Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #25 – September 25, 2014, 09:18:44 pm Quote from: JohnFitz – September 25, 2014, 07:19:08 pmWell, I had my doubts that my flange would be a different thickness than later years but I was surprised to see that it is indeed 1/8" thick ...So I would guess the design changed some between '95 and '03. John, Thanks for the followup. Wonder if it had anything to do with the change from Unihome to Unicoach? Trent Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #26 – September 25, 2014, 11:29:39 pm The change to the bottom trim happened in the 2000 model year. Ours is a 99' and it had the white aluminum trim with a radius on the bottom. The newer style bottom trim has a different profile and is black, but is still aluminum. I changed ours to the newer style, which is easier said than done. I had a few reasons for doing so, but cosmetics were not among them. The fiberglass skin which FOT used on the basement (walls, ceiling, floor, bottom skin) is .060" FRP which can be found by the trade name "Filon". This distinct from the side walls and roof of the coach, which is hand laid fiberglass with UV resistant gelcoat as the final layer. Many SOB's use the Filon on the walls and roofs of their coaches as the outside skin and laid up fiberglass only for the end caps. Anyway, I couldn't find a local source for the .060" FRP and had to use .090" FRP which I could get in 4'X10' sheets. Since I had to use one layer of the .090" for the utility compartment floor, and one for the bottom skin (the first 4' of the bottom skin, the remaining 10' of the bottom skin I was able to remove intact and reuse). Anyway, the two thicker layers of FRP added a total of .060", or roughly 1/16" to the thickness of the basement structure. The original trim would not fit properly on the utility compartment portion of the basement, though I attached it anyway for the trip to Nacogdoches. I purchased two 20' sections of the new style trim (known by the parts guys as "batten") from FOT. The price seems quite reasonable to me, with the black newer style about a dollar less per foot than the older white, radiused profile used up to 99'. I think the Unicoaches up to 99' and the U280 and U300 used the same stuff. I am attaching pictures which show the difference. I added 2" wide ⅛" thick aluminum flat stock to the bottom lip of the newer style black batten (trim) material to make up for the fact that the earlier style sills on the bottom of the coach were made out of 1.5"X1.5"X1/8" angle iron. This allowed the bottom trim to overlap the bottom skin and framing enough to attach with screws. I believe that the 2000' and later coaches have square tubing right to the outer edge of the basement, so the profile of the newer trim batten over wraps the 1.5" thick frame and the the combined thickness of two layers of Filon that makes up the finished flooring and bottom skin. The skin is impervious to water, and protects the steel frame as long as the seams and all penetrations are sealed... if not, you know what can happen. Hopefully the pictures will clarify what I am saying. DonEdit: I neglected to mention that both of the types of aluminum batten are ⅛" thick. Here are a cople of pictures. This is a utility compartment lower door which I purchased from FOT. I am embarrassed to say how much I paid for it! I am using the old style for the moment because I want to make my own out of some left over trim batten that I still have. Even the parts guy looked at this one when he sold it to me and said it looked thrown together... Quote from: JohnFitz – September 25, 2014, 07:19:08 pmWell, I had my doubts that my flange would be a different thickness than later years but I was surprised to see that it is indeed 1/8" thick (I measured it twice too making sure the calipers were on square). I agree that the 12335A17 should work better on a 3/32" flange. One thing I just noticed is Steve's flange is black and the structure is square on the very bottom (I wonder if it's steel ?) On my coach (which looks absolutely identical to Jor's) the flanges are an aluminum extrusion with white paint and the bottom flange is a different extrusion that radiuses down with a channel that the 2"(or 1-1/2") floor fits into. So I would guess the design changed some between '95 and '03. Anyone else notice this? Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #27 – September 26, 2014, 01:03:58 am Quote from: acousticart – September 25, 2014, 11:29:39 pmI changed ours to the newer style, which is said than done. Don, I know you were trying to say something here, but I cannot figure it out. Would you please clarify or rephrase the above quote? Thanks, Trent Quote Selected 1 Likes
