Worth converting this 2wd E350 to 4x4?

[socceronly]

I am hoping to use this van in the winter more, and on some rougher FSR & back country roads. This vehicle would be used a lot in British Columbia and making a trip up to the way way north.

It is a 2014, 78K miles, 5.4L

It is a 12ft box truck with a kickover above the cab.

From a cylinder misfire, I found that cylinder has been repaired before. I guess it was tapped out and fixed in the past at some point.

Is a repair like that a red light for not investing in this van, or is there any other reason not to convert a box truck like this to 4x4?

Otherwise I have really enjoyed it. Would just like to get out of RV parks....

Appreciate the input.

Thanks
JM

 

[Raul]

Pictures will help. If rust is not an issue, it looks like a great option. Plug issues were more prevalent on older models, I'm surprised that happened on a 2014 with 78k miles. I did my van with 209k miles.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

Have you gotten a serious estimate for the conversion?

 

[gaetzjm]

Does the Van have a dually rear axle? You could first consider good tires, a lift and a rear locker or LSD before converting to a full 4x4 system. A 4x4 conversion is spendy unless you DIY. It also depends on how rough you want go with a large vehicle and in heavily forested regions like BC, overhead tree limbs are often the constraint.

 

[socceronly]

It is a single axle in the rear.

The conversion works out to about 14KUS.

The rest of the vehicle is in good shape, BC vehicle so little rust from salt.

 

[motovan_mn]

If the rest of the vehicle works for ya, sure sounds like it'd be worth it! Is that $14k paying someone else to the do the conversion or doing it yourself? If the former, sounds awfully cheap...

E-series box van would be my ideal rig, if it weren't for that pesky little toddler that needs to be strapped in to a car seat somewhere!

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

How about you finding all the parts, I don't know but I would think the front axle assembly transfer case and linkage would be very similar for a f250 of the same generation.
I don't know about the labor.

 

[billiebob]

I'd stick with 2WD but look at lift options. There are a few threads on this forum of guys who bypassed the 4WD option and why they stuck with 2WD.

But with low miles and a clean E350 you have a good base for a 4WD investment.
Mechanical issues are a factor with any used vehicle..... do you own it ??

 

[turbodiesel]

Worth it? Maybe, maybe not. It just depends on where you're going and if you are more likely to self rescue.

My soft list:

• Pro
  • Lift or 4WD let's be real, just looks great!
  • Wanted the challenge of doing the conversion.
  • Gotten stuck in mud and sand (CA & UT)
  • Needed to get back in the woods for outdoor adventures (Climbing and alpine requires going down some craptastic roads.)
  • The mental ease factor. I doubt I will use it a ton, but just having it, along with recovery gear, reduces the trip stress a bit.
  • Snow never really had a problem with snow, just go slow w/ chains. I imagine I'll find a case where is comes in handy this winter.
• Con
  • COST $$
    • Lift is probably 1/4 to 1/3 of the cost.
  • Time
    • Lift is much quicker to DIY. Less actual work. Less Parts.
  • Did I mention cost?

 

[billiebob]

Wanted the challenge of doing the conversion

This ^^^ is the biggest motivator for almost every project.