FG 649 2004 with frame rust - to buy or not to buy

[FGwannaB]

Newbie here looking to purchase my first FG. Short term plan is to use it for property maintenance at our home. Need a dump truck to haul tree debris to the dump. Currently this FUSO has a dump bed and will suit the purpose. Long term plan is to turn it into a camper for use in the USA for mountain bike expeditions. The truck has 48k miles and drives ok. It's the only FUSO i've driven so I have nothing to compare it to. The frame has considerable rust in some spots and none in others. It was used for snow plowing in Tennessee and is now used for landscaping. One rust spot is at the rear of the driver side front leaf spring shackle where the shackle is riveted to the frame and the second is just below the steering box. The spot on the steering box is about the size of a dime and you could wiggle off some more material if you wanted. The spot near the leaf spring looks like water logged particle board but is not all the way through the frame. I've read as much as I possibly could about FUSO conversions and purchases here on the expedition portal forum. Rust seems to be a common problem in the 2000 modes FUSO's. Also, I think someone here said not to buy a FUSO that was used for snow plowing. The price seems fair but i'm concerned about buying it and then having to do a lot of frame work before I could even think about suspension improvement and fancy single wheels all the way around.
I'd like opinions/advice on frame rust repair on FG's....if frame repair is feasible or should i save up and wait for a better FUSO to come along? I'll have pictures of the frame to post mid week next week.
Any advice would be appreciated. I'm really excited about this vehicle but don't want to get in over my head.
FGwannaB
The mountains of Western North Carolina, USA

 

[John M.]

I am limited to the experience with only the Fuso I have. I had very little visible rust on a truck from California and was very pleased until I took the bed off. The hidden areas were quite scale-y and badly pitted, and needed immediate intervention. Ultimately it was all in the top flange and lots of metal remains, so I am not worried, but had I not looked when I did, the west coast climate might have taken a bigger toll.

Some people have done complete frame replacements and gone with heavier steel, addressing some strength concerns. Possibly an affordable fall-back position if the truck is a good deal.

What you have described is not easily dismissed, can you post any photos?

J.

 

[kerry]

Need photos

 

[LoupGarou]

If the rust is this bad, walk away.

 

[FGwannaB]

The rust on the FUSO i'm considering is not even close to as bad as the video posted by LoupGarou above. I'll have pictures to post hopefully by this coming Tuesday.

 

[FGwannaB]

Seller's gone MIA. Uncertain if he decided to keep the truck or if he already sold it. If I can get some pics, i'll post em. Thanks for the offers to help determine if its a keeper or not. Much appreciated.

 

[FGwannaB]

Thanks for the input. The seller never responded. Upon further research I decided that the truck was a rust bucket that was poorly maintained. I kept searching and found a 2004 4x4 FG automatic with low miles but well maintained. I have an accepted offer and should bring it home within a few weeks. Seller replaced brakes lines, driveshaft, springs and made a few minor mods suitable to his use as a plow truck. Yes it's a prior plow truck but the pics he's presented show a very clean undercarriage. Seller cleaned the truck after use so there is almost no rust. Some trucks that weren't used for plows have more rust than this one.
Any thoughts on the automatic transmission?

 

[kerry]

No knowledge of the auto box, but FG manual transmissions almost always end up with syncro problems so you'll avoid that. Replacing driveshafts and brake lines is not something which commonly comes up on this forum. Any specific reasons why that was done?

 

[FGwannaB]

Seller said that the drive shaft was rusted and that he wanted to grease the pivot points. It seemed the new drive shaft has better grease ports maybe? He said the brake lines had some rust so he wanted to re-do them. The seller seems to have taken really good care of this rig. I'm inspecting it next week and probably driving it home!

 

[LoupGarou]

Here’s a YouTube Channel on someone currently dealing with a rusted frame on a pair of FG’s.

Don’t forget to Like & Subscribe.

 

[christopher p weinberger]

Don’t let joy of finding a truck outweigh desire to define possible rust. Take a probe / floor Matt with you and really dig in. If You’re not getting dirty you’re not looking hard enough. If you don’t know what you’re looking at hire someone to help you. Owner may not know rust reality. Rusty brake lines and driveshaft red flag ?
Hopefully turns out to be a great find, good luck

 

[FGwannaB]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to look at the truck next Friday. If good, i'm driving it home...700 miles.

 

[FGwannaB]

Update. See pic of new family member (thought it could replace the cat but wife said no). Had a mechanic look it over and he gave it the thumbs up. I bought it and drove it home from NJ to NC. 800 miles/28 hours. Now I have a new to me truck and pain in my hip from being stuck in the cab for a long time which does not bode well since I want to convert this beast into a camper. As a first time FUSO FG owner I now have tons of questions that can only be satisfied via time and lots of possibly annoying posts here on the forum. I suppose the proper path is to search forums for topics related to my questions and post within those related topics. If I can't find related topics, then I guess I start a new thread. I lack forum etiquette so please lead me in the correct direction if necessary.

Question #1 Has anybody heard of extending the back of a single cab 6-12" to accommodate for comfort?

It would be fantastic to slide the seat 4 inches back so I could at least alter my driving position a bit while driving to eradicate hip issues...(thanks football).
Best regards
FGwannaB

 

[SkiFreak]

I take it from your question that you are tall, because @ 5' 9" (175cm) I do not suffer from the same issues.

As I am pretty sure nearly everyone on this forum that owns an FG will agree, in their standard form these trucks are nothing short of horrific to drive if they don't have significant weight over the axles.
Things that will remedy that is improving the suspension and getting better wheels and tires. A good set of seats will also go a long way to improving the comfort.

You can make these trucks comfortable enough for them to be very capable off road campers, but that normally involves throwing a bit of money at them.
I have driven my truck for 12 hours straight and not come away as a paraplegic.

 

[FGwannaB]

You are correct. 6'1". The drive from NJ to NC USA should have included 1000mg Ibuprofen. I do plan on suspension improvements, super singles & tires and other typical improvements read about here on the forum however, I want to do a full "bed off" assessment prior to anything else. The frame appears decent...much better than the first FG I looked at. The mechanic I had inspect it gave it a thumbs up. He said I will need to plan on new engine mounts in the near future but it wasn't a terrible problem at the moment. Once I get the bed off I'll probably tackle the engine mounts (which means find someone to do it for me). I lack shop space and knowledge regarding most things FUSO or motorized for that matter. As much as I'd like to throw the $ to cool looking wheels and tires I need an overall game plan. Once the bed is off I think i'll be able to better understand camper potential and design. Since a camper is my end goal, I need to work that direction in baby steps.