Build your own Fuso FG6 4x4 based camper/overlander!

[Family Friendly 4x4]

More modifications and alterations

Not been posting for a while, too busy working.

Our project however has continued since and we kind of ended up like this before we completely stripped the melamine interior and replaced it all with alluminum frames and cladding.



For the refit we decided just to replicate the interior as is (we felt that we got the layout right the first time at least) in alluminum to save weight and make the interior more durable.

So we stripped everything out including the iso board insulation; which we found to be not so effective in an alluminum shell under the scorching heat of the African sun, and started afresh using household ceiling aerolite insulation:



Once this was done we could line the interior walls and ceiling with the new lightweight skins and start rebuilding the interior in alluminum:



More to come......

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

Helping lift for spare wheels

Whilst the camper is in the workshop for an interior refit we decided to tick another box on our list of things to do.

The swivel winch at the rear of the body will allow easy lifting of a 70kg spare wheel and it folds away and bolts down against the body when not in use:



I was told afterwards that this being a pulling winch was not the right type of winch to use for this purpose, I should have used a lifting winch. I understand the difference but sure I won't have any trouble lifting a spare wheel (we live and learn):

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

OUR ELECTRICAL INSTALL

Here are a couple of photos of our electrical installation.

Still busy tidying it up but basically consists of 2x 3000W inverters, 6x 12v Deep Cycle Batteries on slide-out trays to access for service etc, Auto Charger, Solar Panels on the roof and Mains power.

The supply switches between mains and batteries automatically when you plug in or unplug from mains, but it is always on charge whether from Solar, the secondary Alternator whilst on the move, or plugged into the Mains.

An additional 120 Amp alternator in the engine bay charges the batteries on the move.

When camped we can run off 220v mains or a combination of 12v, 220v from the inverters and Gas. Our battery power will not run out providing we do not use the air-con too much.





In the pictures above the storage compartment can be seen at the rear of the camper (and sealed off from the interior). This is also where our 18L geyser is housed and plumbing that starts from here. The ally wall at the back is the halfway divide of the width of our camper body and is actually the outer wall of the shower cubicle/wc inside the camper.

This rear-end packing space easily accommodates our 2kv silent suitcase type generator, plastic crates, camping chairs, folding camping table, awning and tent sides, tools etc. And the weight of it all balances out with the 150kg worth of batteries in the other half of this space.

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

Interior refit (continued)

Our refit from a melamine interior to alluminum is coming along nicely. And will save us close to 500kg of weight! We could not believe the figures at first.

The composite sheets for the walls and ceiling give a much cleaner look and the new LED strip lights work great.



We are also fitting individual LED lights to the interior of each of the overhead storage compartments.



We did not like the bright white walls (the interior felt too clinical) and so we color coded our walls and window frames with vinyl wrap:



This time we rubberized the floor for a durable waterproof solution!

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

Final Interior

Here we go, our final interior finish.

We put a mirror (not glass, it is chrome spray onto thin ally sheet that is polished to a mirror finish) on the bathroom door which is not only great for the missus but creates an illusion of space! And as it is not glass it cannot break.



I had the fridge doors wrapped in vinyl to match the walls. It just looks more complete.

more photos to follow....

.

 

[Larrylandcruiser]

That mirror looks great and what a great idea. So it was just "chrome spray"? Like from a can? Cheers. Ps great thread

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

Hi nice build
Some pics of your entrance door step
Because of your swop body and the step lower is interesting because to remove the camper from the truck is normally a problem with the lower step in the way of the truck subframe

Here are a couple of photos of the door step from underneath. I can take the measurements for you but another truck chassis will require a different set-up.

 

[k9lestat]

outstanding job

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

That mirror looks great and what a great idea. So it was just "chrome spray"? Like from a can? Cheers. Ps great thread

Hi Larrylandcruiser

No it is not available in a can. It is a cosmetic chrome spray available from Spectra Chrome, they're an international brand so they may have an agent near you.

I have since discovered that you can get perspex sheet with a mirror coating. I have not seen it but from the sounds of it think this might be an easier option. You should be able to order through your local albeit larger perspex & plastic sheets supplier.

Check it out if you like and let us know if you find anything.

 

[Larrylandcruiser]

Thanks for info, will look into it

 

[MarcusBrody]

Thanks so much for this thread. I'm in the "expanded family, we no longer fit in a van" situation too, and have been dreaming of a Fuso/Isuzu build. This thread has been great and very informative.

A few questions:
How has the front bed extension worked? How much higher would you have needed to make the roof in order not to need the pop up? Do you use the tilt function much? With how easy your setup looks to remove, if you were doing it again, would you still make it swing, or just jack the camper and pull forward a bit? You were starting with an existing frame so it might be a bit different for you, but I'm wondering whether to bother engineering the tilt mechanism.

Thanks a lot,
Tim

 

[yabanja]

Lovely!

Just stumbled onto this! Lovely build! Some great ideas for the eventual-yet inevitable refit of the interior of FIDO.
Keep up the good work, and don't forget to get out into the wilds as much as possible!

Take care,

Allan

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

How has the front bed extension worked?

