Which model/motor do you recommend for an E350 build?

[sixstringsteve]

The wife and I just sold our house to live on the road in an RV full time. We don't have a rig yet, but the only solution that even remotely appeals is an airstream towed behind a 15 passenger E350. I've done a little bit of research, but I need some more advice. My apologies if this question gets asked on a daily basis here, I tried searching and couldn't find much to help.

What's the general consensus on engines in these? I find my self wanting a 7.3L diesel, but I've never owned a big diesel, and I'm wondering if there might be another option that would make sense for our needs?

Here are our needs:
- able to tow 8500 lbs
- lots of room inside (I think I prefer the longer, 15 pass models, just for room inside)
- reliable
- good MPG is always a plus
- I plan on a 4 or 6" UJOR lift and 4x4 conversion
- While I love the look of the 6" on 35s, I wonder if a 4" lift on 33s would be more practical and get me better mpg in the end. On a rig this large, am I going to see much MPG difference between a 33 and a 35?


I plan on a 4" UJOR lift, 4x4 conversion, and 33s. The van would be our tow rig, and it would also double as our daily base camp for mountain bikes, backpacking gear, etc. I wouldn't mind being able to leave the airstream behind for a week or so while we go exploring in the van, but most nights of the year we'll be sleeping in the airstream. In other words, I won't be building the van out to live in very much, i'll be building it to haul the airstream and our outdoor toys inside.

And, while we're at it, what are all the terms for the different vans? I keep seeing chateua, what does that trim entail?

with 33s, could I get away with a sliding door? the cargo doors are more appealing, but it's tough finding a clean 7.3L extended with cargo doors. Thanks for the help and advice everyone.

 

[packmule]

I'd keep an eye out for a clean V10 van. They're reliable and cheap on maintenance compared to either the 7.3 or 6.0 diesel. MPG would likely be sub-8 towing 8500 lbs, so keep that in mind. If your budget allows, I'd consider an '06 and newer V10 van as they get the newer 5R110 transmission rather than the 4R100. If diesel is your cup of tea, you should plan on some maintenance dollars to get either Powerstroke in shape for full time use. The 7.3s are all getting pretty old now, and the 6.0s are much better after sinking some $$$ into bulletproofing. Chateau was a passenger van trim level with two rows of captains chairs and a third bench I believe.

I can't comment on the UJOR options other than to say I'm eying a 6" lift with 35s, but I have some saving to do to get there.

FWIW I bought an '01 XLT 12 passenger van with the V10 and 4.10 rear end last spring and we love it... plenty of room for seven people, a dog, and gear for vacations... plenty of power to haul us over mountain passes towing a 24' boat, and this is in completely stock trim. It even sees daily driver duties... my wife prefers it to her minivan, even with the thirsty V10.

 

[sixstringsteve]

thanks for the input packmule. Even though a lot of people have good luck with the 6.0s, I'm going to stay away. I'm ok doing a bit of preventive maintenance on a 7.3L, but I'm not opposed to a v10 either. How many miles can I expect to get out of an average v10 engine?

 

[ujoint]

Can't loose with a V10, especially 05/up that has the 5R110.

 

[packmule]

I've seen plenty of V10s with 200k+ on the clock. Ours had 93k on it when we purchased it and it runs like a top. We've put about 11k on it so far, and we've only done basic maintenance (oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, coolant flush) and lots of gas. One thing to watch for on V10 vans are rusted and busted exhaust manifold studs. The exhaust manifolds get pretty hot under load and have a tendency to break the stock exhaust studs, especially at the back near the collector causing an exhaust leak. Most exhaust shops can replace the studs with better bolts, but it's best to start with a van without the issue.

 

[sixstringsteve]

great feedback everyone thanks. What kind of MPG can I expect out of a stock 7.3L (stock van too). How about a v10?

Since this will be our only vehicle, MPG is important (but not the MOST important).

Our budget is under $20k for a stock van, $30k total, so the cheaper the van, the more $ we have for aftermarket.

Any disadvantages to the extra long ones over a shorter one? I assume the wheelbase is the same between the two?

 

[packmule]

Our V10 regular body van with 4.10 gears in stock trim gets 11-12 mpg on a flat highway at 65-70... 13 with a tail wind and down hill, lol. Around town, trips to Costco, etc with lead feet we get around 7.5-8 mpg. I've never towed anything above 5k lbs, but highway mpg was closer to our city numbers. Rather than focusing on MPG, try to pencil out total cost of ownership for both gas and diesel based on expected miles per year, conservative fuel prices, MPG estimates and factory maintenance schedules.

Wheelbase is the same for both regular body and extended body. I don't think the RB and EB have different towing capacities, but I would assume that a RB might be slightly better for towing heavy loads due to the hitch being closer to the rear wheels... but I have nothing other than simple physics and my best guess to back that up.

 

[Bikersmurf]

My Ambo with a 7.3 and 4.10 gears gets about 13 mpg(US) aroung Town and 16-17mpg on the Highway. It's a brick, weghing about 9000lbs. Maintenance costs haven't been to bad so far, but the Van body makes it a pain to work on. Your budget would leave me with about 25K to work with and deal with any issues that could arrise.

Recently, I've changed to new tires and replaced the clogged air filters... so I believe there is room for improvement on my stated MPGs since I can now hear the turbo working again.

 

[sixstringsteve]

16-17mpg on the highway would be a dream.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Lifted, with agressive tires, and 4WD that'd surely drop a bit... but a regular bodied Van wouldnt weigh 9k before you load it up. Towing capacity is about 10k so you'd be laughing in that respect... economy likely wouldn't change a ton towing.

 

[mikracer]

I have an 05 E350 with a V10, 4.10 gears, and 33's (2wd with a lift). When it was stock, it would get 12-12.75mpg max on the freeway. I think I get about the same, maybe a slight drop with the larger tires. I imagine if you were towing 8500lbs, you would get less than 10mpg. The V10 is great as its smooth and quiet, but for your purposes of traveling while towing a trailer almost 100% of the time, the 7.3 would be my choice since it would probably get 30-40% more mpg over the V10.

I have a Chateau and it was really the only trim model I was looking for. The second row captains was what I was after as it works well for my family. They don't come in the extended body models though. If you get a van with a slider, there is a guy over on sportsmobileforum.com (mgmetalworks) that sells slider door extenders that give you a little more clearance for wider tires. He may be a member here as well.

 

[bknudtsen]

MG's Expo build thread.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/96155-MG-Metalworks-Quadvan-Build

 

[tgreening]

Something to consider when talking towing, a V10, and a van. By all accounts its a great reliable, and fairly powerful engine. But it makes that power at around 4000-4500 rpm. And you'll be sitting right on top of it. I had one in my Excursion and pulled an 8500 lb tag along with it. I got tired of listening to that thing scream realll fast. Highway was 8-8.5 at best while towing. I tow almost exactly double the weight now with a 6.4 diesel and still pull in at around 8-9 mpg.

General maintenance might be a bit more on the 7.3, but it wont be enough to break the bank, and it'll make its power pretty much right at highway cruising rpm. To me its a towing no-brainer, especially since you plan to do a lot of it.

 

[Bbasso]

https://goo.gl/photos/McVwnAFHb5ERkajEA
In the above picture is my 2000 E350 7.3 PSD, I towed my travel trailer which was 31.5 ft long and weighed aprox 7500 lbs.
I would get an astonishing 14 mpg hwy at speed limits with cruise control on.
Inside was my near 400lb motorcycle and about 5-600 lbs of storage items.
And she had over 750,000 miles.

https://goo.gl/photos/tK2Qqcot7LBnCy5F9
The second picture was my 2005 E350 with the V10 and 5R110 transmission.
I never saw anything above 17.5 mpg (empty) When towing I would average around 10 mpg, again speed limit with cruise control. But this van I had tuned by Mike at 5star for towing/economy and power.

Sure the power was great in both Vans no doubt, and obviously gaining some miles per gallon is always a good thing but the truth of the matter is the V10 and that amazing 5R110 towed easier than the 7.3 and the 4R100.
I never had any problems with either, not even remotely. It just seemed that the v10 while reving more seem to work easier because it had more gears to choose from.
(Both Vans had 3.55 and same size tires- 265 75 16)
Hills and east coast mountains were never a problem.

As for the maintenance aspect of owning both and towing the exact same travel trailer I would say the 7.3 cost less because the service intervals were longer or should I say further apart allowing me to get more bang for the buck.

If I had to tow another big travel trailer like that again I would keep my current 7.3 and have the transmission gone through by a true professional at either John woods or BTS and probably get a proper tune to match.

Truth of the matter is I just love the sound of the 7.3! Especially when straight piped lol

 

[deserteagle56]

1995 Club Wagon

Just in case you might find this one promising, here's an ad I saw running yesterday. The extended van with sliding side door, already 4x4 and with only 40,000 miles.