@ Silver: I don't think it would be too hard. The steering linkage would have to be extended. There would be some modification of the fan shroud as it would no longer align with the fan. The fuel filler hoses would need to be longer and there are a few other connections that might need to be lengthened.

@ tabijan: Good question! One that I was going to post myself. Looks like you saved me the trouble. I'm going to replace the fuel filler neck hoses and maybe the tank gasket. I'm going to replace the plugs and COPs, of course! I'm going to pressure wash everything that I can and undercoat/paint the frame. And it'll get new body mounts. I've looked everything over pretty well and I don't see much else that I need to do, at least not much that can't be done with the body on.

 

Great progress----impressive considering this is mostly a job done by hand, the four post lift definitely the ideal tool.

Glad you're being safe---these projects can go wrong pretty quickly, all the unforeseen things that happen in the blink of an eye.

Will you replace the body bushings, what brand etc? Any photos or details about the body bolts?

While the frame is exposed if the rear shocks need changed now's a good time.

Lookin' good so far and thanks a lot for the photos and progress reports! Can't wait to see the finished result.

 

JWA, body bushings and bolts are a good question. I plan on replacing them but I haven't sourced them yet. I wasn't sure if they might be a dealer only item. I'm open to suggestions. Some of the body bolts were rusty and broke off while others came out quite clean. I've heard that you shouldn't reuse them, but quite frankly, I'm not sure why if they are in good shape. If I have enough good ones once I've removed the other body, I may reuse them. If not, again, I expect that they are dealer items, no? If anyone has aftermarket sources for either, please share.

The rear shocks appear to be fairly recently replaced.

Here are a few more photos of the body coming down and removed.

 

Body bushings would tend to be dealer items but I'd check ProThane or Energy Suspension for their selection. They might not list them by application but will have something available to match your ID, OD, thickness and center hole diameter.

Bolt wise that'd be your call but my guess is if they look in good shape, hold whatever torque you apply you should be okay. Perhaps advising not to reuse them is due liability issues for repair shops? They're kinda expensive and if you already have a few why not?

Will you part out the donor body? If its the one I think it is there might be a few good parts to be sold, assuming you want to deal with that process.

You're getting closer---any day now!

 

I agree with your thinking on the bolts. I would expect that they use some of the same bushings on the trucks as they do the vans, just not as many. One of those 'why reinvent the wheel' things. I'll check Pro Thane and E.S. to see what they've got.

Yeah, i'll part out what I can. There's not a whole lot on the cargo body that is going to fetch a bunch of cash, but there are a few things. There'll be an ECM, an A/C compressor and condensor, some front body parts, degas bottle, radiator, headlights, taillights, windows, window and door lock motors and switches, airbags, dash stuff and front seats (which are in surprisingly good shape for their use).

I'll have a lot more stuff that is good when I get the body off of the other chassis; rear end, front suspension and a lot of motor parts. I'll keep the 49k transmission from the body donor for myself as that's just a matter of time, given my fleet. I might keep a few other things as well.

Selling the stuff off is a pain, but I'll be a good summer job for my teen, computer whiz son to list and manage shipping. He's done a bit of that with me before with appliance parts (had a 2 year old front load washer with a bad drum bearing. It was going to cost more to fix than it was worth. We parted it out and made enough to pay for the new one we bought!).

If anyone needs stuff, shout out. FTE members get the best pricing!

Bruce

 

@Silver: I just read a posting in another forum where a guy did a 1" body lift (using hockey pucks) on his rig. He reported no problems or other modifications were required. So, 1" might be ok, but I'm sure that 2 - 3" would require some other mods.

Here's a link to his post:
Yahoo! Groups

Bruce

 

Overall you've got some sound thinking about the remaining parts. If you can store things like doors, hood, dashboard complete, seats, etc etc they'll eventually sell. Airbag with steering wheel and clockspring should fetch $75 easily---if you don't already know there are some serious restrictions shipping those though---explosive devices that they are.

Extra drive line parts are always good to have around too, especially the low mileage ones.

Enlisting the son to store, tag or identify the parts then manage the listing is a great idea!

If the front marker/turn lights are in good condition, not leaking water I'd be interested in those myself---keep me in mind!

So when do you see this whole project being done and the reconstituted/rescued van back on the road?

 

As I was hauling the body behind my F350 I noticed that one of the turn signal lenses was half full (I'm an optimist) of water...the other side might be okay.

Progress seems to come in spurts. But, I expect that once I have the chassis prepped, that pulling the body on the other won't take too long and then it is just a matter of dropping it back down and putting it all back together. Barring any unforeseen complications (like there aren't always a few of those, lol). I'm hoping to have it done mid-June. Though, it could happen quicker if I can figure out the body bushings sooner.

Right now I am stumped on the bushings. I just got off the phone with the stealership and got a $1038 quote for the bushings. That's just the rubber parts. It didn't include any bolts or hardware. LOLOLOLOLOL!!! Not a chance that is going to happen.

Sooooo...I'm looking at options. I've called Energy Suspensions, but they "can't" help with anything that they don't already provide for a specific application for "liability reasons". He referred me to suspension.com, but I can't find anything there that seems to size up.

And, I'm struggling to get the two metal parts to separate. I just broke my 3# sledge in the process....and no, I didn't miss and hit the handle. I also used penetrating oil and then ice in the inner sleeve and heat on the outer with no luck. I have an idea that I'm going to try next. Will keep ya'll updated.

I'm going to start a new thread specifically for the body mount bushing question. So if you have any input there, put it on that specific thread so that others might later find it easier.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

great progress! im sure its defintely easier said than done.....the final stage of this swap should probably go much smoother now that you have removed the donor already. Still interested in those items....check your pm when you get a chance. Good luck!

 

Made good progress the past couple of days.

The frame is cleaned up and painted:


New exhaust manifold bolts:


Body donor van is prepped and ready to lift:


Going up:


And up:


And up to full height here, ready to roll the chassis out:


A better view of the clearance given. The Quigley chassis sits about 4" higher than the 2WD chassis, so I gave it plenty of room to make sure that the other one will fit under it without having to lift it any more. Here you can see both chassis...ready to swap tomorrow:


With a little luck, we'll have the body back down and on the Quigley chassis tomorrow.

 

I'm gonna take a WAG and say this has to be a lot of fun even though a bit of hard work too?

Looking good---still impressed I am!

 

What did you decide for body bushings?

Sixto
E150 Chateau 5.8 185K miles

 

Tabijan,

I decided to wait until I had the body off of the 2WD chassis to see how those bushings and hardware looked. We rolled the 2WD chassis out from under the body this morning and I was happy to find that since that van only had 49k miles of light use, that the hardware and the rubber was in very good shape. We were able to separate the upper and lower retainers with relative ease. I see no reason to spend a bunch of money on new ones at this point. The best parts between the two will be reused. I will clean up the rubber parts and clean and paint the retainers before installing them and we are ready to drop the body back down on the 4x4 chassis tomorrow.

Had the rubber needed to be replaced but the retainers good, I was going to order the replacement bushings from Bronco Graveyard. They sell new take-offs for $3/set. But, the stuff that I've got is in such good condition, I don't see delaying the project a week by ordering them and having to wait for their arrival.

Here are the bushings and retainers as they came off:





Bruce

 

Keep the VIN of the old body handy in case you have to go back to Quigley for unit specific parts or questions. Are there Quigley ID, build or certification tags to peel or pry off the old body?

Sixto
93 E150 Chateau 5.8 185K miles

 

Great progress!

Any ID tags or body mounted info could also be photographed and stored in multiple locations too----just in case.