrical system was completely rebuilt using high quality components and marine-grade wiring. The coach battery is a 100 amp-hour lithium Battle Born battery ($900). Three 100-watt solar panels feed a 40-amp Renogy charge controller. Every component in the system is properly fused, a master disconnect switch is wired in, and both wires coming from the solar panel are on breakers. A 1000-watt Renogy pure sine-wave inverter was installed, 20-amp DC-DC charger (the house battery can be charged from the alternator when driving), Victron smart shunt (for energy monitoring from your smart phone) and a fused 12-volt system.
-The refrigerator is a Truck Fridge TF-130 ($900) with 130 liters of storage. It is a 12-volt fridge that is energy efficient. It also contains a small freezer.
-New stainless-steel sink was installed
-Eight LED puck lights in overhead cabinets
-Reading lights above the bed are original and work great. We did upgrade the bulbs to LED ones.
-MaxAir fan in roof.
-The original stove and oven work well and were retained.
-The original hot water heater also works well and was retained. New water lines were installed using PEX piping and fittings.
-Includes an outdoor shower that has only been used once
-The 24 gallon water tank lasts us (two people) around ten days when used for washing dishes and brushing teeth.
-New sub floor and vinyl flooring were installed
-LOTS of interior storage and custom built overhead cabinets, rear closet with shelves and three sliding drawers. Huge storage compartments under rear couch and side couch.
-Custom-made magnetic insulated and blackout curtains for all windows.
-Custom-made cushions for dinette (turns into a bed) and L shaped couch.
-You will need to buy your own twin or double sized mattress for the cab over bunk. We used a double sized mattress that came out on the counter a few inches. The front mattress can be pushed up on gas struts to gain easier access to the cab from the coach.
-Rear 1 1/4 inch hitch installed for a bike rack (not rated for towing, and you wouldn’t want to tow with a four cylinder powered RV anyway).
As mentioned, the engine is a four cylinder, so don’t expect to win any races. We typically cruise at 55 mph and get around 14 mpg. It will go faster, but it just feels best around 55 mph. We have had three tanks over 18 mpg! The drivetrain is well geared and we have taken this high into the mountains and on steep roads. We recently drove the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. There were multiple sections of 14 percent grade climbs and the Dolphin took it in stride. Over the course of over 12,000 miles the Dolphin has been incredibly reliable, it hasn’t left us stranded. The engine consumes some oil (around one quart every 600-800 miles), but the mechanics I’ve spoken with say this is normal. The routine I take is to check all the fluids each time we get gas. After all, it is a 35 year old RV. I’m sure I’ve left out other things we have replaced. We rebuilt the RV with the intention to drive around Canada and the United States for one year. We didn’t want to be breaking down every month, so we used the best parts we could afford and replaced all that we could think of. With our trip coming to an end, it is time to find the next owner. I hope someone will find this that appreciates all the hard work we put into it. Let us know any questions you have and if you would like to take a look at it. Please text or call me at (319) 750-9437. The RV has a clean California title will be located in northern New Jersey by September 5th. We are currently making our way through New England.

Price: $22,000

For those interested, here is the listing: www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/416093127283119/

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3 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 5