E350/450 Cab-Chassis w/ Composite Box Body
- Thread starter luthj
- Start date
thatcabledude
New member
Looks sick as it sits.
overlandlike
New member
MPG with that big box + 35s + 4x4 is realistically ~8–11 mpg, maybe a touch better if you keep speeds low.
Following along — would love to see the build.
Following along — would love to see the build.
luthj
Engineer In Residence
Sounds about right. I have ~34s on it right now, though may go larger if needs demand. If they don't I may switch to an MPG oriented tire, as they can make a noticeable difference. My rough math puts me at about 9.5mpg running 60-65mph on the highway. Stop and go economy? Well I prefer not to think about it!
When I sat down and did the cost of ownership vs a similar sized vehicle with diesel powerplant (sprinter, F-series, etc). The extra maintenance and purchase cost of a modern diesel mostly offset the extra fuel costs. With USA fuel prices the fuel spend difference was about $6k per 100k miles between the two. That includes the cost of DEF, but no maintenance etc.
I like some nice turbo action as much as the next guy, but a fairly simple pushrod V8 has its appeal.
I am planning on posting the build on here if there is interest. I am hoping to have it mostly usable in a year. But... I know how these things go!
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luthj
Engineer In Residence
I briefly considered putting a flatbed on it, and getting a box made with quick connects, so I could swap it out. The extra weight/complexity wasn't worth it for my usage though.
luthj
Engineer In Residence
FV contacted me, and looks like they are going to try and induct the chassis for build next week!
My box is on the truck to Colorado currently. Still working out the details on a possible rear bumper and storage boxes. The FV units are nice, but expensive. I could probably get something 80% of the way there fabbed locally for less. But that would require me to do all the measuring and CAD work myself. So a significant delay, and a bunch of hours that I don't really have currently.
I would like the extra external storage, but the added weight could be pretty significant.
My box is on the truck to Colorado currently. Still working out the details on a possible rear bumper and storage boxes. The FV units are nice, but expensive. I could probably get something 80% of the way there fabbed locally for less. But that would require me to do all the measuring and CAD work myself. So a significant delay, and a bunch of hours that I don't really have currently.
I would like the extra external storage, but the added weight could be pretty significant.
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