UJOR Box Truck

[GR8ADV]

I think this is an ideal path. I have a 2wd van and tow a 7x16 cargo trailer conversion, (a big hardwall tent and gear hauler for mountain bikes, kayaks, etc.).

From time to time, I think about grafting a smaller cargo conversion box onto a cutaway chassis. The box lends itself to a build out that suits you not necessarily everyone else. In my case the trailer with it's ordered higher ground clearance meets a very large portion of our needs. Having it on a box truck type 4x4 chassis is having your cake and eating it too.

A Ford van box truck with a UJOR package would give me all the features and benefits of a Fuso/Canter 4x4 camper, without the penalties of low horsepower and higher cost.
View attachment 874645

Wait a minute. That is a pic of my rig??

With a Fuso you get a box big enough for two people to actually really enjoy living in for a month or more.

 

[normal_dave]

Wait a minute. That is a pic of my rig??

With a Fuso you get a box big enough for two people to actually really enjoy living in for a month or more.

View attachment 877480View attachment 877481View attachment 877482

Small world! I found the first example pic I could come up with to visually demonstrate my thoughts. Nice to see the inside. As an owner of 2 Gen 3 Monteros, the Fuso trucks always get my attention.

 

[GR8ADV]

Small world! I found the first example pic I could come up with to visually demonstrate my thoughts. Nice to see the inside. As an owner of 2 Gen 3 Monteros, the Fuso trucks always get my attention.

Too funny. I wonder where that was taken. Maybe our Alaska trip a year or so ago.

 

[RVflyfish]

Wow, beautiful woodworking in your rig!

 

[djr123]

I recently attended the Overland Expo SoCal event, and my only complaint was that they did not schedule a third day. I attended both days and it was an amazing event. Prior to attending the event I was pretty sure the next build was gonna be a Transit. At this event there were lots of Sprinters, and I only recall seeing three transits. For me, the biggest issue with the Transits is the ground clearance. Previously owned an E350 RB Quigley, and I had no issues with ground clearance. Currently running a Roadtrek 190 with the Weldtech 5" lift, and it does well too. After seeing the lifted Transits at the show, I do not believe they will allow me to go the remote areas I want to visit. I was a little depressed. I then stopped by the Field Van display and talked with Jonathan Feld. He said if they ever got caught up with demand on their Classic sales, he might consider selling me a stripped Classic. No 4WD, pop top, or interior. This would be an E350 EB with their proprietary "van" on the cutaway chassis. This gave me a glimmer of hope. Fiberine top, UJOR 4WD, DIY interior, and I gotta new Alpha Van. With the high demand for Field Van Classics my wait could be years though. But wait, a new option just popped up on Instagram, the UJOR box truck. I have never seen one of these before, and this might work for me. Anyone here have experience with this vehicle? View attachment 874628

The before-and-after pics on this build are crazy! I think they took this one about as far as you can go.

 

[ujoint]

 

[zip]

Yep, that's the ticket. Thanks Chris.
I found the spare tire placement pretty interesting. Vehicle is on 37s, but has a 35 spare stuffed underneath. I would imagine owner didn't want something that big hanging off the back. If I get a flat tire on the back, do i need to move a 37 from the front to the back, and put the spare 35 on the front?

 

[ujoint]

Yep, that's the ticket. Thanks Chris.
I found the spare tire placement pretty interesting. Vehicle is on 37s, but has a 35 spare stuffed underneath. I would imagine owner didn't want something that big hanging off the back. If I get a flat tire on the back, do i need to move a 37 from the front to the back, and put the spare 35 on the front?

Correct, another step while loading & unloading the bike. This rig was originally slated to get 35s, the 37s were a last minute cosmetic addition. And it looks/drives great with them. Complete tire failures aren't common, I'd put the 35 wherever its needed. Prefer it up front since the rig has a factory rear posi.

