Next build choice? E-350 cummins/6.0, pickup and bedcamper, or....?

[Sasha_greyvan]

Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster.



The past 3 years I’ve lived in an e-350 Van I built out myself. It’s served me well and taken me far, but my needs have changed and I now have an 8,500lbs camper that I need to tow. Which unfortunately my 5.4L is not capable of. So I am planning to sell my e-350 and start my next build, which I will be using to tow my camper and as a weekend warrior camping/ski bum rig. I’m only considering diesel options due to their towing ability and longevity.



I’ve got it narrowed down to a couple options, each have their +\-‘s



2009-2014 E-350 with 6.0LNon extended cargo. Can be had in good shape for $10k, plus another $10K in engine work (to bulletproof the notorious 6 liter), plus another $10k to 4wd swap. So for ~$30k I’ve got a decent diesel 4wd van, but it’s still a notoriously ************ 6.0 liter, on the flip it’s a factory engine. Pretty quick with good end results, but 6 liter. I’d do a 7.3, but want the updated interior that comes with 2009-2014.



Cummins swap: same van as above, but I buy one with a blown motor and put in a Cummins, either 24v 5.9 common rail or 6.7L. 12v’s are loud and cannot be digitally tuned. Would probably cost around $40k to get to the same place as the 6.0L. We are considering the option of doing a body swap, knocking out the 4wd and diesel conversion with one stone. This option would take the longest, and be the most costly.



Pick up and bed camper: buy a ~10 year old Cummins pick up, put a small truck bed camper on it, and cut a pass through between the two. Can find good trucks under $40k all day, but I’m a little concerned about doing the pass through. I’ve decided this is something that’s necessary for my rig, so if I go this option I would 100% be cutting a hole in a newish pickup. This option would be the quickest, most reliable, and the most straightforward.



Ambulance: thought about the idea of doing a type 1 ambulance, but I’m not sure if I want something that big when I won’t be full timing in it. Pretty much every type 1 ambulance is wide and on a dually chassis, I’d rather be slim with SRW.


Picture of current rig and trailer

 

[grampswrx]

Personally, I would do the truck. Swapping everything into a van to get it where you want to be sounds like a lot more work than figuring out a passthrough. At the end of the day, you might be able to just make the window bigger on the truck and slip through that way. Especially with what it's going to cost to cummins and 4wd swap a van.

 

[displacedtexan]

Unless you're paying a shop for a show quality product... You're way over estimating for the swap.

A 500hp or less CR swap would cost less than half your estimate with good parts.

 

[bgflyguy]

Did you get quotes for $10k bullet proof and $10k 4wd? Those sound like pre pandemic prices.

 

[RPhil]

'05-'07 F-450 with bulletproofed 6.0 or '08-'10 F-450 with CR cummins swap. Your 40k budget for the van swap or 10 year old Dodge truck will get you where you want to be with these two options. *edit* Not sure if your budgets above included money for the camper. I am not intimately familiar with current prices. Also not sure if you want barebones or more kitted-out.

Recommendation on 450 is due to the better turning radius and increased payload. If you go 08-10 route you can find a highly optioned truck for some of the nicer interior options you are after. Otherwise, newer interiors swap easily into the 05-07

Good luck!

 

[mgmetalworks]

Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster.



The past 3 years I’ve lived in an e-350 Van I built out myself. It’s served me well and taken me far, but my needs have changed and I now have an 8,500lbs camper that I need to tow. Which unfortunately my 5.4L is not capable of. So I am planning to sell my e-350 and start my next build, which I will be using to tow my camper and as a weekend warrior camping/ski bum rig. I’m only considering diesel options due to their towing ability and longevity.



I’ve got it narrowed down to a couple options, each have their +\-‘s



2009-2014 E-350 with 6.0LNon extended cargo. Can be had in good shape for $10k, plus another $10K in engine work (to bulletproof the notorious 6 liter), plus another $10k to 4wd swap. So for ~$30k I’ve got a decent diesel 4wd van, but it’s still a notoriously ************ 6.0 liter, on the flip it’s a factory engine. Pretty quick with good end results, but 6 liter. I’d do a 7.3, but want the updated interior that comes with 2009-2014.



Cummins swap: same van as above, but I buy one with a blown motor and put in a Cummins, either 24v 5.9 common rail or 6.7L. 12v’s are loud and cannot be digitally tuned. Would probably cost around $40k to get to the same place as the 6.0L. We are considering the option of doing a body swap, knocking out the 4wd and diesel conversion with one stone. This option would take the longest, and be the most costly.

'09-'10 are the last years of the 6.0L in the Eseries van. And they're rare as **** in those years. On top of requiring a ton of work to make them "bulletproof" ( ), in the van, all they (the 6.0L diesels) are really good for is making a lot of noise and heat.

