Foretravel Owners' Forum

Rich,

Excellent documentation.  Thanks. 

When installing the new floor, did they use the old holes in the vertical bulkheads or use new ones?  Rolocks or some other kind of bolts?

... Based on what I found with the side seams, there may be nothing there but a gap between the 2 sections of filon.

One "gotcha": Most of the seam screws are #8 wood screws, but some are different because they screw into *steel*.  Depending on whether work has been done on your coach before, be aware that the correct screws may or may not have been used in all cases.  In any case, I replaced any existing non-stainless screws with stainless, and in cases where the (wood) holes were stripped, I replaced them with #10 stainless.

Rich,
 
How long were the screws? Were they the same length for end caps and horizontal seams?

@ The original #8 screws are a combination of 1" and 1.5".  For any replacements where screw didn't grab I went with #10 and the same length as the original.  That is why you see blue tape here and there - it's holding the right screw for each hole.
 
Did you put anything into the old screw holes?

@ At first I filled the holes with sealant, but that seemed to make it hard to tell when a screw became tight (or softened the wood enough so the screw wouldn't tighten...)  So after that I only laid a dab onto the thread near the head just to help seal the outermost threads.
 
From one of your pictures, it looked like you painted the screw heads white before installing them. Did you have to do anything to the SS screws to get the white paint to adhere?  What kind of paint did you use? Did you have to retouch some of the heads after you installed them?

@ I didn't have to do anything to get the Rustoleum Satin paint to adhere - at least for now.  The horizontal seams will all be getting painted over - and everything should get sanded beforehand, so it's moot (as far as I know).  I probably would have wanted to at least hit the heads with emery cloth or something before painting otherwise.

Great project and even better write up, especially all the pictures!

@ Thanks!  It's hard to remember to take pictures.  I could have taken a lot more interesting ones had I set a timer or something to remind myself to take them at intervals.  Maybe I'll do that going forward.  I like pictures also - the old saying about the value of pictures vs. words, at least for physical things is true!
 
Thanks,
 
Trent

Rich,
 
Did you do anything about the top/drip edge, or just the main seams?

@ I didn't do the drip edge - I was a bit surprised, but my coach has no sealant showing where it meets the fiberglass.
 
BTW, what did you use in the compounding stage?

@ I used this stuff - expensive, but effective.Amazon.com: 3M (36061) Perfect-It EX Rubbing Compound: Automotive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LIXEL3U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

It sure looks good. Did you repaint all of the seam trim, or just clean them up where possible?
@ I just cleaned up the seam covers.  When you rub them with acetone it tends to soften the paint and spread it a bit.  I did repaint one piece (the short, bottom piece for the passenger rear end cap).  There is a photo of that with fresh paint.

On the one you bent (or rebent) did you notch out the edge to help the bend?
@ The driver side rear bottom end cap seam cover was a mess - someone had used 3 separate pieces that didn't actually cover the entire seam.  That is the section where I cut a length of new seam stock and bent it in a vise.  It bent easily (it's pretty thick, but it's aluminum) and I didn't need to cut any relief to get clean bends.  One thing though - it will not bend sharply without some more sophisticated equipment.  That said, mine was at least as good as the undamaged original on the other side.

 
Thanks,
 
Trent

Thanks for documenting your process! Lots of good info in the pictures... I just want to correct one terminological item in the quote below. Foretravel laid up fiberglass for the walls and roof, and molded fiberglass for the endcaps, fenders, compartment doors, etc. The only place I am aware of that they used filon (which is Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic, or FRP for short) are the basement floors, under skin, basement ceiling, and basement dividers/walls. In my opinion, this represents one of the qualitative differences between Foretravel and run of the mill coach builders. See all the once white but now yellowed plasticy looking 80's~90's fleetwoods etc. in almost any RV park for reference. This is the reason you can buff up almost any unpainted Fortravel and have a glossy white finish for your trouble! 8)
Don

Thanks especially for all the floor framing pictures. I know how to go about repair in place if I ever need to. A guy with a lift would be able to weld and replace the rusted sections in a day or two, i rekn'.

That is the section where I cut a length of new seam stock and bent it in a vise.  It bent easily (it's pretty thick, but it's aluminum) and I didn't need to cut any relief to get clean bends.  One thing though - it will not bend sharply without some more sophisticated equipment.

Rich,
 
Was the new seam stock already white?
 
I am not sure, but I think that bottom seam in the back (below the fake air intakes) makes a 90 degree bend at the bottom edge. Was that a problem, or did you just cut it flush?
 
Thanks,
 
Trent

Rich, did you end up using the entire gallon of buffing compound on your coach?  Just trying to figure out how much to order.

Thanks,
John M.