i have a 1999 van i wanna convert over with a dually van can it be done with out welding? what rear end i need to find? thanks in advance

 

I did a fair amount of research on this awhile back. Welding doesn't seem to be needed but seriously, that is the least of the issues. Why do you want to convert ? Towing ?

FIBERGLASS FENDERS

https://vanangels.wordpress.com/dual-wheels/

https://www.southwestwheel.com/c-104...-adapters.aspx

Fiberglass Rear Dually Fenders Adapters Wheels Conversion Kits.

WheelAdapter.com > Wheel Spacers

 

Vettex... WHY did you do research on this recently?

No offense to the original Poster but this idea seems ridiculous.

 

Do you pull your race car trailer with a dually ? We always have. We used to travel quite a bit so it was kind of mandatory.
If we always raced close by it probably wouldn't have mattered to much.
My old racing team used to make suburbans into duallies and sell them to fund our "habit" ( racing ) .
Towing with a dually is more stable.
It started out we made one for ourselves and then everyone wanted to buy it.
So we did and made another one. And another...We made about a dozen of them.
I was thinking about pulling my 30' trailer at one point but my buddy with a diesel dually offered to pull it when I need to move it. So I never bothered.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ually-van.html
I guess it wasn't that recent.

 

I was under the impression that duallies are for use with the gooseneck/5th wheel type trailers…

I stand corrected

 

They are for those too .
They are better for towing anything short of a small trailer. Especially in windy areas.

 

If you were to stay with drum brakes, like you have currently, it would be easiest to find a mid-late 90s, 2wd dually truck rear. It will be wider to accommodate the duals, and the existing frame width. Probably bolt right in.

For the front, find a 99+ van for bigger brakes and bolt in capability.

 

The box trucks have a narrower frame, a standard width axle, and can't be used.

A 2wd truck, has a standard width frame, and a wider axle, and will bolt in.

 

Do you have an E250 or E350 already?
I thought you said it was a 1/2ton E150...
If it's an E150, you should upgrade the front end to bigger brakes, and to match the dually 8 bolt rear... Understand? This will allow a single spare tire if you put a dually hub on the front. I kinda like the single wheel front, dual wheel rear look myself, but you'll need two separate spares again. But it's up to you.

Buy an e250/350 front end to put in your van. It bolts in, very easy.
It might even be as easy as just knocking balljoints loose and swapping spindles.

 

jason, welcome to the forum! If your van is a E-150, your most economical and practical solution would be to sell it and start out with a one ton van. That would help you out in several ways. 1) You can find a 99-2003 passenger E-350 (church van) with a Dana 60 (or better yet, Dana 70) Full Floating rear axle. 2) You would already have the correct springs, 8 lug bolt pattern and 16" tires. 3) Last but not least, even if you create a dually van out of a 1/2 ton van, nobody would want to buy it if you did have to sell it! The DOT goes by your door sticker to determine whether or not you are overweight. That means you would take your current maximum payload capacity and subtract the additional weight of 2 more tires and rims, 4 wheel spacers, extra springs, etc. After that, your available payload will be next to nothing with 2 people and maybe a dog in there.
I am assuming your reason for converting would be for towing/hauling, right? If you are just wanting to build something a little different, that's fine! It will no doubt cost you an additional loss of 2-5 miles per gallon depending on your engine, gear ratio, and driving habits. I'm not against the idea, I just want you to be well informed! I happen to have a stock Dana 60 axle, springs, and 6 month old HD shocks, out of my E-350,that I am going to sell for cheap right after my new heavier duty axle is completed. Whatever you do, make sure you only use high quality components like the wheel spacers linked in the previous post. They are hub-centric and made from quality steel. The cheap flea-bay aluminum spacers are dangerous. Since you had asked about converting your van without welding, you would only want to use an axle out of another 99+ E-Series. The reason for that is you would need an axle with 49 3/8" between centers of leaf spring perches, and also with the shock mounts in the correct location. The van differentials are also off center. Hope that helps. It is hard to NOT want a dually van after reading that awesome build thread on here though! Cheers!

 

1) punctuation
2) I agree