E350 15 passenger Van Questions

[RedTruck]

history of rolling??? only if people are doing something stupid...and try and get,,the one with handle removable seats,,quick in and out,,,the bolt down ones,,are a pita.....been there..

Thanks. I kind of think the seats with the van I'm looking at are bolt ins. I figure it will be a four seater most of the time, but it sure would be nice to have a quick detach option. I'll have to look into that. Some of the information I found was here: Clicky regarding the roll overs. Albiet I'm guessing most of the folks involved haven't really driven anything bigger than a mid sized car.

Thanks!

Actually, it's Tim.

Crapola. Sorry about that.

John,

Thanks for the info and pictures. Sure is nice seeing the engine there to see the clearance. From the information I read, Ford switched over to a different clutch assembly in the mid 80's. The clutch pedal, linkage, master and slave, can all be purchased from Ford and you bolt it onto existing bracketry. You know how information is on the internet (I just called Tim...Chris for Pete's sake )...that particular thread about the clutch (I think at Ford-Trucks.com) said Ford switched how this clutch setup was in 89. The picture of the 5 speed there is great. I had the same thoughts as Rob above.

Thanks again!

Paul

 

[RedTruck]

Many of the wheelchair vehicles I've seen, including mine, use a short section of E-Trak bolted to the floor. A locking bar, that attaches to many standard wheelchairs, has straps that clip into the E-Trak. Simple, strong, easy to use, and the E-Trak is not in the way of moving people and cargo inside the van.

I may still have my locking bar. Let me know if you need one.

Thanks a lot!

Paul

 

[idi_econoline]

history of rolling??? only if people are doing something stupid...

Yeah, the problem really is that almost 3,000 lbs of cargo on the floor is what it is. The CG (center of gravity) is relatively low. But seat 15 humans a couple feet higher, and, suddenly, the CG goes way higher. And, yeah, as with so many vehicle operators out there, they don't keep perspective of their vehicle's limitations at any particular moment. Wet roads, cornering, swerving.... bad juju.

And, yeah, as IDIDieselJohn said, do everything you can before the engine goes in. Forgot to replace oil cooler rings while out-of-frame. Very much NOT fun in-frame!

 

[DOE-SST]

When I first started driving my E350, I was really concerned about a rollover accident, especially because I had a large raised fiberglas roof that weighed 200+ lbs.

Having driving several E350s over the years as daily drivers, all with raised roofs, I've become comfortable driving them. I've never experienced any amount of body roll. As others have said, you probably need to have 10+ seated adults to start experiencing any rolling action.

 

[RLDSL]

"And word of advice, any work you "THINK" the engine will need in the future, do it NOW before putting it the van! Reseal the whole thing, head gaskets, tune up, everything!


You do not wanna do this with the engine in the van!"

That's no lie,
I sold my last van, a rather nice cheby conversion van, CHEAP because it was due for a valve job. I had rebuilt the engine in it a whole lotta hundred thousand miles before but by the time it came for a valve job, there was no way on earth I was going to be pulling those suckers outta that thing spending all that time bending over that thing and ******* them out of there, and that was a stinking small block.

 

[Dave 001]

Thanks Dave,
You noticed a significant difference with the locker though?

Yes, the significant difference was increased traction. I think Detroit Lockers are great. They get some undeserved bad rap....just like Diesel engines. The uninformed yap about noisey, smokey, hard starting Diesels. My Diesel starts great, is extremely quiet going down the road (just a little noise at idle), and doesn't smoke. Plus I get 19 MPG....far better than a gas engine. And greater low RPM torque than a gas engine. But yet the uninformed bad mouth Diesels. Detroit Lockers are the same way.....they occasionally make a little noise but it's nothing so objectionable that it can't be overlooked. The increased traction is phenominal plus they are fully automatic.....kicking into action at the first sign of wheel slippage.

If you leary of a mechanical locker, the Dana PowerLoc that was factory installed in my buddy's truck also worked great......locking up when needed without having to feather the brakes and all that stuff like is neccesssary with some limied slip units. (The TractionLoc in another buddy's Super Duty was worthless. When you needed it most, it wouldn't do anything.) And the Dana unit is not too expensive. Eventually the clutches in the PowerLoc will need to be replaced but my buddy's lasted 350,000 miles before the clutches needed to be replaced.

Dave

 

[RedTruck]

Thanks much for all the information.

Made an offer yesterday...will see how it all goes. Not overly excited to wrench on the thing, but I think it will serve my family better now than a pickup.

Thanks again,

Paul

 

[yARIC008]

The problem with the thing rolling over is supposedly the rear drivers tire. If you actually have 15 passengers in there, an unproportionate amount of weight is on the drivers rear tire and when they blow out you lose control easily. Basically keep your tires in good shape, be mindful of your load, and don't suck at driving and you should be okay.

One thing you can do to make the van more stable is to install heavy duty spacers on the rear wheels. The rear wheels sit about 2 inches further in than the front. Widening the rear will make it more stable.

