In the process of picking this up. 1990 fuso fg

[11overlandram]

Hey guys a few questions for ya. I apparently posted this in the wrong section. Anyway I have a chance to buy a pretty clean looking 90 Fuso FG with 45k miles on it for 18k. 1 owner. It’s a left hand drive, has no rust and already has a box set up for a camper build. It has a 3.5 4 cylinder with the intercooler. Anything I should watch out for? Is the price bad?

Went to look at it runs like new. No leaks besides a few weeping seals here and there. Perfectly maintained but it is 32 years old. Glow plug light took forever to turn off?
needs new tires up front. No AC
4x4 was flawless, first gear a little touchy when moving. Breaks were better than my 2001 truck. Held a steady 60mph at 2700 rpm.

 

[SkiFreak]

Those trucks are pretty bullet proof, so I would not be too concerned about its age. That year model is also pre common rail, making it a much simpler motor and it does not have all of the anti pollution stuff on it either.
I cannot really speak to the price, as I am on the other side of the planet, where we have a lot more of this generation of truck running around, but it sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

 

[SkiFreak]

I should add... there is no synchro in first.

 

[11overlandram]

yeah that makes sense so it’s what we call a granny gear.

Are parts for these older ones still available in Oz? It’s pretty hard to find them in the US, although the Mitsubishi rep said he could get most basic parts. If I knew I could get them down there I could have my cousins ship them to me and would feel much more comfortable.
This one has been taken care of I will have to post pictures of the maintenance book it’s pages and pages!


Thanks for the info I fell in love with these trucks but I can’t spend 100k on one. Don’t mind an old truck just want something that is reliable.

 

[SkiFreak]

Don’t mind an old truck just want something that is reliable.

Well... as I said, these Fuso trucks are pretty bullet proof (with the exception of the current FGB7x), the older ones even more so.
The older, non common rail engines, can even be run on waste chip oil, so I have been told.

There are still quite a few of the 90's models running around Australia, as they were quite prolific here, having been used quite extensively as Rural Fire Service (RFS) trucks.
I have a FG84, so I cannot really comment on parts availability of older models, as I simply have not looked for them, but I have heard that most of the major parts are still available.
We also have a reasonable amount of truck wreckers here that have these older trucks, which may not be the case where you are.

 

[11overlandram]

Any idea of resources out there about these. He has all the service manuels thankfully, so I won’t be completely in the dark. Is there quite a bit of part interchangeability between the non 4x4 ones and the FGs. Pretty easy to find the 2wd versions here.

 

[SkiFreak]

Cab and engine parts should be mostly interchangeable, but not so much drive line components.

The diffs on these trucks (front and rear) have not changed in many years, so something that some people have done here is to swap out the 5 stud drums for 6 stud drums, which gave them a larger selection of available rims.
Of course... you need easy access to 6 stud drums for this to be a viable option.

 

[benttofly]

i have a 92 down in florida. family since new purchase. father used it for overland for decades and then parked it when he bought an 03 or so canter. EP member fusofg. i currently use it for a mobile shop. number 1 slightly different than your 90 but my experience bringing my "missbitchy" back online. dealer parts or no parts. the old fusos have no aftermarket availability or its under some internet rock i havent found. so expect to pay big bucks. i just did the 123k service (my service book is bigger than yours) dad was a religious zealot about maint. my biggest problem the electrical system hands down the worst. i am a certified marine electrician so i can be an ass about electrical but as soon as i get some downtime this thing is getting re wired. the voltage drop at ighition is in the 5 volt range and when it is raining at night with the headlights wipers and blower motor on the alternator cannot keep up. a lot of this wiring is old japanese dc negative stuff so even a simple led headlight drop in requires major work. my engine has the worthless 75 amp alternator with the brake vacuum pump built in so upgrading is a no go and a new one from the dealer can be had for about 1 million dollars. the engines and transfer case are near bullet proof so yours at 42k might not be broken in yet beyond a serious look at all things electrical and the crappy alternator give the turbo a good looking over. from day 1 until today ours has always and i mean always cooled for 120 to 180 seconds before shut off and the dealer is always shoccked at how new the 30 year old turbo unit looks. mine is currently set up on a delay relay timer at 120 seconds and an 80 amp cut off solenoid bypassing the old cable cut off. good luck with your potential new build and give serious thought to a complete rewire.

 

[11overlandram]

Well I got it!
Thanks for all the advice ! I am sure I will need more. Benttofly I am looking into adding a second alternator but we will see how this one works. Will be posting out remodel. Currently we are stripping the camper down and redoing everything. Also thinking of order the super singles but not sure I want to drop the 3800 at the moment…

 

[sackettmw]

I also have a 1990 FG box truck for a shop truck. Its pretty basic to work on especially since you have the service manuals. I'll second what Benttofly said about parts being mostly dealer only and expensive but so far all available. I have found things like wheel bearings by crossing part #s and ordering online. Also second the part about checking over the electrical system. I had to replace the connectors leading to the steering column on mine. And yeah, the headlight wiring is odd. Haven't figured out where to put a second alternator yet without losing AC compressor but I've been thinking about a Premier power welder so...

 

[SkiFreak]

I don't know how things are on your side of the planet, but here you can get high output alternators for Canters.
If the vacuum pump is part of the alternator, why not ignore that and install an aftermarket electric vacuum pump, along with a decent sized vacuum chamber.
May not be the cheapest option, but from an installation perspective it should be much simpler.

 

[11overlandram]

That seems like an interesting idea. Then you could use what ever alternator you wanted and not have to worry about sourcing it from the dealer. Mine at lowest idle always says low vacuum so I am guessing I will need to do this soon.

 

[11overlandram]

Figured I would post a few pictures of how the truck is coming along. Just replaced the canvas so more photos coming soon.
Went with Trailworthy Fab for my super singles. Replaced my front end and changed shocks with some after market Black Max shocks from an 86? F-250. They work great and actually soak up some decent vibrations. Found out my low battery issues was from a loose cable. Had to replace the glow control computer to the tune of 700 bucks but that’s pretty much the only electronics. Gonna keep upgrading a few things on the truck as we travel once the camper is done. Anyone in the Southern California area? Would love to do a meet up?