I'd argue that the 24V 5.9L is every bit as loud and obnoxious as the 12V. No good way to make them quiet in a van considering that the back of the head is ~1' from your knee once it's in place and just the doghouse cover between it and you. I have a modern common rail 6.7L Cummins (from a 2013 Ram) in an E350 and I do love it. I have it paired with an Allison 6-speed and NV273 transfer case. It is an amazing setup and even with mild tuning, it is a torque beast. Quieter than any diesel van I've ever been in and the road manners are fantastic. The engine fits in the van better than most people would expect too. Easy to work on and there is a lot more space to do things than you have in any of the 7.3 or 6.0 vans. Drawbacks? It was quite expensive and labor intensive to do the swap. The drivetrain is heavy and you can feel it. Not so much that it is worrisome but it plays into the overall weight of the van once your interior is all built out.

Even doing everything yourself, I think you're low on expectations of the cost of Cummins swap and 4x4. Especially if you're thinking a common rail Cummins. Mild upgrades to the engine will require (sometimes) not mild upgrades to the transmission to handle it. Just a heads up that you should probably factor in a good bit of coin for a trans upgrade and all of the trans related parts (coolers, lines, adapters, etc...).

 

[Sasha_greyvan]

'09-'10 are the last years of the 6.0L in the Eseries van. And they're rare as **** in those years. On top of requiring a ton of work to make them "bulletproof" ( ), in the van, all they (the 6.0L diesels) are really good for is making a lot of noise and heat.

I'd argue that the 24V 5.9L is every bit as loud and obnoxious as the 12V. No good way to make them quiet in a van considering that the back of the head is ~1' from your knee once it's in place and just the doghouse cover between it and you. I have a modern common rail 6.7L Cummins (from a 2013 Ram) in an E350 and I do love it. I have it paired with an Allison 6-speed and NV273 transfer case. It is an amazing setup and even with mild tuning, it is a torque beast. Quieter than any diesel van I've ever been in and the road manners are fantastic. The engine fits in the van better than most people would expect too. Easy to work on and there is a lot more space to do things than you have in any of the 7.3 or 6.0 vans. Drawbacks? It was quite expensive and labor intensive to do the swap. The drivetrain is heavy and you can feel it. Not so much that it is worrisome but it plays into the overall weight of the van once your interior is all built out.

Even doing everything yourself, I think you're low on expectations of the cost of Cummins swap and 4x4. Especially if you're thinking a common rail Cummins. Mild upgrades to the engine will require (sometimes) not mild upgrades to the transmission to handle it. Just a heads up that you should probably factor in a good bit of coin for a trans upgrade and all of the trans related parts (coolers, lines, adapters, etc...).

View attachment 724052

Hey! I was the guy that was just messaging you on the sportsmobile forum.

I ended up finding a 2010 6.0 with 137k on it for $10k, with injector work needed. Decided to go this route because, ultimately, I really love my pass through, so a truck and camper are out. And as much as I’d love a 6.7, it would take a ******** ton of work (as I’m sure you know), and I don’t have the time to take off work, so I’ll be paying my cousin for labor. The 6.0 just makes the most sense right now, with all things considered.

I’m planning to purchase the 2010 next week and take it to my cousin (diesel mechanic) for the 4wd, bulletproofing, and transmission work. Budget has crept up into the $60k range, currently I’m at $54k, but hopefully the “band-aid” approach will leave me worry free for quite a while

Here’s an estimated budget breakdown:
Van (tax, title, registration): $12k
Engine bulletproofing & upgrades: $15k
4wd parts: $20k
Estimated Labor and transmission work: $8k

 

[Sasha_greyvan]

Did you get quotes for $10k bullet proof and $10k 4wd? Those sound like pre pandemic prices.

My cousin is a diesel mechanic, so I’m somewhat lucking out on labor costs. He quoted $8k for a basic bulletproof (parts and labor), my $10k for 4wd was under tho. It’s $12k for the kit, plus ~$2k for labor from him


That being said, I’ve decided to up my budget and do more to the van while it in the shop. Everything from heads, to injectors and turbo, to exhaust and hpop, transmission rebuilt, plus some more, in addition to 4wd swap with 2 new axles.

Right now I’m looking at $54k; parts, labor, and van. Hoping to end up under $60k, with another $15k-$20k for the camper conversion (and other misc upgrades like radio, seats, lights, bumpers, remote entry, etc). I’ll be using proceeds from selling my current rig and selling stock parts from the new van for that half of the build.

 

[Sasha_greyvan]

Unless you're paying a shop for a show quality product... You're way over estimating for the swap.

A 500hp or less CR swap would cost less than half your estimate with good parts.

Swapping anything non stock into a van is going to be a costly and labor intensive project, plus factoring in a motor rebuild for anything that would go into it. Ending up finding a solid 6.0 van that I’ll be building.

 

[displacedtexan]

Swapping anything non stock into a van is going to be a costly and labor intensive project, plus factoring in a motor rebuild for anything that would go into it. Ending up finding a solid 6.0 van that I’ll be building.

I'm aware. I've done it.

I'm wayyyyy under $20k on my 500hp Cummins in a Ford.

And I didn't even take the cheap route to 500hp.