i bought a used sunline slide in camper for a mini truck pretty cheap.
picked it up in southern new york last night..........i figured the fuel economy would take a big hit, but top speed did too......coming home last night i was running in the slow lane up the hills at 45-50 with the big rigs lol.......foot to the floor to maintain 65..........camper weighs about 1000 pounds.......she ran cool the whole way, temp gauge same spot as hauling empty.
i gotta be able to do better than 13 mpg loaded with some mods.

oh then add the a/c that i'm adding, might not be able to go 65 with the a/c on hehe.

the truck
86, 22r 4 speed 3.07 rear. 131,000 miles.

#1 i'm sure is going to be a gear ratio change....please chime in on ratios

#2 better exhaust....bigger pipes from the front pipe back at a minimum and replace the stock cat with a high flow, does the header help any......remember i use my truck for work and play, often have 3/4 ton of coal on the truck in the winter time (coal heat is cheap and allows me to maintain a fleet of hot rods hehe)

#3 22re conversion or a better carb?

i would appreciate your input.......i do have a dodge dakota with a v6 that i let my father use, but i like my little yoda alot better, unloaded i get 32 mpg

 

what are your smog laws like there? i have had a half yard of gravel in the back of my truck and it climbed any hill i wanted to no prob but im 80% sure i would not pass smog if i had to get it tested visual test that is

 

just a visual here, no dyno or sniffers, has to appear to have a cat, and it needs an egr valve (as long as they see it and vac hoses.)

 

probably the best bang for the buck would be a cam and less restrictive exhaust i know the stock carb if you are good with them u can get it to run pretty good. I also have a 3.43 rear end helps get up to speed quicker i turn 3k rpm @65 in 4th if i drive it sparing i can get 25mpg with a 4 speed w/o load haven't checked it with a full load yet but also did a w55 transmission swap i also have a 32/36 dgev weber on it also major boost right there but removes allot of vac lines

 

thanks for the reply
the truck currently has a 8" 3.07.........what gears would be good? i live in the mountains btw

will the 3.07 third member take a different gear ratio ring and pinion?

 

no bigger than 2.25" (2 1/4") exhaust. KEEP the factory cat to retain the low end torque.

 

what axle code is it? F or G series?
I'd say 3.41's would be a nice step up for acceleration, but not too extreme. She'll go a bit better too. I'd open up the truck's motor a bit more (minor little things) before we get deep into ratios.

 

When it comes to gear ratios and whats best, its hard to say, a lot depends on your driving style, tire size, what cruise speed you like to travel, engine rpm your comfortable with, and so on.
I have 5spds in both mine, I run 4.88's with 31" tires on one and 4.38's with 33" tires on the other, it works fine for my situation.
The 8" third member will accept different ratio's, but not sure with the 3.07 carrier as to how what ring/pinion sets they will accept, best to check with a gear seller as to what ring and pinion combos will fit the 3 series carrier.

 

what i was planning for the exhaust is a magnaflow 2" or 2.25" cat and a magnaflow dual outlet muffler, and make two stock tailpipes fit......have a feeling the stock cat might be partially clogged cause it ram like poo when i got it and my friend that gave it to me said it had no power, the fuel filter was clogged lol

the tires are 25.3" tall

 

3.41's and 25.3" tires would get up and move well.
If you want to upgrade the cat, go for it. a high flow wouldn't hurt. I'd say a 2.25" cat.
I wouldn't do the dual outlet since it's a 4cyl and it means more weight for more piping (not necessary to have that extra stuff). I run a Magnaflow oval offset to offset (left to right?) and it sounds pretty good. It's deep. That's up to you though. I'm just a personal fan of single exhaust systems. Why add more weight when you're already trying to free up power

Let me know what you think.

 

thanks, will be on a quest for a ring and pinion or a used third member

the camper won't be on the truck all the time, just for road trips and camping

only reason i was planning on the dual tailpipes is because the stock size of one is so small.........the aftermarket cat back systems are pricey. i have a welder and skills......gotta pinch those pennies when you have a fleet of cars and trucks........or do you guys know of a place where i can order just the 2.25" tail pipe? or a off the shelf tail pipe that fits the yoda.
i don't mind using parts from other vehicles if they fit, been using impala ss tails on town cars for yrs lol.

here is a shot a video today while trying to beat the heat......didn't do a whole lot today, too darn hot. ‪i got a truck camper for my toyota‬‏ - YouTube

 

are you kidding.... this thing is a house. Of course you top speed and your fuel economy is going to suffer.... so is your suspension, tires, brakes with that thing strapped to the back of it.. I wouldnt mind having one, but id have no expectations for performance.

 

i realize it's tall and heavy, i don't want to break any speed records, the acceleration from a stop is fine, i would just like to be able to keep up with traffic on the highway.

the tires are brand new, general altimax, they have an xl load rating, got these so i can feel safe hauling 3/4 ton of coal every other week in the winter.
brakes i just overhauled, new pads, rotors, calipers, wheel cyls..... truck stops fine with the camper loaded.
suspension, have coil over shocks in the rear, new front shocks, and i have all poly bushings to install in the near future

 

esh! well honestly, in this case if you plan on keeping the camper on there, I would swap in a 350. I know that sounds sacrilegious but that would give you plenty of power, and be cheap to install and fix.