Day One at FOT. 07:30 this morning we met Luke the Service Advisor - by 08:00 our coach was in the bay being torn apart by David's crew. It looks like a tornado blew through the interior. One window was "blown" out, the fridge and microwave and ice maker and dining room table and "J" portion of couch and bedroom TV and VCR were removed, and good progress made on new construction. Hope they can remember how it all goes back together! :o
Last photo shows our "neighbor" in the next bay: a beautiful "naked" U240, lots of restoration work done inside and out. Sweet!
Speaking of "sweet", David likes the chocolate-filled donuts from Shipley. Kolaches (koe-LAH-cheeze - a Tex-Czech pastry, sometimes sweet like a Danish, sometimes savory with smoked sausage and/or cheese and/or jalapenos like a giant pigs-in-a-blanket) and donuts from there or the shop next to the gas station on the same corner as Lowes are big hits in the shop as well.
Speaking Donuts, heck all of em boys love em Donuts and do not seem to picky, just grab & smile.
Am delighted to see the two GV coaches in the shop, that is a good sign to me, sure indicates value worthy of some investing. Some how I can not picture that on a 20 yr old Winny etc.
Cheers
Someone knows how to keep the mechanics motivated on their coach
"Retired Mechanic"
Dave M, you are so right. That is a beautiful sight to see those coaches being made ready for another 20 years. We had an ORED and a U280 and there is nothing like those interiors....and as I've said before...that mid-entry door.
Looked in your coach today to find David F. - Looking good. ;D
Another view - classic profiles!
What a couple of great looking coaches!!!
Nice photos, Chuck. Keep them coming.
jor
Closeup of wall construction, revealed when window is removed. Interesting to see if (like me) you have never seen the "interior" construction of the walls. Pretty sturdy stuff! I didn't actually measure it, but the wall looked to be about 2" thick - more knowledgeable members (Don?) could probably verify that number...
Really great to see the coaches being upgraded and how the progress is made each day. Tks for posting. Every coach seems to have its own personality and look. This comes from the owner and what he or she likes. Since car mfg have brought back many old models could the GV be on the radar for Foretravel?? :P
Chuck,
Thanks for posting the pics. They are a great help to others looking to work on their coach themselves. Takes the mystery out of "what's under there?"
Keith
Wow! Like Dave M. I can't imagine doing this to any other early 90s coach. I really do love the "look" of these old GVs (although I am kinda partial to those skookum stainless steel bumpers LOL). I've mentioned this before but the new "efficient" RV designs look suspiciously like GVs with their bull-noses and rounded rooflines.
That 2" wall thickness doesn't surprise me. The other day I was lounging in the recliner in our U225 and just "rapped" on the wall next to me. Solid!!! In start contract to most RVs.
The only annoyance to a GV - at least our GV - is that there is virtually zero view out of the front windows unless you're either standing up or sitting in the front seats. But on the road those front seats are unequalled. I often look down into the cockpits of 18-wheelers. But the two side windows when parked are pretty big all by themselves and the two windows in the bedroom are fantastic.
After almost 3 years of ownership and nearly 8,000 miles I have to say that we're still in love with our "entry level" Foretravel.
Craig
Another series of posts that make us extremely thankful that we were able to find and buy our Foretravel. We can't think of any other brand we would rather own!
This one I do happen to know for our coach (99' U270), and I would guess is likely the same for all of the Unihome/Unicoach models, even if the layers differ somewhat. On ours, the blue styrofoam is an inch thick and there is some brown foam of a different (stiffer) constitution. My guess is that they found the brown stuff to be easier to adhere to the laid up fiberglass outer skin. From
left to right, there is ¼" Luan plywood, .060" FRP or Filon sheet, 1" blue styrofoam, ½" rigid brown foam of unknown composition, approx. 1/16" fiberglass, and finally the gelcoat. This is a plug from my installation of the washer/dryer. It is shiny because I coated it in the epoxy I used to stick the basement skin back on. This was a test to see how the epoxy resin reacted with the styrofoam before I stuck the skin back on. I am not sure if the blue styrofoam would have fared as well with Polyester resin. Also, it makes a nice souvenir to show people how our coaches are made... ^.^d So the short answer is 1 ⅞"
Edited to correct orientation and omission!Don
Correct! Good catch... Post is edited above to correct.
