2001 e350 7.3 hoping to get economic 4x4 conversion

[bknudtsen]

No one in this forum expects you to build a Sportsmobile for $6,000. It is not possible. You got great advice from the people building exactly what you asked about, as well as, the forum sponsor, who is an expert in the field. None of us are going to advise you to try and hack together a budget build, because it is not safe. And, this is all moot, since you are selling your van. Good luck with the sale.

 

[Deshet]

Again thanks for the info....if you take the time to read through the thread most of the advice was about building something that others wanted not what I wanted. I only asked about getting a basic factory like system. I state one source of a $6000 conversion and he is bashed buy people who have not done business with him. I have been offered a $4000 conversion also but I don't know the quailty of the person's work.

A Quigley conversion is only about $10,000 new and the work is backed by Ford. In my mind it does not seem odd that a small business would beat Quigley by $4000 or more. Especially a small business that outsources work. Shipping all the vans back and forth to Quigley has to be a major expense alone.

Most of fords motors are built in Mexico anyway.

 

[steelheadbum]

Who at Quigley quoted you 10k for a 4wd conversion? When I was in the market 2 yrs ago a basic conversion was 16k, Quadvan in Portland was 16-18k. Even if you were able to do the conversion yourself 4-6k would be a tight budget.
Buck
The Redneck Mexican
2002 E350 7.3 PSD 4x4 8inch lift pop top conversion....

 

[bknudtsen]

I have been reading this thread from the start. Remember, you asked for people's opinions and advice on a public forum. You got both. Not all of the advice you get will be to your liking, especially when people are loyal to a specific brand. That just comes with the territory. I am not trying to bash you at all, so please take it for what it's worth. The one thing that concerns me over and over in your posts is that you state, "I just want a factory like 4wd system."
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There is no such thing as a basic factory like 4wd system on a Ford van. If you decide to go with coil suspension, then you have to come up with custom coil buckets for the frame, and or custom coil brackets for the axle. All the suspension linkage needs to be dialed in to prevent handling problems. If you want any type of clearance between the engine crossmember and the axle housing, then you need to lift it a minimum of 4" and trim the crossmember. Again, this is because the van frame was never designed to be 4wd.
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If you want a leaf sprung conversion, then you can pony up for the Sportsmobile version, go with UJOR, or build custom brackets. Leaf sprung systems have the same issues with engine crossmember to axle housing clearance, and have custom frame side brackets. For axles UJOR uses unmodified Ford Dana 60's from 99-04 trucks, while Sportsmobile uses Dynatrac 60's.
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There is nothing basic about converting a Ford van to 4wd. That's why there are only a few companies that can do it. Any shop that says they can do it for $4000 has never done it, or is going to take shortcuts in design and quality. As for Javier, I have no experience with him. His rigs might be fine, but I know nothing about them. Others do, and they expressed their opinion based on their experience.
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The more I think about it, the more it seems like if you want a 4wd van over the Excursion, then a Chevy Express with AWD would be perfect for what you are describing. It's not a diesel and doesn't have the load capacity of a E350, but it has the room and factory AWD you were describing. I wish you luck. You are getting out there with your family, and that's what counts.
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Brad

 

[Jeffh555]

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks you could probably do a 4x4 conversion for about $4k.

Go to a junkyard and find a 99-04 F-250 and get the front axle, springs, shackles, tires, wheels, steering, trans, t-case and drivelines.

Rebuild nothing.

Fab some leaf spring and shock mounts. These would be be a bit goofy because you're using leaf springs designed for a truck, not a van. I believe the front spring hanger would be in front of the factory van frame. Someone with good fab skills could probably make it look not horrible.

Some work would have to be done to come up with a drag link that was safe but retained as much of the oem parts as possible.

Block and reclocated shock mounts in the rear.

Swap the 2wd tranny that you know works for the 4x4 tranny of unknown condition. Have the truck drivelines shortened or re-tubed to the appropriate lengths.

In the end you'd have a 4x4 van. The front end would have 150k+ on it. It would probably ride like hell (stock and most lifted 99-04 fords ride like hell). The driveshaft u-joint would probably be nearly warn out. I'd guess it would need brakes. Who knows how long the trans would last? It would only have about 4 inches of lift, and/or really goofy leaf spring brackets. The wheels wouldn't match. It would be a one-off so if you had any issues or questions you could only call the fabricator, who may or may not have ever done this exact conversion before.

That being said, I am saving up for the U-joint kit.

 

[dvorocks]

Funny thing I just got quoted 18k to do a 4x4 conversion on my 1991 e350 using leaf springs with ford f350 axles
Other quote was 12k with front and rear axles from 05 superduty
The quote im going with is probably 5k from a local 4x4 guy that just finished a 4x4 motorhome conversion...he is btween 4-5 k.
The guys that have done a bunch of 4x4 van conversion should be more efficient so you think their price would be lower....guess they are trying to hit a homerun because they dont have much work. Im sure im going to get bashed but id like to know the hourly rate the 12-18kguys make on this.

 

[mgmetalworks]

4-5K parts AND labor? What is their shop rate? $1/per hour?

 

[dvorocks]

They parts are used...so id say 2k for parts and 3k for labor...just a guess..
How many hrs do you think the conversion take?

