Rebuilding the Fuso Szulc 5

The whole exercise of building a subframe between the chassis of the Mitsubishi Fuso truck and the Santek camper box was to distribute the weight.
So that 100 % of the Fuso chassis is carrying the weight of the Santek camper box.
To avoid that the weight of the Santek camper box is concentrated on only a few points on the Fuso chassis.
Because that deforms and wrecks the Fuso chassis.

When the Fuso Szulc returned from the Ferguson workshop to Kearny Mesa Mitsubishi Truck Centre yesterday, the surprise was big to find out that the subframe was like floating above the frame of the Fuso truck.
Next to the engine the subframe was over one inch above the truck frame.
And in between the subframe and the truck frame from the engine to the end light could be seen.
Showing there was space and the subframe not fully resting on the truck frame.

How was this possible?

In order to keep the subframe in place Eric Ferguson had come up with two solutions.
One was to use U-bolts.
There are a few of them.
But the most important for keeping the subframe and the camper box in place are brackets that are welded to the sides of the subframe.
Vertical pieces of metal that are bolted to the side of the truck frame.

There are six of those brackets.
And in fact now, the whole weight of the camper box is carried by the truck frame through these six brackets.
The reason for this is that the holes in the brackets for the bolts to go into the truck frame have been made before the subframe with the camper box was put on the truck.
Somehow these holes are not exactly where they should be.
They are in the wrong places.
Instead of just keeping the subframe in the right place, the brackets and its bolts actually carry the subframe and the camperbox.

This means that the original idea of having a subframe evaporates completely.
Because the weight of the camper box is now concentrated on the six brackets.
More precisely, on the bolts that keep the bracket to the truck frame.

This is asking for trouble in the future.
Besides that it makes no sense to build a subframe and then have the weight be carried by brackets.

And then there is another thing.
In order to build a subframe, it is essential to make exact calculations.
Somehow, this has not been going as it should.
The current result of the work of Eric Ferguson is that the front of the camper box is slightly lower.
It means that the horizontal line of the camper box is not parallel with the horizontal line of the truck.
This can be seen easily.
When looking from the side to the opening between the cabin of the truck and the front wall of the camper box, it is slightly like a triangle.
It looks like the cabin of the truck is in a backwards angle.

These issues described above should be addressed.
But this is not that easy.
All parties involved suffer now of fatigue.
And the costs of staying in a hotel waiting and waiting is adding up to over a $ 1.000 now.



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