The Ute II: E350 RB 7.3 ZF6
- Thread starter naterry
- Start date
flightcancled
Explorer
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Cheers everybody, thanks for the kind words!
I've been driving small cars for over a year now and it's a huge change. So trying to be objective here... It feels like a monster truck, and bigger than the original Ute in some ways. Something about shifting the gears gives me a more connected feeling to what a huge heavy rig it is! That said, it gets up and goes great. I went with the TW 6 Position chip to convert the ECU over to manual and a couple of the tunes are ridiculous. Like, if I don't feather the clutch a little it will just pop the rear tires half a rotation, which is funny, but not exactly smooth. Shifter position is good, pedal feel is good. I'll report back after I log some miles and get used to it.
The goal of the ZF6 swap was to have a simpler van that I know how to fix (still don't get all the torque converter and valve body stuff). I also feel more comfortable towing and lugging up hills in manuals because you know without a doubt if you are cooking the clutch or not. It helps me sleep at night when I'm out in the boonies if you know what I mean.
Cheers! It's not that difficult. The UJOR kit requires welding and some alignment so I'd already place it above the land of bolt-on projects, etc.
Here is the ugly bracket I made. I used two existing tapped holes in the cast aluminum dash/steering column assembly, hence the odd angles of the top two mounting holes. It's a 3/4" bore and has plenty of displacement to actuate the OEM AP Slave:
Thank you again Chris, this would have taken forever without your help!
It's spacious for me but I don't play in the NBA (size 9 for the record). My freak of nature viking buddy drove it yesterday too and I forgot to ask him what he thought about the pedals, but he didn't say anything. There's plenty of space really, the wheel well bulge isn't that big. That was one concern I was glad to see elleviated.
I've been driving small cars for over a year now and it's a huge change. So trying to be objective here... It feels like a monster truck, and bigger than the original Ute in some ways. Something about shifting the gears gives me a more connected feeling to what a huge heavy rig it is! That said, it gets up and goes great. I went with the TW 6 Position chip to convert the ECU over to manual and a couple of the tunes are ridiculous. Like, if I don't feather the clutch a little it will just pop the rear tires half a rotation, which is funny, but not exactly smooth. Shifter position is good, pedal feel is good. I'll report back after I log some miles and get used to it.
The goal of the ZF6 swap was to have a simpler van that I know how to fix (still don't get all the torque converter and valve body stuff). I also feel more comfortable towing and lugging up hills in manuals because you know without a doubt if you are cooking the clutch or not. It helps me sleep at night when I'm out in the boonies if you know what I mean.
Cheers! It's not that difficult. The UJOR kit requires welding and some alignment so I'd already place it above the land of bolt-on projects, etc.
- The Transmission & T-Case swap itself is a no-brainer: it bolts right up.
- The OEM auto tranny cross member works with minor modifications: It sits another 1 1/2" lower than Chris's splints place it. This is somewhat dictated by what you choose to do with the hole for the shifter because it could sit higher if you wanted to fab a little box below the boot.
- Mounting the Clutch Pedal requires minor fabrication skills and is the only real variable: Note that I went the simplest route I could think of which was to mount an under-hung reverse swinging pedal. There are certainly more elegant ways to mount a pedal but I didn't want to make a sculpture out of it or mess with the firewall and wheel well. The area behind the pedals in our vans if cramped and full of harness bulkhead mounts, yuck.
Here is the ugly bracket I made. I used two existing tapped holes in the cast aluminum dash/steering column assembly, hence the odd angles of the top two mounting holes. It's a 3/4" bore and has plenty of displacement to actuate the OEM AP Slave:
Thank you again Chris, this would have taken forever without your help!
It's spacious for me but I don't play in the NBA (size 9 for the record). My freak of nature viking buddy drove it yesterday too and I forgot to ask him what he thought about the pedals, but he didn't say anything. There's plenty of space really, the wheel well bulge isn't that big. That was one concern I was glad to see elleviated.
E350
New member
Thanks for going where (according to my research) no 7.3L owner has gone before! I asked Chris Steuber about this years ago and he couldn't recall anyone actually doing it. So, in my book you are the first. And probably deserve some sort of an award. I have a ton of questions, which I will hold until I am really ready to commit to do this mod. But my guess is that on my 2002 7.3L E350 extended wagon I will do the stock semi-float to full float rear axle first. So, if you don't mind, what full float axle from what year truck/van do you guys recommend and why?
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Too damn cool! :Wow1:
I'm researching now, hopefully shopping in the near future, and when (not if) I build my UJOR swap, this would be a serious contender on the mods list. Is the clutch you mentioned in post#9 (http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/272-S-3-4/) the one that you built around? Do you have approximate dimensions for the mounting plate?
Chris, would you consider adding this to the UJOR kit? I love my stick taco, and this just screams MAN VAN!
I'm researching now, hopefully shopping in the near future, and when (not if) I build my UJOR swap, this would be a serious contender on the mods list. Is the clutch you mentioned in post#9 (http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/272-S-3-4/) the one that you built around? Do you have approximate dimensions for the mounting plate?
Chris, would you consider adding this to the UJOR kit? I love my stick taco, and this just screams MAN VAN!
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Thank you, I'll take a beer, best award ever...
Lots of guys on here know more about the axles than me. I opted for the Sterling 10.5 out of an 03. Coincidentally, the speed sensor was the same as my 96 van which used the rear axle for VSS instead of the tailshaft housing.
Yep, that's the one I ordered, but straight from CNC. One note here: be sure to spec the master with the SS cylinder liner. I have no idea why they even sell them without the steel liner, but they do. Let me know when you get closer and I'll whip up a drawing of the mount. It's basically two plates, two flat bar, and two pieces of angle with holes.
E350
New member
If you are in SF or even Idaho, I will buy you beers! The only time I have ridden in a ZF6 7.3L was in a Ford flatbed tow truck (F550 or F650?) with my van on the flatbed heading down from Kirkwood in a snow storm to Sacto for an alternator replacement (first the windshield wipers stop, then the fuel pump, then you're stopped on the shoulder). I am not sure about a manual in traffic, but heading across the NV and Utah flats to Idaho my guess is that it could save a ton of fuel with 3.55 differentials.
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dcguillory
Adventurer
He is in SF so pony up that beer. 2 posts in 4 years? You need a thread E350.
E350
New member
touché... mgmetalworks posted the link to this thread in the smb forum. This is the topic which interests me the most so all my posts over the past four years (starting with yesterday) are in it. When I get back to working on the van and being a doer not a talker, I will post a thread. If I find myself in SF, I am definitely offering this guy beers. I am impressed and would like to hear about how it drives, what mpg, etc.
My other muse is Dave Whitmer the Mileage Moderator at powerstrokenation.com He wondered whether putting a ZF6 in an E350 was even possible. Check out his 7.3L over at psn if you haven't already.
Your Abravan looks great! I still wonder if I should have gone with the Cruiser Top instead of the Voyager...