Do you mean how does it work? On one of the first pages in this thread there is a link with a video and a couple of photos to show how it works if you wanna take a look. I plan to post a link with the tilt working now that it is all complete with canvas tent etc. Happy to answer any specific questions about it But it does work great and I would not do without it.

How much higher would you have needed to make the roof in order not to need the pop up? Do you use the tilt function much?

The reason I chose a pop-up is to keep the roof as low as possible to clear low hanging branches etc, but I wanted the double bed up there, so a compromise had to be found.

The camper body is 2.1m high, a comfortable height as you don't have to duck for anything when moving around inside.

I wanted to keep the exterior roof height of the tilt extension with pop-up the same as the rest of the camper to allow for low access. The roof height was already higher than the more regular builds and I did not want to build the Battlestar Galactica.

Once I have our mattress in there you end up with about 500mm of headroom which would be very claustrophobic for sleeping in. With the pop-up lid up we can comfortably stand on our knees on top of the mattress (no cheeky comments here please :hehe

I guess if you had to make it a fixed unit then I would allow for enough space to comfortably sit on the bed at least. But the pop-up lid makes an enormous difference and creates a vast space above your head and when standing down below.

We only ever use the extension tilt when the truck needs to go for a service. But when we do it is very easy and convenient. Remember that you have to be able to tilt the cab for any type of engine work or even just to check your oil level! So building a non-tilting extension over the cab would mean complete removal of the body when you have a roadside breakdown or for anything else.

With how easy your setup looks to remove, if you were doing it again, would you still make it swing, or just jack the camper and pull forward a bit? You were starting with an existing frame so it might be a bit different for you, but I'm wondering whether to bother engineering the tilt mechanism.

It takes 45 mins (I could probably do it in 30 if I did not talk so much) for me to unbolt and drive away from underneath the body so I guess if you did not want to get involved in an engineering challenge (and expensive thereof) then you could just jack up and drive forward. But this could be a major pain when stranded broken down on the side of the road or just wanting to check you oil level as mentioned earlier. So to be honest if it was not for the tilt mechanism then I would rather refrain from building anything over the cab that would restrict it.

 

[Family Friendly 4x4]

Just stumbled onto this! Lovely build! Some great ideas for the eventual-yet inevitable refit of the interior of FIDO.
Keep up the good work, and don't forget to get out into the wilds as much as possible!

Take care,

Allan

Thank you. Love the adventures of FIDO likewise!

You have certainly put yours to better use than I have mine thus far.

 

[MarcusBrody]

Do you mean how does it work? On one of the first pages in this thread there is a link with a video and a couple of photos to show how it works if you wanna take a look. I plan to post a link with the tilt working now that it is all complete with canvas tent etc. Happy to answer any specific questions about it But it does work great and I would not do without it.

Thanks. I more meant "How well does it work?" I could see from the build thread how it was intended to, but couldn't tell if everything worked well after you put it together. Glad to hear that it is.

The reason I chose a pop-up is to keep the roof as low as possible to clear low hanging branches etc, but I wanted the double bed up there, so a compromise had to be found.

The camper body is 2.1m high, a comfortable height as you don't have to duck for anything when moving around inside.

I wanted to keep the exterior roof height of the tilt extension with pop-up the same as the rest of the camper to allow for low access. The roof height was already higher than the more regular builds and I did not want to build the Battlestar Galactica.

Once I have our mattress in there you end up with about 500mm of headroom which would be very claustrophobic for sleeping in. With the pop-up lid up we can comfortably stand on our knees on top of the mattress (no cheeky comments here please :hehe

I guess if you had to make it a fixed unit then I would allow for enough space to comfortably sit on the bed at least. But the pop-up lid makes an enormous difference and creates a vast space above your head and when standing down below.

Cool. My worry with the popup is heat loss/insulating it. I like your design with a single section rather than a full popup as it minimizes that, but I was wondering if it would be possible to use it without the popup engaged on the coldest nights (my build will be used as a base for skiing frequently). 500mm is pretty claustrophobic. That's similar to sleeping under my current van platform set up. Maybe I'll crawl down there and see how it is.

We only ever use the extension tilt when the truck needs to go for a service. But when we do it is very easy and convenient. Remember that you have to be able to tilt the cab for any type of engine work or even just to check your oil level! So building a non-tilting extension over the cab would mean complete removal of the body when you have a roadside breakdown or for anything else.


It takes 45 mins (I could probably do it in 30 if I did not talk so much) for me to unbolt and drive away from underneath the body so I guess if you did not want to get involved in an engineering challenge (and expensive thereof) then you could just jack up and drive forward. But this could be a major pain when stranded broken down on the side of the road or just wanting to check you oil level as mentioned earlier. So to be honest if it was not for the tilt mechanism then I would rather refrain from building anything over the cab that would restrict it.

Hmm, much to think about. I don't think I could get enough space in a very short camper without a bed over the cab, so it would come down to either hinging it, lengthening the camper by a few feet, or just taking it off frequently. I'll have to ponder more, which I have time to do as I have house things to tidy up before I can get to building a moving castle.

Thanks again!