2004 Pre-DEF Fuso 4x4 Rust Concerns

[Picowatt]

Fuso expedition build newbie. How does this look to anyone here with a trained eye?

Been following on thee forum for a while and understood that pre-DEF fusos can be hard to come by, saw this one pop up online with low miles (25K) and pulled the trigger.

Currently have truck in my own hands, it runs fine, inspection needed to check everything out in detail. 4x4 works Hi & Lo.

Newbie project wondering if it's worth the undertaking. Main concern is rust. They've of course painted over it to make it appear fresh but there is certainly visible rust issues. Wondering how to best combat this, who to take it to to have second opinion, is it worth getting a new frame or a new truck altogether. Thee truck seems mechanically sounds and hopefully a score! We want to go international with a DIY overland build.

Wondering: most important things to look for, tests to do, etc things that would lead to yes or no

Currently planning to take it to dealer to have engine checked and make sure no maintenance needs to be done.

Heres original link to add: 2004 Fuso 4x4 tried to upload more pics but files were too big.



Currently exploring registration options as well and wondering if anyone on here has gone through the South Dakota loop hole?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Picowatt]

Underbody & engine

Did I buy a unicorn or a dead unicorn?

Link to more pictures.

https://apps.auction123.com/ImageViewer/ImgViewer.aspx?aID=3761061&sID=0

 

[biggoolies]

Well you are going to have to grind it all off and see how deep it goes. Then you will have your answer. Giving us a picture is not going to get a proper evaluation in my opinion. You have to get in there and have a look.

 

[gait]

what were the two brackets on the front used for?

 

[C p weinberger]

Snowplow?

 

[Picowatt]

Thanks for the input, will get busy with a grinder over the next few weeks and update the process.

The brackets on the front certainly lead to thinking it was used as a plow even at only 25K miles of plowing its enough to cause some rust for sure.

That being said I’ll keep you guys posted as to how much metal is left, I’ll also be taking it in for a full check up on the engine if there’s anything special I should look for let me know.

Was going to get check service done as well as compression test just to be safe.

Thanks!

 

[devonojas]

I inquired about this one as well but I guess you beat me to it. Will be following along to see what my fate could have been. I hope it's a diamond in the rough!

 

[brp]

How do you know they painted over rust? Is that rubber/tar coating peeling off? I would try to come up with a way to remove small sample sections of the coating, that does not remove potential intact paint underneath. Maybe steam or some type of soft scraper, like a copper blade.

A coating up FluidFilm is cheap, easy, effective, and makes existing rust look less obvious. I've been happy with it.

 

[gait]

the normal surface is smooth, the pics look like scale (rust) under the thick black paint, the texture isn't due to paint.

I suspect a goodly dose of phosphoric acid may be required.

 

[cameronsturgess]

While you are checking the frame for rust you May also want to check the cab for rust. Pull the seats out and vinyl flooring. You will see a seam running across the foot wells. Also check under the seat near the rear of the seat close
To the door. You will have to address this rust from under the foot wells and I’m the cab. POR15 works well.

 

[cameronsturgess]

Here are some before and after pics of a 2012 that spent its life as a dump truck in ontario. Salted roads here. The previous owner had the truck Krown protected which helped with rust. Only surface rust on chassis. Chassis had rust in the seams. They are now painted black with POR-15. Similar treatment to chassis. Will apply another coat of POR then two part epoxy. The hardest part was degreasing the chassis. Oh. And wear a face mask when you paint with POR. It doesn’t come off skin.

 

[Picowatt]

Thanks for the input everyone! We got the dump bed taken off and got into some pressure washing to get the flakes of paint over the rust off. Took the truck to a sandblaster and he said it's the worst frame he's seen in 25 years. It's looking like we may have a much longer road ahead either replacing frame entirely (Busbee Truck parts currently doesn't have any FG frames even though their website shows it) OR removing the cab & engine piece by piece and basically rebuilding the truck. Wondering if anyone else has ever done this and how big of a can a worms it is. Any other resources online for FG frames? OR work with the one we got?

Wanted to throw some more detailed pictures on here of the frame as we are feeling a bit deflated currently. Going to need to replace brake lines, etc from rust damage but just wondering if it's really worth continuing the build. We love the truck and it's got 25K miles on the engine. Looking for words of encouragement/advice from anyone else that's been here before.

So far the input on this forum has been amazing. Thanks!

Cheers!

 

[SkiFreak]

What is the condition of the steel around the chassis step and in front of that?

 

[Picowatt]

What is the condition of the steel around the chassis step and in front of that?

The step itself is pretty good however there is rust on the interior frame rails all the way up through the engine location. At this point I'm thinking of removing everything, sand blasting entire frame, motor mounts, everything under the cab back to the end of the frame and then put everything back on replacing basically all of it that needs replacing due to rust damage. OR at that point if it makes more sense to just transfer Cab, Engine, transfer case, etc to a new frame I guess that'll depend if I can find a frame.

Looking for a reference of someone else putting a fuso back together and some encouragement on if it's worth the undertaking.

I'll get some closer pictures of the frame for reference.

Cheers

 

[SkiFreak]

At the end of the day, it will be your own assessment of the rust damage that will determine if the amount of work required is justifiable.
If I were doing the assessment, I would also pull off the brake drums to see if the rust has invaded that area too.
Should you be able to source a replacement frame, you may find that this would be a simpler path to take.