Build your own Fuso FG6 4x4 based camper/overlander!
- Thread starter Family Friendly 4x4
- Start date
Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Structural work
As previously mentioned we interchange between two bodies on our Fuso. One of the two being a flatbed type structure which we wanted to end as close to the cab as possible and therefore we required the maximum amount of usable and level chassis length.
The Fuso's chassis steps up just behind the cab so we build a subframe on top of the chassis rail in order to get rid of that bend. This means that any truck body that you mount will sit a bit higher on the chassis, but this suited our purpose for the workbody in a way so did not mind:
Our camper body mounts on the raised part of the Fuso's chassis at the front and so we were able to cut into our new subframe at the back end in order to recess our swivel mount that looks like this
and neatly sinks into the cut-out in our subframe where it is bolted safely to the Fuso's chassis:
And what would one of these vehicles be without those super singles that look so cool! We opted for the Michelin XZL's.
But it was not that easy for us as rims with the correct offsets are NOT available in South Africa. So we had to get our cunning engineer machine up some stainless steel spacers in order to help align our super singles. Some may find these photos interesting:
.
As previously mentioned we interchange between two bodies on our Fuso. One of the two being a flatbed type structure which we wanted to end as close to the cab as possible and therefore we required the maximum amount of usable and level chassis length.
The Fuso's chassis steps up just behind the cab so we build a subframe on top of the chassis rail in order to get rid of that bend. This means that any truck body that you mount will sit a bit higher on the chassis, but this suited our purpose for the workbody in a way so did not mind:
Our camper body mounts on the raised part of the Fuso's chassis at the front and so we were able to cut into our new subframe at the back end in order to recess our swivel mount that looks like this
and neatly sinks into the cut-out in our subframe where it is bolted safely to the Fuso's chassis:
And what would one of these vehicles be without those super singles that look so cool! We opted for the Michelin XZL's.
But it was not that easy for us as rims with the correct offsets are NOT available in South Africa. So we had to get our cunning engineer machine up some stainless steel spacers in order to help align our super singles. Some may find these photos interesting:
.
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Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Building the Dbl bed over cab extension
For a family of four in a (L)5m x (W)2.1m x (H)2.1m camper body we knew we were going to need a bit more space!
I decided to add a luton type extension over the cab of the truck which can accommodate a double bed for the wife and myself.
If ever we had to ship our rig the added height would not really pose a major problem as the camper body on its legs and the Fuso could travel as 2x seperate items packed together in a 40 foot container no problem. The additional living space was more important to us for enjoying our rig.
Some planning was required and we got our friendly engineer to help once again.
First of all some cutting had to be done according to our plan:
And then we could set about our plan:
Before long it started to take shape:
We had 3 big challenges surrounding our desire for a bed-over-cab extension:
1. A pop-up roof was required for headroom over the bed
2. The entire bed extension had to tilt up to allow for the truck cab to be tilted for serviceing and road-side breakdowns
3. And the need for a good water and dust seal between the camper body and bed extension
As we were busy welding we also took opportunity to install a simple but effective exterior carrier for our gas bottles:
For a family of four in a (L)5m x (W)2.1m x (H)2.1m camper body we knew we were going to need a bit more space!
I decided to add a luton type extension over the cab of the truck which can accommodate a double bed for the wife and myself.
If ever we had to ship our rig the added height would not really pose a major problem as the camper body on its legs and the Fuso could travel as 2x seperate items packed together in a 40 foot container no problem. The additional living space was more important to us for enjoying our rig.
Some planning was required and we got our friendly engineer to help once again.
First of all some cutting had to be done according to our plan:
And then we could set about our plan:
Before long it started to take shape:
We had 3 big challenges surrounding our desire for a bed-over-cab extension:
1. A pop-up roof was required for headroom over the bed
2. The entire bed extension had to tilt up to allow for the truck cab to be tilted for serviceing and road-side breakdowns
3. And the need for a good water and dust seal between the camper body and bed extension
As we were busy welding we also took opportunity to install a simple but effective exterior carrier for our gas bottles:
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Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Cladding, Wiring & Insulation
Next we could start cladding with aluminum checker plate to suit and had the holes for our windows lazer cut into the panels:
Whilst working we got the order in for the custom aluminum windows. We do not suffer from extreme cold in Southern Africa so double glazing was not a priority for us. But we did have some flyscreens installed in the windows (flyscreens not shown here). The bathroom window we had made with frosted glass for what it is worth.
Notice the cab slider to replace the existing solid back window of the Fuso. We also had a sliding window installed on the camper to correspond with this one. Not exactly a pass-through but at least we could communicate with the kids seatbelted in the camper. We can do this in South Africa, no engineering report required :Wow1:
At the same time we put up the strip of aluminum extrusion to hold our awning. This one has two wire rope feeds. One for the awning itself and another below for the back wall of the add-a-room. Howling Moon makes a great ready-to-go pull out awning with a wall set; all made from ripstop material. The back wall is not included in the wall set but can be ordered additionally. And it comes at the fraction of the price of a dedicated motorhome awning.
