FInally found the right one, 2000 E250 - Prepping some axles...

[sdski]

I have been looking for the right van since early spring. My plan was to buy one by the start of summer, start the interior and 4x4 conversions and have it ready for skiing this winter. Unfortunately it took a lot longer than expected to make up my mind as to what I wanted and to find the right van.

Yesterday I drove down to pick this gem up south of Portland, OR. It has 130k miles on a 5.4 and the previous owner used it to drive back and forth between Oregon and California for work. I haven't found a spec of rust on it and it drives a lot better than I was expecting. I picked up a friend in Astoria on the way back and took rte. 101 back to 5 and got an average of 15mpg on the curvy mountain roads doing 60 the whole time.

This will be a good project. Hopefully I can get a front axle under it and have the conversion done to enjoy some ski trips this winter, but its really dependent on time and finding the right parts at the right price. For now I might try to give my bank account a break while I figure out what to do first.

This forum has been a wealth of information for me so far and I hope to start being more able to contribute. I have been stalking around for a few months but I don't think I ever formally introduced myself. I have been living in northern Seattle since May. I moved here in November for work, but barely spent 2 weeks before I was on a plane to northern Wales for 6 months for work. Prior to that I lived in Wyoming, Vermont and grew up in Massachusetts. I have a lot of gear to haul around for skiing and biking mainly and I think a van is the perfect vehicle. I look forward to getting to know you all and hopefully I can get this build going sooner rather than later.






The rear bumper of my DD comes to the rear tire of the van. Awesome!

 

[scoutkid]

Nice!! Give Ujoint a call, he has been GREAT to work with!!

 

[ujoint]

Great van!!!!!

 

[loren85022]

Personally I think we should boycott Chris unless he agrees to be at OE-2012 in May.:wings:

 

[ujoint]

Sounds good to me! (The expo, not the boycott!!!!)

 

[RocKrawler]

I further that the boycott remain in effect until an affordable solid axle swap is developed for the Astro/Safari platform, using Ford components of course so he doesnt go against his standards and we can use the 78/79 bronco axles that fit this platform so well. :victory:

 

[sdski]

Right now the interior is empty, I think my first plan is to put up a wall behind the two front seats (with access door to the back) to keep the back better insulated for sleeping. However, I also want to put a 3rd seat in and need to make sure it is legal, especially for crossing the border into Canada. I think the best spot for my planned layout is on the passenger side next to the barn doors, right in front of the wheel well. I'm assuming there have to be some good examples of this around here, so if you have any pictures please post up!

 

[Toolman]

We really shouldn't stress Chris out until he gets back from his trip next week. Then we can start the harassing phone calls again.

SWEET VAN THAT'S A GREAT PLATFORM TO START YOUR DREAM VAN BUILD !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sdski]

Things are moving slow around here. I was worried the van was having oil pressure issues, but after installing a mechanical gauge over the weekend along with new filter and fresh oil it seems that its a sender unit issue.

Tonights project was finishing a CAD model of the interior so I can start planning my build. First step is to get a divider wall behind the 2 front seats to keep the sleeping area private and insulated. I'll get to designing that later this week.

Heres a pic of the CAD model of a cargo van, if anyone wants the file let me know and I'll be happy to send it. Its probably accurate to within an inch.

 

[sdski]

I have the chance to get a working tranny and transfer case out of a 2000 F-150 for under $300. I believe the t-case is therefore a BW4406. I know a lot of people seem to seek out the BW1356 or NV271, but is there anything wrong with this setup that I am overlooking? Same year, same engine as my van. I am not yet sure if it is manual shift or not. I did a quick search and couldn't find what I was looking for. I suppose even if the transfer case won't do then at least I will have a tranny with a longer output shaft and not have to rebuild (unless I run into spline differences, but I could possibly replace the input on the t-case, right?).

 

[ujoint]

I would verify that t-case model # before going any further. And see if it's electric or manual.

 

[nely]

That transfer case is computer controlled. Wether or not its electronic ir manual shift the gem generic electronic module controls it. Id get a different t case

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[sdski]

Hmm, the BW1356 and NV271 are therefore not computer controlled?

I guess the real interesting part for me is the transmission since it saves me the trouble and money of having to put a 4x4 output shaft in. Is there any problem with putting a tranny from a truck into the van?

Its located probably not more than 20 minutes from where I work, if there is anything important I should look for on it I was planning on checking it out today.

Thanks a lot for the help guys, I really appreciate it. This will be a fun build once I get it going.

 

[nely]

Also i just checked thru my shop and there are 2 transmissions that are in the vans and f-series trucks. 4r100 & 4r70w.
Id verify what trans you have and what trans is for sale.

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[sdski]

Yes, Thanks Nely. 4R100 has 20 pan bolts, 4R70W has 14 so thats an easy way to distinguish them. This is the 4R70W with a 31 spline output shaft, so it should be good to go. He is letting it go for a good price and tossing the BW4406 t-case in for free. I'll see if I can sell that. Tranny has 140k miles on it, so I will likely have it rebuilt anyways, but its nice to be able to use my van while one is getting rebuilt. Does anyone know if there is a difference btwn the 4R70W on a 4.6L v8 and a 5.4? Most of what I can find leads me to believe there is no difference, though I have heard rumors that the gearset might be "stronger" in the 5.4 tranny. I don't necessarily believe that though...

Also, took the van up to Whislter, BC to do some biking and it was sweet to be able to fit 2 DH bikes inside and still be able to sleep 2 guys inside (still an empty cargo van). Unfortunately I hurt my left hand and right arm, so things will be moving slow for the next few weeks for me. The bummer is that I only got around 14.5 mpg average for the whole trip, this seems really, really low to me. Van was only getting 12.5 around town driving to work everyday too (city traffic though).