Things to watchout for buying Used Fuso/NPR etc

[Ford Prefect]

Hello all

Well I think I MAY be making a journey into purchasing a cab over truck.

I would like to ask what it is that I should be looking for in the trucks?

Currently looking at the area of a 1999 Fuso, an NPR, or a GMC W3500.

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

What do I watch out for, what do I check, what should I be looking to see, any possible concerns with any of the vehilces, AND HOW ARE THEY with HIGH mileage? IE 310,000 miles or more...?


Thanks!

 

[kerry]

On the Fuso's with manual transmissions, pay attention to the syncros. They are known to wear out. My Fg has 19x,xxx miles on it and it's still running strong. engine was replaced at some point. Watch for rust in trucks from the NE. Sunbelt Rental has owned lots of FG's as service trucks and they show up quite often on the used market. They have a strong maintenance program for their fleet vehicles. I got a full set of records of the truck I bought which had previously belonged to them. Sunbelt sent the records to me even though I did not buy the truck from them.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Well, I looked at tghe GMC today, and the guy said it had a 10' tall box, that was twelve feet long. Turns out it has a 7' tall box that is ten feet long! Thanks for nothing on that one pal. The he tells me the thing only gets 9 miles per gallon, and I said thanks and good bye.

The Fuso was a 95, with 295,000 miles. The thing has some rust under the doors, but not bad. The oil fil cap seems to leak because there is a fair bit of oil all around it. It was a dog with no power at all, but other than that it seemed nice enough. The box on the back was 16'x8'x8' which could make into a nice enough camper I should think.


ANYONE have any idea where I can look (or what search terms to use) to find the cost of cutting the cab and box to make a pass through? I would need a large one, like the Earth Cruiser's have.

Thanks

 

[mog]

The box on my Fuso is 14’x8’x8’ so if I can help you out with any ‘planning’ just let me know.
I’m going to shorten mine to 6’6” inside height (side walls are 2” stringers, roof is 3” stringers, floor is 4” stringers).

Of course the Fuso is the only 4x4, as the GMC and NPR are 2x2s.
It seems as far as 2x2s go, the GMC from my searches are the least expensive.

The Fuso got a power bump in 2001 from 135 hp 253 lb.ft to 145 hp 273 lb.ft and again in 2004 to 147 hp 347 ft.lbs (went from 3.9 l to 4.9 l)

If you are looking at FGs (4x4) watch out for a life as snowplows / dump truck (hard on any truck).

Cutting the pass-through is going to be a one-off deal. Heck the cost of some saw-all blades and you should be good to go. If you do a pass-through here is a link to a company that specializes in Accordion Boot Material
http://www.accordionboot.com/

Mileage on my Fuso FG has been between 11 mpg to 15 mpg. Biggest factor is drag from the big box on back.

I’ve started a thread with Fuso FGs for sale on the internet here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59623

 

[Ford Prefect]

Thanks Mog.

If that stuff will fit the truck, that would make it REALLY easy for me to work out! I could pick up a seat from a Mini van to bolt down to the rear end, and I would be set!

The truck I am interested in is up in another town, about 40 miles north. So just going up to find out how far the box is from the cab... sigh.

SO if the box is more than the max seven inches, what would yall suggest I do to build the box out so that the bellows will fit and do the job? Also is there any way to put something solid in there so that it can be stepped on by our children without doing damage?

I think I could have this thing set up with seating for five in about as long as it takes for the bellows stuff to arrive.

Any objections to my idea of bolting in a minivan rear bench seat, to make back seats for the kids?

Any concerns about possible exhaust getting into that box? I would hate to cause any kind of harm!

The Fuso is an Automatic, with a Diesel engine. (Did not feel like it was a turbo, I never heard a turbo winding up or anything. Is there a way to know for sure, or where they all turbo in 95?)

Thanks!

 

[mog]

SO if the box is more than the max seven inches, what would yall suggest I do to build the box out so that the bellows will fit and do the job? Also is there any way to put something solid in there so that it can be stepped on by our children without doing damage?
Any objections to my idea of bolting in a minivan rear bench seat, to make back seats for the kids? Any concerns about possible exhaust getting into that box? I would hate to cause any kind of harm!

