I recently purchased a 2012 E350 12 passenger for my wife and I've been wandering around car-parts.com looking for odds and ends that were missing, broken or simply weren't included with this particular vehicle. One of the items I've been looking at is luggage racks and it has me wondering what sorts of items are interchangeable between the 150, 250 and 350 and which are not. And are there few enough changes in the E350 from 1992 to present to buy most non-engine specific parts from any year?

Please keep in mind I am not mechanically inclined (I work in IT), but considering this van only has 65k miles and over the last 5 years we've only driven our family vehicle about 5k miles per year, I expect to keep this van forever. As such I would like to start learning as much as I can about it and eventually be able to replace the odd part or two myself. I recently replaced the battery and, fearing the worst, looked up how to swap the alternator and was very pleased to see how roomy this thing is under the hood once you move the intake out of the way.

Anyway, any tips, tricks or insight is greatly appreciated.




Clifford the Big Red Van

 

Something like a luggage rack would fit through out those years, as would a lot of other parts. Good looking van, don't see that color too often.

 

Almost everything on the bodies are the same for any given year... there are some small things that would be different for gas vs diesel but that is about it.

 

If you are thinking about luggage racks, be sure and think about what you might want to haul up there in the future and go a bit over that... My van is much older but has a factory rack from the conversion company and I have never thought about using it to hold anything!

 

@jimbomitch - Thanks for the info and the quick response! I'm really not a fan of red (quite the opposite really), but we got a good deal on it and the kids love it. Initially they called it "The Fire Truck", but now we call it "Clifford the Big Red Van". lol

@Conanski - Thanks for replying so quickly! I was surprised when I found the E350 has only seen minor changes over the last 25 years, but I guess that's a good thing when it comes to parts. I'm hoping I'll never have to buy another van again.

@annaleigh - Thanks for the tip and for responding so soon! My wife and I have 5 kids, so we can remove the 4th row to make luggage room for long trips, but the luggage rack gives us more configuration options.

I have a follow up question: do y'all have any suggestions for simple modifications, either stock, aftermarket or something you rigged yourself, that has provided added convenience or utility? As an example, my wife placed a bunch of plastic storage bins under the seats held in place by bungee cords which has made that otherwise wasted space a great place for snacks, water and other materials for the kids while on the road such as change of clothes, books, etc.

Thanks!

 

Depending on the age of your children a small porta potty might be a good idea. I have a small one with the holding tank. Its about 13x14" and has come in handy on several occasions. There are many different types and styles which take up little space.

 

Well, I added a cheap wired back-up camera and a mirror-monitor that snaps on to the existing rear-view mirror. I've found that very useful.

Good looking van by the way!!