FI RSTREPORT: FMCMRHOM[S

byBOBSWEETT n. mushrooming recreationI vehicle industry has been

drawing some giants recently.First GMC announced its inten-tions of building a motor homeand now FMC Corporation-abillion-dollar, worldwide manu-facturer of diversified machinery,chemical and film products-unveiled its RV intentions.

The first effort by FMC is aluxury motor home, to be mar-keted first on the West Coast,then nationally by early I97 3.However, FMC's endeavorsdon't end there. The companyplans other recreation vehicles inthe future, besides motor homes.

Called the FMC 2900R, thisnew motor home is fully engi-neered from the chassis up.

FMC stresses luxury, and fora pricetag of $2 t ,000, you'd ex-pect they would. The unit is 29feet long and has a 1 4,000-pound GVW, making it one ofthe largest production coaches.

The 2900R is fully self-con-tained, and the luxury touches arenumerous: deep shag carpeting;vinyl walls; rich woodgrain ca-binetry; color-coordinated drapesand upholstery; large dining, liv-irg and sleepirg areas; lavishlyappointed bath, complete withshower, tub, toilet and vanity;"chef's dream kitchen" with dou-ble sink, counter-level stove andeye-level oven, refrig erator / freezerand lots of counter space.

Engineering and safety, how-ever) are even more highlystressed by FMC engineers, whopoint to a "total package" de-sign, whereby body and chassishave been engineered as a singleintegrated unit.

A tubular steel lower framebrings floor level down for lowercenter of gravity and better sta-bility. Vehicle height, ås a re-sult, is low-eight feet, fourinches. An aluminum uppercage frame protects occupants.

Rear-mounted 440 Chryslerengine is unique. Eliminateslong driveshaft and provideseasy exterior access for service.

Fully independent suspensiongives firm but smooth ride.

From the outside, the FMC isclean, free of roof-mounted ap-pliances, which reduces air resist-ance. Skin is molded fiberglass,and is available only in whiteand gold as pictured.

FMC Corporation, Recrea-tional Vehicle Division is locatedat 1105 Coleman Ave., San Jose,California 95 106. #

Dick Morch, Test DriverMax Todd, lnterior Evaluator

The FMC Motor CoachA 29-footer with a cåassis so unique and comfortleatures so refined that it's in a class by itselt.

WE'VE BEEN excited about FMC'sentry into the motor-home market formonths now. We've studied their an-nouncements, eagerly eyed theirphotos and poured over their proto-type. Finally, after l0 months of an-ticipation, we got the chance to runthorough, controlled tests with the2900R.

Dick flew out to California so thathe and Max could team their talentsfor this test. Together they touredFMC's San Jose facilities and con-versed with their engineers. Max re-marked on this introduction toFMC's approach to motor-home con-struction: "Not since leaving the aff-craft and missile industry have I seensuch thorough and completely docu-mented engineering of a product."His enthusiasm continued throughoutthe 2900R test, resulting in the com-ment: "In our more than a decade ofmotor-coach testing, we consider it to

be the most desirable coach we haveever driven."

As is common knowledge by now,FMC came to the RV field when theyprolected a cutback in governmentcontracts. Foreseeing a decline in thedemand for military vehicles, a newmarket had to be found to offset thatloss of business. Well, much researchshowed them that the best way to gowas the RV field. The 2900R, there-fore, is just the first of what we hopewill be a broad product line by FMC.

One of the carry-overs from themilitary trade, other than a giganticamount of experience, was the rear-suspension engine ering for the2900R. The design was taken ftom anamphibious assault vehicle. It seemsthat. the folks at this billion-dollarcorporation spend more time puttingnuts,and bolts together than workingwith words. It must be admitted thatthe name 2900R is lacking something

in the pvzazz department, but the as-sault vehicle that donated its suspen-sion had the even-less rhythmicalname of LVTPXl2. I guess, though,that this won't pose much of a prob-lem; so few people seem to be writingpoems about amphibious craft thesedays.

While the name may not flowsmoothly, the suspension makes surethat the passengers do. What that i11-titled assault vehicle offered was in-dependently suspended rear wheelswith a very heavy torsion bar tofirmly smooth the ride. This torsionbar is encased in a steel tube and isadjustable, to permit the alignment ofthe rear wheels. And, like the frontsuspension, everything in the rear ismounted in rubber to keep vibrationto a minimum.

The front suspension employs a 10-leaf transverse spring, and the balljoints are lubed for life. FMC has

Trailer Travel September

achieved a fine combination of firm-ness and road-flattening ability withtheir suspension. Even though this29-foot vehicle weighs in at over sixtons, it has a ride characteristic thathas more in common with an autothan a high-GVW motor home. It'snot uncommon for big chassis to besuspended in such a way as to pro-vide a comfortable high-speed ride,but at city-street speeds they tend tobe a little rough. FMC, however, issmooth and secure at both high andlow speeds.

