NLPRacing
Observer
My wife and I have decided to put our motorhome up for sale and purchase a travel trailer. I want to build the ultimate E-Series van to tow the travel trailer and to use it an “Expedition” camper as well as something to “tailgate” with at NASCAR races & NFL games. What I want to start with is an EB with a diesel and then I'll add a raised roof & my own interior (at least 4 captain's chairs, power reclining sofa bed, bathroom with RV style toilet & small sink, cabinet with fridge, microwave & some storage, etc. and the obligatory electronics to keep the kids from saying “are we there yet”
. I would also like to add the UJOINT 4x4 conversion with a mild lift to accommodate 33” to 35” tires. Basically, it would have the features we enjoyed in the motorhome while traveling, but can still be used as a regular “conversion” van for daily driving when need be.
Ideally, I would like an E350 window van with factory rear A/C, cruise control and either the 7.3 or 6.0 Powerstroke diesel. As I am looking thru Craigslist, eBay, Autotrader, etc., I am discovering this combination to be hard to find. There are quite few diesels, but they are mostly E250 cargo vans and if they have less than 200,000 miles, they are pretty proud of them and most E350 window vans are of the 15 passenger variety with the 5.4L gas V8. I'm sure if patient, I'll find what I want, but while searching, some crazy ideas popped into my head.
The difference in length from an RB to an EB is 20”, but the wheelbase is the same, 138”. My crazy idea is to find an E-Series chassis with a 158” wheelbase and mount an EB body on it. Preferably, I would like to find an E450 cab/chassis with a diesel and a 158” wheelbase. I got this idea when I was looking at pictures of Chris's V4 project, especially the pictures of the frame with the cab removed. I have seen many of E450 cab/chassis for sale, some with less than 150,000 miles (mostly former ambulances), for anywhere from $1500 to $5000 depending on age, mileage & condition. My idea is to take one of these and buy a van with a good condition EB body and do a “body swap” mounting the EB body on to the E450 chassis and rework the quarter panels moving the fender wells 20” towards the rear. Then I would “bob” the frame on the E450 essentially making a LWB EB. This idea really intrigues me due to the higher GVWR/GCWR on the E450 chassis as well as the rear axle being closer to the rear of the van which is ideal for towing. Another advantage to this is doing any work and/or upgrades to the engine & the UJOINT conversion will be much easier when the cab is off.
I even thought about using the very rare E550 as the base vehicle.
I found one nearby that has a 158” wheelbase and a 7.3 Powerstroke with less than 150,000 miles. The GVWR/GCWR on it would allow me to add pretty much whatever I wanted. But, I'm not sure if the body would mount to the E550 frame nor do I know how hard it would be to convert to 4wd.
Has anybody heard of or seen anybody do a body swap involving an E450 or E550 like what I have described? Is this too crazy of an idea?
. I would also like to add the UJOINT 4x4 conversion with a mild lift to accommodate 33” to 35” tires. Basically, it would have the features we enjoyed in the motorhome while traveling, but can still be used as a regular “conversion” van for daily driving when need be.Ideally, I would like an E350 window van with factory rear A/C, cruise control and either the 7.3 or 6.0 Powerstroke diesel. As I am looking thru Craigslist, eBay, Autotrader, etc., I am discovering this combination to be hard to find. There are quite few diesels, but they are mostly E250 cargo vans and if they have less than 200,000 miles, they are pretty proud of them and most E350 window vans are of the 15 passenger variety with the 5.4L gas V8. I'm sure if patient, I'll find what I want, but while searching, some crazy ideas popped into my head.
The difference in length from an RB to an EB is 20”, but the wheelbase is the same, 138”. My crazy idea is to find an E-Series chassis with a 158” wheelbase and mount an EB body on it. Preferably, I would like to find an E450 cab/chassis with a diesel and a 158” wheelbase. I got this idea when I was looking at pictures of Chris's V4 project, especially the pictures of the frame with the cab removed. I have seen many of E450 cab/chassis for sale, some with less than 150,000 miles (mostly former ambulances), for anywhere from $1500 to $5000 depending on age, mileage & condition. My idea is to take one of these and buy a van with a good condition EB body and do a “body swap” mounting the EB body on to the E450 chassis and rework the quarter panels moving the fender wells 20” towards the rear. Then I would “bob” the frame on the E450 essentially making a LWB EB. This idea really intrigues me due to the higher GVWR/GCWR on the E450 chassis as well as the rear axle being closer to the rear of the van which is ideal for towing. Another advantage to this is doing any work and/or upgrades to the engine & the UJOINT conversion will be much easier when the cab is off.
I even thought about using the very rare E550 as the base vehicle.
I found one nearby that has a 158” wheelbase and a 7.3 Powerstroke with less than 150,000 miles. The GVWR/GCWR on it would allow me to add pretty much whatever I wanted. But, I'm not sure if the body would mount to the E550 frame nor do I know how hard it would be to convert to 4wd.
Has anybody heard of or seen anybody do a body swap involving an E450 or E550 like what I have described? Is this too crazy of an idea?
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