Another thing that helps stability is to install the factory ambulance steering damper. You have to get the ford part that mounts to the actual frame, not the aftermarket crap that mounts to the suspension. This will make driving the van much smoother, especially down the highway. If you buy the aftermarket mount then it's really useless as when you hit a bump the damper is bumped on both ends not helping stability at all.



A common spot for the vans to rust is on the roof gutters. Try to keep that under control or else it'll take over and it's very hard to stop. If you're buying an 88 it may already be a problem.

 

[460mudsports]

Good luck!

I have had a 91 E250 4.9l, a 15 passenger size with only the front two seats, for almost a decade now. I have never had any issues with traction, even with the open rear end. If you do want to add a locker, be sure to check the id codes on the axle first. My van has a dana 61, not a 60. IIRC they are very similar, but something is different in the chunk or gears. I have been running 265/75 16's on the rear of mine on 8 inch wide wheels for years and have been happy with them, but they were just what I happened to have.

I don't think the vans have as much of a rollover tendency as an Explorer, especially an Explorer with a low tire.


I have been considering a zf5 swap into my 90 E350 Uhaul to replace the c6 in it depending on how well it runs once I get time to work on it.

Does anyone know which way you can swap the steering columns between trucks 73-79 and vans 75?-91. I know one of them is shorter than the other, but mine are not where I can go measure them. IIRC you can put a van column in truck, but a truck column is too short for a van.

 

[RedTruck]

Thanks for the reply's fellows,

I think the spacer idea is really a good one, but my guts have always advised against that. I've only got a family of four, but on occasion it will be loaded with more people. I'll have seats for 11 I believe, but that may change as he has several different options available. This thread talked me out of benches for our little ones. I'm not so worried about me driving. I'm more worried about my wife. In that link I posted it also mentions that the rear glass isn't tempered. I wonder what other vehicles side and rear glass ratings are?

I have a 84 F250 that I'll probably look to for spare parts on this. I'm hoping the axle will work with the possible changing of perches. I haven't done much looking into it yet, but I'm hoping the radiator support will work as well.

I really like the idea of the steering stabilizer from the ambulance. That will probably be one of the first things I look for if this all works out. The roof gutters did start to rust and he dressed them and filled them with Silicone. That will be the other priority of mine. I plan to strip down to metal and use POR 15 in that area.

I'll be looking for new rear tires as well. I wish the US market made a steel belted side wall for 16" tires. For the hunting, fishing, and camping we will do, chains will handle most of the problems.

Thanks again fellas!

 

[Mulochico]

Ask your tire guy for F rated tires. They are usually special order. A friend told me he looked into them. A bit more expensive, but they might fit your needs.

 

[RedTruck]

Bought and home. So far I really like it. I just need to figure out how to keep the barn doors open in the wind.

Thanks everyone for responses...

Paul

 

[sassyrel]

Bought and home. So far I really like it. I just need to figure out how to keep the barn doors open in the wind.

Thanks everyone for responses...

Paul

oh how i wish i could have gotten to you sooner!!! a not tooo bright kid,,with 5 kids!! just sold a Ford 12 pass van....1999 from vegas!! i/e ZERO rust,7.3, with a just new rebuilt auto,,that i put in for him!! new gp's,new pinion bearings,,as previous owner destroyed them!!! new rear battery, new seal in ps pump.new tank on top of rad,,air cleaner modified,,so can get at filter!!! he just put new starter in,,and he replaced the tank as the inside was delaminating[ford had problems with this,,and a lawsuit is pending]..i know of nothing else,,that needed to be done to this van..it had a working bd exhaust brake on it, had 187,000 actual miles,,and got 24 !!! miles per on the open road..he checked it four different times!!! this was a f350,,and it also had a posi axle,,that worked!!!and the dumb butt,,sold it for.......................................................................................6000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with my labor,,trans cost,,and purchase cost,,he had over 8900.00 in it!!!!!!!!! and purchased a chev van,,that he aint getting over 11 miles per gal!!!!! we have parted ways!!! cuz a give him a h of a break on the labor....

 

[RedTruck]

Sounds like a nice van. I totally hear you on all of your help you gave this kid and he decided to sell after the fact. Someone got a real nice deal.

I've had a thing for the 80's Ford vans since DragRag's 4x4. The fellow I bought this from kept meticulous records and it looks great. Couple of rust spots I will fix, but all in all she's pretty.

Thanks, Paul

 

[sassyrel]

Sounds like a nice van. I totally hear you on all of your help you gave this kid and he decided to sell after the fact. Someone got a real nice deal.

I've had a thing for the 80's Ford vans since DragRag's 4x4. The fellow I bought this from kept meticulous records and it looks great. Couple of rust spots I will fix, but all in all she's pretty.

Thanks, Paul

it was damn nice,,no dents,,no scrapes..new headlights also..pissed me off...his wife,,is a controlling hag..