The Project Begins

[baphenatem]

After a few months of lurking on various RV forums and doing a bit of soul searching about what I really want in an RV, I've decided that I'm going the Fuso and truck camper route. Not that I wouldn't like an ATW Alpha, but there is that issue of $225,000. Two weeks ago I found a 1998 Bigfoot 3000 camper that needs some TLC due to window and skylight leaks for $3400. Oddly enough, three days after I decided to buy the Bigfoot a 2000 Fuso FG with 67,000 miles showed up on Craigslist for $15,000, with a dump body and a storage box, so I jumped on that too.

I talked my old work partner into driving to New Castle, PA last Saturday, where with the help of a U-Haul car-hauler, some cribbing and a few ratchet straps we fetched the Bigfoot fixer-upper. My boss was kind enough to let me put it in the shop at work, where I've been busy tearing the wood and flooring out of the bunk. The roof has been cleaned and I'm waiting on some Eternabond tape to show up from Amazon to do some sealing around the roof vent and skylights, after scraping out the lousy old caulk. It's funny how Dicor over dirt doesn't really seal any better than the dirt itself. POS, by the way, also stands for "Previous Owner Syndrome", which this camper has a bad case of.

This Saturday it's off pick up the Fuso in Weymouth, MA and drive it back to scenic Warren, Michigan, with a stop for a full tank of fuel and a weighing just south of Detroit. I figure that with a 12,000 lb. GVWR I'm going to have to do the Buckminster Fuller and "add lightness" wherever possible. Without knowing the weight of the truck and dump body I'd be flying blind in doing any designing. Anyway, here are a few pics...

Tom

 

[kerry]

If you need any parts on the way home, I've dealt with the Fuso dealer in Syracuse and they have always been helpful.

 

[dlh62c]

It's going to be a fun project.

Don't burn yourself out, develop a plan and work the plan.

Your lucky in that you have a shop in which work on it, there's going to be some heavy and awkward lifting involved.

Keep us all up-to-date and take any and all criticisms with a pinch of salt.

 

[baphenatem]

I hear you on the potential for burn-out. The plan is to focus on the camper first, get it up to snuff, and then work on the truck. Fortunately we have a two ton overhead crane and a welding shop to help with some of the chores when the time comes. Also, I lucked out on the camper in that the previous owner was meticulous about keeping all of the documentation for the Bigfoot and all of its appliances together and well organized.

BTW, on an entirely different note; can anybody tell me how to use the exhaust brake on the FG? I have a feeling that I'm going to be needing it on the west side of the Appalachians coming home. Not ever having driven one and having no operator's manual leaves me wondering.

 

[kerry]

Unless you drive the 2 lane highways you won't really have much need for it. But I have mine on all the time. There's one switch on the dash which automatically engages it at idle to warm the engine up more quickly. Use that in real cold weather only. The other switch is the stalk on the right side. For the longest time I didn't realized it controlled the exhaust brake. Mine was one when I bought it and always engaged when I let off the throttle until one day I must have inadvertently hit the stalk and turned it off. I thought the exhaust brake was broken until someone mentioned something on here about it and I figured out how to turn it back on again. It will automatically engaged when you let off the throttle and disengage when you push in the clutch. It's a nice feature in Colorado.

 

[kerry]

On burnout: I was very cognizant of this factor when I chose to go the Fuso route, especially since I had a full time job when I set out on the project. I wanted to keep my build simple and fast so the ratio of fun to work was appropriate. So far I'd say it's been about 100:1.

 

[baphenatem]

Today's progress.