http://portland.craigslist.org.../rvs/3245523986.html

Seems like a great buy to me, how 'bout it, Yes man?

MCC's have their place in Barth history, but they are not Euro's, they are a completely different animal, although they both use a glass front end. From what I've read here the MCC is one of the finest riding-driving coaches ever made, but the original suspension was lacking in strength, requiring some upgrades that make it just about perfect.

That is my understanding. . . And that chassis parts may be more scarce than any for Spartan, Gillig or Chevrolet... So much so that one might have to get things fabricated.

quote:

MCC's have their place in Barth history, but they are not Euro's,

I edited the header.

There is one supplier who has parts, including suspension and brake upgrades.

http://www.motorcoachrestoration.com/

Motor Coach Corporation

I can't answer about prices or availability, because I've not had any occasion to look into them. My impression from MCC Barth owners' posts is that prices are reasonable and results are excellent. Availability can be spotty.

The real concern is that the DD 8.2 is somewhat delicate, especially with regards to overheating.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:

quote:

MCC's have their place in Barth history, but they are not Euro's,

I edited the header.

Lesson learned. Thanks

JoshS,

A heads up for you, another site for info and parts for an MCC is: www.rvsrepair.com

The owner of that shop is Jim Black. This guy has
a lot of knowledge about MCCs and worked on the production line. He also designed many upgrades for this model. He knows his stuff!

Jim & Barb

1985 Barth Regency MCC 35ft

quote:

Originally posted by Jim & Barb:
A heads up for you, another site for info and parts for an MCC is: www.rvsrepair.com

The owner of that shop is Jim Black. This guy has
a lot of knowledge about MCCs and worked on the production line. He also designed many upgrades for this model. He knows his stuff!

Here is a quote from a trade publication dated 1/2001

quote:

End of the line. Even though the FMC motorhome was a product of outstanding engineering and loved by its owners, the company ceased its motorhome operation in 1976...

When production ceased, many of the 915 FMC motorhomes built were still under warranty, and the remainder required routine maintenance and logistics support. FMC kept its commitment to its customers and arranged with Jim Black, an FMC manufacturing executive, to set up an organization to service these coaches, which continues to this day. Black, who runs Recreational Vehicle Services,C1249, in Morgan Hill, California, holds the rights for FMCparts and even has all of the original tooling. Recreational Vehicle Services can, if needed, produce large parts, such as a new 29-foot fiberglass top.

He was instrumental when MCC was born and worked closely with Barth and designed many of the upgraded parts. He knows his stuff.

http://www.fmcmotorcoach.com/files/FMCmag2001jan.pdf

http://www.motorcoachrestoration.com/ bought the rights for the MCC from Barth in the late 1980s and they are still in business and, also, still service and supply parts for MCC motorhomes as well as FMC motorhomes!!

In case anyone was wondering what became of the fine machine that kicked off this topic... well, my wife and I are the proud owners and I am newly registered to this site as of tonight. The MCC? We bought it in Portland, OR last week from a nice gentleman, I put $100 of diesel in it, and drove it home w/o incident (save for a few "white knuckle" moments due to sloppy steering and marginal brakes). I am presently investigating brake upgrades and steering/suspension repairs. When those are complete we plan to proceed with some interior upgrades/renovation, but nothing terribly radical. It's a pretty clean coach overall.

Oops, forgot to mention that "home" is just over 200 miles from the origin of purchase.

Congrats on your new coach. Welcome to the sight. You will find great info on the MCC and the 8.2. DD.

Doorman

Thanks, the welcome is much appreciated. I'll be scouring the site for MCC steering and brake information. Where I work some of the guys have had a lot of experience with the DD 8.2; it isn't a favorite, but at the end of the day the sentimate is that it will most likely work fine for this application... just watch the coolant and keep up on the service.

Curiously, it looks like a former owner was collecting parts for a brake system upgrade. The parts were left in the lower storage area and consisted of some modified brackets and "Ford Cargo" dual piston calipers (I say Ford Cargo because that's what someone had marked them). Anyone familiar with this upgrade? IMHO the stock calipers and rotors look small for the application, and air over juice is, well... let's just say not my first choice.