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86 Foretravel on Clist

March 29, 2014, 11:33:14 am

Newbie here.  Looking for a project, not a money put.  Been reading the forums for months now.  Was really close to buying a Holiday Rambler Imperial but this Foretravel keeps catching my eye.  1986 FORETRAVEL
I am aware that sitting is bad and this has been sitting since 2005.  Last drive was to Colorado and it stopped smoking (white smoke) after several hours. He told me "probably caused because it was sitting for so long, (the rings are stuck and if driven they should release)"
He said its the 230hp cat 3208.  Propane generator, runs fine.
He has all the manuals but hasn't done any real maintenance to it.  I am guessing he used it for 4-5 years before he parked it.
Brakes are good, plenty of life in the air brakes.  I will have them checked since they were good when he parked it.
No power steering on these models. Fridge works.  I assume dash ac doesn't (not worried about it)
Non smoker
Condensation in fuel tank, will need to be drained.  I assume when I get it home I need to replace the fuel lines.
I have researched enough on the Rambler to be confident with an older purchase but this one makes me a little more nervous.  Don't know anything about diesels and this one needs some attention right now.  How much for a tuneup??  Any hunches on white smoke and what to expect to fix it?
Air brakes are new to me.  I was going to repair the old disc and drum on the Rambler.
Air ride on this?  What else is on these Foretravels to look out for?
Other threads expect $10k to get up to snuff.  That is a ton of $$.  After tires and motor tuneup i expect to do a little at a time the more I use it.
I am 35, not going to do any full timing in the near future.  Looking for some "power weekend" vacations. 

Needs new tires = $3,000
Needs new front AC, do it myself
Hydraulic leveling jack leak, do it myself
Water line replace, do it myself
Missing 1 coach battery
What else?

Look forward to the responses. 
And looking forward even more to jointing the Foretravel Community!

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #1 – March 29, 2014, 04:28:56 pm

Welcome to the forum, Dave. Yes, I think you are looking at a project coach. I'd guess that $10,000 will be a good start on bringing this one back to life. If you go into this knowing that you will have more money in it than it is worth, then give it a try.

I'd suggest that, if you go ahead with this coach, you do the following: 1. Join FMCA. 2. Take advantage of their Michelin discount program to get six new tires installed. These should be at the place closest to the seller, and ownership doesn't transfer to you until AFTER those tires are installed. You might want to have the seller bring the coach to the tire shop and you meet him there. That way you will know for sure that you really do have new tires.

Here is a link to the specs for this coach: 1986 Foretravel 3600 Specifications

Notice that it DOES have power steering. If the power steering doesn't work you will need to find out what the problem is and fix it before driving it.

The seller should take care of the fuel tank problem. That may be as simple as filling the tank with fuel and running it until a filter clogs, changing the filter, running until a filter clogs, changing the filter, etc. until all the crud is gone. It may require completely cleaning the fuel system.

Since you are looking at the San Antonio craigslist, I'm assuming that the coach is somewhere in that area. You might want to hire Brett Wolfe to inspect this one for you. Yes, it will cost you some money, but if he tells you to run away from it it will be the best money you ever spent.

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #2 – March 29, 2014, 06:06:41 pm

Dave, sounds like you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty. If you can do most if not all the required fixes and updates, I think you will spend less than $10k. I also picked up a "fixer-upper" and am very happy with it. The basic Foretravel quality was still there. My biggest expense was new airbags, you will want to inspect those before you make an offer.

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #3 – March 29, 2014, 10:13:31 pm

It's a buyer's market for big diesel pusher coaches. Take your time and figure out exactly what year and model you want and buy one in good condition. You can buy the finest diesel pusher ever built for the price of the cheapest new car on the market right now. There's no need to buy a fixer upper in this economy. Find the exact coach you want, show up with cash, and you'll be the only buyer. If the coach is over 20 years old it's too old to finance, so the seller has to find a cash buyer, which is very difficult in this economy. Most people with that much cash will foolishly spend it on a downpayment for an expensive new coach, cuz that's the American way. Note that only big rig diesel pushers are a bargain. Little coaches with the illusion of being fuel efficient are selling for top dollar, so stay away from those... If you're gonna buy a coach get the top of the line U300 with a two cycle multistage turbo supercharged Detroit Diesel that screams at high altitude and an airbag suspension that rides nice. You'll have the finest coach ever built. Even today's most expensive new coaches with huge Cummins engines can't compare with the state of the art technology in the 20 year old two cycle Detroit Diesel. This is the only reason I bought my coach, for the two cycle engine... I mean will you really be satisfied with anything less than the finest ever built? You're still gonna pay the same amount for the lower grade coach with the little non computerized Caterpillar 3208 sleeveless engine with single stage turbo in it, just saying. The Detroit will badly embarrass powerful new coaches on high altitude climbs. I didn't know this when I bought it and just kinda discovered it as I went along.

