Which, of course, means that all the pertinent components are available from Isuzu…somewhere. Although I’m sure the components (and shipping from a market where they’re available) won’t be cheap, at least a conversion wouldn’t involve a ton of fabrication and re-engineering, although the difference in engines would likely be a complicating factor, not least because the 4HK1-TC in the FTR is physically smaller than and short on power compared to the 6HK1-TCC in the FTS.
The real question is then, when all is said and done, would such a conversion be cost competitive to and/or measurably superior to, say, a Navistar M2 (which is about as close as you can get to the FTS with a North American spec truck brand new in 2023, albeit not a COE)?
Not being a billionaire with limitless resources, the only argument besides “it’s cool” I can come up with for an FTR conversion is parts/service options if you’re doing a circumnavigation, as the M2 isn’t really widely available outside of North America (and not really available at all outside of the Americas, Australasia, and the Middle East).
It’d all be simpler if Isuzu would just sell the FTS in the North America. ?
