Thanks, its always fun to learn a couple of new things....like Budd nuts!

Hey, chrisW, great pics... excuse the other post about "do you know how to service calipers"! Did you get all these parts from Les and Chris? Nice job, installing greasable ones. I've been considering that for a while, waiting for the front end to get bad enough to rebuild...

We have almost the came coach. I'm finally back home for a while I'll try to make you copies of the electrical schematics and other MCC-specific docs.

I've got my brakes working about as good as they can (I think) and I wouldn't tow a trailer that does not have an auxilliary braking system of some kind. I think that Les and Chris' first level upgrade is cheap insurance and I'm planning to put it on as a winter project. I really don't think the rotors are ever going to wear enough for me to wait. I put new shocks on mine, cat-bolts, split washers, Loctite red, and locking nuts.

The oil-pan gasket was not enough for my coach. I put a new oil pan on because the early production 8.2 had an insulating pad fused to the lower part of the pan and here in the northeast the road salt and crud soaked up in the pad and rust perforated the pan a bit. "Swiss cheese". Perhaps you have an up-graded one, but if you have that insulated type you may want to consider ordering one up. Plus, the old-style gasket is cork and the new one... need the up-graded oil pan to use it... is nice neoprene, the parts guy at you detroit dealer should tell you the story.

I had similar rust under mine, I've been cleaning, extending, painting and undercoating components as I can. Check the battery-box attachments, mine was just riveted to the sheet of steel under the floor. I drilled and bolted mine with big fender washers.

Good luck, man! Have you driven it for a full day on backroads? Being a sports car guy you will really appreciate it! You will not believe the ride!

Cheers, Duteman

quote:

Originally posted by duteman:
Hey, chrisW, great pics... excuse the other post about "do you know how to service calipers"! Did you get all these parts from Les and Chris? Nice job, installing greasable ones. I've been considering that for a while, waiting for the front end to get bad enough to rebuild... Duteman

Always better to assume the other guy doesn’t know what he is doing! Yep, all parts from Less. The old ones were too tight and the Idler arms was seized so I had to do it!

quote:

Originally posted by duteman:
We have almost the came coach. I'm finally back home for a while I'll try to make you copies of the electrical schematics and other MCC-specific docs. Duteman

That would be a big help – I have a boat load of gremlins to cure!

quote:

Originally posted by duteman:
I've got my brakes working about as good as they can (I think) and I wouldn't tow a trailer that does not have an auxilliary braking system of some kind. I think that Les and Chris' first level upgrade is cheap insurance and I'm planning to put it on as a winter project. I really don't think the rotors are ever going to wear enough for me to wait. I put new shocks on mine, cat-bolts, split washers, Loctite red, and locking nuts. Duteman

My track car trailer has electric brakes (something else I have to wire up in the Barth). Less actually talked me out of the upgrade (!) saying that if you know how to drive you don’t really need it. I am rethinking that since I live in the finger lakes – hilly area – and I intended to tow. I figured I would take Less’s advice and work the bugs out of the stock system before getting the upgrade.

quote:

Originally posted by duteman:
The oil-pan gasket was not enough for my coach. I put a new oil pan on because the early production 8.2 had an insulating pad fused to the lower part of the pan and here in the northeast the road salt and crud soaked up in the pad and rust perforated the pan a bit. "Swiss cheese". Perhaps you have an up-graded one, but if you have that insulated type you may want to consider ordering one up. Plus, the old-style gasket is cork and the new one... need the up-graded oil pan to use it... is nice neoprene, the parts guy at you detroit dealer should tell you the story. Duteman

My Barth had the newer (4x price!) gasket but it was leaking from just sitting around. I bead blasted the pan and repainted it while it was off. It’s a weird (and cheap!) pan design.
I did get to diver it around a while – still needs some brake work but the handling was quite nice -= even with the approximate tape measure alignment during reassembly. Feels like a little toe out, alignment scheduled!
The governor is out of whack – won’t go over 2k rpm….something else to adjust.
I have a track event at Watkins Glen next week so I will give it its first ‘field trial’!

Information Update –
After a test drive I found the brakes to not be up to par. I pulled the rear wheels off last night and took the calipers off. One dust boot was about 50% missing and the piston was seized, the other was a little better but not good.
So I decided (again) it was time to do the upgrade, I called Less and he talked me out of it again! The base upgrade has gone up to $2100 (ouch!). Less still believes that the stock brakes are good enough as long as you don’t want to go 70 mph down the Rockies. You gotta love a guy that talks you out of sending him $2100!
So instead of $2100 for a new set of rear brakes I anted up for 4 rebuilt stock calipers (Hey – at $60 a piece why not do all? I would bet there is some internal corrosion on the other calipers too.)

chrisW, what are the specs on your coach? I must have missed it somewhere in your articles. You know, what is the year, length, chassis, engine etc. I'm curious because mine is a 34 ft with the Spartan MMC chassis which seems antique compared to your unit. It has the solid front axle with air drum brakes and the back is a live axle with drum air. Yours seems like a giant step up in sophistication ---- even by todays standards.

Great project and pictures!

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Strong:
chrisW, what are the specs on your coach? I must have missed it somewhere in your articles. You know, what is the year, length, chassis, engine etc. I'm curious because mine is a 34 ft with the Spartan MMC chassis which seems antique compared to your unit. It has the solid front axle with air drum brakes and the back is a live axle with drum air. Yours seems like a giant step up in sophistication ---- even by todays standards.

Great project and pictures!

chrisW's coach is on the MCC chassis used by the original Regencies from 1981 til about 1985. Year model 1985. Length 35 foot, the only length offered. Engine 8.2 detroit diesel, the only engine offered.
Nick

It is a pretty fancy set up, the brake disks could be a little bigger....!

It sure does ride nice now that the suspension has been brought back to spec.

What does the MCC stand for? Mine is MMC for Mountain Master Chassis but I can't place the MCC. I guess I have seen this acronym a lot and just thought it was the MMC (I'm slow to catch on).

I believe it was short for Motor Coach Corporation.
They built a very nice chassis.
Nick

like ur coach chris nice work

quote:

Originally posted by robert and kimberly delucia:
like ur coach chris nice work

Thanks!
The new (rebuilt) calipers showed up this week so I will finish it off this weekend....more pics to come!

I thought I would add some final pictures from the project - here is what the independent rear suspension looks like when it is fully stripped down.






Its been back together for a month or so, it really handels nicely. I have already mde two trips to Watkins Glen - the second one towing a track car. The Barth did not handle any different with 5000 lbs being towed behind it. I'm impressed!

I noticed in your pictures that the springs on the levelers are rusty so I thought I would recommend a real good soaking of all the assembly with WD-40. My manual says to keep them lubricated (shaft and pivots) to assure good operation. I spray the whole thing down after every trip and they seem to like it.

I am going to pull them off this winter for a little restoration work - one of them leaks a little.
The only long term problem with the WD40 spraying is that it will attract more dirt and dust.

Nice work Chris!!! Wanna do a brakejob on another Regency?