Switching from Ford E-Series to FC/cabover (like Sportsmobile to Earthcruiser 4x4)?

[REF]

Good to see some of the old gang over here, thanks for the welcome, took me long enough....
Anyway, saw this other thread pop up, and since it’s vehicle related.
I can’t remember if pasted Tapatalk links work across platforms, check out the thread titled
“Discussion on the 2021 Isuzu/Chevy 6.6L Gas Cabover Platform”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lablvr]

I agree. To me, the most important issue on a day to day use of the vehicle is the turning radius. Anything much worse than my Sportsmobile would start to drive me crazy. I am waffling back and forth between the new EC TerraNova and the smaller Adventure Truck. Who knows whether I will really pull the trigger on either, but that's where I am looking. If I don't go with one of those, we will likely just get a normal RV and pull a Jeep or something. There are advantages to both setups. Clearly it's easier to explore a new area with a Jeep and use the RV as a basecamp, but with our van, a lot of times we change plans as the day goes on and decide not to even return to base camp even when we have paid for another night in a campground. It's nice to have that freedom and have all your stuff with you all the time.

Interested in whether your thoughts on the TerraNova and Adventure Truck have evolved? Similar to Geoff, we have an E350 Sportsmobile (2007) and we love the ability to go anywhere but with two labs and getting a bit older we need a bit more space, storage, and an indoor bathroom would certainly make going out longer and farther more reasonable. We aren’t sure we need as off-road capable a rig as the SMB, though we love to have it as an insurance policy—more looking at overlanding and exploring than rock crawling. Looks like the TerraNova will be built on a 350/3500 truck instead of the beefier 550–will that be enough? We kinda like the ability to have a permanent bed over the cab (we love our pop top and sleep up there all the time) . the costs of the UXV and Earthroamer get real high real quick, am wondering if the TerraNova is the sweet spot for us or the Adventure Truck XT. Anyone here own / explore in either?

 

[Steve_382]

Still thinking I would rather have a smaller vehicle even if it compromises on comfort. If I could buy a new E350 van, I might even consider that again, ours has 165,000 miles on it. If I go with a regular cab TerraNova, it should have a similar turning radius to our E350 van. I will still miss having the front seats as part of the living area. If someone made something like the Winnebago Ekko on the E350 chassis with a Quigley or U-Joint 4x4 conversion, I would have already ordered it, but no, no, no, not available.

 

[gregmchugh]

Still thinking I would rather have a smaller vehicle even if it compromises on comfort. If I could buy a new E350 van, I might even consider that again, ours has 165,000 miles on it. If I go with a regular cab TerraNova, it should have a similar turning radius to our E350 van. I will still miss having the front seats as part of the living area. If someone made something like the Winnebago Ekko on the E350 chassis with a Quigley or U-Joint 4x4 conversion, I would have already ordered it, but no, no, no, not available.

Buy an E series cutaway and get a 4 wheel drive conversion and have a Total Composites box mounted to create your own custom EKKO like rig. Total Composites can refer you to companies that can do as much of the build as you want...

 

[waveslider]

Geoff. Have you picked your next horse?

 

[pugslyyy]

Interested in whether your thoughts on the TerraNova and Adventure Truck have evolved? Similar to Geoff, we have an E350 Sportsmobile (2007) and we love the ability to go anywhere but with two labs and getting a bit older we need a bit more space, storage, and an indoor bathroom would certainly make going out longer and farther more reasonable. We aren’t sure we need as off-road capable a rig as the SMB, though we love to have it as an insurance policy—more looking at overlanding and exploring than rock crawling. Looks like the TerraNova will be built on a 350/3500 truck instead of the beefier 550–will that be enough? We kinda like the ability to have a permanent bed over the cab (we love our pop top and sleep up there all the time) . the costs of the UXV and Earthroamer get real high real quick, am wondering if the TerraNova is the sweet spot for us or the Adventure Truck XT. Anyone here own / explore in either?

Maybe slightly more expensive than the Terranova, but we have a lot of Nimbl Evolutions out there on F350 / RAM 3500 pickup chassis. I have a 4x4 E-350 as well, but the space and convenience of the Nimbl makes it the choice for most of our camping trips. Still, for the size of the E-350 it is hard to beat the capability you get.

 

[geoffff]

Geoff. Have you picked your next horse?

No, I'm going to move slow and keep pondering it. I'm not in a rush. I'll keep using my current van for another few years.

I have a mechanic friend who is building his own expedition vehicle, and I'm going to watch and "help" and learn from that process.

My current dream is to build something custom on an E-350 cutaway platform, though I'm lazy and would love to just buy something that already comes close to fitting my needs. I'm thinking something like this:

Maybe I will start a new thread soon here on Expedition Portal with my current ideas....