Thanks so much!
These photos are inspirational for us.
Ted
Don, that looks a little different from the cross section of our wall. On ours, there is no brown foam stuff at all - just blue foam. Different model year, different wall construction?
I am not sure Chuck... it may be that the areas around the window cut outs are done differently. Since each void between the frames would have the foam pieces cut to fit, FOT may have used the blue foam against window framing support because there wouldn't be the expanse of fiberglass skin to bond to the brown foam. Again, I am just speculating. AFAIK, FOT uses Polyester resin in their lay up process (from conversations with Rance at Xtreme P&G) and I could easily imagine that the Polyester resin would melt the styrofoam in a chemical reaction. Just a WAG on my part though... I have always used epoxy on all of my coach projects so far, and so haven't experiment with the Polyester.
Don
Day two at FOT. No great photo ops today. Everything looks pretty much the same, but a lot of activity was going on in the background. The new microwave install was finished late yesterday afternoon. It looks great!
Larry is working on the fridge install. It turned into a lot more work than originally estimated. The existing electrical outlet behind the fridge did not have a feed from the inverter. We decided to use the circuit that originally powered the ice maker (which is now gone). By doing it this way, I can use the existing inverter control panel to switch power between microwave and fridge. The position for "microwave" still functions as before - the position for "ice maker" will now power the new fridge (which seems logical since the fridge has a built-in ice maker).
The hot and cold water shut-off valves for the Splendide were under the old fridge, and had to be moved to allow the lowered floor required by the new fridge. They now reside on the back wall of the closet which holds the washer/dryer, where they are much more accessible. Larry took the opportunity, while the Splendide was out of the cabinet, to re-do several aspects of the Splendide installation which he considered "inadequate". I agreed with and approved all his suggested changes.
The new platform for the Samsung was just finished at quitting time today. I am hoping the new fridge will go in through the window tomorrow.
We now have newly added storage drawers where the old ice maker, and the old bedroom TV and VCR were installed. We lost storage space under the fridge, but gained it back plus some with the new drawers. We will gain additional new storage when the "J" section of the couch is replaced with a new end table unit complete with 1 large and 2 smaller drawers.
The original round dining room table is gone. It will be replaced with a multi-use combination breakfast bar and computer table. The table top will be custom made walnut, and it will be matched by the top surface on the new end table. They were putting the final touches on the table tops today, and (I hope) will apply the finish to the wood starting tomorrow. I'm anxious to see what they will look like!
David estimates 2.5 more work days to finish all the mods, so we will probably be in NAC at least through Friday noon.
Another GV showed up today, which makes a total of 3 GV's in the shop:
WOW :o the new GV that showed up looked EXACTLY like ours. Crazy to see. haha Loving all your pictures. Very interesting to see how it is constructed. Looking forward to seeing all the new changes.
Joanne
We are living in our coach, and when I saw the picture I commented to Jo Ann that somehow our coach ended up in the remodel shop in Texas. The colors and windows are just like ours, but on closer inspection that one is a 36' and ours is 40. Still, it really caught my eye. Some day ours will be there, too.
Day three at FOT. Made good progress today. The new bedroom storage drawers are finished, except for final coats of clear stuff on drawer fronts. The prep work for the Samsung is now complete, and they plan to lift it through the window and move into place tomorrow morning. The two big drawers that go into the space vacated by the ice maker are complete, except for the walnut front pieces. The new dining room table is complete except for final finish coats. It got two coats of finish today, and will get final 3 coats tomorrow. The only big job still waiting is the end table/storage cabinet for the couch. The crew will start on that tomorrow. We are shooting to be done by Friday sometime...fingers crossed!
