'13 E-350 EB Clydesdale 4x4

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Greetings!!
Well, I am not in this section too often- until recently!! I had a Quigley 4X4 about 8 years ago with the good ole 6.0. Never had an issue, but had that impending doom feeling all the time- kind of like driving Land Rovers ;-) But at least I know them pretty well... And most recently, we purchased an '06 Navion a couple years ago w/ only 17k miles, and love it. But alas, not much clearance, and a little portly- though fantastic for what it is designed to be!! So, this year I turn the big xx, and decided to liquidate near all the vehicles- both business related and personal to facilitate more travel time. What better than a 4x4 van?!

So, I started watching, reading, feeding the addiction, until Fallguy from Canada decides to sell his nearly new to him E-350 w/ Clydesdale 4x4 which was done when the rig was brand new. And only 29k miles on it, zero issues, freshly undercoated, latest upgrades done to incorporate the RSC, etc. Confirm VIN is US vehicle, fly to Toronto, and drive the young lady home. Loved the ride, but at 6'-3", had issues with the seat being too low- and no idea how long before the Siena conversion would happen. Quick spacer below slide rails, and perfect seating! But of course, I simultaneously found Siena seats and extra brackets for the rear being offered for sale here, so off to Ky tomorrow to retrieve them.

However, last week I had to run to Fl on business, so dropped off the van @ Overtime Fab (Thanks Bill- awesome work as usual!!) to retrofit a Sterling Equipment brush bar/winch mount I had from a '14 F-350. So, here she is after two weeks of ownership when I picked her up yesterday:
 

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Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Immediate plan is for Siena seats, likely 4. Then add sleeping accommodations, as well as fridge, counter space and storage for kitchen, etc. Also considering opening the top, but awaiting formal announcement from manufacturer.
Not a major build, but fun and functional for DD or long range travel. Speaking of which, need to pursue the bigger fuel tank, as the 6.8 is a little thirsty...
 

brianjwilson

Some sort of lost...
Immediate plan is for Siena seats, likely 4. Then add sleeping accommodations, as well as fridge, counter space and storage for kitchen, etc. Also considering opening the top, but awaiting formal announcement from manufacturer.
Not a major build, but fun and functional for DD or long range travel. Speaking of which, need to pursue the bigger fuel tank, as the 6.8 is a little thirsty...

Nice looking van! I almost hate to ask, but what type of mpg are you seeing so far? Tire size and axle ratios? And has the speedometer been corrected?
 

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Thanks, avg 12mpg coming back to NC from Toronto running 65-70. 3.73 w/ 34/11.50's. Speedo still in kilometers primary, Miles secondary, but all electronics back to miles- simple via control center.

Also, forgot to list, but when we got back, had the van CPO'd by Ford dealer. Yields 1 year/12k mi bumper to bumper, and drivetrain extended to 100k miles!
 

jackattack

Observer
I like that guard. Has all the features I would want: protection, winch and receiver. Any weight/cost savings going with that setup vs a complete bumper?
 

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Thanks for all the feedback and kind words!!

Probably no weight advantage, but the design is quite robust- bounces the deer and such off for multiple hits according to Florida Fish and Game! They pay almost 4x the price of the bolt together types, and have not had a failure in 10 years! Meaning- no front end damage! It is quite heavy actually (and all welded construction), but that is why we retained the factory outer- minuscule weight, so a little weight savings.
 

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Drove it almost 1000 miles yesterday, and the impact when hitting frost heaves and such is horrible! I realize there is an extra couple hundred pounds up front, but never had such an issue on Rovers or trucks over the past 40 years. Also, when I had my Quigley, I went with Aluminess bumpers and had no issues. A bit concerned what impact (had to go there) the winch will have...
Thoughts??
 

ert01

Adventurer
Can you post up some pictures of the front axle and suspension setup? It may be suffering from the same thing most 4x4 vans suffer from... limited up-travel before hitting the bumpstops and bottoming out.
 

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Exactly what Clydesdale said, and they suggest going to longer (6" lift) springs and shocks designed for the diesel. I'm going to check some measurements tomorrow, and decide pending findings.
 

mk216v

Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Can you post up some pictures of the front axle and suspension setup? It may be suffering from the same thing most 4x4 vans suffer from... limited up-travel before hitting the bumpstops and bottoming out.

Sounds very plausible for sure.
 

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
Okay, suspension wise- definitely going to the 6" front springs- just under an inch clearance statically at the front bump stops. Van has aprox 3" of rake back to front, so no worries there cosmetically.

On the good news side, I did get second row seat subframes fabbed and installed today. I wanted the second row to be moved rearward half a row in you will. So, we used the rear hole from the van front row mounts for our front hole. Then made a frame from 2" flat stock utilizing 3 floor mount factory locations on each side, and fitted 1/2" grade 8 studs for the other 3 holes per seat base. Here is the subframe with seat mounts installed, ready for Siena seats:
 

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