My dad has a 1994 E150 hightop he bought brand new back in the day. He's recently had a stroke and can no longer drive his pride and joy. It's been pretty much parked on and off for three years.

I've had plans to restore it but school costs always got in the way. I finally scraped together around a grand and I want to get it back on the road! (instead of buying the Miata I've wanted)

I really want to surprise my dad with fresh paint and shiny new engine parts, but for now I'd like to get it on the road. I drove it earlier this year and it sorely needs a tune up and it will eventually need paint. There's no rust I can see anywhere, but where should I check for rust?

Also, is the 351 the same Windsor they used in the Mustang? Are parts swappable in between the two? Superchargers and turbos too? Any mods to make it more fuel efficient?

Last concern is that since it's been sitting for so long, what should I be checking and replacing?

I'm a performance guy and I'd love to get it a little lower (which also helps my dad get in and out as well without installing an expensive ramp) and a set of nice wheels (Cragar V5s!).

 

If you're on a budget and the first priority is making the van driveable again I'd forget the beautification stuff for now, concentrate on the important parts. If/when the budget allows cosmetics and new wheels address all that at the time.

Any vehicle left sitting that long would have rust on steel parts not well protected or coated from the factory originally: frame, bolts, brake fittings, cables---you name it it'll be affected by rust. Body rust would tend to be underneath---crawl around with a light and see what you see.

Another huge issue on any E-Series is the floor rusting away under any floor covering whether its the factory rubber mats or carpet. If this is severe enough it will be visible from underneath. One big problem area is the floor cross member just above the rear axle----it might be shock to see how badly and quickly that area becomes affected. Here's a link I posted about my own experiences with this problem: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-por-15-a.html

Driving this a 100 miles or so after the tune up will reveal what needs to be done. Right off I'd say belts and hoses should be inspected and replaced if looking sketchy----they don't heal themselves. This would include vacuum hoses as well.

Tires would be a huge concern for me----if they're not dry rotted I'd be shocked. Same thing with brake seals

Lowering the ride height isn't advisable since that would be a fairly costly project. Consider instead a set of running boards but NOT the type while require holes drilled into the body anywhere. This is a sure way to start rust that's almost impossible to stop. Here's a link to a great site: Ford Econoline Van Running Boards - RunningBoardWarehouse

To illustrate my advise to avoid drilling holes look at the model they call "diamond plate running boards"---those should be avoided if at all possible! They're cheap but if this van is a keeper they'd be a huge no-no IMHO.

As for your engine issues I can't help---I'm better versed in the '97 and later motors. It is unlikely that 351 is the same as a Mustang of the same year---two completely different applications. You could consider adding what's called an RV/Truck cam since those tend to enhance the lower RPM ranges. Then again I'd watch the budget and put my money in making the van run and stop safely and dependably.

Best of luck----hope you can get this back on the road for your Dad---I know he'll appreciate the effort.

 

The running boards will not lower the van like I want it. Besides, I want to remove the boards and just add fenders. The wheel gap I'm aiming for is similar to this, a 4-inch reduction in body height:


But getting it running is my first priority.

I don't see any rust where it sits now. It has running boards so I wasn't able to check from the sides. The spare tire, though, has some tiny spots on it. However, I don't want to tear up the interior to look for rust under the carpet, since it is a conversion van.

Can anyone recommend an easy way to get to the sparkplugs? A mechanic told me that there is a door behind the engine from underneath the dashboard. Does anyone have pictures of its location?

 

The only "door" I'm aware of would be the entire engine cover, aka "doghouse" as so many of us call it.

Changing plugs would be simplified by removing it, accessing them from inside the cabin, not having to reach all the way to the back of the engine from the front.

Those of us with '97 and later modular motors like to also remove the front seats----gives an amazing amount of extra space for this task.

 

Your van would have the 351W (Windsor) engine = 5.8L (liter)
Ford cars used the 351M (Michigan) engine. And not really a swap.

You'll need to remove the dog house to even inspect the engine, as most of the engine is "inside" the van, 2 side clips up high, and 2 floor clips (keepers)

The real problem you'll be running into, as JWA has pointed out, is 20 year old rubber, vacuum lines dry rotted, heater hoses dry rotted, and the problem with the very low mileage is the oil seals might be dry rotted too. You'll notice this after you get some miles on it, and see if it's leaking engine oil really bad.

First thing is to inspect the entire engine compartment, look for dry rotted vacuum lines, and other things that might not belong there, like mice nests from sitting.
Also pull the heater fan motor out, I found a mouse nest in the '92 that I've been working on for the past year, guy that sold it to me said the heater didn't work, and now I know why.

Before you put too many miles on this, check out the underside, yes, you can check for rust spots, rocker panels, foot wells, but mainly check out the brake lines for any rotted steel lines. Once a brake line pops, you don't have any brakes at all.

To get started with "road ready" you'll need a complete tune up, plugs/wires, rotor and cap (yes, wires get old and dry rot too) fuel filter, air filter.

If it was running bad on your "test drive" how old was the gas? 3 years old?
The shelf life on gas is about a month, after that, with out a fuel stabilizer added at new, it's varnish. That would cause any gas engine to run rough.

If the brakes feel really weak, after you get the surface rust off the drums and rotors, with some mileage, you could have bad seals in the wheel cylinders (rear) and calipers (front) and these will need to be replaced. keep an eye on the brake master cylinder for fluid level, if it's dropping, you have a seal leak.

Spending some time with it, and doing a complete tune-up, anti-freeze fluid change, checking, changing out rotted rubber hoses, and general check, will not brake the bank for you, and you'll also find out if this van is going to go down the road with out a problem for you.

Once it's running like it should be, then you can do a tranny fluid and filter change and what ever else you need to get it up and running for the long haul, like new tires if the old ones are dry rotted at all.

I agree, get it up and running first, then add the cosmetic effects.
Doing a new paint job on a vehicle that don't run.........waste of time and $$$

To add to the "accessibility issue", there are some aftermarket ramps and steps that can be added to the side door for easy access.

I would not look into dropping the van down at all.

 

There shouldn't be any issues with the engine or the gaskets, aside from tightening up the oil pan bolts. These newer small blocks had excellant gaskets to start with, they do not dry out and leak like the older stuff did. My 96 I bought last year had 97,000 miles on it and the only issue with the motor was a leaking (rusted flange) right side exhaust manifold. I replaced them with a set of Pace Setter shorty headers, along with a new full 3" single exhaust. I fabricated the Y pipe, plumbed in a new 3" high flow cat, new Dynomax super turbo muffler and a Magnaflow 3" tailpipe. I replace the E7 heads with a reworked set of GT40's, topped with a set of 1.7 Cobra roller rockers. Nothing else was done to the raoller cammed 351. Of course mine has a mass-air efi where the 94 will have an SD system. There's no need for shiny parts, you're not going to see em anyway. I lowered the van with a set new 1? shorter tires (235/70 front, 275/60 rear) on a set of classic Aluminum slots (15x8/5 front, 15x10 rear) to fill out the fender flares. Also installed a larger front swaybar to improve the handling along with new front springs and new shocks all around.