Project: E350 Dual Sport

[RocKrawler]

We just bought a 1997 E350 Club Wagon the beginning of this week and getting everything base lined. I'll keep a "before" & current shot in the first thread here to make easy reference on progress. We got this out of necessity for space, my son turned 14 in March 2010 and is already over 6'2", the LX450 just didn't fit us any longer. We pondered the best route to go, making sure it wasn't something we could outgrow as I'm really tired of buying & selling vehicles. A full size van was something we owned in the past and there is plenty of room for everything & everyone, so it was decided that if it would be our family/towing/expedition rig it had to have some weight and hauling capacity so the search began for one equipped with a diesel. We put out the feelers and started searching the classifieds, dozens came up and we kept narrowing it down until we found this steal of a deal up in Annapolis. The second owner was downsizing from this to a Sequoia because her daycare business slowed with the economy, so we picked it up for a cool $3k. Its got a well maintained 7.3 PowerStroke and runs great. There are 271K miles on it but it runs every bit as good as my old '01 F250. I'll update the thread with a build list and more details, but for now this is it - our "keeper".
Our current goal is to do a U-Joint 4x4 conversion and have a dual purpose rig setup for daily use, and have a camper setup that can be installed in short notice for weekend camping getaways.

Pic finally added, taken today (10/24/2010) when we stopped to check out Lake Orange in VA.

 

[RocKrawler]

Expenses and Mods COMPLETED:
$3000 Vehicle Purchase 6/31/10
$140 New front windshield 7/1/10
$200 Outer tie rod ends, upper & lower ball joints, rear brake shoes, rear oil seals, fuel filter, wiper blades 7/2/10
$149.95 Lifetime alignment 7/3/10
$xxx ARB Fridge / Freezer 7/19/10
$25 Wrecking yard Class IV Hitch 8/16/10
$150 Got rid of all benches, leather buckets front, center & rear installed 11/10
$62 Two extra new OEM frame mounted battery boxes 1/4/11
$132 Telescoping power towing mirrors 1/4/11
$220 New water pump, inlet neck, 203* Thermostat & antifreeze 2/26/11

Short list of planned mods:
Build Front Winch Bumper
Build Rear Winch Bumper / swing outs for tire & cans
Build Rock Sliders
U-Joint 4x4 Conversion
Install R&M Hot Water Shower (already own)
Install IPF J01 driving fog lights (already own)
Install backup lights (already own)
Install side lights (already own)
Install Go Light (already own)
Build interior storage

Long list of planned mods
Winches
Upgrade all lights to LED
Onboard water tank
Onboard air (already own)
Fixed high roof conversion
Upgrade exhaust
Interior soundproofing / insulation
Upgrade seats; sofa bed rear (looking for matching to front & 2nd row buckets)
ICE (In Car Entertainment) system for the kids and camping trips
Banks Intercooler
Change front clip to 2008 style

 

[RocKrawler]

Had it state safety inspected Friday and it failed, needed both outer tie rod ends, passenger side lower ball joint, and rear brakes and oil seals because the old seals leaked oil into the drums and killed the shoes. As of today the steering is done and I'll get the brakes & seals next. The steering repairs and alignment surprisingly didn't make as big a difference as I expected them to, guess that speaks to Ford's quality and build. I cant wait to get Chis (U-Joints) 4x4 conversion kit bought and installed!

 

[Ozrockrat]

This is one thread I will subscribe to.

I also just sold my FZJ80 and bought a 1996 PSD Club Wagon but with a Advanced Four Wheel Drive conversion. only 246K miles but 1 private owner (Utah so he had 9 kids).

We also picked up a 1994 Sportsmobile to use as a donor for a poverty pack Sportsmobile build (Poverty Pack is a term used in Australia to describe a vehicle that is not loaded)

Anyway waiting for your photos and updates.

 

[wanderer-rrorc]

check out my build in the vans...alot of neat little tid-bits in there...

