Pattywagen
New member
Greetings! I've been a lurker here for some time, but decided I'm close enough to finishing my van to compile a build thread. I've had my share of custom/highly modified vehicles over the years, but this one is certainly the biggest. It definitely gets a lot of attention, and it's such a blast to drive around.
It all started with the purchase of a (relatively) low milage E350 cargo van. It was originally a cargo van, but the first owner was a church that sent it to Turtle Top for a passenger conversion package. Hence the non-oem side windows. At first I wasn't sure what the deal was with the house-style navy blue carpet and the rectangular windows, but after some research it made sense. I'm thinking that when these first came out, they weren't offered as passenger vans with the powerstroke diesel from the factory. It was in pretty good shape. It wasn't beat to hell, the motor and transmission worked flawlessly, and for a one ton brick shaped van it actually got really good fuel economy. If you could keep your foot out of it, 19-20mpg was pretty easily attainable. I got it because I needed portable enclosed tool storage, and the towing capacity to pull my travel trailer. Fast forward a couple years, and I've pulled the travel trailer a total of 2 times and taken all the tools out and gutted the back for some laminate flooring. I really had my eye on an old body style F350 4wd crew cab, but I got a really good deal on the van. I had always wanted a 4wd econoline ever since I first saw one as a kid at the MX races. I caught a lot of hell from friends over my "rape van" but now that it's sitting on a solid axle up front and 35's that talk has seemed to subside!
As it sits currently, I'm awaiting the arrival of my new clutch kit and aftermarket clutch pedal to begin the install of my ZF5. I originally wanted to go with the 6 speed, but after weeks and weeks looking online and calling wreckers and transmission shops, I found a deal on a 5 speed that I couldn't pass up. Also, I had the chance to drive a 97 F350 with the 5speed and the same gear ratios and tire size and it was perfect. I also spent countless hours in the evenings reading about the strength of the ZF5 and owner's reviews and put to rest any doubts about its reliability and longevity. The first and final drive ratios are very similar between the two transmissions and I know that the zf6 is dimensionally larger.
Already completed is the front axle swap. I picked up a used axle from a 2001 F250 and ordered new leaf springs designed to give 4" of lift on the trucks. I had alread started fabbing things up when I came across Ujoint offroad's kits. Looking back I wish I had ordered a kit from Chris and saved myself a lot of time, but overall I feel good about how my swap has turned out and I went to great lengths to make sure everything was done as safely and accurate as possible. I amended a few of my designs after seeing the way the Ujoint kits are set up, and while I certainly don't want to give the vibe that I tried to full out copy his stuff, I must say that they have absolutely got the best design in comparison to the other conversion companies that I've looked at. Coming from a Toyota offroad background, the utilization of leaf springs and compatible factory available axles just makes sense to me. There are a few items that I will be doing differently now that I've had some time to drive it around for a while. Shocks and rear leaf springs primarily, but for the most part it's very near completion. I've been driving it around with the Bluetooth front driveshaft
for about a year, and I'm very excited to get the 5 speed in it.
I've built a roof rack, and a rear bumper for it. Planning to finish up the rear swing-outs and front bumper soon.
Update: since typing this up a few weeks ago, I've completed the 5 speed swap and absolutely love it. I certainly get the convenience of the auto trans, but there's nothing like rowing through the gears in a big diesel powered beast! I'll be adding some photos/videos asap.
Sent from my SM-T377P using Tapatalk
It all started with the purchase of a (relatively) low milage E350 cargo van. It was originally a cargo van, but the first owner was a church that sent it to Turtle Top for a passenger conversion package. Hence the non-oem side windows. At first I wasn't sure what the deal was with the house-style navy blue carpet and the rectangular windows, but after some research it made sense. I'm thinking that when these first came out, they weren't offered as passenger vans with the powerstroke diesel from the factory. It was in pretty good shape. It wasn't beat to hell, the motor and transmission worked flawlessly, and for a one ton brick shaped van it actually got really good fuel economy. If you could keep your foot out of it, 19-20mpg was pretty easily attainable. I got it because I needed portable enclosed tool storage, and the towing capacity to pull my travel trailer. Fast forward a couple years, and I've pulled the travel trailer a total of 2 times and taken all the tools out and gutted the back for some laminate flooring. I really had my eye on an old body style F350 4wd crew cab, but I got a really good deal on the van. I had always wanted a 4wd econoline ever since I first saw one as a kid at the MX races. I caught a lot of hell from friends over my "rape van" but now that it's sitting on a solid axle up front and 35's that talk has seemed to subside!
As it sits currently, I'm awaiting the arrival of my new clutch kit and aftermarket clutch pedal to begin the install of my ZF5. I originally wanted to go with the 6 speed, but after weeks and weeks looking online and calling wreckers and transmission shops, I found a deal on a 5 speed that I couldn't pass up. Also, I had the chance to drive a 97 F350 with the 5speed and the same gear ratios and tire size and it was perfect. I also spent countless hours in the evenings reading about the strength of the ZF5 and owner's reviews and put to rest any doubts about its reliability and longevity. The first and final drive ratios are very similar between the two transmissions and I know that the zf6 is dimensionally larger.
Already completed is the front axle swap. I picked up a used axle from a 2001 F250 and ordered new leaf springs designed to give 4" of lift on the trucks. I had alread started fabbing things up when I came across Ujoint offroad's kits. Looking back I wish I had ordered a kit from Chris and saved myself a lot of time, but overall I feel good about how my swap has turned out and I went to great lengths to make sure everything was done as safely and accurate as possible. I amended a few of my designs after seeing the way the Ujoint kits are set up, and while I certainly don't want to give the vibe that I tried to full out copy his stuff, I must say that they have absolutely got the best design in comparison to the other conversion companies that I've looked at. Coming from a Toyota offroad background, the utilization of leaf springs and compatible factory available axles just makes sense to me. There are a few items that I will be doing differently now that I've had some time to drive it around for a while. Shocks and rear leaf springs primarily, but for the most part it's very near completion. I've been driving it around with the Bluetooth front driveshaft
for about a year, and I'm very excited to get the 5 speed in it. I've built a roof rack, and a rear bumper for it. Planning to finish up the rear swing-outs and front bumper soon.
Update: since typing this up a few weeks ago, I've completed the 5 speed swap and absolutely love it. I certainly get the convenience of the auto trans, but there's nothing like rowing through the gears in a big diesel powered beast! I'll be adding some photos/videos asap.
Sent from my SM-T377P using Tapatalk