Photos show before and after in bedroom, and progress on dining table top. The flash makes the color of the new walnut wood look funny - it is much closer to the old stuff "in person", but they will never be able to match the 20+ year old original wood perfectly. That's life!
Day four at FOT. The big event today was the insertion of Samsung into U280 orifice. It was a tight fit, even with all 3 refridgerator doors removed. Whole operation went smooth as silk - the obvious result of much experience on the part of FOT crew. The Samsung fit into Larry's prebuilt recess perfectly - only about 1/8" gap on all edges. Hooked up the water supply, plugged it in, and it started getting real cold right away. It looks beautiful - very nice combo with the new stainless microwave.
The dining room table was installed, and looks great. Will take some photos after we get the coach cleaned up. Also finished the installation of drawers and doors in old ice maker spot.
We are basically done, except for the end table/storage cabinet. This will be the big job tomorrow. We may get done tomorrow, or it may run over into next Monday.
Photos below of the Samsung lift (sorry, flash did not fire on first shot), and the trick sliding door Larry built to control air flow behind fridge:
New storage drawers built into ice maker recess. We used the doors off the original open space below the old fridge (that was my idea!). They fit perfectly after they were flipped around. The small drawer was already there - just removed the face and used it in the bedroom on the new drawer in the (old, removed) VCR hole. Fun, fun, fun!
Looking good. I enjoyed peeking in today.
Chuck,
Looks like you are having lots of fun, enjoy all the new upgrades; i can't wait to see them in person ... I hope on our next DFW gathering if we both can make it ..
That white U240, is it painted? it is very shiny.
Ours will be there mid October for few detail wood working similar to yours & some adjustments such as the HWH leveling .... I can't get it quite dialed in myself.
Very nice! You will really like the new fridge. We just finihed a 10 day shakedown cruise with ours. Perfect. It makes different sounds than the gas one. Something you get used to quickly. I like the sliding vent door.
Did they close the ceiling vent hole?
Roger
Al,
I can't say enough good things about David Flanagan's merry band of wood workers! They can literally do anything you can imagine...all you have to do is describe your ideas and they turn them into reality. If they see a better way to do something, they will suggest it, but in the end you are the boss. It is one of those "Be careful what you wish for..." situations, because you ARE getting exactly what you think you want! You will be impressed with their work - trust me.
I have a funny story for the forum, which concerns me getting what I asked for, but I will save it until I can post some good photos to accompany my tale.
The white U240 (which is still here, by the way) is not painted - that is the original gelcoat! The owner (I was told) spent a LOT of time removing the old decals and buffing the surface to remove the "shadows", then applying polish and sealer. The exterior is really smooth - as good as any full body paint. The interior looks just as good - redone completely with fresh upholstery and linoleum floors (that's just what I could see peeking in the door). Very impressive.
We are also looking forward to another DFW area "Gathering"...I hope Pamela and Mike can make it back over the Benbrook Lake and arrange another party. We are definitely IN!
Roger,
They left the roof vent open - their opinion is that a little ventilation behind the fridge can't hurt anything, and may be beneficial. The sliding door is provided mostly for cold weather, to help prevent freezing of ice maker water line. The inside of the door has a sheet of foam insulation bonded to it. The door is a very snug fit when closed (great wood work by Larry).
Chuck,
That U240 looks awesome I wonder who owns it. I wonder if they are member here? I love to be able to get ours shining like that and rid of the aging decals. I received a very good number for full body paint from FT for ours but I think rather keep the gelcoat.
AL
Great pictures, We will be removing our trash compactor soon and replacing with either a hamper or drawers. Thanks again looks great.
OMG! Removing the trash compactor? When we boondock being able to compact the trash keeps us from having trash bags around the rig (inside) or bears around the rig (outside). I'd get rid of the ice maker long before I took that trash compactor out!!!
BTW: thinking seriously of putting a decent catalytic heater where the ice maker is now.
