A Forum Member Built a Ford E-150 4×4 – Because Murica!

While covering the latest Ford news represents a big part of what we do here at Ford-Trucks.com, connecting with our forum members and featuring their awesome trucks is something that we love and enjoy doing. Such is the case of this awesome van…

People love vans for lots of reasons. In their most basic form, they make for great work vehicles, efficiently transporting people and their gear wherever it’s needed. With the interior furnished, they make great vehicles for families whether they’re headed for a vacation or just the grocery store. One thing vans are not usually admired for, however, is their off-road prowess.

FTE forum member, Bronconolone E142, is looking to change that. Starting with an ’89 E-150, he’s combined parts from various Ford trucks to convert his Econoline into a lifted 4×4 off-road machine.

Starting with a 4.9 inline six and a freshly rebuilt C6 automatic transmission, he used an output shaft and a transfer case adapter from a 1989 Bronco to mate to an NP-205 transfer case. If you’re looking for a stout drivetrain for your classic 4×4 Ford project, it’s hard to do much better than that.

As far as the suspension goes, a combination of late 70’s Ford truck parts have found their way under the truck, with some modifications necessary to fit these parts to the E-150 frame. One roadblock encountered by the builder was mounting the front shocks. The plan is to use F-250 shock towers with custom Fox or King coilovers. The van already looks great, and our forum member is clearly taking his time and doing things right with careful planning and high quality parts. We can’t wait to see it finished!

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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