 

[RocKrawler]

check out my build in the vans...alot of neat little tid-bits in there...

I have been keeping up on the vans on here for some time, have always been fascinated with 4WD vans for some reason (anyone can have a 4x4 Truck or SUV) and the utility is incredible, and despite having had vans before I havent had one worthy of converting until now. Still trying to decide if I will do a pop top on it, as then I'll lose the roof channel AC the club wagon has, but we'll see. My other option is a trailer so when its 4 of us camping the kids can have a RTT over the trailer & everyone has their privacy & we can still travel comfortably in the van to & from our destination.

 

[ujoint]

Awesome, gad you're in the van club now!!! I wish I had known that you needed those front end parts, I have a complete 07 stock front suspension here. It could have gotten you by until the 4x4 swap. Let me know when I can help ya. ---

 

[Hayduke950]

I just bought a 2000 Econoline 7.3 Diesel. I'll be watching this one.

 

[TangoBlue]

I love my Tacoma, but I secretly lust after "Vanaconda." Plus, UFOR does the front axle swap in just 10 minutes! I saw it on You-tube! That's 20 minutes faster than anything Ian does on "Extreme 4x4."

Terry - where are the pics!?

 

[ujoint]

UJOR does the front axle swap in just 10 minutes! I saw it on You-tube! That's 20 minutes faster than anything Ian does on "Extreme 4x4."

And there are no hollywood special effects!!!!! (yea right)

 

[RocKrawler]

Nothing special to report, but I went down to the 2 local junkyards and pulled a bunch of small parts I needed to address the little issues the van had when I got it. Pulled 2 rear cupholders, a clean ashtray from an apparent non smokers van, cruise control switches, extra power window & door lock switches just in case, power mirror switch, outer front vents and a front passenger seat belt recepticle - dealer value well over $425 for $30. I also pulled a transfer case actuator for my daughters Ranger for $10 (3209 at the dealer) so I did pretty well. I've been searching for a rear sofabed & center captains chairs but no luck in tan yet. If I ever decide to go with a high top there are over a dozen for 92+ Fords locally in every shape & size, so I wont have a hard time locating them. Also looking for a SD front axle and t-case for my upcoming conversion but no luck at all on those at the yards.

 

[RocKrawler]

Picked up some nice leather seats out of a 99 conversion van, selling the tan cloth benches if anyone needs one or a complete set, floor brackets included if you have a cargo, and they are the quick release variety.
On a side note - has anyone ever thought of using the quick release bench seat brackets and attaching them to a Westfalia style cabinet/kitchen assembly instead of the bench, then re-mounting the floor brackets along the drivers side wall. This would theoretically allow the van to pull passenger duty during the week, then pull the center seats and pop in the kitchen module for weekend camping. If this has been done please post pics of the layout, if not I'll be tackling it in a couple months for a winter project. My wife really liked the idea because it doesnt look like a camper for daily driving and use, but weekends it becomes a mobile mini retreat with some of the niceties she wants.

 

[dsw4x4]

An easier way to accomplish the same things is to use DE-STA-CO clamps

http://www.destaco.com/products.asp...ts=Clamps&Category_1=Pull+Action+Latch+Clamps

they are a lot lighter and cleaner looking and not to expensive. You can find them all over the internet and I think grainger and ISC sells them too I think they call them over center clamps from carr manufacturing.
Derek

 

[T.Low]

I can't get my computer to show the picture of your van.:sombrero:

I've liked the idea of swinging the rear bench to the side to run fore and aft...but with the size of the Astro van, it works better for us to have the seat in normal position as it is a divider between living area and gear storage area. We tend to be a little gear intensive on our mountain bike, dirtbike, kayak, and/or 4x4 camping trips.

Maybe with the fullsizers it can work better, though.

 

[nely]

I own a 96 diesel club wagon so I will be watching this closely. I picked up a superduty axle for the conversion just gotta rebuild it. I'm pondering what to do with the windows. There's to many for a camping/expo rig imo.