The cab to box distance on mine is 6 inches to back of cab, 4 inches to rear window (sticks out 2 inches from cab). I'm sure this is pretty standard, and I'd bet you could even move it a little closer if you liked. Tilting the cab is ‘zero clearance', i.e.: as it tilts it only moves away in an arch, never closer, so you could have the box as close as you like to the cab. You could bolt a ‘plate' to the frame rails between the cab and box for the little tikes to step on, giving the seal support.

My box is a Marathon. Great box and build. .040 aluminum riveted onto aluminum stringer every 16 inches. I work on jets and this is almost a standard build for them. Rough roads can't be much worse then a bunch of pressure cycles everyday.

I see no problem in adding the bench seat. My floor is 2.5” hardwood. I would put a metal doubler were the seat bolts go through the floor and for seat belt attachment points. If your exhaust go out at the back of the truck, you should be fine. A good seal on whatever type rear door is important for not only exhaust but also dust/dirt.

I'd go with the 2” thick high-density foam insulation that you can buy at any of the home improvement stores. Very inexpensive, and very easy to work with. Just cut in 15.75” wide strips and put in between the stringers. You could glue, but I'd use a small amount of politician (two faced) tape. That way if you have to access the skin for repairs or modifications, it would be easy.

Handy link here to the Fuso specs for all the years, so you can see the engines, trans, etc, and what changed. http://www.mitfuso.com/pages/literature.html

 

[Ford Prefect]

Thanks Mog,

I just saw the mounts to a box today, looks like it was basic Ubolts holding the thing on there, so yeah if they are all like that, then it should move just fine with some tugging.

By the way, where did you come by the name Mog, and you drive a Fuso?

Again, thanks for the info, and anyone else willing to chime in, I would be grateful.

Cheers
Brian

 

[mog]

Yes sliding the box forward should not be an issue. My truck has a liftgate so that effects the ‘alignment’ in the rear, but that is unique to a liftgate (AKA for me, motorcycle-ATV loader, I will never go back to ramps again) truck.

A couple more things to think about with passengers in back during driving.

Of course the exhaust concern, but also:
Heating/cooling - Insulate and perhaps an aux heater back there.
Communications – The pass-through should work for that. . You have to be able to yell “if you kids don’t cut that out <fill in threat here>”
Crash/roll over protection – Although an aluminum box is not that strong, there will be a lot of ‘crush distance’, so perhaps OK ? But it might be prudent to add a roll bar back there. You could use 2” square tubing if you end up with a box like mine with 2” stringers, so it would be hidden in the walls. In addition it would provide mounting points for the shoulder harness part of the seat belts.
Alternate egress – In case of an accident, the rear door(s) of a cargo box would have a good chance of jamming, and most can not be opened from the inside any way. While your pass-though would provide one access point I would have at least one more. Also a big first-responder with gear would have a hard time using the pass-through. I have a large window from a shuttle type bus that is an emergency exit also (cool pull here for emergency exit handle), that you could install for not only an exit, additional ventilation , and the kids could see the world go by. I’ll donate it to your build, if you are interested.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Mog, thanks so much, yes I would be very interested. Let me be sure I am going to purchase a truck first, but I would be very grateful to you for the window.

Hot and cold... Yep, I thought about that, basically I think I would just avoid using it in incliment weather for now. Eventually I will, of course, insulate and install a heater. Put on a roof top air system as well. That will be down the road, however.



One of the trucks I am interested in has a side wall removed, and replaced with a curatin. How hard/expensive would that be to return to a wall?

The truck that is complete is about 3900.00 and a 95, the one that has the side curtain is a 2001 and about 3700.00 Obviously the newer truck would be prefered. Plus the newer one is about a foot longer which I like too.

Thanks for the roll cage idea, seems like a good choice, and I am sure my wife's uncles would be happy to do it for me too.

Again, grateful for the tips and advice!