Craig :)
Hmmm, removing trash compactor. To each their own ^.^d
Having had a sob, that was the first mod we wanted to do-put in a trash compactor.
If we ate out a lot more probally would not be much of an issue for us. Since we are using our coach, all the time we would not do without it. ^.^d (paper an trash not much food scraps lasts at least 2 weeks)
The only downside we see is it is less exercise ;D
When we got this 300 the first thing I did was *can the trash compactor and the washing machine!
jor
Eco Heater NA400S 400 Watt Wall Mount Natural Convection Ceramic Heater (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eco-Heater-NA400S-400-Watt-Wall-Mount-Natural-Convection-Ceramic-Heater-/370880633967?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item565a355c6f)
Craig, gas or electric? Or buddy heater?
Thanks Chuck, iI closed my side vent much like they did at FOT. I closed my roof opening about 75%. Up north here I don't need to let any extra cold air in. Enjoy your remodel additions. They look great!
Roger
We had a compactor in our '95 ... and I wish wish wish that I had one in this coach! LOVE them.
Well well If anybody would like this stop in sometime in Billings and pick it up it's free to a good home. :)
PS there is no Key and we have never tried to see if it works.
Andy, where did that unit fit in your coach? I'll be in Billings Wednesday (10/1) I'd love to get rid of the vacuum cleaner & ice maker, the compactor would be great if measurements were right. You do have 4 feet more than I do, so maybe it wouldn't fit? Input anybody?
I loved my unlined and wish I still had room for one. Love it though that different strokes for different people. When I had the line I did not have an ice mailer in the fridge.
Day five at FOT. Well, we almost got done before the weekend, but not quite. In spite of a great effort by Larry and Bookey, they weren't able to completely finish the end table/storage cabinet. I told them it wasn't a big deal to us, and I didn't want to rush the work, so we will get to enjoy a "free" weekend get-a-way at Camp Foretravel, in scenic NAC. On Monday they should complete the end table and get it installed.
What we did get done (yesterday) was complete the installation of the breakfast bar/computer table. It looks beautiful - the walnut table top done by Bookey is just gorgeous. We will almost be afraid to set anything on it, I am sure, for fear of marring the surface. But David assures me it is a very durable finish, and with a little common sense will last a long time. The table has 2 holes in the rear for power cords to pass through. The center support brace has a duplex power outlet on both sides (under the table). There is a full-length shelf under the table to hold any computer devices that you don't want on top. For instance, I will eventually move my desktop computer into the coach. It is a Mac Mini with a 1TB external backup hard drive. Both these items will fit nicely on the shelf, along with the wireless keyboard and mouse, when they are not being used. With the monitor sitting on the table connected by a single USB cable, it should be a nice clean setup.
After lunch yesterday David sent the coach to the "clean-up" bay to get it thoroughly detailed inside and out. It really needed it after all the construction activity of the past week. After the "Ladies" got through inside, and the outside got a much-needed bath, it looked better than it did before we got here. We really appreciate this extra touch of customer service!
Later today I will get some photos of the completed work up to this point. The new Samsung immediately pulled down to the set temps of -2 in the freezer and 38 in the fridge, and is making ice like crazy with no leaks, so all is well there. We will get the Sharp microwave/convection oven book out today and try it out, but I have no doubt it will work fine. I also want to try running both of them on inverter, to see how that works. That will give me something to do today. Sometime today we need to make a run to the grocery store, because after we transferred all our cold food from two BIG ice chests into the new fridge, it still looks practically empty like there is almost nothing in it!
Fridge will run fine on the inverter. The microwave will draw a lot more and you might want to have the engine running even for short uses. To reheat is not an issue but to cook something takes a lot of power.
Mis Dani I sent you a PM ;D
Unless it's a true sine wave inverter, you have to either run the generator or allow an extra 40% cooking time if using the inverter.