Finally it was time for the monumentous task of wiring. This requires some planning on where you are going to put what i.e. lights & switches, electrical sockets for appliances, charging stations etc.
We had an ally beam structure to work from so it was easy enough (just time consuming) to drill holes through the beams and route our wiring to each planned point in the camper. The wiring could not run underneath the beams as this surface was required for fixing the ceiling to. Rubber gromets or sikaflex must be used inside each hole to prevent wiring from chafing through against the metal surface.
Gas pipes plus Hot & Cold water hoses were routed at the same time:
It is kind of important to have a map of your wiring, or mark each wire with a number, as tracking them afterwards would be a nighmare! And use rubber grommits around cables where they route through holes in a metal frame or they will shave through.
Installing the insulation was pretty straight forward. We used 25mm thick ISO Board commonly used in household ceilings. It cuts really easy, is light weight and has great insulation properties. The trickiest part was cutting channels into the board to route wires and this took a bit of patience:
Next we could start cladding with aluminum checker plate to suit and had the holes for our windows lazer cut into the panels:
Whilst working we got the order in for the custom aluminum windows. We do not suffer from extreme cold in Southern Africa so double glazing was not a priority for us. But we did have some flyscreens installed in the windows (flyscreens not shown here). The bathroom window we had made with frosted glass for what it is worth.
Notice the cab slider to replace the existing solid back window of the Fuso. We also had a sliding window installed on the camper to correspond with this one. Not exactly a pass-through but at least we could communicate with the kids seatbelted in the camper. We can do this in South Africa, no engineering report required :Wow1:
At the same time we put up the strip of aluminum extrusion to hold our awning. This one has two wire rope feeds. One for the awning itself and another below for the back wall of the add-a-room. Howling Moon makes a great ready-to-go pull out awning with a wall set; all made from ripstop material. The back wall is not included in the wall set but can be ordered additionally. And it comes at the fraction of the price of a dedicated motorhome awning.
Finally it was time for the monumentous task of wiring. This requires some planning on where you are going to put what i.e. lights & switches, electrical sockets for appliances, charging stations etc.
We had an ally beam structure to work from so it was easy enough (just time consuming) to drill holes through the beams and route our wiring to each planned point in the camper. The wiring could not run underneath the beams as this surface was required for fixing the ceiling to. Rubber gromets or sikaflex must be used inside each hole to prevent wiring from chafing through against the metal surface.
Gas pipes plus Hot & Cold water hoses were routed at the same time:
It is kind of important to have a map of your wiring, or mark each wire with a number, as tracking them afterwards would be a nighmare! And use rubber grommits around cables where they route through holes in a metal frame or they will shave through.
Installing the insulation was pretty straight forward. We used 25mm thick ISO Board commonly used in household ceilings. It cuts really easy, is light weight and has great insulation properties. The trickiest part was cutting channels into the board to route wires and this took a bit of patience:
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Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Oh you know what it is like SkiFreak, you want to throw in a couple of flatscreen tellies and a satelite receiver, a switch here and a switch there, an inverter plus perhaps a downconverter, upconverter and two or three 'side-converters' LOL 
and then the missus wants a reading lamp....
It soon gets out of hand.
and then the missus wants a reading lamp....It soon gets out of hand.
Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Interior
Finally we could start fitting the interior.
The bathroom floor pan went into our newly created recessed bulkhead space:
We chose a suitable color vinyl floor covering:
And the ceiling went in using a marine ply base:
We used melamine panels for the interior cladding. Probably not the best option for North American & European weather conditions and certainly not the lightest option in terms of weight, but with an average of 8hrs sunshine per day 365 days per year in Southern Africa and a very light alluminum body on a 6 ton chassis we really did not mind.
We are still to do a final weighting but according to our estimations we would; fully loaded, never come near even half of the LWB Fuso's load rating:
Routing the wiring remained a challenge, but once routed we could start wiring the db box:
After which the 24v/220v 22,000BTU air-conditioning unit and 12v ceiling fan could be fitted:
And the cubboard space for our fridge and microwave was fitted along with some overhead storage spaces:
Finally we could start fitting the interior.
The bathroom floor pan went into our newly created recessed bulkhead space:
We chose a suitable color vinyl floor covering:
And the ceiling went in using a marine ply base:
We used melamine panels for the interior cladding. Probably not the best option for North American & European weather conditions and certainly not the lightest option in terms of weight, but with an average of 8hrs sunshine per day 365 days per year in Southern Africa and a very light alluminum body on a 6 ton chassis we really did not mind.
