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[Mystic918v]

Good morning all,
My husband and I just purchased a 1977 Toyota Hilux Dolphin. I have been searching the internet to find information on it such as the battery converter, propane hook up, water hook ups, etc. I can’t find any operating manuals or repair manuals anywhere. We have never owned an R.V. and really don’t know anything about how it works or even where to begin as far as restoration goes. We are extremely excited to begin the journey of repair, restoration and adventure. If anyone has any helpful information on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

[SierraJoe]

Welcome! We have a 1977 Dodge Clipper. If you are handy you can perform most of the maintenance and restoration yourself. First thing I would replace are all of the fuel lines as 40 year old lines can have small pin size leaks you might not see and can be a major fire hazard. Also check the brake lines as they are probably just as old and can be a safety issue. Brakes and wheel bearings should be looked at and new tires if they are more than 5 - 7 years old. With the exception of tires, most repairs are fairly inexpensive. Great thing about this era of RV’s are that they are pretty easy to work on. My current project is replacing water damaged ceiling panels and resealing where the water was entering through the roof. Good luck and let us know how things are going and feel free to ask questions.

[TonyDi]

Glad to have you here with us.

You might want to visit our 'Vintage RV' forum and start asking questions there as well. The nice thing about an RV of that age is their simplicity. Which makes them easy to work on.

Let us know if we can help you.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig! Owner's manuals are sometimes very hard to find, especially in that age range. You will be better off getting the manufacturer's name and model number on each system and Googling for a manual. Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Mystic918v]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig! Owner's manuals are sometimes very hard to find, especially in that age range. You will be better off getting the manufacturer's name and model number on each system and Googling for a manual. Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Thank you very much!!

[Mystic918v]

Originally Posted by TonyDi

Glad to have you here with us.

You might want to visit our 'Vintage RV' forum and start asking questions there as well. The nice thing about an RV of that age is their simplicity. Which makes them easy to work on.

Let us know if we can help you.

Yes it is very easy to work on. The first thing we had to do is replace the alternator. It took less than an hour. Pretty awesome!! I did visit that site and am now just waiting for the replies.
Thank you!!

[Mystic918v]

Originally Posted by SierraJoe

Welcome! We have a 1977 Dodge Clipper. If you are handy you can perform most of the maintenance and restoration yourself. First thing I would replace are all of the fuel lines as 40 year old lines can have small pin size leaks you might not see and can be a major fire hazard. Also check the brake lines as they are probably just as old and can be a safety issue. Brakes and wheel bearings should be looked at and new tires if they are more than 5 - 7 years old. With the exception of tires, most repairs are fairly inexpensive. Great thing about this era of RV’s are that they are pretty easy to work on. My current project is replacing water damaged ceiling panels and resealing where the water was entering through the roof. Good luck and let us know how things are going and feel free to ask questions.

Thank you very much!! It looks like it’s going to be pretty easy to restore. I just need to figure out where everything goes and how to get it all connected. I’m not sure how the whole converter thing works and if we need two batteries and if so do we just store the 2nd battery in one of the cabinets. It doesn’t look like there is a place for it under the hood. I believe this thing is supposed to have a converter according to the original fuse panel but I’m not sure where the converter goes or how to hook it up. I’m totally lost. 🙄 🤪

[momdoc]

Welcome to the forum.

You are joining a good group of folks here with good information to share. REad the various threads and ask questions as they come up.

The learning curve is long but thankfully only steep in the beginning.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure.