Ford E-350 Van Buildout

[MarcAtl]

I am reconfiguring my van for a second summer of exploring the west and midwest. Last summer I departed Atlanta in a 1998 Land Rover Discovery all decked out with adventure rack and winch. I made it to the desert in west Texas...it over heated and died. My first choice of vehicle was the newly launched MB Sprinter 4x4, but that was too expensive. So I found a great deal on a 2014 Ford E-350 superduty van. I stripped out all but the rear bench seat and built out a simple camper and headed to California. I setup it up with the galley on the opposite wall from the side doors as I have seen in many conversions. I found it annoying that I had to climb in and out of the van when preparing meals outside. This time I want to put a cabinet next to the door.

Here are some pics:

 

[MarcAtl]

I have drawn up some plans of the build. I have added a second tool chest to use as a galley cabinet...and put it next to the door for convenience. I like to use the tool chest so it can be locked, for security and to keep the drawers from flying open. The tool chests can be repurposed after the trip is completed.

The first view is of the front side. The second is a top view showing the platform bed. The third view has the bed removed to show the storage beneath. The last view is from the rear doors showing the portable winch.

 

[Marine]

Impressive,

 

[tienckb]

How's the rattling factor with the tool box?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2002 LX470 expo ready
2008 Ford E350 EB V10 4x4 Sportsmobile PH top
Custom off road trailer

 

[MarcAtl]

tienckb,

The box only made noise during side-to-side motions. That was nothing compared to the all the stuff in the center console rattling...coins, coffee cups, etc.

 

[bknudtsen]

If you take this thread to the 4wd (and 2wd) Camper Vans forum, you will get a ton of great advice and input.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I like it. It's simple. It's well thought out.

 

[Bojak]

I like it. Before I got my truck I looked at getting a van and doing a poor mans Quigley version of it. Vans are weird. Personally I love them but their beauty is lost to many. Most people I mentioned getting one to where quick with the stranger danger jokes. I just thought it was super functional. Wife ultimately said no van, so I bought a redneckmobile instead. Vans are noisy. You get alot of echo just from how cavernous. Glad you built one, very cool.

 

[MarcAtl]

Bojak...you make good points and all of my family and friends find the van odd...but it is so practical. I can carry stuff from HD in the rain and it doesn't get wet...I can climb to the back and sleep without have to get out in the weather. Being enclosed is very handy for sure.

I got the passenger wagon because it has rear a/c, heat, and insulation. I would not take a cargo van into the desert cuz the dealers rarely order them with rear a/c. The "Sprinter Guy" in Texas orders 4WD crew vans with rear a/c that would make for a great diy camper....if you can swing $60k plus taxes...

 

[MarcAtl]

weekend update

The modifications to the van need to be temporary as I plan to sell the van at the end of the summer. So I plan to put the seats back in. I think it will sell easier as a 12 passenger van. So some of my modifications may seem strange to those who would screw holes in the van.

I am using existing threaded holes in the floor to attach dimensional lumber and route electrical. The thick floor will allow me to use wood screws. No welding or metal working and no drilling holes in the van.

This weekend I managed to assemble most of the floor. I started with it upside down and attached the boards using kreg pocket screws. It got very heavy quickly and flipping it over caused my table to collapse. I put the floor on roller stands and used furniture dollies to move the floor in and out of the van.

I put the floor in the van and located the holes by drilling a 1/4" hole from underneath. Then I rolled the flooring back out to drill large bolt holes and a recess for them to tuck into.

I ran a 120V cord through the floor and secured it under the van. The cord can be plugged into an extension cord and pluggged into campground power outlets. Here are the HD appliance cord and rubber connector...

 

[MarcAtl]

Today I routed out the channel in the floor for the electrical supply and started covering the rear windows (for privacy).

 

[Bbasso]

Vans are noisy. You get alot of echo just from how cavernous.

I'll totally disagree with that, my van w/ hightop is fully insulated with plenty of furniture and stuff and it's quiet- very quiet and has no echo you speak of. Here's the kicker... I have a 7.3 with a 4 inch turbo back exhaust and can hear if a penny falls off the counter while driving (and I don't hear very well anymore).

 

[MarcAtl]

I have finished most of the construction. Platform bed is complete and shelves are nearly complete. I just need to secure things so the don't fly around when stopping.

I didn't realize how much the van tapers from front to rear until I started mounting the bed. When you put a sheet of plywood in it you really get an idea for how the van curves.

The portable winch power lead is in place but I haven't connected it yet as I still need to wire up the interrupt solenoid (see last pic in this update). It is handy to have the power cable as it has a jumper cable that connects to it. It is possible to jump start someone without having to open the hood of the van and find a place to connect the leads. I noticed that the instructions say to connect the cables to the dead battery before connecting to the power lead on the rear of the van. Pretty cool as it will keep sparks as far away from the batteries as possible. The kit came with a short power lead to attach to the front bumper but I don't think I will install it now.

I put some boxes and things in the van to see how it all fits.