Ford E450 4x4...

[xracer144]

Hi there! I have been lurking on the forum for a while and I figured I should maybe sign up and participate. I have read many of your builds from start to finish. The forum and it's members are a great wealth of information!

I have always wanted to build something on a 4x4 chassis. After looking for years for the right candidate for a chassis, I found a 2008 Ford E450 4x4.
So now what do I do? I'm not 100% committed to doing this yet. But this forum is getting me closer. Here is a picture of when I picked it up in California. For reference, I'm 6 ft tall. The van is bigger than I expected.

 

[greg mgm]

Welcome to the forum!
That's a very cool van. Nice to start with a clean slate.
It's already 4x4 so that's a nice start.
Hard to tell from the pic but I assume it's a 2 door van front end like on the Uhaul vans? How about finding a camper for the back, changing out the dualies to singles and hitting the road? (Well it's a thought anyway!)

 

[mustangwarrior]

well considering you bought the van, i'd say you're pretty much committed, haha, interested in seeing how this project goes

 

[xracer144]

well considering you bought the van, i'd say you're pretty much committed, haha, interested in seeing how this project goes

I figured that since I lusted after this type of van for so long I should buy it when I saw it. I do have a few options. The motorhome conversion was my first idea. If that fails to materialize, I could make one heck of a killer work vehicle. If that fails, I could always put it back on the market. It is brand new with a full factory warranty. The 3000 miles on the clock came from the trip home from California up to Canada.

As slow as some people claim to be business wise, of the people I contacted to build the body, interest has been luke warm at best. This was before Christmas however and I did attribute some of the lack of interest to the holiday season.

 

[T.Low]

I love the Canadian spirit. You bought it because you knew you needed it; even though you didn't know exactly what you needed it for.

And I am one Yank that hopes Winnepeg get's their Jets back...but thats for a different forum. (Go Wings!)

Maybe look into combining your two options of motorhome and work truck to maximize your money's worth. I have an acquiantnce that is a contractor and a camper. He uses his flat bed Fuso as a daily work vehicle, and slides in his modified pick up truck camper when needed. He's got it down to a 30 minute swap.

Search the Fuso section of Expo, his rig is in there somewhere. His camper mods look like factory options. It's a sweet set up.

 

[xracer144]

An all aluminum body such as this one from ITB is my favorite.

My vision is similar to this , with a few modifications.

 

[xracer144]

I also really like the look of this rig. Add 4 wheel drive. Delete the flames (although I have to admit, they are growing on me)

 

[McZippie]

My Rig is based on Turtle Top shuttle bus.
Very strong roll cage construction.
Not an Expo Rig, it's a Man Cave on wheels, we use to tow toys with.

Turtle Top can do custom work for windows and interior.

 

[xracer144]

Sweet ride McZippie!

 

[GTABurnout]

My Rig is based on Turtle Top shuttle bus.
Very strong roll cage construction.
Not an Expo Rig, it's a Man Cave on wheels, we use to tow toys with.

Turtle Top can do custom work for windows and interior.

Pics not working for me....

 

[Greggk]

im liking where this is going already. what motor does it have? i always dreamed of doing a 4wd build like this with a powerstroke...

 

[xracer144]

As I have an allergy to diesel exhaust fumes ( I know , weird huh) I had only been searching for a V-10 gasser.

My list of potential mods is huge and growing daily.

 

[xracer144]

My thread has kinda stalled here! I have tried to upload some additional pictures, but the file upload always fails now. Is 3 pictures the new limit per person?

 

[Greggk]

My thread has kinda stalled here! I have tried to upload some additional pictures, but the file upload always fails now. Is 3 pictures the new limit per person?

try uploading the pics to photobucket...

 

[xracer144]

This is the original body that was on my chassis. It was built for Homeland Security but ended up being too small. They removed the body from the E450 and placed it on a F650 or 750.