Newsletter, May-2010
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From The President – Howard “Howie” Glenna
Greetings to all the Greater Midwest Classics members!
SIOUX FALLS HERE WE COME!
It is time to get our GMC motorhomes up and running.
We will all be heading to Sioux Falls for our Spring Rally.
The rally dates are Friday June 4th through Sunday June 6th
with early arrivals on Thursday June 3rd.
Because this is prime time for the RV Park, be sure to get your
reservations in early.
Our hosts
will be Bob and Marlys Drewes and Jim and Anita White.
We can all look forward to a great time.
We will have much to discuss regarding our motorhomes.
Those of us that went to the International Rally in Montgomery Texas
have learned some disturbing news about the improper manufacturing and
labeling of the seals used on the wheel bearings both front and rear in our
coaches.
And as always our
education continues.
Along that
same line Bob Miller rebuilt the entire front end on his GMC using Dave
Lenzi’s control arms and alignment information we have learned from Bob
Drewes and Dave Lenzi.
After
driving several thousand miles he will have much to share. It came to my
attention that at one of our Rally’s we should discuss some of the common
mistakes we have made servicing.
Our last club event was our Christmas party in Rochester Minnesota hosted by
Bob and Marie Mesarchik.
All
those who attended will have to say “Good Job Bob and Marie”.
A fun afternoon with great entertainment including a short version of
Lucy Weidner’s GMC show that was done for the International Rally in Pueblo,
Colorado.
It seems the gentleman who was making our name tags and coach plaques has decided to quit the business. Sandi Renk our treasurer has spent countless hours keeping this on track and after all of her work it appears we will be starting over again. So, to those waiting for your name tags and plaques we are in the process of finding a new source.We are putting together our summer rally for the first weekend in August: Thursday, August 5th through Sunday, August 8th. Put it on your calendar. There has been some discussion to combine our fall rally with the International rally in DuQuoin, Illinois September 24th through September 29th, 2010. We can discuss that in Sioux Falls. We also have been looking at having a rolling rally around Lake Superior. We would like to see what interest there is in doing something like a rolling rally. Midge and I are looking forward to seeing you in Sioux Falls.
In Sympathy: Our thoughts and heartfelt wishes go to the friends and family
of: Gayle Brodil who died April 4, 2010.
As many of you know Gayle was one of the original founding fathers as
well as a strong supporter of the Greater Midwest Classic GMC club. Ray
Stolzenberg a long time member from Austin, Minnesota died March 11, 2010.
He was 94 years old.
Vice President – Lucy Weidner
Greetings to all !
FRIDAY JUNE 4, SATURDAY JUNE 5, AND SUNDAY JUNE 6, 2010, YOGI
BEAR CAMPGROUND
AN AIRBAG FOR THE FUTURE
With Firestone discontinuing production of the
replacement airbag for the GMC motorhome’s rear suspension, owners have been
faced with the choice of paying a premium for one of the few bags remaining
in stock or making larger investment and moving to a four airbag system.
This was the case until now.
Zeb Frady and his sons, at Southland Motorhome in Buford,
Georgia, have been in the process of developing an alternative solution.
The Frady’s have been installing multi-bag systems since 1996 and
have always felt the concept was good.
However, they also feel it stiffens the ride as a by-product of it’s
design.
In addition, there is a
sacrifice to ride height and leveling capabilities, Matt Frady says, “We
realized that one of the things which made these coaches so special was
slipping away.”
With this in mind, Zeb and his sons have been at work over
the past year conducting research and developing a design for a replacement
product.
Following are the goals
they set out to achieve.
First,
they wanted to go back to the cone-and-bag concept.
Second, they wanted to get as much ride height and leveling variance
as possible.
Third, they wanted
a bag that could hold the maximum weight of the coach.
Finally, they were looking for a bag that wouldn’t be discontinued
for some time to come.
They felt
if they could do all that and get the price into a reasonable range they
would claim success.
Matt goes
on to say, “After hours of phone conferences, expo talks and design work, we
were blown away at what we developed.”
In talks with Firestone they found there were two
different types of bags as they pertain to a GMC.
One is the “sleeve” bag (which is what the original system is) and
the other is a “double convoluted” bag (which is on the mullti-bag systems).
The quad system does add a level of support and drive
control superior to the original system.
The reason is that a convoluted bag is designed more for stability
rather than ride control.
It has
no roll point, making its primary purpose that of lifting rather than
absorbing. A cone-and-bag design has a sleeve.
This makes it ideal for absorption.
The bag rolls over the sleeve (cone) creating a dampener while
allowing both arms to flex in and out.
This maintains the integrity of the original plan which is the
concept that made consumers and competitors stand in awe of the design.
Zeb Frady,Sr. says the original bag was designed as a
motor mount for high-end industrial generators and that GM was the only one
to develop an automotive application for it.
The Frady’s set out to find a replacement bag being used in
applications close to the original implementation.
They found a single cone bag used in over 30 different automotive
applications worldwide whose sleeve is about 8 inches deep.
This 8-inch, single-sleeve replaces the original bag’s 4-inch dual
sleeves.
There is almost as much
travel as the original bag.
(Travel is roughly 5.25 inches on this new bag).
Another positive thing about the 8-inch sleeve is that it sits
further inside the airbag providing more support through the center –
keeping the airbag from “hot-dogging” over time.
Southland also found that by utilizing one cone they were able to
reduce the needed air pressure by roughly 15 PSI compared to the original
bag. In essence it provides a ride comparable to original. Finding the
airbag wasn’t the only challenge.
It had to be adapted for the GMC.
What they patented is a kit that ended up enhancing the lifespan of
the bag.
It is designed to
connect to the original arm mounts.
For maintenance the airbag can be rotated 180 degrees annually to
help preserve the shape.
The air
line is protected by traveling within this kit and not on the outside.
Finally, the sleeve has a larger bottom brace which protects the bag
from the blowouts.
The kit is a
one-time purchase and can be reused for years to come.
According to Matt Frady, installation of the new system doesn’t take
any longer than replacing an original bag. Perhaps the best news about this
development is the price.
A new
bag and kit will cost less than an original replacement bag alone.
Information for this article was supplied by Matt Frady.
He may be contacted by phone at 770-271-7502.
Editor:
You can contact me in Harpers Ferry, by phone:-563-586-2554 or cell
319-240-2460
Midge Glenna
is sunshine lady
so send her the name of anyone needing a little sunshine and Midge will send
them a card.
Her phone # is:
715/426-5650.
(Keep Sue
and Dean Witwer in your thoughts as they both battle major illness.
Mailing address or Email change:
Please notify Treasurer,
Sandi Renk,
1116 Rushmore Drive, Burnsville, MN 55306-8604
Web site: www.gmcmidwestclassics.org has great information about our GMC club and how to join. Visit it often and share with perspective members. Bob Drewes has done an excellent job with our web site. News, photos (look at the new ones from the Fall Rally), For Sale items, Rally’s etc.