The chassis that rides this well-planned suspension is beefier thanany that Dick had seen. Framed witha surprisingly strong alloy-abouttwice the tensile strength of that stan-dardly used in a motor-home chas-sis-the 2900R should outlast anymodern-day automobile. And thechassis is further fortified with angleand channel-steel crossmembers inthe center section, plus tubular andbox-steel members at both ends.

When the chassis is ready for itssidewall framing of welded alumi-num, FMC has an interesting processfor fixirg the one-piece fiberglass up-per-half body shell to its frame.While the shell is still in its mold, theframe is lowered into it, and while itcontinues to be held, the two areglassed together and polyurethanefoam is sprayed in. This is left toharden before the shell is removedfrom the mold.

With the upper body shell affixed,the frame is bolted to the coach, therest of the exterior fiberglass skin ap-plied and inner wall installed. Thewiring is also put in at this point. Allwires and controls running throughthe floor are in conduit, and in someareas this is loomed into the skin withglass fiber.

Powerirg this well-sprung mass ofmetal and glass is Chrysler's 440-cu'bic-inch industrial V8, mounted atthe very back of the coach. The en-gine develops 225 hp, and at 75 mphthere was no feeling that it was beingstrained. In our 1000 miles of testitgin the mountains of northern Califor-nia we averaged 6Yz mpg, which wefelt was quite acceptable.

Keeping the temperature down onthe big powerplant seems to be noproblem. Twenty-f,rve quarts of cool-

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BUYER INFORMATION

LIVABILITY FEATURES

GENERAL DATA

STEERING AND HANDLING

Emergencylane change

Steeringprecision'k

High speedcurve

Crosswindhandling

Rough roadhandling

'r'Amount of steering correction needed tomaintain straight course.

ACCELERATION

TIME IN SECONDS

0-30 mph

0-60 mph

Passing timeacceleration40-60 mph

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TEMPERATURES @ 55 MPH120" 1 40' 1 60' 'l B0' 200' 220" 240" 260. 280 " 300.

radiator inletradiator outletcrankcase oiltransmission oil

-

actual reading @ 73" ambient; r r r estimated reading @ B0-g0o ambient

ant run through a radiator that offers900 square inches of coolitg area tothe breeze. And a portion of this hugeradiator, as on the modern-day auto-mobile, is devoted to cooling thetransmission oil.

There doesn't appear to be anyneed for auxiliary cooling on the2900R. Cruising at a steady 70 mphwe recorded a transmission-sumptemperature of 202o, and a crankcasetemperature of a pretty cool 261.o .

The engine of this motor home iseasily accessible through two doors.In fact, Dick noted that it would beeasier to change plugs on the 2900Rthan on a car-mounted 440.

With the powerplant far from thedriver, engine noise is negligible-sonegligible that at 70 mph the pre-

Features like a water purifier, eye-leveloven and bigger-than-usual relrigeratorare standard appliances on the 2900R.

dominant sounds are the rushingwind and the whirr of the Michelinsteel-belted radials which are stan-dard on FMC.

As stated earlier, the 2900R offereda very good ride at both low speedsand high, and excellent steering pre-cision. Dick says that almost all mo-tor homes he has driven need con-stant steering correction when drivenat highway speed. This one does not.

"As a matter of fact," Dick re-marks, "as far as driving it straightdown the road on a windless day, itprobably drives as good or betterthan many high-priced automobiles."

In further driving tests Dick foundthat if anything, the 2900R was over-eager to go where it was pointed.Making two-second lane changes at55 to 60 mph, he encountered a con-trol problem. The difficulty was thatthe coach, once getting into the nextlane, wanted to continue crossingeven tnore lanes-an oversteerproblem.

Luckily this problem was not diffi-cult to deal with. It was soon learnedthat after getting from one lane to theother, a sharp steering correctionmade back toward the original lanewould allow the coach to completethe maneuver with very good control.So soon did the steering correctionbecome an unconscious part of his re-pertoire that Dick felt this steeringcharacteristic would pose no problemto the owner.

Actually, the 2900R handled sowell that we were somewhat sur-prised. What impressed us was that itcould carry so much weight behindthe rear axle and still be so con-trollable. The engine, Onan gener-ator, LP gas and 60-ga11on fuel tankwere all behind the rear axle. Still, agood front-to-rear axle-weight ratiowas maintained, with 4400 poundsforward and 8640 behind.