We are still to do a final weighting but according to our estimations we would; fully loaded, never come near even half of the LWB Fuso's load rating:
Routing the wiring remained a challenge, but once routed we could start wiring the db box:
After which the 24v/220v 22,000BTU air-conditioning unit and 12v ceiling fan could be fitted:
And the cubboard space for our fridge and microwave was fitted along with some overhead storage spaces:
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Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Ready to camp!
This is how far we got with the interior before we made our maiden voyage:
Work to be completed still:
* Hot & Cold running water (need to fit waterpump, fresh water tank & grey water tank). Hoses already routed.
* Fitting of bathroom door & final waterproofing of wetroom
* Solar panels & batteries
* Upgraded alternator to power 24v aircon, charge batteries etc
* Finishing touches on interior cladding, window surrounds etc
* Final spray paint job with our camper name christening
Wishlist items for the future:
* Game viewing platform on the roof with ladder access from INSIDE the camper via a manhole
But for now, we are ready to camp!
This is how far we got with the interior before we made our maiden voyage:
Work to be completed still:
* Hot & Cold running water (need to fit waterpump, fresh water tank & grey water tank). Hoses already routed.
* Fitting of bathroom door & final waterproofing of wetroom
* Solar panels & batteries
* Upgraded alternator to power 24v aircon, charge batteries etc
* Finishing touches on interior cladding, window surrounds etc
* Final spray paint job with our camper name christening
Wishlist items for the future:
* Game viewing platform on the roof with ladder access from INSIDE the camper via a manhole
But for now, we are ready to camp!
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Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Parking your camper
Thanks to our engineer's cunning design work based on our vision and inspired by brave campers before us; we can park our camper body like this when we put our Fuso to other uses!
Thanks to our engineer's cunning design work based on our vision and inspired by brave campers before us; we can park our camper body like this when we put our Fuso to other uses!
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Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Ek laaik jou naam Jan Pomp :victory:
Providing you make the steps shallow enough... but deep enough to still be practical eish, the chassis on the Fuso will not interfere.
The only thing likely to bone you however is the truck's batteries.
So we relocated the truck's batteries a little bit forward towards the cab, I think it was literally a matter of 300mm or something small, which gave us enough free space for the rear boxed section of the steps to sit in.
By having the batteries sit in front of the step and the steps being not too deep (as you also have to remember the rear wheels of the truck that need to come past when loading the body) there is absolutely nothing else even near that would fowl.
Also remember that with our hydraulic outriggers we are lifting the camper body well clear of the chassis before driving out from underneath it.
I did not think anyone would have an interest in the steps (you weirdo) so never took any photos. But I can see your point so next time I am out with it I will take a photo for you bru.
Providing you make the steps shallow enough... but deep enough to still be practical eish, the chassis on the Fuso will not interfere.
The only thing likely to bone you however is the truck's batteries.
So we relocated the truck's batteries a little bit forward towards the cab, I think it was literally a matter of 300mm or something small, which gave us enough free space for the rear boxed section of the steps to sit in.
By having the batteries sit in front of the step and the steps being not too deep (as you also have to remember the rear wheels of the truck that need to come past when loading the body) there is absolutely nothing else even near that would fowl.
Also remember that with our hydraulic outriggers we are lifting the camper body well clear of the chassis before driving out from underneath it.
I did not think anyone would have an interest in the steps (you weirdo
) so never took any photos. But I can see your point so next time I am out with it I will take a photo for you bru.
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Im also in process of building swopable body for our camper with balcony at back of camper. We at work build swopable bodys that is why i ask the q .And my problem is entrance into camper camper not to bump your head .The name is long story when working on the floor .We were 3 person with the same name and every time a customer phone the lady ask is it jan pomp , jan sparky or jan gearbox .How did you parking work out at camping sites with your high profile
Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Jan Pomp, our interior ceiling height is 2m. I am 1.87m and walk around inside comfortable even underneath the aircon unit without having to duck. The lower entrance stairs and height of the side door also means getting in and out without having to think about your head!
The little bit of extra height of our body above the cab roof has not hindered us anywhere to date. At a couple of campsites and the usual bush tracks you have to watch our for low overhanging branches but it has never been an issue.
I want to build a wire mesh cage for the aircon unit on the roof for protection, but we would never trade in our space for anything else.
The little bit of extra height of our body above the cab roof has not hindered us anywhere to date. At a couple of campsites and the usual bush tracks you have to watch our for low overhanging branches but it has never been an issue.
I want to build a wire mesh cage for the aircon unit on the roof for protection, but we would never trade in our space for anything else.
Family Friendly 4x4
Adventurer
Jan I have been off the site for a bit. I was wondering how your build was coming along, are you finished with it?