06 Ford Econoline Utility Body 4x4

[KDB]

The Siberian bumper is officially mounted and ready for action. The vehicle is on the ground, driving, and getting it's fine tuning. I'll be taking it into Colorado Camper Van sometime in February. Mark at CCV has been helpful, responsive, and patient with my many newb questions. Couple pics....

 

[KDB]

Ok, making progess. Here are a few pics of the vehicle as it stands today. There are a few interior shots showing the upper shelf cut out I had Agile do to make the beginnings of the bed platform. That shelf sits about waist high.
On that shelf currently you will see the Darche 270 awning still boxed up. It will be getting mounted to the top side of the passenger. Separate from the pop top of course.

The Tiger bumper came out beautifully. Paired really well with the van. Agile did a great job on the install and mods it took to get it to fit. It does pain me not to see the Aluminess roof rack i had my heart set on but i know a poptop will be more useful for both the lass and I.

House battery is in and the 12v outlet block with usb's will be placed towards the rear of the van. Another small block up by the bed. The rear block will be primarly for the fridge which will live parallel the rear door (that holds the tire). When the primary rear door (with the box) is opened to your immediate left will be the digital readout of the ARB fridge. Kodiak battery in the shelf area in front of the tire (that shelf is also is accessible to the outside) will be connected to the house battery allowing it to also be charged by solar. The house will be hooked up to the starting batteries as well separated by an isolator.

Should hopefully be picking up the van here in the next week or two then its going direct to CCV for the poptop. It should be a fun drive getting to not only be behind the wheel for a while but probably even test of the conversion in the snow.

As for the top, it will be getting the Promaster style mid height top which they use on a few different types of rigs. CCV thinks that will be the best option for the body style.

 

[KDB]

Ok, a few updates. Picked up from Agile and went to CCV for the top!

 

[rayra]

Needs a top hatch / turret!

That looks real nice and should be a blast in the outdoors.

 

[Bubblegoose1]

Incredible build. Perfection. Love it.

 

[wild1]

Incredible build. Perfection. Love it.

What a platform for the hardcore climber, biker, ski mountaineer! Makes the 4x4 Sprinter conversions look pretty limited for this application. Well done.

 

[Overlandtowater]

Just a question, why the twin traction beam instead of a solid axle? BTW I always love the TTB but I know a lot of people do not... GREAT build by the way.

 

[Adventurous]

This thing is awesome! Just found this build and can’t wait to see more. ?

 

[KDB]

Just a question, why the twin traction beam instead of a solid axle? BTW I always love the TTB but I know a lot of people do not... GREAT build by the way.

From my research the TTB is a great choice for trail running, snow, and medium duty 4x'ing. Theres a lot of write ups that will do far better justice explaining this than i will but the independent'esque conversion drives better on hwy and absorbs bumps offroad with less transfer to the ride experience. The quigley i've ridden in previously in an smb rode pretty horribly. SHort of getting a straight axle with a rip kit from Agile i chose to go the TTB route. It performed very well off trail in baja and on the california trail coming back from Colorado after picking it up with the fresh top. It's been an adventure filled 3 weeks for me in the van!

We did manage to get the rig stuck a couple times in deep sand and some mud but were weren't aired down all that much (35 psi) so i can complain about the conversion in that regards. We did however get the vehicle stuck in 4 low and had to drive back 500 miles to the border going 30mph on our way home from Baja. Got to the border and took it straight to Agile. They confirmed it was stuck in 4 low, were apologetic and offerred to get on top of it instantly. I did not want to rush them so we opted to fly home from San Diego to the bay area. After Agile has gone through the t case, determined the cause and repaired the issue i'll fly back down to pick up the rig. We will see what kind of expenses i get reimbursed from them. I don't want to make a stink of it too soon as they still have and are working on the rig.

Up until this issue the vehice performed great and we had a blast. The issue only impacted our drive home.

 

[KDB]

We had more space than we knew what to do with. I really need to begin putting effort into kitting up the storage sides so gear isn't just scattered around. I'll start with the awning/kitchen side of the vehicle first. It really is a great platform for loads of adventure hobbies.

 

[KDB]

A few more...

 

[KDB]

SOme of the files are too large apparently but here are another few....

 

[billiebob]

I'd love to hear any and all thoughts for the build!

A wonerful vehicle. I've had a dream for something like that since 1965.
Commercial service bodies tend to be bullet proof. Built to be abused every day.
Fabulous with 4WD, and still a reasonable center of gravity.

 

[KDB]

A wonerful vehicle. I've had a dream for something like that since 1965.
Commercial service bodies tend to be bullet proof. Built to be abused every day.
Fabulous with 4WD, and still a reasonable center of gravity.

Tx BB! The center of gravity is very good in this rig all considering. Certainly the pop top threw that off a bit but we had the vehicle pretty well pitched and my buddy who own a sprinter 4x4 said he didn't think his rig would have performed as well. All in all an excellent afforable platform for conversions. I do intend to reinforce the seam where the body and cab come together. That really being the primary weak spot in the design for offroading due to body twist. I do hear a small squeak in that area that seems to indicate a very small amount of play happening there. Once reinforced and sound proofed (which the vehicle needs sooner than later) it should be a non issue.

 

[billiebob]

I do intend to reinforce the seam where the body and cab come together.

Do not reinforce it !!!!!
Find the squeak and give it the freedom to move.
You try to bolt it up tighter, something will break, tear, rip.
Flex is the best thing in a 4x4.