Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 11, 2025 ...

Renovations

November 25, 2021, 07:13:55 pm

I have taken out both my windshields and side windows to replace one piece seal, hopefully I can get the side windows re weather stripped somewhere and have a screen added to the 3rd track as not to let bugs or bees in on the hwy, instead of buying new. I scraped off all old pinstripe and vinyl and was hoping to make it the same as the original as I cant find a scheme I like yet. Original is probably better anyway. I want to replace all my batteries and upgrade the solar, any ideas on lithium batteries?. Also I want to replace wall paneling back to original, they show some cracking from where water leaks in. Replace all my windows or have someone do the weather stripping and replace my hardwood floor and jackknife couch. Only thing I done since 2017 was replace a water pump and a couple tensioner as well as my alternator and air filter, of course I changed oil and filters but that's expected. Now I'd like to upgrade and make it look nicer again as I been living in it 4 years now. Maaybee new counter tops. Any ideas if its cheaper or better just to pull out my furnaces and have them rebuilt or just get new? I rented a spot till end of February, then want to get back to cruising.

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Re: Renovations

Reply #1 – November 25, 2021, 10:24:27 pm

It would be helpful if we knew what coach you are talking about. Our coach has screens on all windows that open. Replacing batteries can get expensive.

Living with a coach for some time before making major changes is a good idea. Replacing walnut because of a window leak can get pricey, and the new wood may not match the old. I'd probably talk to the remod shop at FOT about that. Or Corian countertops are still in good shape. I wouldn't want to replace them.

Repairing or replacing a furnace is a tossup. I'd get quotes from those who do the work and see what they suggest. The rear furnace on our coach didn't work when we bought it, so we had it replaced. Wasn't cheap, and they weren't happy to do it. There is quite a bit of work involved, apparently. Rebuilding may be somewhat cheaper, but I'd want to be sure that it was as good as a new one (combustion chamber being my biggest concern).

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Re: Renovations

Reply #2 – November 26, 2021, 02:39:02 pm

Refurbish vs. replacement is not always a simple choice. Last winter our furnace stopped working during the Texas Freeze Out. Mud dobbers had infested the exhaust vent and heat exchanger. A rusted burner assembly combined to overheat the heat exchanger resulting in combustion fumes entering the coach.

We determined it needed a new burner assembly, new electric fan motor, and combustion chamber leading my shop to recommend a new furnace.  Fan motors are fairly available for older units, other parts can be hard to source. Dometic bought out Atwood and their replacement models are not one to one substitutes. Propane connections are not in the same place, furnace doors and flanges are different size. The original door and flange were larger than the new, thus the opening in the side wall was too large. Compounding the problem, the original flange was bonded so well to the wall, that it had to be cut into pieces in order to remove the furnace for replacement. We scored one of the last NOS flanges for the obsolete furnace at FOT, then modified the propane connection and original furnace door to work with the new furnace. Lots of labor and some tough choices. If you do it yourself, you may find it a significant project while you still pay a coach buck for the new furnace plus various parts to make it work. You may end up fabricated parts. No one can really tell you what to do without a lot more information, but if the replacement parts are available for your furnace and the heat exchanger is good, I would seriously consider refurb.

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