Hi y'all, I just joined because I am in the process of selling/trading my jeep for either a 90s f250 or f350, or a van as I described in the title.

I checked out this van today, which has been on consignment for awhile. It is a 1977 4x4 conversion (home job with a jeep front end, apparently it drives straight and everything - I still need to verify this). The inside is shagged out (complete with mushroom prints on the carpet) and has a sink, fridge and bed along with several cabinets (I would probably scrap the sink and fridge asap). I do not know how much of this works. It has the 300 CID I6 in it, and is a 4 speed manual. The odo reads 83k, but I have no idea if that is "183". "283" or whatever, since there are only 5 digits.... The body has many spots of rust, some which look to have been repaired. The engine and chassis, however, look great. Interior certainly needs cleaning up, but nothing is truly in disrepair, except for possibly the front seats. The dash and steering wheel don't look great, but appear solid. It has a decent lift (4 ish inch) and 31s with decent tread. After a jump, it started right up and sounded great.

It's listed for $4k, but I would probably go for $2500 and maybe up to $3k (does this sound reasonable?). If I spent $3k, I would probably have another $2-3k to put into it immediately, then a little more until a graduate (at which point I should be a bit better off than a semi-broke college student)

It was snowing pretty good when my buddy and I were checking it out, so we didn't really get any pictures - I can go back and take some when it clears up though.

So here's what I need to know: I am looking for an "adventure mobile", mostly to take on backcountry trips and to mountain bike races. I don't need a sink or bathroom or any of that, just a warm, comfortable place to sleep. I am primarily concerned with storage, off road capability (needs to get back on trails as rough as, say, the Maze in canyonlands, but doesn't need to be a crawler or anything), general durability (engine and body need to old up), ease of repair and ease of modification. I do not want to get myself into a full blown restoration project. I know there are a million variables and no one can tell me what I want, but you guys can tell me whether or not a van like this would be a fitting vehicle for what I have described, and what to watch out for when getting into a van like this (ie what can typically be wrong with these, what do I need to watch out for down the road, etc).


For reference, I am also considering getting a 96 f350 with a rebuilt 7.3l (thing is in great condition, only needs to have the camping accessories added) and converting it to a similar set up, or getting a camper trailer for it. I know it is quite different than the van - on one hand, if the van would work out and perform well (and hopefully get better gas mileage with the 300 vs the 7.3), I would be thrilled to put some work into it. On the other, if the van is going to be a full blown project or will perform at a significantly lower level, I am by no means attached to the idea of having it over a more powerful truck (or finding a newer/tougher van).


I know I kinda spewed a lot of information there, but I really don't know much about these old econolines, especially a converted 4x4 model. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

 

I really don't like to give advice, when someone is looking to buy something, So I'll just make a couple of points here, and ask you some question from your description. So That You Can Make Up Your Own Mind.

First - This conversion, you say its from a Jeep front end, like from a J series?? Possibly a D44??
Home brewed?? "Apparently it drives straight"???
Does the vehicle "dog leg track" ?
Has the van ever been registered and driven on the highway??
Has the van ever had a vehicle inspection??
Are the gears matched in the front/rear??
Are the front and rear wheels the same, or are they different bolt pattern??
Is the "lift" 4 inch'ish Also "Home Brewed"??

I ask the above, because, if you have a Jeep now, and followed any of the main forums out there, you would have seen some real "Home brewed" jobs that just don't cut it. (Note: cinder blocks used as spring perches don't work)

Next, it's a 1977, right?? That's 38 years old right now........Math, your in collage, Me thinking your about 1/2 the age of the van.......right???

Your correct that up to the model year '92, the odometer only read up to 99K, so an average vehicle that runs say 10K /year = 380,000 miles, give or take a few thousand. And this would not count the year(s) that the "home brewed" lift and 4x4 was done on it. If the 300 is still starting and running, it might have 183K on the clock, but not 283K. The 300 engine would never go that long with out a re-built. Even with an 4 speed overdrive transmission.

The 300 engine was/is a Good low torque engine, great for city driving, door to door deliverers and such, on the highway, top speed of 55mph, with a tail wind (heavy tail wind) head wind.......forget it. Then again, "back then....." the National speed limit was 55mph, so this was fine (then).
Turning 31" tires.........off road, fine, on highway......forget it.

This I know, I had a brand new, off the lot '78 E150, 300, 3sp auto. Just hauling tools/materials around town, not bad, on the highway, slow, pushing it hard to keep to 55, like foot to the floor hard. After 138K the engine was shot. Replaced the engine, got another few years and 25K out of that, and went to the big boys engine........351W. Had a few 302's but never could keep up with the 351W. Swapped many 302 re-mans in vans.

Point is, because what tools and equipment I carry, would be equal to what you would carry in the back with OR bikes and equipment. Unless you keep it empty in the cargo area??

So, that's my take, others will have their in-put, but YOU need to make the finial decision on this vehicle.

 

Thanks for the reply. Everything you addressed has been in the back of my mind, but I wanted to give it a fair chance and ask people who would know better than I.

The van has been driven on the conversion, although I'm not sure how much. I believe it has been used a fair amount since being converted to its camper/4x4 state. I do not know if it has had a recent inspection, other than that it currently has a Colorado title (it is in Wyoming right now, which has much less stringent regulations on what you can drive on the road). As far as the Jeep conversion, I am not sure about too many details - I just saw the van for the first time today and really didn't even know what year it was until I went down there. As it is on consignment, the guy who showed it has much less info than the owner does. I would need to talk to the owner to get it all straightened out. I looked under the van and, based on cars and trucks I have seen in the past, looked like a solid job was done. Honestly, the interior and body were 3/10, while the engine and chassis and components looked to be more like 7/10.

The lift does not appear homebrewed, and the wheels match front and rear. The gears are supposedly matched too - the guy who owns the used car/upholstery place that is consigning the van claims that although he doesn't know all the details on the van, that he has had many conversions through his shop and owned his own, and that he has driven this one and will vouch for it being done right. I have real reason to believe he isn't bsing me, because the place is fairly reputable and most places in this town will get a bad reputation quickly if they are run by dishonest people.

Anyway, you basically said what I needed to hear - it is an almost 40 year old van, with an old engine. It would seem that using it for anything but a cheap, disposable alternative to what I am looking for would require some considerable time, effort and cash.

 

Personally I'd walk away from this thing because there are just way too many unknown issues, potential or existing that most probably carry hefty price tags to address. Add to that another potential for being unsafe I don't see an upside to this even if it were free.

Too many backyard mechanics believe themselves to be engineers and masters of everything they survey, mostly because as of the most current date they've not killed anyone including themselves, therefore they must be on the right track, correct? I don't think so which is why I'd walk.

Any such conversion done without a paper trail leading to a properly built vehicle that will/has passed state inspections and in a known acceptable way to effect such a project just aren't something I feel are worth the risk of purchase.

That's just me so take it FWIW----upside for me is its not my money, my life nor will I share your local highways.

 

Depends on your mechanical skill, if you have the skill to judge and deal with issues then I don't know why you haven't bought it yet. It's not like there are a lot of 4WD Econolines out there.


Other major question to ask yourself is truck or van. My first impression is that a van works better for you. But if you need more off road, towing, or hauling ability then maybe a truck is better.