06 E350 Van Build - Eric3187

[Eric3187]

Today, after searching for quite some time, and a few deals that fell through, i picked up a 2006 E350 EB Cargo Van with the 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel, 131k Miles, one owner and all service since new was done and documented by the Ford Dealership where the previous owner purchased the van.
No leaks of any kind, and a grand total of 4 dents in the whole van.

Overall plans for the van are to set it up to be able to tackle light trails/fire roads and to be able to live in it for long periods of time without needing to resupply very often.

My father is now retired and his one request was to let him help me build out the interior as he now has a "wood shop" setup in the garage, to which my reply was absolutely! So it will be nice to work with my dad on a project like this, as our first father/son project was restoring a 1983 CJ7, and boy that was an experience!

Being that it is the 6.0 PSD, i will do an EGR Delete, replace Oil Cooler, Blue Spring kit, Coolant filter, clean turbo, add an EGT gauge and mount a Scan Gauge II, install a larger transmission cooler and add an aux trans filter. there are no signs of head gasket issues or any leaks of any kind, so i am hoping these mods will give me at least 50-100k miles more of trouble free usage.

Pictures will be loaded shortly.

 

[ober27]

I look forward to following your build. Sounds like a great find. Nice to hear you'll be working with your father on much of it. After my father retired he offered to help me build my garage, that project brought us closer together than I ever dreamed it could have. I hope your experience is just as good.
Take lots of photos to share.

 

[Eric3187]

Here is a quick overview of the van the day i brought it home.

 

[Eric3187]

I spoke with a Powerstroke specialty shop here in houston, and the quote for a complete bullet proofing setup, regulated return fuel system and the STC Live Wire, installed and out the door is rather affordable all things considered. So i am currently saving up for that, and will hopefully drop it off next month or early september .

I have some old JL Audio 5x7"s and left over sound deadening which i will be installing in the front and rear doors, as well as installing a Kenwood Double DIN headunit and Alpine Power pack mini 4ch amp within the next week or so.

This weekend the bins and cage are coming out, and fully detailing the interior/exterior so i have a clean slate and buff out all the minor scratches.

 

[Bbasso]

Lots o potential.
Keep up with the updates.

 

[ujoint]

Looks like a great van!

 

[Eric3187]

Question for yall, when getting around to building the floor and cabinets, what is "the norm" for thickness of wood and what type of wood for the floor and cabinets?

i was thinking a Hardwood for the floor and gluing vynil floor mat over top?
and then for the cabinets, was thinking 1/2" MDF and covering with Formica? everything will see constant use, as this is my daily driver now, and will be spending every weekend camping once its put together.

 

[philos]

Run away from the MDF. No bueno; moisture, rattles apart, not really great as a structural material...
There's a thread recently that details some nice tech... Look for Bruce in the title...


Sent via flux capacitor

 

[bknudtsen]

Looks like a good start. MDF is too heavy as well. I would look at ply for the laminate.

 

[86scotty]

I used 3/4 birch ply for my build. It is not as heavy as 3/4 standard ply and is pretty and easy to work with. I just put a few coats of clear polyurethane on it and it's super durable and looks great. PM me if you'd like some pics.

Nice van! Good luck with the build.

 

[Eric3187]

Today's progress was minimal, attempting to add some mass to the side panels, with help from my friend Nick, we added some Peel and Seal to the side/rear doors and around the wheel wells. very slight improvement from tapping on the side of the van, worth the effort? probably not, but its on there none the less.

I also added reflectix to the drivers side rear door, and where the windows would be. I used aluminum duct tape to loosely hold it in place, have not had enough time to see if it works, but it was noticeably cooler inside the van while working on it.



Tomorrows progress will be installing actual sound deadening to the front doors. hooking up some old JL Audio 5x7" speakers ive had for quite some time. I have a Kenwood Double Din screen and alpine power pack amp to install, but am looking for a good backup camera to install as well so the headunit install will wait a bit longer.

 

[philos]

The peel n seal won't last if you're in an area that gets hot; the asphalt will melt.
I've found that the reflectix will stick really well with 3M 90 High strength in the green spray can. You can use it on the ceiling too for under the headliner.
You'll want some mass loaded vinyl (or similar) to go over the first layer of sound dampener and before the reflectix to get the best results. At least in my experience. Also, butyl based sound dampeners will hold up to heat better. They also don't smell funky...
Nice job on the gauge pod, I'm liking how it looks. Is it distracting or awkward to look up at them frequently?


Sent via flux capacitor

 

[Eric3187]

No gauge pod installed yet, will be running a SCT Livewire for gauge monitoring provided the EGT Probe hook up works in the van.

Ive had good luck with peel and seal before as far as adhesion goes, im not too worried about it, even if it falls off in extreme heat, ill never know once the walls are built.

good to know about the 3M spray, i had some off brand stuff i used that was a bit old, and it barely held the reflectix on.

 

[86scotty]

Go 3m, more expensive but works.


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[Eric3187]

Current status: dash is torn apart, as i thought i had the correct mounting bracket for a double din radio.. i do not, stereo install should be complete tuesday when the parts arrive.

I got a quote from Sportsmobile Austin about buying and installing 2 windows, not as much as i thought. but that will wait until the motor work is done.

My friend owns a truck accessory shop in town and come monday, he will be ordering a Diamond Eye exhaust setup for me
4" Cat back kit is K4338A and the delete pipe is 125034.

the whole setup was cheaper than the stainless version of the cat back alone, and he has the shop space for me to work on it, so its a win/win.