Ford quigley 4x4 Van as expedition vehicle?

[aloha2hola]

I am currently planning a trip from california to panama that will start June of next year and am researching vehicle options. I will be traveling with wife, large dog, a lot of gear and will be gone for at least 2 years. As a result, I am looking at larger vehicles then I have used in the past (toyota pickups) for Baja trips. Anyway, I have started looking into 4x4 vans and was curious about people's opinions of these vans for a trip like this.

I don't know much about fords, but the common drive trains for these vehicles seem to be the 7.3l diesel, 351 windsor v8, and the triton 5.4l v8 all backed by automatic transmissions. Which engine/transmission (if any) would you want for a drive like this and why?

What is your opinion of Quigley 4x4 conversion vans in regards to reliability, and service ability in central america?

Any other info about what to look for in these vans would be appreciated.

 

[SDDiver5]

People love these types of vans for travel down south. Pretty sure you'll want the 7.3 diesel option. Way more reliable than the 5.4 and can last hundreds of thousands of miles if properly taken care of. Since it's a ford and the 7.3 is fairly common, I believe servicing it in central and south america wouldn't be all that hard....But then again I've never gone south other than going to baja for a few nights.

 

[pappawheely]

Sounds like a great trip. I would go with a manual transmission. You can bump start the van and still drive with some clutch failures. When the automatic acts up or loses fluid, it's game over.

 

[aloha2hola]

Im with you on the manual trans pappawheely. that is actually one of my hesitations with these vehicles is that i haven't found a single one for sale with a manual transmission. And finding one at a deal is still at the high end of my budget, so not looking to do a transmission swap after spending that kind of cash.

I haven't been seeing many good things about the Triton engines either, so not too excited about the 5.4l v8 or the v10 for that matter.

I have heard good things about the 7.3 idi diesel in terms of reliability. My hesitation here is mostly due to my lack of experience in working on diesel engines and a few stories about diesel being harder to find in central america then gasoline and the ford diesels not being common engines south of the border.

The windsor seams to have mixed reviews in every department. Not too sure what to make of this. One thing that most people agree on is that they drink fuel like its going out of style.

Would still love to hear from anyone with experience with these rigs or other, relevant information. Its all usefull

 

[haven]

I'm pretty sure the Ford E-Series with a manual transmission was available in the 1970s and 80s, but not the 90s. You could replace an automatic with a manual, but that's an expensive proposition.

Here's a 1990 Ford van with 7.3L diesel and Quigley 4x4 for $3500. Body has rust issues...
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/5204771176.html

 

[gtbensley]

You would have to convert it to a standard transmission if you want one. I don't believe there are any factory ones out there.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Go for a 94+ E350 as it has the turbo. Diesel is available anywhere trucks run which usually covers market roads. But try to only buy it from places that sell a lot of it. Also put in a good inline water trap / filter and get rid of the filters that are on the pickup in the fuel tank.

Also there is a heap of information in the 2WD/4WD vans section

 

[DiploStrat]

Having run slush boxes in the Third Word for some thirty years, I would be more worried about the quality of the conversion than I would be about the transmission.

And besides, you are not going to the Third World, merely to Panamá. You can do that trip in a Corolla. As noted in your other thread, mechanics outside of the US are generally better than those in the US, or at least way more adaptable.

 

[aloha2hola]

Thanks for the info!
Good to know I shouldn't expect to find a manual transmission in the year range I'm looking into. My main reason for wanting one is just personal experience with other vehicles during trips on the Baja peninsula. Starter went out on my truck and I just parked on hills so i could push start it till we got to a junkyard. also when my dads auto trany started acting up through a mountain pass on a different trip, he was stuck. Towed it into town, got it working again, but not right. tried three mechanics by the time we got back to usa and it still wasn't shifting right. Few other experience have me preferring Manuals, but its just a preference, not a deal breaker.

I appreciate the "drive what you have" attitude and a sedan would be fine on the highway, but I do plan to do a decent amount of exploring for surf and don't want the road conditions to stop me. I'm mostly concerned with the rainy seasons on dirt roads making 4x4 a must. besides Im going to be buying a vehicle just for this trip, so might as well try to learn as much as possible about different vehicles to choose the best starting platform for me. especially because I am currently living in Maui and only have about a month planned in California to purchase and prep a vehicle for our trip.

Well, I still havn't heard anyone singing praises for the triton engines, so I guess if I'm going to continue considering these as one of my vehicle options, its time for me to learn more about diesels.

 

[DiploStrat]

Back in the Day ...