 

[WanderingBison]

...

Maybe I will start a new thread soon here on Expedition Portal with my current ideas....

YES please! I’m reading this conversation with a great deal of interest.

I’m trying to come up with a plan for the next build and am/was considering a AWD Transit cutaway chassis with a composite box but a few things are holding me back:

The availability of a chassis from Ford seems quite problematic for the next year or so,

While we love our current 2017 Transit and think it is plenty capable, it’s still not a full frame, 4WD vehicle, and

The gross weight is always a concern as anyway you cut it, 10K is the limit.



So, would love to see your ideas . One of the options is a E450 cutaway, U-Joint conversion to host the composite box, but at that price point, there are a few more options.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[pugslyyy]

So, would love to see your ideas . One of the options is a E450 cutaway, U-Joint conversion to host the composite box, but at that price point, there are a few more options.

However you approach it, it gets expensive fast. I probably have $65k in my 2010 E-350 (including the $20k for the used 2wd van) and that's without a pop top and only a spartan 'convertible' interior.

 

[waveslider]

That sounds interesting. I would be curious to understand what the key differences you find between something like that and your current rig.

 

[geoffff]

However you approach it, it gets expensive fast. I probably have $65k in my 2010 E-350 (including the $20k for the used 2wd van) and that's without a pop top and only a spartan 'convertible' interior.

The trick is to first seriously consider an EarthCruiser. Then $65K doesn't seem so bad.

 

[Lablvr]

The trick is to first seriously consider an EarthCruiser. Then $65K doesn't seem so bad.

I have to admit, while building our own would certainly be cheaper, I am not that accomplished a builder and I’m not sure I want to spend as much time as required to be my own general contractor. So we will need to purchase something ready-built. I like the nimbl especially the upgrades to the truck suspension, but it seems a little small for my husband, me, and two labradors retrievers, plus gear.

 

[gregmchugh]

Still thinking I would rather have a smaller vehicle even if it compromises on comfort. If I could buy a new E350 van, I might even consider that again, ours has 165,000 miles on it. If I go with a regular cab TerraNova, it should have a similar turning radius to our E350 van. I will still miss having the front seats as part of the living area. If someone made something like the Winnebago Ekko on the E350 chassis with a Quigley or U-Joint 4x4 conversion, I would have already ordered it, but no, no, no, not available.

Did you see this?

FORD 2007 F350 GSA BOX VAN 59K 4x2 $12,500

The good: In Excellent Mechanical Shape Oversized High Tread E-Load Tires Durable 5.4 V8 Gas Super Low Miles 5'11" tall Cargo Area Cargo Box measures a little over 10'x7'. Recent alignment and suspension adjusted. There is a separate AC and Heater unit in the cargo area Good clean title with no...

expeditionportal.com

 

[ScottPC]

An E350 Chassis with the newer V8 (gas) w/ 6spd transmission, 4x4 conversion, total composites box, and Colorado Camper Van pop top would be a very interesting combination in terms of capability, agility, reliability and serviceability. Certainly there would be some hurdles to overcome, box on frame comes to mind, but it could be a true four season rtw vehicle, imo. I like the shorter wheelbase and shorter sloping hood of the E350 over the F350. The V8 delivers a lot of low end torque for a gas engine. The E350 comes with a 40 gallon tank and the F350 only 34 unless you opt for the supercrew + long bed making the wheelbase massively longer. I like pop tops for better clearance, highway aerodynamics, and openness when deployed. Sometimes they'll even fit into a residential garage while allowing a shipping container option if so inclined. Anyone building one of these?

 

[pugslyyy]

An E350 Chassis with the newer V8 (gas) w/ 6spd transmission, 4x4 conversion, total composites box, and Colorado Camper Van pop top would be a very interesting combination in terms of capability, agility, reliability and serviceability. Certainly there would be some hurdles to overcome, box on frame comes to mind, but it could be a true four season rtw vehicle, imo. I like the shorter wheelbase and shorter sloping hood of the E350 over the F350. The V8 delivers a lot of low end torque for a gas engine. The E350 comes with a 40 gallon tank and the F350 only 34 unless you opt for the supercrew + long bed making the wheelbase massively longer. I like pop tops for better clearance, highway aerodynamics, and openness when deployed. Sometimes they'll even fit into a residential garage while allowing a shipping container option if so inclined. Anyone building one of these?

I was really surprised to see Ford put the new 7.3 gasser into the E-350. We've been hearing about the impending demise of the Econoline for so long, it is nice to see Ford continuing to update and modernize the platform.