Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: RandallBrink on August 17, 2019, 10:00:23 pm

Title: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: RandallBrink on August 17, 2019, 10:00:23 pm
My shop has encountered a failed (cracked) brake rotor, and does not know where to source parts. Would anyone please provide info as to which Chassis builder supplied this chassis in '89? That could lead us to a parts source.

Thanks in advance!
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on August 17, 2019, 10:27:56 pm
Randall,

I believe if you look closely you will find a part number on the outer edge of the rotor.  Shop should be able to locate or cross reference a new one from that number.

At least this is true for the rotors on my coach.  See photo:
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: RandallBrink on August 17, 2019, 10:31:26 pm
Chuck, thanks! I will forward the info you provided to the shop for their reference.

Randall
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: nitehawk on August 17, 2019, 10:53:06 pm
Randall, you might want to check with Freightliner if you have an Oshkosh Truck chassis.
Email fcccservice@daimler.com and address to Mark Fraedrich or Les Michaels.
If an Oshkosh Truck chassis V-815-2 I replaced the passenger rear rotor about two years ago. Not difficult to get from Freightliner.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: RandallBrink on August 17, 2019, 11:02:06 pm
That's just it—I don't know which chassis mine is. I don't think it's the Oshkosh, but I could be wrong. Coach literature not helpful on this.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Don & Tys on August 18, 2019, 12:24:30 am
If it is a U300, it is a Unihome. Foretravel made the chassis in house. What you need to find out is the who supplied the brake hardware. On later Unihomes and Unicoaches, the air disc brakes are made by Meritor. Likely yours are as well. If it has an Oskosh chassis it won't be a Unihome but it can still be a Grand Villa. Confusing, I know! In any case. There will be identifying  marks cast or stamped on to the components and most likely part numbers as well.
Don
That's just it—I don't know which chassis mine is. I don't think it's the Oshkosh, but I could be wrong. Coach literature not helpful on this.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: FourTravelers on August 18, 2019, 08:17:51 am
That's just it—I don't know which chassis mine is. I don't think it's the Oshkosh, but I could be wrong. Coach literature not helpful on this.

Post a couple of pics of the undercarriage if you can, we will be able to tell you if it's a Unihome or not.
Like stated above, if it's a U300 and has the 8 outboard airbags, it's a Foretravel Unibody chassis. AND most shops won't believe you when you tell them the chassis was built by the coach manufacturer..........Foretravel.

Been there done that.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: FourTravelers on August 18, 2019, 08:25:46 am
Randall,
after reading some previous post of yours, you mentioned "bulkhead issues" , if you have had bulkhead seperation problems then you definitely have a Foretravel built chassis............
Hope this helps.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Old Toolmaker on August 18, 2019, 09:30:17 am
Chuck, thanks! I will forward the info you provided to the shop for their reference.

Randall
You might want to think forwarding  information to the shop.  Thanks to this internet thingy you can do the research for as long as you want and until you're satisfied with the information.  "The shop" might not be so inclined and, I personally, am not inclined to pay "The shop" to learn.

We own a '92 U225 Grand Villa and if you look underneath the big flat plate ends on the ends of the truss frame indicate a Foretravel built chassis.

Ours is still sporting its Texan sun faded decals, and where the metal underneath cooled the decal the dye is still intact showing the outline of the Foretravel semi-monocoque frame.

Yes I need a new bay door, and I'll build a mold and lay up a new door after the South East Georgia heat and humidity goes away.

Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: RandallBrink on August 18, 2019, 11:48:52 am
Don, Yes, definitely a Unihome. I was fairly sure that it was not one of the vendor chassis, but this confirms that. I will pass the info along to the shop, along with the brake OEM supplier. Thanks!
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart on August 18, 2019, 02:00:45 pm
Yes I need a new bay door, and I'll build a mold and lay up a new door after the South East Georgia heat and humidity goes away.
Are you sure you need a new door? FG repair is pretty easy and with the door off, I'll bet it could be fixed so no one could tell. Andy just did a good job on his roof and I don't think he had that much experience.

Pierce
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: red tractor on August 18, 2019, 02:06:37 pm
You have the Meritor air disc brake on that coach. There is a manual you can download here on the forum and also there have been many discussions here about the brakes.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: stump on August 18, 2019, 02:07:08 pm
The part numbers are in your foretravrl binders if you have them.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Old Toolmaker on August 18, 2019, 05:34:34 pm
Are you sure you need a new door? FG repair is pretty easy and with the door off, I'll bet it could be fixed so no one could tell. Andy just did a good job on his roof and I don't think he had that much experience.

Pierce
Oh I'll pull the door, and I have a plan of action to repair it.  Then if it all goes to hell in a hand-basket I'll make a mold and lay up a new one.
I don't believe in emergencies.  I do believe in multiple layers of planning.  I always go to the worst case scenario first.  Things only get better from there.

At our last job, as planning meetings droned on, and on, I'd wait until that "And then a miracle occurs" moment and ask, "And if that doesn't work what is your plan of action?"  Yet another reason we stopped working there.

Oh.  The Siata now has four wheel hydraulic brakes, a parking brake and once I fix a leaky fuel inlet tube a running engine.  And I found the other end of the clutch cable.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: RandallBrink on August 18, 2019, 09:50:11 pm
I want to thank everyone. As always, you got me headed in the right direction, and I believe I can now locate the relevant part numbers and convey them to the shop for part locating. Also thought the referenced threads regarding ancillary component brake parts and lubricants was excellent for monitoring the work by a shop that has not seen this air disk brake system before.

Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Nicolas on August 23, 2019, 10:05:13 pm
My shop has encountered a failed (cracked) brake rotor, and does not know where to source parts. Would anyone please provide info as to which Chassis builder supplied this chassis in '89? That could lead us to a parts source.

Thanks in advance!
On my 88 grand villa we have Rockwell dura master air disk brake.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: bbeane on August 23, 2019, 10:21:20 pm
You can also get the info on the brakes at beamalarm.com
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: Jeff & Sandy on August 23, 2019, 10:25:31 pm
I had a rotor replaced at MOT. They had it in stock.
Title: Re: 1988 Grand Villa U300 Chassis
Post by: RandallBrink on August 27, 2019, 01:30:45 pm
Thanks again to all..

My initial panic was created by an obsolete p/n on the rotor. FT, combined with Meritor, sorted through that mystery and came up with a current number. Once that was done, the part turned out to be readily available.