Hey all,didn't really know where to post this ?
Jumpin' over from my usual haunt-the Big Bronco forum, and need some input on a future project.Looking to make a 4x4 conversion
to a Ford van.Going to be using it as a beachbuggy.Any thoughts
experience or useful links?
Thanks
Steve

 

I've been wantin to do this myself. Can we just use a donor bronco or f150?

 

Hey pfogle,
I'm not sure what the procedure is or the best van to try it on.
I'm hoping one of the gurus will post and enlighten us.

 

hey guys. i actually have a 4x4 van. it's an 87 E-150. i didn't do the conversion myslef, though. there is a company in PA called Quigley that has been converting vans (Ford, GM, Dodge) for years. That's what i have.

basically, what they do is this:

* add transfer case and crossmember after transmission (mine is an NP208)
* add front driveshaft and shorten rear driveshaft
* add solid dana44 front axle (they start with a bare axle and add their own brackets)
*add proper lower coil buckets and shock mounts to axle
* add axle locating arms (sorta-4-link in the case of my quigley, but you could probably weld on radius arm brackets)
* add trac bar brackets to axle and frame
* add sway bar brackets to axle and frame
* add 4x4 steering links (or modify 2x4 ones - not sure)
* modify existing brake lines to work with new front brake setup if needed

that's about all i see when i crawl under mine. the upper coil buckets (on the frame) appear to be stock. same goes with upper shock mounts.

at the rear, quigley added blocks under the leaf springs. rather than modify the bumpstop locations, they left the bumpstops as/is and the blocks have heavy protrusions that hit the bumpstops, so axle travel is still to spec.

all this info, though, pertains only to the 1/2ton E-150s. quigley also does a leaf-sprung E350. i've not seen one of these up close, so i'm not sure how they do it.

 

Thanks Doug.
I live in Pa.Lower Bucks Cty.Are they anywhere near here?Sounds like alot of work.How much $,if you don't mind.

 

lower bucks? i just moved up here from levittown! folks are in upper makefield.

anyhow, Quigley is out by Harrisburg, i think. The business card i have says Manchester, PA. their website is www.quigley4x4.com

they don't - to my knowlege - convert used vans. only new ones from the factory. mine is an 87, but i just bought it a few weeks ago. it has the 302 with 120k and AOD trans. It runs pretty well, but i had to put in new EGR and IAC valves. I paid the guy the 2200 he was asking, cuz i'd been looking for one for a while, and i didn't want to let this one slip away.

i would check ebay if i were you. they are kinda rare, but you do see them every once in a while.

 

Yeah,small world.I'm right down the road from your p's in Mo'ville.
So they don't do used vans huh?Where did you find yours?And
where did you move to from L'town?Many buddies there.

 

i know morrisville. let me see, is that pennsbury district? i seem to remember council rock kicking pennsbury's butt alot. hehehe. just kidding. (i wasn't really in to sports) well, we're up north of the poconos now. west of wilkes barre by about 1/2 hour.

anyhow, i found mine in a local paper. a weekly paper up here that has free classifieds. a buddy of mine refers to it as "the redneck paper" because you see things that no other paper has. like "hens, $3 - roosters, free" and stuff like that.

i was talking to my buddy, and telling him that my bronco (85) is on its way out, and i was frustrated and ready to give up on it. i told him i was looking for a 4x4 van. on the way home from his house i picked up this "redneck paper" for the first time. i was looking at the classifieds while waiting to pick up my wife at her work.

lo and behold - there it was - right in black and white - 4X4 FORD VAN, RUNS WELL, etc, etc.

what i coincidence, eh? i was just alking about it that afternoon.

anyhoo, it was in my driveway by the end of the week, much to the chagrin of my wife. (not really)

 

Thanks for your input Doug.I'll keep an eye out in the local rags
and e-bay.Any problems with it so far?

 

Actually quigley's does do used vans, they just put them on low priority status. best to call them. There is a link on their website about it.

 

(knocking on wood) no real problems so far, but i've only had it a few weeks.

i was at bloomsburg jamboree a few weeks ago, and i walk talking with a guy that had a 1/2-ton chebby that quigley had done. he has had his for a few years, and had no complaints at all.

most of what i need to do is, i think, just maintenance stuff that anyone would do on a 16 year old truck. i mean.. there are squeaks and stuff that probably mean that i need new rubber bushings and stuff, but it seems to be okay.

 

see, i didn't know this. i was pretty sure they only did new vans.

they had a tent set up at the Bloomsburg 4x4 Jamboree a few weeks ago, and i was drooling uncontrolably. They had about 2 dozen axles there. Totally brand new dana 44s, 60s and (i think) 70s. Totally bare, waiting for you to weld your own brackets on...

 

Wow.
This could be a cool project.The ultimate beach buggy.Here's a link
I got from a post on the 4x4 forum.
http://www.glinx.com/~sbest/

 

Just checked quigleys site again. They have updated it since I last checked it. They no longer do used conversions, however they will sell you what they call "spare parts...