Pierce
Our inverter is the original Taytronics I-1500 modified sine wave unit. It is extremely unlikely we would ever need to run the microwave on inverter - 99% probability we would either be plugged in or using generator. I read somewhere that this model Sharp convection oven (R-1874-T) will run on modified sine wave, but if as you say this is incorrect (or even just not advised), it's no big deal.
Samsung
does approve running the RF197 on modified sine wave, so I think we're OK there.
,Chuck
All in all, a very nice set of upgrades... you made a nice coach even nicer (I saw it at Hohn's place before you took it home... I was very impressed with the condition. Considering who owned, not at all surprising). All part of the process of making it your own. ^.^d May you have many years to enjoy you travels in it.
Don & Tys
I will be excited to see all the pictures of the finished remodel. Mike is on his way to MOT now. Getting the engine checked out to be sure the coach is up to more trips...peace of mind for us both. Want him to check with FOT about getting wooden valances. Will be waiting for pictures. Hello to Jeanne. Joanne
Here's some shots of the completed breakfast bar/computer desk. The end result turned out perfect for the 2 of us - exactly what we had in mind. The height is correct for eating or for computer work. The shelf underneath will hold a lot of "stuff", and does not hit our knees. The finish on the wood is outstanding - kudos to Bookey for his excellent work! We also gained 12" of valuable isle space in the kitchen area by replacing the 36" round table. We are very pleased with this mod.
Hard to get a good photo of the desk - color either looks too dark or too light. In person it is beautiful!
Mike just knocked on our door, and we had a nice little visit. I think he is staying here at Camp FOT tonight, so will be our "neighbor" Good to see him again. Jeannie says "Hi" back.
Wowww...been contemplating about that "dining area" now I know what to do..! ;D
So I promised a funny story... It has to do with the concept of "Getting What You Wish For". First, however, I will post one photo. Take a look at it, think about it, and tell me if you see any "problem" with what is shown in the photo. Hint: look closely at the top drawer.
I will wait a little while to see if I get any response.
How do you actually get anything into or out of the top drawer?
Michelle, I might have known you would be the first to spot the "problem". Nothing gets by you, does it?
OK, since Michelle let the cat out of the bag, here is the story. I told David Flanagan we wanted 2 drawers installed in the space where the old bedroom TV fit. He passed my request on to his crew, and Bookey built the drawers. Exactly like I requested. When he installed them for a test fit, I happened to be watching. We stood there looking at the drawers, and I looked at him, and he looked at me. I said, "Gonna be kinda hard to get into that top drawer". He says, "That's what I thought, but I figured you had a plan". So, after some head scratching, I DID come up with a plan, which is illustrated in photo below. This is what is called a "Good Recovery" from a "Dumb Move". I will laugh every time I open that drawer! :))
Smooth move Chuck
Pamela
Chuck, where there is a will, there is a way
I don't see any "dumb move." Instead, I see the results of a brilliant plan to maximize your drawer space. (At least that's what my story would be!)
Ha! I wish.... Let's just say I have had many "learning from my mistake" opportunities to take advantage of ::)
Our coach has a similar area in the bedroom, and we're planning some sort of cabinet where you have the two drawers. When we saw your first pictures we wondered how you would be able to use that top drawer. Now we know! Ingenious!
I think I would cut out the second drawer also,great idea you came up with.
Dan
Mike told me that your remodel was great. He has been getting stuff done to our "93 GV...I think he feels much better about trips with it getting a good check up. He said that y'all talked for about an hour. haha Are y'all going to the grand convention in Oklahoma next month? We will be there. Hopefully y'all will go and we can hook up. Can't believe that we were and SOB until we met all of you guys. Good looking desk. Hopefully you will post pictures of the end table. Love all the changes. I must admit when you first posted the pictures of the drawers in the bedroom I was wondering the same thing...."was that a shelf above the open drawer? What are you going to put in it?" :o haha The solution is a great idea! Genius!!!! ^.^d ^.^d
Joanne,
Sorry, we won't make the Grandvention this year. This remodel project is gonna severely deplete the piggy bank, so we need to let it recuperate. We ARE attending the Ladies Driving School here at FOT in November. Any chance you guys will be there?
