2wd van lifts

[hojhauler]

Anyone have any experience with either the Advanced or Camburg 2wd lift kits for an E-series van?
I would love to have a 4wd van but honestly with the size and what we use this van for I think I could do anything with a little more clearance, a better tire, a rear locker and a front winch mount for emergencies. I really like the look of the lifted van and the 2wd kits sound like a great choice.

Do I need the heim joint radius arms or are the stock re-cut ones in the kit ok?

Are these kits completely removable to put the van back to stock form if I sell the van later and replace with another one and use the lift on the newer one?

Does anyone have experience or a preference btw the two kits mentioned above?

Any other information or help.....thanks.

btw, this is all to be used on a 2001 E350 extended body passenger van w/ V-10. Its primary use is family travel and towing the offroad rig and/ or the travel trailer

 

[ujoint]

I've driven Camburg equipped vans, and I would have to say that it's very nice. The only downfall is that they have to install it. They bend the I-beams, which makes for a cleaner setup.

One route to consider is a partial 4x4 swap.... Hang the front axle, but don't install the t-case & associated parts. It will cost a little more than the 2wd lift, but it's halfway to 4wd if you ever choose to upgrade or sell the van.

 

[hojhauler]

from looking on their set-up, I thought you could do an install yourself and just pay core charges for their modified parts. I will do a little more research. Have you had anyone install your lift using a solid dummy axle instead of a front differential?

PM me with the price and availability of your conversion system, thanks

 

[ujoint]

Check with them, they may have changed things up...

Not a dummy axle, but there are a few vans running around with no 4x4 drivetrain.

 

[LeadDoggy]

I'm using the Action Van lift on my 07 E350 and running 33" tall tires. No complaints about the quality or ride of the kit. The radius arms that come with the kit are all you need. Don't spend the extra money for the heimjoint radius arms. As for the Camberg lift and the bending of the I beams. The I beams on my van have "do not heat or bend" casted into them.
It can be very easily put back to stock but you will probally get a better price if you sell vehicle with the kit.

with stock wheels and tires

with the 33s

 

[hojhauler]

LeadDoggy,

that is the set-up I am going for. Do you use your van offroad much and how does the powerlok do moving it around? Do you tow much if anything with your van? I will look in to the Action Van kit, thanks

 

[barryv]

Camburg lift

Hi Hojhauler
I just had my van lifted by Camburg. They do incredibly clean work and fabricate many parts themselves. (They offer a kit for DIYers as well). They build race trucks for Baja etc. for a living. They know what they're doing. Feel free to PM me or take a look at my ride. I highly recomend Camburg.....

 

[hojhauler]

barryv,

thanks for the information, you have any pics of your van? do you mind sending me a pm with the total cost incurred and work done. Was there any hidden expenses or something that you were not expecting?

For both of you with lifted 2wd, how do they still tow a load? I still need to use mine for towing a 8000# load either on a car hauler or a travel trailer.

 

[LeadDoggy]

LeadDoggy,

that is the set-up I am going for. Do you use your van offroad much and how does the powerlok do moving it around? Do you tow much if anything with your van? I will look in to the Action Van kit, thanks

Have not yet done too much offroading but what i have done, I have not had any problems like getting stuck or having an issue where i had to back up and try again. The only towing I have done is with a little HF fold-up pulling two dirtbikes with another on my rack. The load is lite and it's like it's not even there. I did regear to 4:10 and it brought the speedo back to reading correctly. The re-gear and the tires almost work like the orginal gears and tires.

 

[Weldtec Designs]

An old thread but still letting you guys know about our van suspension @ www.weldtecdesigns.com

 

[Sleam]

This is all great information. Thanks. I've been thinking about the AWD Astro and installing a 2" lift for the forest roads. I hope you can pass on some prices as you work on your vehicle.
S

 

[2001Safari]

Here are the picks of my beater. First time image post-er, sorry. I snagged these to show what I did to make my 245 75r16 fit. And then what the whole thing looks like. Hopefully I'll get a better handle on posting pictures but I have a sick kid leaning on me right now. And I do/did beat on it. Wife hates looking at it in the driveway :sombrero:. One can do a much better job with the trimming/banging that is going on here, especially on the foot-wells. I went in there with a 5# hammer and made things work, but looking back, I could have been more patient.

I take this up some decent fire roads. It amazes me what the thing can do. I've moved on to an 08 Express for my daily driver so the gadgets will be dispersed towards that for the time being.

 

[Weldtec Designs]

ford van suspension by Weldtec Designs

A couple more pics to add to this older thread, We always like more pics.....

 

[LumpyCanuck]

Any help/resources for someone looking to lift a 1987 2wd E350? I realize the 1992+ is more desirable, but the van we are looking at is more in our price range/quality/km's. OR if someone knows of a kit to convert to 4wd, that would be great to (ujoint won't work)

 

[Md11fan]

Any help/resources for someone looking to lift a 1987 2wd E350? I realize the 1992+ is more desirable, but the van we are looking at is more in our price range/quality/km's. OR if someone knows of a kit to convert to 4wd, that would be great to (ujoint won't work)

Look no further than weldtec! they handle 3rd gen vans as well

https://weldtecdesigns.com/product-category/ford/3rd-gen-ford-van/