The 2900R even looks quick andagile, unlike many motor homes thatappear almost as high as they arelong and have the weight of roof-mounted air-conditioners pulling upthe center of gravity. FMC has de-signed this coach to be just less thannine feet high, and the weight is keptclose to the ground with skirt-mounted auxiliary air-conditioners.

A curious aspect of the road eval-

uation occurred in the brake-fadetest.

We received our original test unitwith 2600 miles on it, and were toldby FMC's chief experimental me-chanic that the brakes-drum-and-shoe -had been completely seated in.Certainly 2600 miles in this moun-tainous area should have burnishedthem well.

Though we would have been pleas-antly surprised by a particularly goodbrake test-since in our experience,drums on high-GWV vehicles alwaysheat too rnuch to grip without fad-ing-our original 2900R didn't showwell at all. We ran our standard test,making five stops from 60 mph, de-celeratirg at l5 feet-per-second-per-second- 15 o'decels." When we got tothe fourth test stop of the series, thebrakes would only hold 13 decels. Wedecided not to run our standard addi-tional emergency-stop test-20 decelsfrom 70 mph-at this time, but to waituntil we had completed the remain-der of our road evaluation so that thebrakes could seat themselves further.

A thousand miles later we triedthat fast stop from 70. This actionshowed us it was impossible to holdmore than a l5-decel stop even atnormal road speeds. Only when weslowed to about 30 mph did we getmore than 15 decels. Then the de-celerometer made its way up toslightly over 16. But pedal effort atthis point climbed off our measure-ment scale, and was probably around250 pounds.. overwhelminglyexcessive.

When we returned to FMC and de-scribed our disappointing results, itwas explained to us that our unit hada minor design defect; in more recentmodels the brake-pedal-arm pin waslocated differently. They offered us amore recently manufactured coachwith a properly placed pin.

This new coach gave us a rcaI sur-prise. Not only did we bre eze throughthe five-stop test at 15 decels withnegligible fade, we ran another fivestops at 20 decels and still got only atiny amount of slippage. Absolutelyamazingl We were getting better re-sults with drum brakes than we hadever gotten with discs!

Even the emergency stop from 70

Trai ler Travel September

couldn't faze those grabbers. Withjust 62 pounds of pedal effort theyheld that coach at 20 decels with noproblem whatsoever. Well, by thistime Dick was mighty curious as towhat made the brakes on this coachso much more effective than those onthe first one he had driven. It ap-peared to him there might be moredifferences between the two test unitsthan the location of the pedal pin.And that was, indeed, the case.

To answer Dick's questior, FMCexplained that the brakes on the orig-inal test unit really hadn't been burn-ished properly. Then they describedthe seating-in method they had usedon the second coach.

Burnishing was done by drivirg the2900R to the top of a mountain roadwith about a six-percent incline.Coming down the mountainside at 50mph, the brakes were applied to holda six-fpsps deceleration to 35 mph.Then the coach was accelerated to 50again and the process repeated.

On the way down the mountainthis procedure was carried out 25times. The driver who did the burn-ishing said by the time he got to thebottom, there was so much smokecoming from the coach that ap-proachirg traffic was pulling over,apparently convinced the motorhome was on fire.

After giving the brakes a long-overdue chance to cool, he droveback up the mountain and did thewhole operation again-and oncemore after that rurr.

FMC reported that a technical ser-vice representative for a large brakemanufacturer had recommended thismethod of burnishing as a quickmeans of preparing this specificvehicle.

And that is where the curious as-pect arises. The Society of Automo-tive Engineers, which prepares sug-gested standards and recommendedevaluation procedures for the use ofall automotive manufacturers and

component suppliers, has long pub-lished Procedure J-786 for brake-burnishing method. And the federalDepartment of Transportation in1970 began the process of evolving anessentially similar standard into law.As it applies to vehicles of over10,000 GVWR, this standard will be-come mandatory on September l,197 5, and is currently identified asDocket 70-27, Notice # 5. It has beenthoroughly published, and calls for aprocedure of 400 slowdowns (or"snubs") at l0 decels from 40 to 20miles per hour, with a l.5-mile inter-val between snubs. Four-hundredtimes 1.5 miles equals 600 miles or,putting it another w&/, 400 coolingperiods during each of which a ve-hicle accelerating to a speed of 40mph covers 1.5 miles. Either S.A.E. J-786 or D.O.T. 70-27 (to be Standardl05A) represent the only author-itative brake-burnishing procedures,and are the object of much study andawareness on the part of automotiveengineers everywhere.

The purpose of carefully timedcooling periods is an important one.Brake-lining material is compoundedwith, among other things, resinswhose function is to prolong brake-shoe life. Severe overheating of brakelinings can bake out all the resins,and could produce soft, and thushighly effective but short-lived shoes.