I lived in Panamá in the late 1970's and was a member of the Canal Zone 4x4 club. In the rains, nothing moves, unless you have several vehicles, shovels, and tow ropes. Much more is paved now, but a heavy 4x4, like a van, may well be a boat anchor.

My vehicle of choice would be a Tiger, possibly the new bare bones Javan, if you are under six feet tall. Build it on your choice of Chevrolet, Ford, or RAM and you can go as wild as you want in the 4x4 department. (I have a mild lift, oversized tires, and external reservoir shocks. If you are serious about mud, I might go with M/T tires. I also carry two jacks and four sand ladders. I know mud.) The trick is that Tigers are almost never available used and depending on your dates, you might not be able to get one in time. You can learn more here: http://www.tigervehicles.com

Compared to a van, a Tiger offers much, much more interior space, thus reducing the need for all of the boxes that one sees on the back of Sportsmobiles, etc. In the end, the choice is yours.

 

[aloha2hola]

Tigers look cool, but the one used one i found was way out of my budget. I'm thinking less then $15,000. which is why I'm starting to lean back in the direction of my original idea; to use a fullsize truck and topper as my base to build on. They have some pros and cons in comparison, but they are starting to seam more practical for my budget and time restraints.

 

[DiploStrat]

I made two long trips in a Blazer with sleeping space/storage in the back. A pickup lacks the cab access, but is larger.

Another option might be a roof top tent on a pickup topper. For the warm weather of Central America, that might be a consideration. I like the plastic/fiberglass covered models, but you can also make a good argument for the type that swing out sideways as they give you a shelter from the rain. (And it does rain in Central America.) There are lots of ways to do this.

These pictures are ancient, but you may get a few ideas: http://www.pbase.com/diplostrat/bolivia76

 

[aloha2hola]

Thanks for sharing diplostrat. Cool pictures of a cool trip.
The information has been useful. Unless something new and viable comes along that I haven't looked into yet, I am pretty sure I am going to get a Toyota T100 with the 3.4l engine and manual transmission. I like the size and truck platform. I am planning something like my old truck ('93 toyota pickup) that i used for Baja trips, but bigger and more comfortable on the road and in camp. Nothing as nice as those tigers, or some of the conversion vans I've been looking at, but a solid vehicle to get us to some far flung beaches and carry all the gear needed to set up a pretty comfy camp and have fun.

 

[Montereyman]

Sounds like a great trip. I would go with a manual transmission. You can bump start the van and still drive with some clutch failures. When the automatic acts up or loses fluid, it's game over.

An automatic transmission is good for 200K miles whereas a clutch is good for maybe 60,000 at most with running on bad roads. The auto trans also absorbs shock and protects the drivetrain. In the old days the choice was between a 3-speed auto and a 4-speed or 5-speed manual and the advantage was with the manual. With the current 6-speed automatic transmissions that is not longer the case. You also do away with the mechanical hubs at the front wheels which is another advantage.

My concern with the van is that the builder properly reinforced the attachment points for the front axle and running gear. I had a conversion and twice the shackles broke loose from the frame which was not meant to have that load at that point and the frame was not thick enough.

For someone with the bucks to pay for it the new Mercedes Sprinter AWD with the 2-speed transfer case it the best choice. A less expensive alternative is to get an Isuzu 4x4 cabover truck (FG4x4 model) with the flat bed and mount a camper on top of the bed. This approach provides plenty of space for storage for things like generators and spare parts. The Isuzu Fuso trucks have 9" of ground clearance will handle anything. They are also easier to find parts for and get repaired than American makes.

 

[martell06]

My concern with the van is that the builder properly reinforced the attachment points for the front axle and running gear. I had a conversion and twice the shackles broke loose from the frame which was not meant to have that load at that point and the frame was not thick enough. .

The Quigley conversion is well built. If you bought a brand new Econoline off a Ford lot, it was converted by Quigley. They're a 4 link with a track bar.

I have a 93 E-250 Quigley with a 4.9 inline 6 and a C6 trans. The C6 is near bulletproof, I'm not sure what year Quigley started keeping the E4OD in them. I wish I had overdrive but for outside the U.S. dependability, I like the C6.

If you go with one, be sure to look at Agile Off Road's Ride Improvement Package (RIP) which has custom tuned shocks and new front shocks for a very affordable price.

Have you considered Astro/Safari vans? If it's not too small of a platform for you, they can actually be quite capable, are easier to find and cheaper than full size vans. Check out the 2wd/4wd Campervan section of the forum for some cool builds. There's also a van for sale thread where people post mostly 4x4 vans found for sale around the country.