The Ute II: E350 RB 7.3 ZF6
- Thread starter naterry
- Start date
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Got a few questions about the fuel tank to T-Case clearance so here is a pic to clear it up. In hindsight I think Chris's location for the cut would have probably worked. As you can see in the image I cut and capped the tank right at the edge of the recess for the strap. FWIW MIG worked fine.
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
My VSS signal is picked up off the rear differential in my old van but most of the discussion I've read points to the tailshaft housing on the tranny. Also, note that the rear axle I installed in my van came off a 2002 F350, and that I used the existing 2002 sensor on the pumpkin. The old plug (harness/van side) circa 1996 plugged right into the 2002 sensor on the diff.
My guess may be wrong but I think that rear diff VSS was used for ABS on newer vans. I just lucked out when it turned out to be the same plug style and pulses per revolution.
In other news, anybody else hate the old OEM steering wheels?
I finally had it with that POS and decided to add a little flare and comfort to the cabin. The new unit is an inch smaller in diameter and an inch closer to the driver:
derjack
Adventurer
My VSS signal is picked up off the rear differential in my old van but most of the discussion I've read points to the tailshaft housing on the tranny. Also, note that the rear axle I installed in my van came off a 2002 F350, and that I used the existing 2002 sensor on the pumpkin. The old plug (harness/van side) circa 1996 plugged right into the 2002 sensor on the diff.
My guess may be wrong but I think that rear diff VSS was used for ABS on newer vans. I just lucked out when it turned out to be the same plug style and pulses per revolution.
In other news, anybody else hate the old OEM steering wheels?
I finally had it with that POS and decided to add a little flare and comfort to the cabin. The new unit is an inch smaller in diameter and an inch closer to the driver:
Very interesting.
I´ve actually the airbag-less early steering wheel- and want to get rid of it. These Econlines are relatively rar here. I would like the VSS style wheel better- but the alcantara wheels rocks :smiley_drive:
Do you have a source?
What are the parameters to look for when sourcing an aftermarket steering wheel?
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Painted, bumped, and bushwhack'd!
Dayummm Nate!!!
Audi Nardo Grey E350? I am crying right now(Chris and MG understand why).
And E30 M3 V8?(I've owned 2 S14's)
<drool>!
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Hey Gents,
We just returned from 2 weeks around the 4 corners region and I figured it's time for a little update and trip report. I'm not very superstitious, but the van was feeling lucky heading East:
The route included Death Valley, Zion, and Capital Reef but we only really got deep into Canyonlands. The vastness and the sense of immersion and responsibility once "in it" was awesome! I think we saw 4 rigs and 2 dirt bikes the whole time. Smaller and more efficient rigs probably have less to consider than our full sized gas guzzlers, but in the end it all turned out great. I pulled into the first available gas station 7 days after entering the maze district, filled up, and found that I had ~6Gal to spare. This coincidentally is the amount of spare fuel I added from the two 3 Gal Rotopax so "theoretically" we could have made it without backup...
For anyone planning to visit the maze and using this as any form of reference please note that we came in Hans and out Hite. Doing the route the opposite direction (in low, out high) might be the difference in running out of gas or not depending on your rig, campsights/waypoints, and driving style.
Here is a shot at Doll Houses:
The van itself performed admirably with no breakage or hiccups. I was impressed with the amount of traction this heavy bastard has because it would idle up obstacles steep enough for the rear bumper to drag on entry with zero wheel slippage. We can thank the rough sandstone and tires for part of that, and the 36G H2O, 30G Diesel, and the heavy load for the rest. The marks on the trails showed that many other rigs required wheel spin to get up them. The van just didn't care. I would put it in 4 low and granny gear (ZF6) and literally let it idle up the bad stuff without touching the gas pedal.
The only damage resulted because of the nut behind the wheel... I didn't see a boulder that ended up smashing my steering damper mount and tailpipe. Probably a good reason to move the damper up (never liked how low it was anyway):
Rear Bumper scrapage:
The dampers all bottomed out at some point on the trip as well. This was hard to avoid given the quantity of ledges and weight of the loaded rig. The end result was that these little plastic caps all departed or disintegrated:
Here's a shot of the bracket I made to hold some extra fuel, axe, and shovel on the rear bumper rack. I'm not in love with the way Aluminess supports these rear swing outs, more on that later.