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #28 – September 26, 2014, 01:16:52 am Fixed above... at least fixed to what I thought it said.QuoteI changed ours to the newer style, which is said than done.changed to "I changed ours to the newer style, which easier is said than done." which was just to say that it wasn't a simple parts swap, which hopefully is clear in the pictures. Difficult to picture perhaps, unless you have had it apart and contemplated trying to make it fit yourself.DonQuote from: TulsaTrent – September 26, 2014, 01:03:58 am Don, I know you were trying to say something here, but I cannot figure it out. Would you please clarify or rephrase the above quote? Thanks, Trent Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #29 – September 26, 2014, 01:40:28 am Don, It is amazing how much easier it is to understand what you were trying to say. Trent Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #30 – September 27, 2014, 11:58:24 am Don,Thank you for the great explanation. I don't think this subject has ever been covered on the forum. Good info on the Filon too. Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #31 – September 27, 2014, 01:04:09 pm Steve, I thought that we had this all resolved. And then Don added his expertise to the mix. So I am now really confused. Here is my dilemma:Quote from: Steve – May 15, 2013, 11:23:37 pmIn digging around I found a gasket P/N of 75000720 listed in one of our manuals for "compartment door trim seal". This number appears to be from here, its listed as a Dual Durometer EPDM Trim Seals for Edges .065" to .095" (RS-131). It comes in either a 250' roll or 25' roll. ...The measurements on that image match (as best I can tell), the gaskets that we currently have, and our bay flange is 3/32. Last year you discovered the gasket part number in one of your Foretravel manuals. The spec for that part number was for a bay flange up to 3/32" and you bought some, installed it, and reported nirvana. Later, JohnFitz reported he had acquired a different part number with which he was happy. I noticed that the gasket he bought was for a slightly thicker flange, up to 1/8". John, who had an older coach measured his flange as 1/8" and all seemed right with the world. Until someone wondered when the flange size changed. Don shared his experience and said he thought it was with the 2000 model year. He had purchased a couple of sticks of the new flange from Foretravel when he was rebuilding his 1999 Foretravel. Again, all seemed right with the world. Until he went and posted that picture with his fancy wancy caliper, showing that the new Foretravel flange measured 1/8", as well as his old one. Now my nice stable world is out of balance. Do I need the 3/32" gasket material like Uncle Steve, or the 1/8" stuff like cousin Don? I took my trusty $1.99 HF caliper out to Ducky to find out. Sure enough, mine is also 1/8". Now the dilemma: Did Stevie lie to us about the size of his flange? (Usually people say bigger is better. Or was he just inept at measuring his flange? Maybe he used the $0.97 caliper from Big Lots; or maybe he just eyeballed it with his trusty tape measure. Or even worse, he ASSUMED that since Foretravel specified 3/32" then it must be 3/32", ipso facto! "What difference does it make at this time?", some may ask. It is too late for an investigation. But here you have TulsaTrent, with his first RV, needing to buttress his flange. What size rubber device does he need to use? Is it possible that Foretravel specified a smaller edge gap to make the gasket grip the flange tighter? I don't know, I don't know. What am I to do? Do I follow the Foretravel specs, Or do I do what Steve did, or what John did, or whatever Don is cooking up in his laboratory? I am open to suggestions; do I order the 3/32" or 1/8" gaskets? Thanks, TrentP.S.: For those who have not yet noticed, I have a very dry sense of humor. My therapist blames it on my three years in the seminary. Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #32 – September 27, 2014, 01:31:51 pm I would say that here is a case of much ado about nothing... The metal backing of the gasket material is quite malleable. I believe that Foretravel may have specified the 3/32" just to insure a tight fit. Everything in the coach that I have taken apart was cut to fit tight, be it cabinets, moulding, whatever... it's the Foretravel way! I bet that is one reason there is vey little noise going down the roads that isn't owner added stuff. I bought about 6' of the stuff from Foretravel (don't remember the per foot price, but I do remember being shocked that it seemed to close the per foot price extruded aluminum trim), and I had no problem putting it on. Gripped nicely and stays put, but for the money, I will probably go with this stuff for $1.50 a foot;Trim Lok Lock Seal 1 8" x 5 8" Bulb A Side Door Rubber | eBayJust my take on it...DonQuote from: TulsaTrent – September 27, 2014, 01:04:09 pmI am open to suggestions; do I order the 3/32" or 1/8" gaskets? Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #33 – September 27, 2014, 01:47:27 pm Quote from: acousticart – September 27, 2014, 01:31:51 pmThe metal backing of the gasket material is quite malleable. I believe that Foretravel may have specified the 3/32" just to insure a tight fit. Don, I agree. Apparently you missed my attempt at humor. Trent Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #34 – September 27, 2014, 01:51:01 pm Could be... wouldn't be the first time.Quote from: TulsaTrent – September 27, 2014, 01:47:27 pm Don, I agree. Apparently you missed my attempt at humor. Trent Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #35 – September 27, 2014, 11:45:14 pm Having spent a week looking at Don and Tys's coach from all angles (and of course from underneath) I have to say that Don spends a lot of time thinking about a problem before tackling it. I love the way FT builds their coach's but have to say they do not put the care and finess into them like he does.All I can say is "take his word and knowledge on this subject as he did an unbelievable job) especially as he was laying on his back doing it I doubt there is another coach that is rebuilt to this standard.JohnH Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #36 – September 28, 2014, 12:18:10 am Well 'blush' thanks John, that is quite the compliment... especially coming from you. Some (okay, most...) would say I tend to overthink things, and maybe I do at times. Still, I try to do the best work I can and most of the time it works out alright. I wish I could be as prolific as you... maybe when I grow up DonQuote from: John Haygarth – September 27, 2014, 11:45:14 pm Having spent a week looking at Don and Tys's coach from all angles (and of course from underneath) I have to say that Don spends a lot of time thinking about a problem before tackling it. I love the way FT builds their coach's but have to say they do not put the care and finesse into them like he does.All I can say is "take his word and knowledge on this subject as he did an unbelievable job) especially as he was laying on his back doing it I doubt there is another coach that is rebuilt to this standard.JohnH Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #37 – September 29, 2014, 08:02:58 am Just an FYI, I updated Steve's sourcing post on the first page of this thread with the correct link (DK Hardware) and cost (~$1.80/ft) Quote Selected
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #38 – December 20, 2024, 06:40:06 pm A true necrobump for a little PSAWhen I replaced the bay door gaskets on our previous coach, I ordered from DK Hardware, they drop-shipped directly from CR Lawrence. The part number I item ordered was 75001363 Trim Seal Black Oversize Bulb: CRL Black Oversize Bulb Trim Seal® | CRL That ended up being a perfect OEM match, it fit great. Wanting to update the bay gaskets on the new coach, I ordered the same item, this time from Home Solutions, who also had the item drop shipped from CR Lawrence. Although the part number was the same, and the catalog shows the correct cross section, what you get is much different. The shape of the bulb is different, which may work, but the spine is larger/thicker and does NOT easily fit in the channel or make the various turns. We attempted to contact CRL to see if the product had changed. They were quick to respond only to tell us they would give us no information as they were B2B only and we were not a business. They would not even say if the product had changed. Home Solutions was no help as they did not respond to any contact attempts. We were finally able to get a refund.Decided to give things another shot, this time through Summit Racing, who listed a bulb seal from Fairchild Industries: https://fairchildindustries.com/products/industrial/trim-seal-1363/ which has the same dimensions as the CRL one; it even appears to use the same drawings. Here is the link to the product on Summit's site: Fairchild Industries Weatherstrip Seals, Individual Position 1362-25 This drop-shipped from Failchild and once again was the (same) **wrong** stuff we got from CRL. Summit does make the return/refund process pretty easy.So now I'm thinking some merger took place and these companies made some freak universal item to reduce P/N's or ? ? ?The next place that appeared to have the fabled chalice bulb is Cooper Standard Push-on Trim | Cooper Standard The site says it's a built-to-order item / request a quote.We could have redone the bay gasket in 10 coaches at this point, so we contacted FOT and verified they were still using the original gasket; they were, so we ordered "a bunch" of P085352 Weatherstrip - URED. One nice thing is they sent a continuous length (they order it in 250' rolls), so there was little cutoff waste. I know what you want to know ... The cost was $4.27 a foot with the MC discount. I will not mention the shipping charges as it brings me great sadness.I can confirm based on what I received, it is from Cooper Standard; I added the details here: Part Number CollectionSummary: As of this post I do not recommend ordering the gasket from CR Lawrence (CRL) or Fairchild industries as what they ship is not compatible. Instead use the seal from Cooper Standard which you can try to get directly (I did not) or get it from FOT. Quote Selected 8 Likes
Re: Storage bay gasket sourcing? Reply #39 – December 21, 2024, 11:14:11 am Thanks for Bird dogging that weather strip. Takes a lot of time to chase things down Quote Selected 1 Likes
Topic: Storage bay gasket sourcing?