Recent content by armstrom

Here's what the frame looks like with the dump bed raised.

Yeah, the truck was last registered in New York so rust is front of mind for me. Unfortunately, it's for sale by a dealer who took it on on trade (according to them) so they can't really tell me anything about its history. It looks like there's two types of undercoating. The main truck frame and...

I'm not trusting my assessment of the condition. It clearly looks like an 18yo vehicle... but it has less than 70k miles. Frame rust is difficult to assess since it's covered in thick undercoating (can't really tell if it was applied early so the frame is perfect underneath, or was it applied...

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I came away less than enthused. They're asking ~$14k USD for the truck. I already expect to have to spend quite a bit on the subframe and habitat... I'm not sure I want to sign up for another ~$15k for suspension and wheel/tire upgrades. hmm... tough decisions. Do...

Well, I test-drove a US market 2007 Fuso FG today. General the truck seemed... ok? Most of the cab was rust free but there was one odd spot where it had rusted through in the wheel well. But man, that ride... I had heard people talk about the harsh ride of the FG but I guess I had to experience...

Yeah, it seems many companies start out offering DIY flat pack kits then pull back at some point and either only work with commercial builders or sell completed camper shells themselves. I don't want to speculate on the reasons why that tends to be the trend here. As for the fit-out being the...

Yeah, I looked through your site. Lots of work! I know I wouldn't have the time/patience to go through all that work from scratch so I will likely end up buying most of my habitat parts pre-made. There are a couple of companies that sell pre-fabricated zero-torsion subframes and "flat packed"...

Thank you for the detailed response. Photos of the interior show typical work truck appearance (dirty, some torn seat covers due to age/use, etc...). From the photos there doesn't seem to be any apparent/significant rust and I can't see a plow mount (though it could have been removed, of...

I'm considering buying a locally listed FG140 to convert to an overlanding rig. I have lots of mechanical DIY experience with normal passenger cars but these light commercial trucks are all new to me. Does anyone know of any good websites/youtube videos showing what issues to look out for on...

Like so many others, I'm considering building an "expedition vehicle" (in my case, more of a roadtrip/offroad camper). I'm not fully set on going this approach but I want to explore my options. Here's how I see the choices but I'm not sure how some of the less common (basically, anything other...

Thanks for the details. The extra supports and larger sheet stock for raw materials make sense. I have been a follower of your facebook DIY page for years and in hind sight I should have pulled the trigger on a kit back when you still sold DIY "flat pack" kits. I understand the reason for...

Thanks for the replies. I'm not so sure that I buy the economies of scale argument though. Maybe for a larger manufacturer like four wheel but usually economies of scale factors in more on material costs. The two types of campers use the exact same materials. And in the case of bison overland...

I did a quick search and didn't see any topics on this... but is there a general consensus of why flatbed campers cost so much more (generally thousands!) than an otherwise equivalent slide-in camper? Some specific examples are the the hawk from four wheel campers... a basic config of the...