Here's a less than great video of the fun side angle obstacle they call Teapot. It doesn't look like much here (there were also others) but I was very conscious and thankful that I had very little roof load. This reaffirmed my self imposed design constraint for an uber-lightweight pop top.
Here's a vid on the way to Doll Houses of two dips along a ledge. Note the D-Ring dragging. Anyone who's been around one of these U-Joint vans with 6" lift and 35's know how big they are. It's crazy how this terrain and these obstacles made it look so small! Also, forget about getting to the Doll Houses or Maze Overlook in an EB van unless you have 8" lift etc.
Here's a few glamour shots of various spots on the trip. It's a little like "Where's Waldo" but the van is in most of them.
Coming down Flynt:
This spot was awesome, highly recommended. Panorama Point CG:
En Route to Maze Overlook CG:
It's "Pack In - Pack Out" so always looking for a room with a view!
Maze Overlook CG:
Funny warning sign and estimated drive times. Note that "The Doll Houses" is ~40 miles from this spot and they estimate 7 hrs. It took every bit of that.
Lastly here's a vid I took on a salt flat on the way back. If you haven't done 80mph circles in the middle of nowhere yet, you should.
We just returned from 2 weeks around the 4 corners region and I figured it's time for a little update and trip report. I'm not very superstitious, but the van was feeling lucky heading East:
The route included Death Valley, Zion, and Capital Reef but we only really got deep into Canyonlands. The vastness and the sense of immersion and responsibility once "in it" was awesome! I think we saw 4 rigs and 2 dirt bikes the whole time. Smaller and more efficient rigs probably have less to consider than our full sized gas guzzlers, but in the end it all turned out great. I pulled into the first available gas station 7 days after entering the maze district, filled up, and found that I had ~6Gal to spare. This coincidentally is the amount of spare fuel I added from the two 3 Gal Rotopax so "theoretically" we could have made it without backup...
For anyone planning to visit the maze and using this as any form of reference please note that we came in Hans and out Hite. Doing the route the opposite direction (in low, out high) might be the difference in running out of gas or not depending on your rig, campsights/waypoints, and driving style.
Here is a shot at Doll Houses:
The van itself performed admirably with no breakage or hiccups. I was impressed with the amount of traction this heavy bastard has because it would idle up obstacles steep enough for the rear bumper to drag on entry with zero wheel slippage. We can thank the rough sandstone and tires for part of that, and the 36G H2O, 30G Diesel, and the heavy load for the rest. The marks on the trails showed that many other rigs required wheel spin to get up them. The van just didn't care. I would put it in 4 low and granny gear (ZF6) and literally let it idle up the bad stuff without touching the gas pedal.
The only damage resulted because of the nut behind the wheel... I didn't see a boulder that ended up smashing my steering damper mount and tailpipe. Probably a good reason to move the damper up (never liked how low it was anyway):
Rear Bumper scrapage:
The dampers all bottomed out at some point on the trip as well. This was hard to avoid given the quantity of ledges and weight of the loaded rig. The end result was that these little plastic caps all departed or disintegrated:
Here's a shot of the bracket I made to hold some extra fuel, axe, and shovel on the rear bumper rack. I'm not in love with the way Aluminess supports these rear swing outs, more on that later.
Here's a less than great video of the fun side angle obstacle they call Teapot. It doesn't look like much here (there were also others) but I was very conscious and thankful that I had very little roof load. This reaffirmed my self imposed design constraint for an uber-lightweight pop top.
Here's a vid on the way to Doll Houses of two dips along a ledge. Note the D-Ring dragging. Anyone who's been around one of these U-Joint vans with 6" lift and 35's know how big they are. It's crazy how this terrain and these obstacles made it look so small! Also, forget about getting to the Doll Houses or Maze Overlook in an EB van unless you have 8" lift etc.
Here's a few glamour shots of various spots on the trip. It's a little like "Where's Waldo" but the van is in most of them.
Coming down Flynt:
This spot was awesome, highly recommended. Panorama Point CG:
En Route to Maze Overlook CG:
It's "Pack In - Pack Out" so always looking for a room with a view!
Maze Overlook CG:
Funny warning sign and estimated drive times. Note that "The Doll Houses" is ~40 miles from this spot and they estimate 7 hrs. It took every bit of that.
Lastly here's a vid I took on a salt flat on the way back. If you haven't done 80mph circles in the middle of nowhere yet, you should.
mgmetalworks
Explorer
Looks like taking an EB on those trails would be a bit of a challenge...
Great pics and video!!
Great pics and video!!