 

[iggi]

Funny you ask. I just got the box truck weighed the other day. This weight is without 4WD. And there is a lot of weight on the rear. But once I add my air bag / 4 link rear suspension (DIY Kelderman setup), it will shift that weight forward a lot.

I get 10 mpg. Doesn't matter if it's in town, or the highway or how fast I drive. 10 mpg.

My box truck has the 5.4, 4.10 gears. When I switch to 4.56, the mpg's should stay the same since I already have a high gear ratio on stock tires.

9.8 avg over 125 fuel stops.

I'm surprised by your weight. My ambulance came in at 9650 lbs with half a tank of fuel and a load of camping gear in it. Given I've got the 6.0 diesel and a 12ft box I expected a larger difference. You do have some accessories that I don't though.

 

[CaptainBuilt]

I'm surprised by your weight. My ambulance came in at 9650 lbs with half a tank of fuel and a load of camping gear in it. Given I've got the 6.0 diesel and a 12ft box I expected a larger difference. You do have some accessories that I don't though.

I'm gonna get it weighed again somewhere else. I dont think it's accurate.

 

[iggi]

I'm gonna get it weighed again somewhere else. I dont think it's accurate.

That makes sense. My weight was the same across a couple different scales.

 

[Bikersmurf]

That makes sense. My weight was the same across a couple different scales.

My Crestline is about 9700 lbs with the 7.3 and a handful of tools that usually live on board.

 

[Bikersmurf]

He probably was talking about a box like mine. Steel floor and corners. My walls are gel coated plywood. Rear wall where the door was is all steel.

I've had my box truck for 3ish years now. Absolutely love it. It's the same length as a EB van, not counting all the crap I have hanging off the back. It fits in a regular parking space. Flat walls. High (6'2") ceiling. And very easy to work on.

Mine didn't come with cruise control, but the new ones do. I added it later. And I have the 5.4L gas. My old van had a 7.3L diesel, and I'll never make that mistake again.

My old van:

I used to live in Asheville. One of his first box trucks he did. I think he converted one more before this one:

I’m surprised… my 7.3 isn’t overly noisy and gets decent fuel economy… way better than any similar gas powered rig of similar size and weight. In the 30k miles I’ve driven it all I’ve replaced the fuel filter a couple times, replaced the O-rings around the fuel bowl, replaced the alternator (that was broken at the time I bought it), and installed exhaust manifold gaskets.

CB,
Glad you are enjoying your rig. Hope to have my vehicle soon.
View attachment 877427
The 7.3 engine in my RB was the best part of my vehicle. Had a cam position sensor failure, and a broken fuel filter bowl, but that was it.
tfpu

I had the Cam sensor replaced as a Recall, and replaced all the fuel bowl O-rings.

Had I replaced the broken exhaust manifold rear studs when I saw they were broken I could have avoided installing exhaust manifold gaskets… sadly after 9 years driving with broken studs the manifolds warped enough to start leaking. Live and learn.

The 7.3 has been exceptional. No complaints… except being a PITA to work on in a van body.

 

[zip]

You could pick your flavor of E350 Cutaway and have a modern composite body built and end up with similar results but better in many respects, then have Ujoint convert it to 4x4.

Most of your off-the-shelf box vans are built with a wood/FRP wall and steel floors. Many are mass-produced by companies like Spartan, Supreme, Unicell. They are great platforms to start with, as long as you don't mind some of the limitations and are willing to remedy them. I have converted a handful of them and really enjoy working with them.

If I was going to start from scratch and build my own personal rig I would start with a fresh 138 srw Cutaway. Send it to Ujoint to get converted. Then, build out a composite body with all the benefits that the technology has to offer. End up with a killer 4 season rig. I have been working with the guys at Lemker Overland, and I am super impressed with their product and the company as a whole. Spent a few days with them in Texas and talked about this very subject at length.

great information. reaching out to them again now.

 

[zip]

Can anyone recommend a company that can build and install a composite box?
I have reached out to four different companies and not had much luck so far.