People's opinions of this FG?

[kerry]

I've been thinking about an FG for a while and ran across this one on the net. Company also has a 2001 for sale for a few more $$. Mileage is 177k. Price seems a little high to me for that kind of mileage but I like the idea of a utility body into which I could slide a truck camper.

http://www.truckpaper.com/listings/...7&dlr=1&guid=8B0EE806E5E649118D0228F534B8B38C

I see the 2001 has overdrive. Anyone know the advantages/disadvantages of OD on an FG? Also what are people's opinions of the relative advantages/disadvantages of standard vs. automatic transmissions on the FG?

 

[mog]

The price does not seem to be out of line. I've seen older, less clean ones, without the service bed (those can be $$$$) go for well into the $15-$19k range. If it is close, I think well worth looking at. (Don't forget I'm sure you can sell the "pumps, reels, hoses and tanks")
I for one (I guess you could tell by my Avatar) like the service bed as a starting point (in my case the whole tomato). Although heavy, they have tons of storage without the need to built/add boxes, and much less or no need to have additional access doors/vents in your main camper body. Plus they are very zombie/baboon proof (aka tree branches, rocks, breakin, etc proof).

 

[Lynn]

I know that this is diverging from your questions, but...

Keep in mind that the cab is a lot higher, so a slide-in camper with a cab-over section won't clear the roof of the cab.

This pic I borrowed from the Hackney's site offers a good illustration:

If you raise the slide-in high enough to clear the cab roof, you'll be raising your CG a lot.

Plus you would have to demount the camper to tilt the cab to access the engine.

But you've probably already considered and planned for all this.

 

[kerry]

I know that this is diverging from your questions, but...

Keep in mind that the cab is a lot higher, so a slide-in camper with a cab-over section won't clear the roof of the cab.

This pic I borrowed from the Hackney's site offers a good illustration:

If you raise the slide-in high enough to clear the cab roof, you'll be raising your CG a lot.

Plus you would have to demount the camper to tilt the cab to access the engine.

But you've probably already considered and planned for all this.

Yes I had thought of that. But with a 13' utility bed it would be possible to have a camper shell on the bed without having it extend over the cab.

 

[Lynn]

Yes I had thought of that. But with a 13' utility bed it would be possible to have a camper shell on the bed without having it extend over the cab.

Sorry for the diversion. A shell makes sense. Where I come from a slide-in camper is a whole 'nother beast, and when you said "into which I could slide a camper," that beast came to mind.

So, ya gonna buy it? I'm anxious to see the build thread, but probably won't be able to resist more, um, participation!

 

[kerry]

Sorry, I miswrote. I did mean a slide in camper.
If it were close to me I'd have been there already but it's 1800 miles from me but I'm thinking about it. My sister-in-law lives close to it so it might be a good excuse to visit her. Anybody here near Salisbury NC?

 

[haven]

The 1999 and 2001 Fuso FG models have the 3.9L engine, which is less powerful than the current models. The GVWR is 12,000 lbs. rather than today's 15,000 lbs. The older cab style is considerably noisier than today's models.

Ads I saw elsewhere described the truck as a fuel and lube carrier, as used by a mining operation or road building crew. The utility bed is probably filled with fuel tanks of different sizes.

It looks like the utility body and wheels have recently been repainted. I'd check closely for signs of rust that might have been painted over.

 

[kerry]

. The older cab style is considerably noisier than today's models.
.

I've got an 82 Bluebird Wanderlodge with a CAT 3208 sitting between driver and passenger. Anybody capable of comparing the sounds of that CAT to the older FUSO cab?

 

[engineer]

If you are capable of sitting next to a 3208, you should find the old fuso quite refreshing

 

[dhackney]

We have been very, very happy with our service body type storage boxes.

Very rugged and so far, as mentioned above, zombie proof.

We sealed them with weatherstrip and they have been, while not waterproof under extended submersion or direct heavy flow, more than adequate moisture protection for materials stored in plastic bins, etc.

It is possible to keep dust out of them. I put a filtered box fan in our electrical systems compartment to create positive pressure and the compartment has just a very slight film of light dust after 25k miles including lots of very, very brutal, dusty gravel, silt and dirt roads.

The only issue we've had is if you put torsional stress on them they will crack. You must make sure they are not subject to the twisting forces of the Fuso frame, which is very, very flexible on the longitudinal torsional axis.

We've got one box that is subject to those forces and has cracked. That's the price of buiding something custom, one time, and not being able to learn all the lessons of series production.

A factory service body would be presumably more immune to that issue, depending on how it was mounted.

Be sure to examine the interior corners of the storage boxes for any signs of cracking.

 

[kerry]

I have an internet acquaintance who is going to go look at the 99 for me on Saturday. Any more idea or questions or things to look at chime in now.