 

[Toolman]

seems like a no brainer.
Rip everything out of the Excuursion buy some parts from Ujoint and be done.
Hangers, Leafs , Shocks, shifter kit , you have wheels, axle, trans - t- case from your donor vehicle.

 

[El Guapo]

those who bashed the work done by the shop that outsources the work to Mexico make me laugh. they remind me too much of my dealings with the UAW folks in Detroit back in my Ford days. And yes, the best quality product for various OEMs actually are built in Mexico. if someone gets offended by this, feel free to PM me to continue the conversation offline. I personally would look closer at the $4k quote and ensure the work is done properly and to your liking. One too many times i have had to "go back" to a shop here in the good ol' us of a because the work wasnt done properly..

Id love to be in your position and preparing for a Diesel E-series 4x4 conversion. Not one of the current shops that do them started out knowing the 'proper' set up for ride and handling. i can guarantee you that.

 

[mgmetalworks]

those who bashed the work done by the shop that outsources the work to Mexico make me laugh. they remind me too much of my dealings with the UAW folks in Detroit back in my Ford days. And yes, the best quality product for various OEMs actually are built in Mexico. if someone gets offended by this, feel free to PM me to continue the conversation offline. I personally would look closer at the $4k quote and ensure the work is done properly and to your liking. One too many times i have had to "go back" to a shop here in the good ol' us of a because the work wasnt done properly..

Id love to be in your position and preparing for a Diesel E-series 4x4 conversion. Not one of the current shops that do them started out knowing the 'proper' set up for ride and handling. i can guarantee you that.

I don't think it is a matter of bashing on anyone as it is disbelief that a conversion can be done that cheap and be done to a level that would be considered safe and reliable. There are two elements to the conversion....1) parts and 2) labor. If you are starting with a number of $4000 that means that you have to find a front axle, transfer case, springs, steering parts, etc...etc... for well under $4k to leave enough room for labor (and the cut for the middle man). Can that be done? Sure. If you're ok with high mileage, "as-is" parts from a wrecking yard (or parts of questionable origin). I'm most certainly not though. I'll buy a used transfer case with high miles as cheap as I can get it but I'm sure as hell going to go through it and replace all the seals and bearings before I'd even think of putting it in my van. Same with the front axle. Same with just about any of the parts I buy used. But have you priced low mileage, late model parts that don't need rebuilding lately? I've been looking for a lot of stuff I just mentioned for myself and $3000-4000 goes bye bye very quickly. I don't think you can buy all the parts to do a conversion AND rebuild all of the major components to new condition for $4000. Not with quality parts anyways. That isn't bashing, that is reality. I don't even charge myself any labor and I couldn't do a conversion the way I want it for $4k.

 

[ujoint]

those who bashed the work done by the shop that outsources the work to Mexico make me laugh. they remind me too much of my dealings with the UAW folks in Detroit back in my Ford days. And yes, the best quality product for various OEMs actually are built in Mexico. if someone gets offended by this, feel free to PM me to continue the conversation offline. I personally would look closer at the $4k quote and ensure the work is done properly and to your liking. One too many times i have had to "go back" to a shop here in the good ol' us of a because the work wasnt done properly..

Id love to be in your position and preparing for a Diesel E-series 4x4 conversion. Not one of the current shops that do them started out knowing the 'proper' set up for ride and handling. i can guarantee you that.

What do you mean by 'proper'?

I understand what you're saying, but comparing OE suppliers to what we're talking about is way off. I just had one of these vans in my shop and I have to say that it was done better than expected. Was this a 4K conversion? I have no idea. There were of course things that I would & do differently, I made a few recommendations to the owner on how to make it drive better and what to keep his eyes on for safety. Little things like the oil filter being an inch from the F driveshaft, rear shock mounts being re used from the truck with no locating dowel and a sketchy trac bar mount. I drove it too, and the handling was eh. There's room for improvement with better shocks but my vans run circles around it in the handling dept. I would be really scared to make a quick evasive maneuver without fear of flopping it.

Here is the upper trac bar mount that was "cut" for pitman arm travel.

 

[mgmetalworks]

Thanks for posting that pic Chris. You're being too nice. No matter what part of the continent it came from, that is a "hack" job.
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That cut out is an afterthought and if they missed something that obvious, what else did they not think about? If they're only getting $4000 for the conversion, there isn't much incentive to think very hard in the first place in my opinion.
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[steelheadbum]

Lol
Look you get what you pay for!! I'm Hispanic and I will be the 1st to tell ya that down south things can be rather shady...hell I wouldn't let "paco" come near my van!! I spent good money to have things done right the 1st time and to be able to have someone held accountable.

"I would gladly pay more money to help an american small businesses"

Buck

The Redneck Mexican
2002 E350 7.3 PSD 4x4 8inch lift pop top conversion....

 

[dvorocks]

Just because you pay more for something does not mean you get a better product...Ive been a contractor for the past decade plus...I have repaired garbage work that the company charged double for what the job was worth...just becauae a company charges more doesnt not mean its a superior product...I have seen spanish, polish and brazilians with limited tools make americans jobs look horrible...Plain and simple they do alot more with less... craftmen in america are a dieing breed..