We would be interested to learnwhat practical method the brake-manufacturer's representative thenproposed as a follow-up procedurefor restoring the long-life resins to theexisting brake shoes after his "crashprogram" burnishing procedure. Butthe schedule limitations on our road-evaluation program made it impracti-cal to pursue the matter further.

Under these circumstances, we turnour attention in our brake-test sum-mary simply to a statement of opin-ion that the brake-pedal-arm pin re-location should be a definite im-provement in terms of decreasing

pedal effbrt. We are also pleased toAnd the l80-amp-hour auxiliary bat-tery stores plenty of juice to keep themany interior lights brilliant for along while. Of course the Onan 6500-watt generator will keep things hot, orcold, or fully charged as long asthere's gas in the tank.

Since the support systems are ade-quate for extended trips, FMC wascareful to provide enough storageroom for you to bring along plenty ofclothing and equipment. There are 84cubic feet of stor age space inside thecoach, and anothe r 26 feet accessiblefrom the outside, includirg an arealarge enough for fishing rods, skisand the like.

The bathroom and kitchen in thiscoach also offer all of the desirableconveniences for a lengthy vacation.Plenty of storage, light, work roomand walk-around room are designedin. The bath, for instance, containsthree lights and as many mirrors.And by using the privacy curtains,the bath, wardrobe and aisleway be-tween the two can be sealed off tocreate a completely private dressingroom, separating the front dinettefrom the rear bedroom.

The twin beds in back can be sepa-rated by a privacy curtain to formtwo small sleeping areas, or the bedscan be scooched together to make asingle queen size.

And during the day the rear of thecoach can be used as a lounge. Withthe large game table between thetwin beds you don't have to juggleyour partially completed jig-sawpuzzle in order to have a place toserve dinner. Or, using both the di-nette and the game table, you couldhave two bridge games going at once.

All in all, with its inherent at-tributes like design integrity, high-quality craftsmanship, and fine han-dling, the FMC 2900R should repre-sent a durable investment for thosewho want to ride the highway in lux-urious, quiet comfort. #

Reprinted by perrnission of TRAILER TRAVEL r:lagazutae500 Hyacinth Place, Highland Park, I11. 60035Copyright I9ZS by 'Woodall Publishing Cornpany

., MHL IE5T5 THE FMC TOURINC THEALASKAN H/CHWNHOW TO SHO? FOR A MtNt , CETACQUAINIED WITH HOME

MHL TEST REPORT

The rear-engine, steellaluminum frame FMC2940R is an exceptionally well designed coachwith good aerodynamics for comparativelygood mileage. lt has a driver's door as well asconventionsl door on possenger side,

Floor plon J features on L-shaped sofa with for-ward seot which foces farward or reorword withchonge in seot back position. Chassis instrumen-tation is in front of driver and cooch instru-ments in center. Visibility is excellent.

Workmanship and decor of the 2900R areexcellent ond storage camportments of monyshapes and sizes are plentiful, Two diningtables stond on individuol pedestols which fitrecessed, concealed sockets in raised floor infront of sofa.

"FEW COMPANIES could build a coachlike the FMC 2900R. Perhaps none couldconceive its total design and engineeringas well as FMC."

That's FMC advertising tal k, whichmight appear to the unacquainted pro-spective buyer as a typical idle boast.However, a $1.7 billion internationalcorporation which builds anything fromfood processing machinery to militaryarmored person nel carriers doesn't haveto make idle boasts"

With that kind of engineering back-ground (and the list is quite lengthy,including street sweepers, amphibiousvehicles, fire trucks, Navy subchasers) -and considering the f act that the 2900 Rcarries a $401000 price tag - it would belogical to assume that this motorhomeleaves littl e to be desired. R eal ly some-thing extraordinary, both in driveabilityand livability.

Those three words tell the story quiteeffectively : extraordinary driveability andlivability" While the FMC is not withourits shortcomings, they do not seriouslydetract from the fact that it's exceptionalin design as well as execution. lts4-wheel independent suspension is quiteunusual in motorhomes and the "pusher"engine configuration is not common. Anidea th at looks great on the drawingboards can be a mess without goodproduction quality control. FMC comesthrough with both in the 2900R"

Something that really comes across inthe FMC is the fact that this is acomfortoble rnotorhome" Comfort is aRapparently simple ingredient, but it caneasily escape a designer, even in a coachlarge enou gh to h ide minor fl oor planmistakes.

