Our New Fuso FG Build

deathbywanderlust

Scientist/ Adventurer
We just bought a 2003 Fuso FG 4x4 over the weekend so we wanted to start a thread for our build. We plan to build a box 14 ft long, 7 ft wide that will include cab access, a full bath, and a second floor bed with an extendable roof. Will post more pictures soon. Any tips are welcome!

Fuso2.jpegFuso.jpeg
 

GR8ADV

Explorer
Woo hoo this is great and I am looking fwd to following along. Your vision is maybe the perfect vehicle in my eyes. Gl.

And as always in mr hackneys own words.
.
"I worked 7 days a week, 10-14+ hour days, mostly the latter, until 3 June, 2007. My wife estimates that I took off a maximum of 20 days during that span. I honestly don't know how many days the subcontractors put into it, but I believe it is fair to characterize it as "a lot." I don't know how many man-/person-hours that adds up to, but again, I think "a lot," would be a fair characterization. To get an idea of the tasks involved, check out the project timeline by clicking here. Most of the "actual" tasks listed roll up quite a few things into one line, but it will give you a feel for what is involved. This would have been a multi-year undertaking working on it part time."

It's August 4 u are officially on the clock...
 

1aquaholic

Adventurer
Wow those Action Mobile rigs are works of art. I'm working on the same dimensions and a extending roof, be fun to compare along the way.

j
 

gait

Explorer
its all in the planning - 1/3 planning, 1/3 procurement, 1/3 building.

Anything that's not square takes lots longer. Rounded corners look nice but take time. If considering trim count up the bits. Every one takes time. Hatches take time. Every new type of material takes set up. Each pipe size needs different fittings. Anything that moves takes time. And so on - standardise, standardise, then standardise again.

But basically a well planned rectangular box build can be completed in less than 6 months, including building the shell, with a reasonable quality finish. I even had time to make my own light fittings.
 

deathbywanderlust

Scientist/ Adventurer
Sounds like a nice build. Do you have any plans/drawings to share? Will be following closely

We are working on finalizing our plans right now and will post as soon as we have them. Our first goal is to re-do the cab and work on the mechanics before we start the box. We are trying to pay for everything in cash along the way which is why we have allotted so much time for completion. Trying to not have a huge note when we start our trip. But I'll post interior cab photos and plans pretty soon. Thanks for following!
 

dlh62c

Explorer
Reagan

Looks good!

Keep in mind one has to focus on the build as a whole and not as a set of discrete tasks.

Have you considered doing away with the angled rear and have the body come straight down to the frame? It'll certainly increase your storage space and make the design and build less complex.

There are rear bumper and body height restrictions you need to be aware of, know what they are. Everyone wants the greatest departure angle in the rear, but a 31 inch bumper height limits what you can do. You can bring the bumper straight off the frame, but you'll need to install what is often referred to as a Mansfield Bar.

http://blogs.trucktrend.com/6492303...behind-jayne-mansfield-and-the-mansfield-bar/
 
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deathbywanderlust

Scientist/ Adventurer
Update

We have had our truck almost a year now and honestly haven’t done much to it. We have spent a lot of time researching materials and design ideas because we really want to do it right the first time… we don’t want to finish it and then a year later wish we had spent more time researching ideas beforehand (though I’m sure there will be things we wish we had done differently either way). But we have pretty much finalized a design idea, so we wanted to share some of our design drawings.

Passenger Side.jpg

This is a basic look at our box. We are also still trying to figure out how to mount sea kayaks on the roof and still be able to have solar panels. Not an easy task but we are trying to get creative. We are adding super single wheels from ATW and new air ride seats from National. Our AC is Dometic and is NOT a roof AC, it is actually going to be under our bed. Our subframe will be either steel or aluminum (debating that now) and most of the interior will be made out of wood by my husband who has access to a millworks shop. Under the bed is also a storage section that extends all the way through the box, giving us a place to store longer items such as kayak paddles and possibly mountain bikes.

Front Passenger Side.jpg

From this overview you can see the wet bath and the refrigerator along with one side of the booth and the bed in the back. By the booth will also be a crawl through to the cab. At the top you can see that we are trying to include as much cabinet storage as possible since we did not have room to include a closet.

Fuso - Front Driver Side.jpg

Here you can see the kitchen next to the door which will include a two burner induction stove and a sink. We have chosen not to include a microwave but will be bringing a small toaster oven.

Fuso - Bad Passenger Side.jpg

Here you can better see the storage box under the bed as well as the extension. The windows around the bed will be stationary but there will be a hatch window above the bed. The windows by the booth will also be hatches.

Our box is 16 feet with the extension for the bed, 14 ft without it. We will post more pictures once we actually start building it which should be soon. The first thing on the list is super singles and air ride seats, then we will move on to the subframe and the box. Thanks for keeping up with our build!

(david506th designed all of these pictures... thanks hun!)
 

GR8ADV

Explorer
thanks for sharing and allowing us to be a part of your build. Keep us posted, you would be surprised how many folks are watching. :Wow1:
 

david506th

Adventurer
I will add this:
Height of box from sub-frame platform to top of panels is 8' with a overall interior height of 6'10". The exterior width is 7'8" and a interior width of 7'4" though that may change if I increase to 3" panels or add interior insulation.

The floor is continuous and does not dip with the frame. When designing the interior I decided to keep the floor level the same though dip the sub-frame thus creating a basement. The ~1' deep basement will now be used to run electrical, plumbing, HVAC & hold the fresh water tank. The center line floor will have removable panels to access the water tanks and under bath plumbing. This will hopefully allow me to keep allow me to keep all fresh water and plumbing inside the insulated box.

David
 

dlh62c

Explorer
Reagan & Dave

The design is looking good!

Just a suggestion, tape off the layout to full scale on a garage or basement floor. The effort will give you spacial awareness as you move about the area.
 

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