Build Thread - the V& (vanpersand)

[pugslyyy]

After about a year of searching for vans I found the one I was looking for - a 2010 E350 6.0 with under 65k on the clock.

I bought the van in Delaware from a contractor who had used it as a work van - it has honest use but not abuse. It also had been under warranty and never had anything done to it (according to the Ford OASIS report).

More importantly, from my perspective, this was not a typical contractor van build. It has power windows, power seats, central locking, backup camera, upfitter switches, parking assist, etc. Pretty much every available option. The story I've been told is that this was intended to be an upfitter van and so had all the creature comforts included that would normally not be present. (The guy I bought it from said he had intended to buy a basic van but they made him a really good deal on this one.)

Immediate plans are to clean up and insulate/soundproof the interior. In January I'll start working on the Ujoint 4x4 conversion, going to go up 6" and ride on 35s.





First requirement is a better stereo - Pioneer AVIC-8200NEX going in.


Clean interior




With a few trouble spots from where the bins were mounted...




and a little bubbling on the loadspace floor near the back.

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

2010 6.0, that's one rare van...

Like the name, very original.

 

[_hein_]

Nice van and looking forward to following your up-fit. We suggest Thinsulate(TM) for thermal/acoustic insulation and resonance control.

 

[pugslyyy]

Nice van and looking forward to following your up-fit. We suggest Thinsulate(TM) for thermal/acoustic insulation and resonance control.

Thanks, I'm trying to figure out exactly how to go about it. The Thinsulate looks like it could be a good option for the walls and ceilings, not so sure about the floor?

 

[ujoint]

Yes, rare rig! Look forward to the Ujointification.

 

[_hein_]

Thanks, I'm trying to figure out exactly how to go about it. The Thinsulate looks like it could be a good option for the walls and ceilings, not so sure about the floor?

Minicell foam works great under floors. Easy to cut, light weight, no moisture absorption and pretty good R-value for the thickness.

We've had all kinds of E-vans through the years but never a 4x4. Considering it for our Transit.

 

[pugslyyy]

Nice van and looking forward to following your up-fit. We suggest Thinsulate(TM) for thermal/acoustic insulation and resonance control.

Hein, I tried calling you but it went to voice mail. I sent a text but didn't hear back - what's the best way to connect?

 

[_hein_]

Hein, I tried calling you but it went to voice mail. I sent a text but didn't hear back - what's the best way to connect?

Sorry I missed your call; did see your text and I'll return your call tomorrow.
I am having some trouble with my phone so please call Kim if you can't reach me. 54l 49O 4Z9Z

 

[pugslyyy]

Mocking up what it will look like after the 6" lift and 35s...

 

[bknudtsen]

Looks more like 8" on 37's...

 

[pugslyyy]

I've been working on soundproofing.

I decided to go with KnuKonceptz Kno Knoise Sound Deadening (80 mil butyl rubber) - http://www.knukonceptz.com/mobile-a...e-resonance-control-super-bulk-pack-105sq-ft/

I wanted a thick butyl sound deadener, and this seemed like the best option from cost/performance standpoint.

After the butyl I am putting 3M Thinsulate Acoustic Insulation SM600L from Impact Products in the walls and ceilings - http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...ic-Insulation-SM600L?N=4607+3292659035&rt=rud

I've already stuffed a lot of the Thinsulate up into the dash - there is a heckuva lot of empty space up there.

I'm still not entirely sure what I will do with the floor. Right now I have stall mat in the load space, and am putting Kno Knoise / double bubble / OEM flooring up front.











One thing that I really appreciate about the E-350 is how easy it is to get the seats out. Just 4 bolts each and they are out of the way. Removing the seats makes working under the dash and on the doghouse 5000% easier, at least.

 

[pugslyyy]

I finally got around to doing my pyrometer install. I read from various places that it was possible to drill the hole in the exhaust header without dropping a bunch of metal shavings into the exhaust header (and thereafter up into the turbo), but was suspicious.

So I took off the turbo inlet pipe so I could inspect the exhaust header and clean it out. There were a lot of shavings...

 

[pugslyyy]

When I swapped out the stock stereo to an aftermarket double-din unit, I was intrigued by the idatalink maestro compatibility. I decided to order the add-on (it was cheap, less than $100 with harness) and have been very pleased so far. It allows me to display gauges from the Canbus on the head unit, and also do some other things like monitor tire pressures, display OBD2 error codes, clear codes, etc.

If you are into gadgets and considering a new head unit, one that is idatalink compatible might be worth considering.

 

[pugslyyy]

I haven't posted an update in a while because, well, I haven't been doing much. Buttoned everything up and used the E-350 to haul the Range Rover out to Moab for the holidays and some other places - 5000 mile road trip, all told.



I can honestly say that the 6.0 is running better now than before the trip - I don't think that it had ever been worked hard (it was a contractor van and never had a brake controller installed). I got all kinds of high/low boost errors for the first couple of thousand miles, but everything finally came unstuck and it has been at least 2000 miles since it threw a code. Still on the list is to clean the VGT, but just as a maintenance item now.

I had one failure a few days ago - the vacuum pump went out. Annoyingly the first indication you get is complete lack of brakes (no "low vacuum" light or anything). This was the first time diving in under the hood and it wasn't as bad as I had feared. Changed the vacuum pump, water pump, and both serpentine belts.

My real reason for posting is because today I stopped by Ujoint Offroad and this happened:

6" lift
4.56 ARB front / rear
RSC upgrade
Sterling full float rear

 

[pugslyyy]

... and so it begins