The"FMC is available in two floor plans\one with an L-shaped sofa (model J) andthe other with a conventional RV-typebooth-style dinette (mode! A). The Modet

Reprinted Fnom Motonhome Life

J plan is infinitely better, providing ahome atmosphere and more seatingcapacity with a convertible front seat" ltfaces forward for travel, ffiaking theremaining seat a gaucho-style accommo-dation. Then the seat bac k pivots andforms the spacious L-shaped sofa. Up-holstery is luxurious, although the lightorange color in our test unit wasvulnerable to stains.

The seating area is surrounded by largetinted windows for excellent visiUilityaQd an excellent sense of spaciousness.Itis among the most suitable motorhomeswe've seen for entertaining guests aslong as they're seated or standing.Accommodating overnight guesis is an-other story which we'll get into later.

Dining is accomplished by erecting twofree-standing tables in front of the sofa.Four adults can dine without problemswith elbow room, although all must sitforward because the tables are slightlyhigh and a Iittle too far away to be ideal.

The table legs fit metal sockets recessedin the floor which are covered withpatches of carpet when not in use. Thusthe motorhome shows no evidence ofdining capability and no congestioncaused by its intrusion into the living area

until dinner is ready. Then the tablesappear from a drawer below the refrigera-tor and the two legs from their hidingplace in the cedar-lined closet. lt's awell-laid plan.

Diners are served from the gal leydirectly across the aisle. lt's a conveÅtion-al bench-style arrangement with doublesinks, a built-in garbage pail covered by achopping block and a four-burner rangewith eye-level oven. Counter space isadequate, but barely. We found ourselvesusing one of the dining tables foradditional food preparation area. How-ever, our trip involved two adults and twochildren. With just two adults, theadditional counter space shouldn't benecessary.

Holding the galley to minimum size is adesign theme which occurs elsewhere inthe 2900R. The bath, immediatelytoward the rear of the galley on thedriver's side, also is not what you'd callspacious, although it's quite adequate.This is as it should be. We don't live inthe bathroom and any space wasted theremust be subtracted from another area.There is a crucial difference, though,between an adequate bath and one evenslightfy too small, which is inadequate.The FMC bath serves its role nicely, whileincluding one very strong and unusualfeature which the ladies love three-directional mirrors to permit a view ofthe back of one's head without use of ahand mirror.

Storage in the bath room is quitegenerous, with two medicine cabinets, alarge cabinet under the lavatory and asmall one overhead. When the furnace isin operation the bath is the warmest placein the coach, even with the air duct

The reor of the cooch serves as loungelsleepingorea, A folding toble con serue os o aein. Å60 x 79 queen-size bed is set up by foldingcushions over o center panel; operation takes30 seconds,

The FMC bath feotures a 3-directional mirrorand generous storoge spoce with twa medicinecobinets, With furnace on, it's also very worm.

closed.The bath faces a large double-door,

cedar-floored wardrobe across the aisleand they form the division between livingand sleeping quarters. The rear bed area isdesigned to serve also as a lounge. Twoaccordion-style vinyl doors either end ofthis center bath/wardrobe area divide themotorhome approximately in half. Afolding table between the two twin-sizerear beds can serve as a desk. Mattressesare medium-firffi, an excellent compro-mise between their two intended uses,sitting and sleeping.

As individual beds, the sizes are 36 x 79inches. When the two mattresses areplaced'side by side across the aisle, onspecial panels provided for the purpose,the queen-size bed is 60 x 79 inches.Arranging the cushions to form thequeen-size bed is a 30-second job.

The motorhome's forward bed isformed by the sofa. With the J floor plan,sofa bed length is an exceptional 99inches. The width of 43 inches is thefactor which Iimits FMC owners' abilityto have overnight guests, except children.

Nighttime privacy is excellent, withdrapes of top quality fabric covering theexceptionally large windows, and awrap-around fabric curtain whichattaches to Velcro tabs to cover the frontwi ndsh ield.

Decor, upholstery and carpeting areoutstanding throughout the FMC 2900R.Three color schemes are available.

Systems-wise, the coach is equally asgood on almost all points. The 60-gallonfresh water capacity is divided into twotanks. A 38-gallon tank is attached underthe coach in much the same positioran engine if the FMC had a frontengine rather than its rear Chrysler 440V-8. lt's enclosed in a steel box withstyrene foam insulation. Being above thefloor, freezing is not a problem with the'other tank. Both are filled simultaneouslythrough a front fill spout under a smallaccess door just below the driver'swindshield. The tanks fill easily, withoutbackup due to trapped air, because bothare air-vented.