 

[mog]

One of the trucks I am interested in has a side wall removed, and replaced with a curatin. How hard/expensive would that be to return to a wall?

The truck that is complete is about 3900.00 and a 95, the one that has the side curtain is a 2001 and about 3700.00 Obviously the newer truck would be prefered. Plus the newer one is about a foot longer which I like too.

Boy replacing a side, no idea. What about adding full length side slide-out, and you would have a huge living area. :sombrero:
Heck if the Aussies are doing it (not full length of course), http://www.earthcruiser.com.au/images/EarthCruiser%20OutBack%20HARD%20SIDE%204x4%20camper.pdf it must be awesome.

Depending on mileage, the 2001 would be a MUCH better truck. More hp/torque, ABS brakes, etc.......just missing that one wall.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Yeah, I think I am leaning towards that truck right now. The local dealer said they would likely charge around 2K to replace that wall! ouch! But they said they could get me a used box from 500 to 1000. For an 18' box. SO if their box is ok, then that may be the way to go.

Of course they only charge $90.oo for a 4x8 sheet of the skin, so I could just build a nice wall, buy their skins, and be done with it that way too...


The only real thing that makes me wonder... The 01 is a GAS engine, I found out today. I would prefer the Diesel, but I have no idea what the difference in fuel economy might be. If they are relatively close then I could go with the gas. I have been looking online trying to figure that out today, but so far no luck.

 

[mog]

But they said they could get me a used box from 500 to 1000. For an 18' box.
Of course they only charge $90.oo for a 4x8 sheet of the skin, so I could just build a nice wall, buy their skins, and be done with it that way too...
The only real thing that makes me wonder... The 01 is a GAS engine,

Go with the used box at that price. 4-5 sheets of skin will cost you $500 alone, then there is building stringer, etc, etc, etc.

Make sure you check the lenght of the box against the truck's frame lenght. All manufactures have recommend frame / box match-ups

I’m guess if it is gas, not a Fuso. GMC perhaps ?

 

[Ford Prefect]

No, it is an isuzu. Seems like they are all pretty much the same though, yes?

The fellow told me today that it only gets 10-12 mpg, so that is making me very sad at the moment. Not sure if this is the truck for me afterall... I just can not afford to buy something that is going to kill me on fuel costs.

The trucj currently has a 17'8" box on it, so I figure going up to an 18' box would not hurt anything.

 

[mhiscox]

The fellow told me today that it only gets 10-12 mpg, so that is making me very sad at the moment.

Hey, Brian,

The lower fuel economy will be an issue, though here, at least, the much higher cost of diesel over petrol would make up some of that. But another big issue would be the range. Be sure to check the fuel capacity; some of those cabover trucks, being designed largely for urban use, had pretty small fuel tanks and in a gas truck, you could, in some conditions, struggle to get 300 miles from a tank.

Also, others may have more experience, but I worry that 12 mpg might be a stretch when loaded. I'd think 10, with some visits to the single digits, might be more like it.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Thanks Mike, yes those are some of my fears.

The company selling the truck claims that they typically hual fairly heavy loads with the truck (solid wood doors and stair cases). That in mind they were coming to that 10-12 figure. Never the less, I agree.

Getting a larger tank put on there would not be too difficult, but I have looked at tank size as an issue. As you said, the above truck would have to have a 30+ gallon tank to be able to get 300 miles.

Any idea the mileage one might expect from the diesel? The current rate is baout 55 cents more for diesel than gas, but last I looked with only a difference of five mpg the dieself would be better in the long run.

3,000 miles
@ 3.55 per gallon
@ 12 mpg
equals ~$887.5

3,000 miles
@ 4.06 per gallon
@ 17 mpg
equals ~$716.47

A savings of ~$171.00

On a more reasonable scale, that is still twenty bucks saved every fill up (assuming 320 miles per tank) and that is a lot of savings.

Clearly, and very sadly, this truck that I have now nearly fallen in love with, does not make any sense for me to buy unless the guy wants to practically give it away at $2500.oo rather than his $3900.00 asking price.