...and that coach you're looking at appears like it may have a side radiator with hydraulic fan motors and pump, so you better do a search for "hydraulic" and read the nightmares before you buy the side radiator model. If you buy the rear radiator model you MUST replace the fiberglass fan with a new nylon fan or it WILL explode and probably destroy your radiator. Once you replace the fiberglass time bomb fan blade you'll have a very reliable and efficient cooling system. The 1991 and older U300 models will have the rear radiator instead of the side radiator with hydraulic fan setup.

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #4 – March 29, 2014, 11:10:08 pm

Dave I had a 84 with the 3208 cat , with the rear radiator . I put 97000 miles on it . I had it for 12 years. It got 12mpg east of the rockys  [ I live in co. ] and 11 mpg west of the rockys .We pulled a toad ever where we went . It was sure slow going up to the tunnel on Rte.70 to Denver. Out on the flat it would cruise along at 70 mph easily, but I usually set the cruise control at 65 . My wife and I lived full time in it for most of that time . I would not hesitate to have another one like it .I got very good service out of Goodrich tires , on the front And firestone on the back. Major repairs were ,new radiator $1800 , new heads $? [$1200??] , rebuilt trans $1500 labor $1000. The trans . came from Trans teck [??] out of Salt lake city. There were many other Minor repairs in 12 years ,including the dash air . If you are handy I think that you will have a unit to be proud of. Harry

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #5 – March 30, 2014, 10:02:38 am

Dave, had an 88' ORED CAT3208T-300hp
Purchased with 70K miles, drove it over 50k+ (118k) miles over 9 years, 4 fulltime
Replaced fuel pump, front ac, belts, hoses, oil, filters, batteries - fluids are important
Dont replace-use furnaces, fix as you go.
We did:
Full interior remodel
Full exterior remodel

Reliable,  strong engine&brakes, smooth ride.

 

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #6 – March 31, 2014, 11:00:59 am

I think RRadio is giving you some good advice regarding the coach market.  I'd not knowingly buy the Cat engine with stuck rings for any price...would think twice about taking it for free unless you have the desire and ability to do an engine pull and rebuild (the Cat can be rebuilt though it was not designed to be.)  There are lots of great deals on coaches out there.  Unlike Scott, I do not consider the Detroit to be the ultimate engine but do agree they have some strong points.  For economy, low cost of entry the little 5.9 Cummins will be hard to beat for operation and maintenance costs.  I've found the same thing true for the 8.3 C series mechanical Cummins.  Scott's points about the side mount radiator are something to consider....you gain ease of access to the engine bay but have some expensive, hard to repair hydraulic fans that suck up a fair amount of horsepower.  No doubt that the rear fan is more efficient and far less costly to repair.  Sitting for years tends to destroy hydraulic and oil seals, frozen brake calipers, all tough stuff to repair.  I'd keep lookin.....

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #7 – March 31, 2014, 05:32:02 pm

"Stuck" rings are just his guess. Have him get a "one trip" permit then drive it around and possibly to a shop that specializes in CATs. Diesel engines can sit for years and still run fine. White smoke could be fuel/algae related or other non fatal reasons.

Needing fuel lines is only a possibility. Applies to lot of later rigs with faulty hose composition but may last a very time with existing hoses in the older rigs.

Would put underbelly condition toward the top of my list. Corrosion can do a lot of bad stuff, especially to the bulkheads. Water leaks down there not good also. A northern coach may have a lot going against it because of road salt.

Get another member to take a look. Today, with a buyer's market and owner statement about white smoke will drop the price way down.

We paid just over $20K and have next to nothing in repairs in 4 years and almost 30K miles. The coach has far exceeded our expectations. Luck has a part to any purchase but in most cases, you can make a lot of your own "luck" with a careful inspection and good advice. You don't want to buy a $10K rig and then put another $10K into it and have it be worth the original $10K

Pierce

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Re: 86 Foretravel on Clist

Reply #8 – March 31, 2014, 07:42:41 pm

Think Dave has a point about just working the engine and it will clean up. When we lived in the Buffalo while building a house, we used fast idle to charge the house batteries at least once a day. After doing this for months, it would take quite a few miles before it stopped smoking.

Pierce

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