Design-wise, one curious aspect of theFMC is how the main water intake linebetween the pump and tank is routed. lt'sunderneath the coach, contained in thinfoam conduit and attached to thebottom. lt would be quite vulnerable tofreezing were it not for the FMC'sautomatic 12-volt anti-f reeze system. Thewater pump and bulk of the plumbing isbeneath the galley. Two lines dropthrough the floor there and traverseforward to the under-floor water tan k.One line is the aforementioned waterintake and the other is a hot water lineconnected to an electrically operatedvalve below the galley.

An electrical sensor is mounted on thebelow-floor water tank near the main-water outlet to the pump. When tempera-ture of water inside the tank drops to 38

degrees, the solenoid opens, the waterpump is activated automatically (us if afaucet were opened ) and hot water ispumped into the main water tank. Thewater circulates within the system untilwater tan k temper ature reaches 41degrees. Then the anti-f reeze systemdeactivates. The pump and system draw10 amps when running.

The automatic anti-freeze solenoid is on a hotwater line in plumbing comportment undergolley.

During the initial part of our test,wh ich was cond ucted in the h ighmountains with nighttime temperaturesof about 10 degrees, we inadvertently leftthe water pump switch in the offposition. The result: a frozen waterintake line. The below-floor tank did notfreeze, but the line was solid. Daytimetemperature rose to 40 but the line didnot thaw. A catalytic heater was notavailable to position under the floor forthe defrost job, so the line had be beremoved, which took more than an hour."The moral of the story is to run through acheck-list before retiring in coldweather: make sure the water pumpswitch is on and that the coach batteriesihave enough power to last through thenight. The FMC owner's manual describes"'the anti-f reeze system but does notindicate if a pre-check of the system ispossible, to make sure it will functionlater. The engineering department indi-cates such a check is not possible with thepresent design.

Two six-volt electric vehicle batteries wired inseries for I 2 volts are under floor ahead ofdriver's seet. Ampere-hour roting is 220,

Of course, battery worries are eliminat-ed when the coach is connected to anoutside power sou rce, because the 45-amp converter provides 12-volt power

The . motorhome is equipped with"wheels filled with brakes,,ias FMC likesto say. Although drum brakes are usedfron t an d rear as op posed to d isc fro n tand drum rear,. the shoes are unusuallyfarge at 14-1 18 x 3-l lZ inches andresistance to fade is qu ite good. Dualvacu u m boosters are used. The brakesmust be manually adjusted periodicallywhen brake pedal travel becomes exces-sive"

. The Chrysler engine is equipped withelectronic ignition, which eliminates needfor periodic breaker points adjustment. ltinsures that engine initial timing wiil notgradually retard as breaker point settingthlngrs due to wear of the rubbing block]This is fortunate, because maintenånce onanything which must be reached from thetop is difficult. Spark plugs are easilyaccessible, as is the oil filter, but workingon the carburetor is something etse. Th;air cleaner can be removed- relativelyeasily, and should be changed oftenbecause the engine picks up a lot of dirtthat a front-mounted engine avoids.Attention to the air filter is critical whenthe motorhome is driven on dirt or gravelroads.

Manifold vacuum on level highway at55 mph in low altitude was between 14and 15 inches, which is well in theeconomy range and indicates the enginedoes not have to struggle with its loadunder moderate conditions. Of course,during hill climbs the relatively highweight requires heavy throttle. Theengine operates without complaint onregu lar-grade gasol i ne.

Operating temperatu res recorded du r-ing our uphill climb of an 8-mile 6% gradein second gear with a heavy foot on theaccelerator indicate the FMC will main-tain adequate temperatures in warmerweather than we encountered. Engine andtransmission oil temperatures were moni-tored in the sumps. Transmission oilcooling is integral in the radiator.Undoubtedly it will reach or possiblyexceed 27 5 degrees F. on a hot day ,judging from the 2sz-degree level werecorded at 65 degrees. An aux iliarytransmission oil cooler connected in serieswith the radiator oil cooling tank wouldbe a wise investment if the FMC isoperated frequently in mountainous areasin hot weather.

Another good addition would be ared-line for the engine water temperaturegauge" lt's calibrated to 300 degrees F.with no visual indication oi whatconstitutes "hot, " which might lead theowner to inadvertently overheat theengine under extreme conditions. A goodplace for the red-line would be 245:2SOdegrees, although actual boil-out wouldnot occur until abou t 260 (at low altitudean d wi th a 50 | 50% m ix of an ti-f reeze an dwater).

The FMC 2900R has so many innova-tive featu res and systems that th isdescription could easily continue fortwice its present length. But suffice it to' såy, in conclusion, that the followingstatement ffqm the manufacturer shouldbe in no danger of challenge from theFederal Trade Commission as a falseadvertising claim: "The FMC 2900R. . .will bring you the world of differencethat experienced recreational vehicleowners have asked for in the ultimatecoach. "_ (Manufacturer's Address: FMC Corp,,Recreational Vehicles Division, pO Bo*664-TL, Sonto Clora, Calif. 95052.) MHL

Test drive the rcmar{rable new Huc2g00R.

