FUSO FG cab extension - any thoughts? (2004)
- Thread starter FGwannaB
- Start date
westyss
Explorer
We installed two National air ride seats in our FG, 10+ years and 150,000kms and they are still very comfy and perform well. I did have to put a new shock on mine which is very necessary in these seats otherwise you do a lot of boingy boing down the road.
The seats do need some persuasion to fit into the fuso and the drivers seat in mine is slightly offset due to the engine hump, it isn't something I notice as I tend to lean left while driving anyway but it might not be for you.
I am 6' and I dont' feel crowded in the cab, my seat is not adjusted all the way back and I have some adjustment available but not much. The right amount of air in the airbag in important, this seat will not move vertically very much, at least not like I have seen on some rigs but only 2-3 inches maybe, I keep the seat about two inches off the base and this works well, too much air and my head brushes the headliner.
The seats do need some persuasion to fit into the fuso and the drivers seat in mine is slightly offset due to the engine hump, it isn't something I notice as I tend to lean left while driving anyway but it might not be for you.
I am 6' and I dont' feel crowded in the cab, my seat is not adjusted all the way back and I have some adjustment available but not much. The right amount of air in the airbag in important, this seat will not move vertically very much, at least not like I have seen on some rigs but only 2-3 inches maybe, I keep the seat about two inches off the base and this works well, too much air and my head brushes the headliner.
Doug Hackney cracked two Fuso frames in half, IIRC. Referencing another thread in this category, air ride seats are not a substitute for proper truck suspension and fitting such, to allow one to travel 'comfortably' is simply not a viable option, IMO. Undertaking something so monumental as a cab extension, makes no sense to me, when those resources could be expended fitting nearly any modern comfortable automotive seat, along with proper chassis suspension design and/or tuning.
OEM torsion springs are designed to lift the cab that is there, extending the rear, similar to an FRR or FTR, would significantly increase the load on the forward mounts and the torsion spring when servicing the cab. Additionally, the intake plumbing and locking mechanism would require a complete redesign, including the rear mount(s).
Suggestion: Remove both seats that are currently in your truck cab and see if you can physically fit in the cab. Use blocks of wood, pillows, sofa cushions, a lawn chair or whatever you have to determine a comfortable seating position. A good friend of mine is 6"6" and #270 and can sit comfortably in a crew cab NPR as well as a regular cab FE140. So, there should be plenty of space unless you are in line to be a point guard for your local NBA team.
OEM torsion springs are designed to lift the cab that is there, extending the rear, similar to an FRR or FTR, would significantly increase the load on the forward mounts and the torsion spring when servicing the cab. Additionally, the intake plumbing and locking mechanism would require a complete redesign, including the rear mount(s).
Suggestion: Remove both seats that are currently in your truck cab and see if you can physically fit in the cab. Use blocks of wood, pillows, sofa cushions, a lawn chair or whatever you have to determine a comfortable seating position. A good friend of mine is 6"6" and #270 and can sit comfortably in a crew cab NPR as well as a regular cab FE140. So, there should be plenty of space unless you are in line to be a point guard for your local NBA team.
westyss
Explorer
Found the receipt with the unit numbers; NTS-00452-165 HI-20IN P seat
NTS-00452-265 HI-20IN P seat, these two are the seat, drivers and pax.
NTS-SK1506 two bases
again ten + years ago and I didnt check if those are still the numbers.
We did do a pretty extensive spring shock mod along with that, 2.5" lift, removed some leafs, re arched leafs, inserted teflon spacers between leafs, leafs were individually adjusted for each corners weight and added better shocks, Fox shocks. etc.
The base for the seats was trimmed on the drivers side corner to fit in the tight confines of the area so they didn't just slide right in. Hope this helps
NTS-00452-265 HI-20IN P seat, these two are the seat, drivers and pax.
NTS-SK1506 two bases
again ten + years ago and I didnt check if those are still the numbers.
We did do a pretty extensive spring shock mod along with that, 2.5" lift, removed some leafs, re arched leafs, inserted teflon spacers between leafs, leafs were individually adjusted for each corners weight and added better shocks, Fox shocks. etc.
The base for the seats was trimmed on the drivers side corner to fit in the tight confines of the area so they didn't just slide right in. Hope this helps
westyss
Explorer
If I remember right I am pretty sure I bought the same seats as he did or close to it, mine are cloth covered, I do have some pics of those seats on my thread if you can find them....
SkiFreak
Crazy Person
As much as I agree that the truck's suspension is the first thing to address, my wife would probably disagree with you regarding suspension seats.
FGwannaB
Member
Thanks y'all! 10 + years and you found the receipt! My tax accountant would love you. So after much thought, a cab extension would be silly given necessary mods to cab supporting infrastructure as stated by DzlToy. I'll check availability on those item numbers westyss, much thanks. I have to replace the air conditioning on/off switch and in doing so i could only find the entire "in-dash" control unit and not just the knob. Wen I replace it, I think I'll clean out the cab and reroute some existing wiring for flasher lights etc. that I don't need. Truck was a plow and it's time to remove the plow mount, wiring, hazard lights on the roof and the in-cab custom made switch post. Yeah, it was a plow but it was well taken care of. I guess time will tell. If I screwed up on this truck, I did it full tilt and with gusto. No time to waste. Pics of lights & switches included.
whatcharterboat
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Yep....I’ve done this on an FG637.....long time ago.
I bought a replacement directly from Mitsubishi if I recall correctly. The cylindrical knob pulls out of the dash.
You reappearing out of nowhere?
FGwannaB
Member
Thanks for the input. Westyss: I forwarded the part numbers to National and they have those seats available but no pictures and almost no information available w/regard to options etc. The lady I emailed with sent me a spec sheet in pdf format and said "yes, they are available". I'll do more digging. This past weekend I pulled both driver seats, carpet, headliner, most of the dash trim, replaced the broken heat/ac control, removed plow related wiring (some of it), re-organized current toggle switches to various items, removed flashing hazard lights and other various crazy plow type lights. It was 2 full days of never leaving the house. It was awesome. Unfortunately while maneuvering around in the cab, my knee poked a hole through the floor board under where the driver seat sits. Hole is now about the size of a baseball since I scraped all the adjacent rust away. The rabbit hole is expanding.
Any hints on cab repair specifically fixing holes?
Any hints on cab repair specifically fixing holes?