The remod crew finished our end table install right at quitting time today. It looks just as good as the breakfast bar. Same beautiful wood work by Bookey and Larry. I will get some pics tomorrow and close out this thread with one more group of photos. We are staying here at Camp FOT one more day (tomorrow), then will start back home Wednesday.
Fortunately, the end table design functions perfectly as built, and the drawers did not require any custom "alterations".
Here's our final entry in this thread. The end table came out GREAT - every bit as pretty as the breakfast bar. Another great job by Larry and Bookey. The extra storage space will be much appreciated, and the stupid "J" section of the couch will not be missed. The new drawers are HUGE - hard to imagine filling them up, but everybody says it won't take long.
We settle up our bill later this morning...and will remain here at Camp FOT today...tomorrow we head for home. The folks here at FOT have been super great to work with, and we will look forward to our next trip over here. We especially appreciated the nice "Pet Friendly" private waiting rooms, where you and your pet(s) can relax in comfort, without being a bother to other customers. ^.^d David Flanagan is trying his best to sell us on new flooring, and I think we are starting to weaken...perhaps we could get it done in conjunction with Driving School? We'll see...
It's only a mistake if it can't be fixed ^.^d
My Dad always used to say "The sign of a good craftsman is somebody who can hide his mistakes!"
Rich
That will be a good one to remember!
This forum seriously needs a "like" button (but I suspect it will be overused LOL).
The end table is gorgeous. Might be a project for us if we decide that our mini-dinette is no longer useful. For now it serves as a work place for sewing, soldering, assembling and for the occasional lunch. Plus it's a great place to stash wheel chocks and sleeping bags.
Nice photos, too. :)
Craig
We have a desk in our 92 that the PO installed and at first my wife thought it would be a catch all. Well after living in the Coach for a month and a half she loves it. That is a beautiful end table and a very nice Coach.
Wasn't that the original plan that was improperly executed? At least that is what I would claim. :P
Roland
It looks great. I like looking at your pictures. It's really fun to see how wonderful they can make these old coaches look.
No, the valences are taking up our extra money now. Mike called and they (Larry) had a cancellation so we took it. They will be putting in all the valences and hanging the TV in the bedroom. They will hide the water damage on the wall behind the front wall. Mike said they will put a baseboard there and then fixing the wood between the two cabinets in the front. We removed the TV up front and the wood there doesn't match. I will be interested in hearing about the driving school. Tell Jeanne I know she will do well. Be careful driving home tomorrow. Apparently Mike will be there a few more days. haha Joanne
Go take a peek at the options offered by East Texas Carpet and Tile on University..... get yourselves prepped ;)
And if you're still there, tell David and especially the upholstery shop how much we loved the "new" dinette they created for us from storage room cast-offs and some very creative cushion-scaping ideas (thanks to Phyllis and Brad Metzger).
While in Nac. today chatting with Mr. Flanagan I asked if I could peek inside your coach. He said that I missed it as you pulled out this AM.....Rats. Looks great.
Scott,
Yes, we are on the road back to dusty, windy, flat & brown Midland, TX...sigh. :(
Presently sitting in a great campsite (#073) at Holiday COE Park on Benbrook Lake. If you ever need place to stay while traveling through the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, we highly recommend this park. It is right on a lake, very open with lots of space between campsites, many 50 amp pull-through sites, good dump stations (2), and very quiet at night. We were introduced to this park by Pamela & Mike (forum members), and so far (in our VERY limited experience) it is our favorite place to stay. (http://www.recreation.gov/camping/holidaytexas/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=71211 (http://www.recreation.gov/camping/holidaytexas/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=71211))
Our brand new modifications are so far working flawlessly. Nothing has fallen apart or exploded, yet. ;) The residential fridge is SO much better than the old one - we LOVE it! Thanks again to David Flanagan's wonder-working crew!
Sorry we missed you - perhaps we'll cross paths down the road.