*

Renrinted From Motorhome Life

WbaskedRvownerswhat conveniences they wanbd.

Then we delivered.With whisp€r-quiet driving. Aflat front

deck. And å door for the driven,

things cool. built-in pantry, and convertible rearTfiere's no engine hump separating beds. And there are large capacity air En$neeringmakesthediftrence

You could trade whispers all day longin the FMC 2900R-if you were cruis-in g an exp ressway at 70 m p h, o rclimbing a steep grade-because theengine is a coach's length away in therear, where it should be.

A special differential keeps thingsquiet to begin with, and a heavilyinsulated engine compartment keeps

the front seats, either. The front deckis flat and unobstructed, so you andyour crew can get into and out of yourseats without a struggle. And there'sfull legroom seating for the driver andtwo f ront-seat passengers.

Inside this 29-foot beauty are con-veniences like a central hallway thatturns into a private dressing room, a

conditioning systems to cool you onthe road or while you're parked.

The FMC 2900R delivers a ride,quiet, handling and convenience youwon't believe-until you take a testdrive. To locate your FMC dealer,write FMC Corp., Recreational Vehi-cles Division, Dept. ML,P.O. Box 664,Santa Clara. California 95052.

11" ,.,CMI..pre.I

The elegant FMC motorhomewas first sold in 1972 and pro-duced until 1976. This classic

coach is still in operation today and istreasured as a co~ector'sitem.The Food Machinery Company

Corporation, better known worldwideas FMCCorp.,has produced chemicalsand machinery for more than a centu-ry. Its plant in Santa Clara, California,originally manufactured equipment toprocess the large volumes of vegeta-bles and fruits grown and harvestedin the area. FMC expanded into thedefense business and began to ~pI"f)-duce military vehicles, such as tanks.Today it also makes gold mining

equipment, airport baggage handlers,people movers, and more.By the late 1960s, company plan-

ners projecteda cutback in governmentcontracts and began to look for newproduct lines to offset the loss.Recreation vehicles were becomingpopular, so motorhome production wasselected. Key personnel from the FMCOrdnance Division were transferred tothe newly established Motor CoachDivision, and development of a proto-type motorhome began.A different sort of design. FMC's

engineers a1ready~knewhow to designalmost indestructible military vehicles.In developing the motorhome proto-,

Classic FMC motorhomes fill the sales lot at Recreational Vehicle Servicesof Morgan Hill,.California.

type, they focused on designing andconstructing "from the road up."Rather than utilizing chassis purchasedfrom Chrysler,Chevrolet, or Ford, FMCdesigned its own heavy-duty chassis,incorporating some of the featuresfound in its military vehicles. The fIrstprototype was a mid-engine>19-footvehicle, assembled in FMC'sRiverside,California,plant, which was supportingthe Santa Clara facility.It was followedby a 23-foot prototype. Neither reachedthe assembly line, but both underwentextensive testing that provided valu-able data for the final design of the 29-foot production model.FMCCorp.'s first coach, designated

the 2900R, rolled off the line in late1972. It was an intriguing unit pow-ered by a rear-mounted Chrysler440 v-B engine, with outside service accessi-bility.The need for a long front-to-reardrive shaft was eliminated, thus per-mitting a 10w~profIledesign. With theengine in the rear, there was little noisein the passenger compartment. Th{2900R's foundation was a fully inte-grated steel design with independentsuspension for all wheels, creatingsuperb control and a smooth ride. Theupper aluminum frame covered byfiberglass provided passenger safety,comfort, and coach durability.And inside. . . The FMCwas an

industry role model with a luxurious,livable interior. The ceilingwas 6 feet 4inches high, enabling taller people tomove without stooping or bending.Because of its low floor profIle, no stepwas needed inside the coach at the pas-senger door, thus permitting easyingress and egress. A driver's-side

continued~,,~ ~.,"" n '0. .r...'"

