Greetings everyone. Am eager to get some thoughtful responses to my questions. Thanks in advance....

If everything goes right, I'll be trading an existing daily driver for a pretty sweet '86 SWB Econoline w/the 4.9l six, and 4 on the floor manual. Seems to be a pretty solid rig from the description. Have yet to check it out in person, though. When I do(with my mechanic buddy in tow), any "trouble spots"/issues in particular I should pay attention to? As I move forward with my "ownership experience", what sort of difficulties am I gonna encounter tracking down parts for this rig? I know the F Sseries enthusiasts have no shortage of places to go for NOS/repro/resto parts--Is there a place/vendor like that for these rigs? If not, is there at least a fair amount of interchangeability w/Ford trucks/cars of the same vintage? Also, because I'm already here asking: did those 300 6's still have carbs or were they CFI by 1986? Just some things I was wondering about.

Thanks again in advance for any and all input/responses. Rock On.

 

I've got an '81 E150 shorty "The Oven" (black panel van) with the carburated 300 and the RUG/RAB 3+1 Overdrive transmission, to outward appearances it's a four speed but it's a 3+1. Make sure you put the tranny through its paces, if there is any binding or if the trans pops out of gear on decel, you may have a can of worms to deal with, especially if it's a 3+1.
Took Aamco two tries to get mine right over the course of 13 months and not before a misdiagnosis forced me to graft a Hurst shifter to this trans as no replacements have been made by Ford since the '80's. According to one Ford engineer whom remembers those days, Ford not only discontinued the shifters for the RUG/RAB, they destroyed the dies so aftermarket couldn't steal their design.
Not to say that this tranny is a bad design, just support for it and related components is lacking in this millenium.
Also the aftermarket air pumps for these are garbage, and the windshields are held in with butyl which by this time may be losing some of its strength, last week I had to get my windshield re-set.
One of the first mods on mine was to address the wimpy headlights. I'd driven several of these Econolines over the years and they just don't seem to put enough light on the road at night. So I went from the 18 ga wiring to 12 ga and using relays (one for each headlight) between the switch and headlights, together with Hella shells and 190/130 H4's
....and let's hope a motor transplant is in the near future, the hieght of the 300 makes is a real p@cker to get out of those vans, so difficult, when I did it I wrote a step by step tutorial in case I ran into anyone faced with the same.

Good luck and all the best

 

That some great info! Thanks. Wow. Is there an better alternative should I want to swap in a different tranny later?
M5OD? ZF? Any of those other issues you mentioned fixable with possible truck parts(window rubber, air pumps)? thanks again.

 

I have a 1989 E150 shorty, 4.9, AOD. Look for rust and frame damage. Here are some parts links:

Danno Enterprises Automotive Weatherstripping
Automotive Gaskets, Door Channels and Seals, and much more from TechnologyLK.com.
Beaded Channels
https://secure.steelerubber.com/
- 1975-1991 Ford Fullsize Van
Auto Body Restoration Catalog
RockAuto Auto Parts

 

A carbon copy of my '85.

Mine was a low-mile CA truck, but I still had rust behind the RR wheel. Easy patch job, no further trouble.

My exhaust manifold, and in turn the intake, would work loose regularly. PITA to tighten.

My trans had a squeal in it for a long time, never fixed it.

I hated the 2-3 gap with 3.50s and 31 inch tires. Ymmv, because when I put the stockers back on it to drive it to it's execution, I realized those 31s weren't worth the looks as they really dogged it out.

As for the shifter, I would just do a clean up and some lube. Check the rods to the shifter arms and clean/grease those up too.

Check you driveshaft and u-joints. Good items, but it is an elderly vehicle...

Front end parts, ditto the above.

Brakes: Mine had plastic pistons in the calipers. Got that fixed and all fixed up and voila, BRAKES.

I put a Hellwig sway bar on the back with new shocks, I liked it. (it's for sale, btw:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...150-250-a.html

"obo" fwiw...

I also put some 15x7 wheels on there, and paneled it with 1/2" plywood.

Check your exhaust, too, mine was lookin' swiss-cheese like.

As for other transmissions, a Mazda M5OD was also offered in vans, but you end up with a goof-ball dog house mounted shifter boot iirc. I was going to go with a T5 as I didn't haul max loads or tow. An AOD would work too if you wanted to go auto.

Oh, forgot. Check your clutch master. You will no doubt find the floor flexs when you step on the clutch. There is a real thin factory "reinforcement" that you can use to make a 3/16" plate to mount the master on to eliminate the flex. I made one with a drill and some files, so if you have anything to work with tool wise, it'll be easy.

 

Now I'm getting REALLY fired up--hopefully this person I'm dealing with won't get cold feet. I'm saving all this info for future reference, and, once again, really appreciate the great info and reassurances. Once the Rig's in my possession, I'll fill everyone in.

 

Gkeepa: you were correct right off the batt -- this is the place to ask. Although with no interest in the matter, I have found this very informative myself.