............................................................................................................

door, unusual for its time, providedadditional safety and convenience. Thecurtains, upholstery, and deep pile car-pet complemented each other andblended well with the colors of thecountertops and tabletops.The FMCwas built only in a 29-foot

length, but different floor plans wereavailable. The interior was sensiblydesigned, providing for a spacious liv-ing room, galley, bath with tub, andrear bedroomwith twin beds that couldbe converted into a queen-size bed,The coach had tinted safety glass allaround. ,Readily accessible interiorstorage totaled 84 cubic feet, excellentfor a coach of its size.The driver's compartment provided

for efficient operation of the vehicle.Luxurious pilot and copilot seats wereadjustable for complete comfort. Theever-present engine hump, normal forfront-engine units, was eliminated,permitting easy movement into and outof the front seats. A full complementofuseful instruments was clearly visibleon the dash, and controls were withineasy reach. This, along with excellentroad visibility,allowed for many hoursof comfortabletravel.Public acceptance. The FMCwas a

coach built for the upscale traveler.When initially offered, it had a retailprice of $27,000. By the end of 1973 itwas approximately$29,000, and as theyears went by, its price soared to as156 JANUARY 2001 . FMC

The first FMC prototype was 19 feetlong and had its engine mountedmidway between the front and rear

axles (left). Charles Kuralt, host of CBS'"On the Road," in the doorway of his

FMC motorhome (below).

high as $54,500. Prices charged bymotorhome dealers were sometimeseven higher by 1976, when dealersrealized that the popular coacheswouldno longer be made. To compare thesefigures, consider that one could pur-chase a brand-new stationary home inthe mid-1970s for $40,000 to $50,000.FMCwent all out to assure customer

satisfaction, and dealers were selectedacross the country. A customer servicetraining center and logistics system inSanta Clara assured prompt vehicleassistance and availability of neededspare parts nationwide. In addition tothe dealer network, FMC contractedwith many 76 Truck Stops across the

continuedInterstateAmerica/ExitAuthority,Circle91 on ReaderServiceCard [>

...-Mi,,EMORYLANE"""""""""""""""""""""'" ,, . - -'

United States to provide on-the-roadwarranty service.This beautiful motorhome received

excellentmarket acceptance.But unfor-tunately, it was launched just beforethe first of a series of oil crises hit andgasoline prices skyrocketed. Even withthe gasoline shortage, owners lovedtheir new coaches. One former FMCownerwho remains a motorhome trav-eler today stated, "The ride, drive, andclass were great and better than any Ihave driven since." Like top-qualitymotor coaches today, FMCswere in thepublic eye at automobile racetracksacross the country. Prominent driversMarioAndretti and Parnelli Jones bothowned FMCsand traveled to and fromraces in their coaches. Famous enter-tainers such as ClintEastwood, JamesBrolin, Carol Burnett, and Pat Boonealso owned FMCs.Perhaps the most publicity the

2900R ever receivedwas thanks to CBSTV's roving reporter Charles Kuralt,who crisscrossed the country invariousmotorhomes for more than 20 years.During the years Kuralt's "On theRoad" series aired, he and his crewwore out six motor coaches. The sixthand final motorhome was an FMCthatwas still running strong when Kuralt

retired. The coach is now on display atthe Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn,Michigan.End of the line. Even though the

FMCmotorhome was a product of out-standing engineering and loved by itsowners, the company ceased its motor-home operation in 1976. The coachwasintroducedjust as a major fuel shortagehit the United States. Gasoline priceseventually jumped almost 300 percent,and supplies were low. RV travel wasdrasticallycurtailed, and the market fornew motorhomes almost disappeared.Not onlywas the FMCthe victimof badtiming, but it also became unprofitableto make in relation to FMCCorp.'sotherproducts- namely,militaryvehicles.Much greater profits were available intanks and similar equipment, so thecompany focused on these instead.When production ceased, many of

the 915 FMCmotorhomes built werestill under warranty, and the remainderrequired routine maintenance andlogistics support. FMCkept its commit-ment to its customers and arrangedwith JimBlack, an FMCmanufacturingexecutive, to set up an organization toservice these coaches, which continuesto this day. Black, who runsRecreationalVehicleServices,C1249,

in Morgan Hill, California, holds therights for FMCparts and even has all ofthe original tooling. RecreationalVehicleServicescan, if needed, producelarge parts, such as a new 29-footfiberglass top.More than 25 years after the

groundbreaking FMC coach debuted tohigh reviews, these units are still mak-ing fans across the country.

1J.voFMCA chapters are devoted toFMC coaches: FMC Club Southeast andFMC Club East. For more i1Jformation,contact FMCAs Chapter ServicesDepartment at (800) 543-3622.Memories wanted FMCA mem-

bers accumulate memories asfast asthe odometer racks up miles on theirmotorhomes. Because everyoneeTJioys riflecting on the "good olddqys," FMC welcomes members tosubmit their early-day motorhomeadventures - and misadventures -for possible inclusion in this column.please include photos, as well as acurrent dqytime telephone number ffpossible. !fyou're not a writeryourself,don't worry,'our editorialstqff can helpyou put your memories down on paper.Send to Memory Lane, Family MotorCoaching, 8291 Clough Pike,Cindnnatz;OH45244. ~

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