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I've got an '02 E-150 CONVERSION VAN. Is there a 'manufacturer's data plate' or something somewhere to tell me WHO did the conversion? Don't really NEED anything now, just curious for future reference. Thanks y'all!
If you cant find anything on the door jam, exterior, or interior, you might try doing a search for 2002 ford e150 conversion van and select pictures. Search through pictures till you find one that matches yours. You might also try a search for 2002 e150 conversion van interiors and try to match interior pictures. Each different converter has certain parts or styles for their conversions.
Here is a list of conversion van companies. not all companies use Ford vans and some were not in business in 2002.. There may be some other companies who have closed since 2002.. but this might be a start.. http://www.conversion-vans.net/custo...rers-list.html
Did you check the door jambs for stickers? Usually the converter will put on a modified GVW and payload sticker because the load capacity is reduced. Check all door jambs including the rear end doors. Look inside any interior compartments (like the jack compartment). Some converters may have been big enough that they used their own brand of seating or had their name embroidered on seats.
If you can trace which new car dealer sold it (any dealer ID stickers or license plate frames?), they usually specialized in a specific conversion brand. If you can run a carfax or title history on it, sometimes the original title passed thru the converter when the van was being converted.
If you can post pics, or post a link to pics of your van in and out, someone here might be able to ID it. Ultimately the mfr doesn't matter all that much because most of them are out of biz and parts specific to the conversion may or may not be available. I remember there was an Internet source that had various parts like single running boards for conversions in case you trash them (or someone else trashes them for you). Also windows, etc, if you don't have factory glass. Lots of these parts were generic and used by many converters.
Did you scour the van for paperwork like owner's manual supplements from the converter? Look at the AC sticker under the hood for new freon amounts although that may only have the name of the company that made the rear AC unit. Fuse boxes are usually along the left side of the van and there may be *some* ID inside the fuse box.
There used to be local converters around bigger metro areas (I'm in Detroit and have had one of my conversions modified by a local shop) and it might have been a local conversion, in which case they may not have left any real ID.
I've had 5 different conversion vans over the years done by 4 different converters. Big names were Starcraft, D'Elegant, Imperial, Centurion, Mark III, Turtle Top (camper vans), and numerous others.
Is there paint striping on the exterior? Starcraft always did fancy paint striping....
My last conversion was an '02 E150 done by D'Elegant, with "GT" logos on it, factory windows (LOVE those), no paint stripes, really minimal fiberglass running boards that didn't reduce ground clearance, and a really well done interior that was like a Club Wagon but with more legroom. Bought it new March '03 and sold it last year.
Edit: found a couple places on the Internet that sell parts and may have info on specific brands. Just looked and they have graphic tape kits and body kits for different mfrs so stuff like that might help you ID. If not, they may at least be a source of parts if you need any:
Thanks for all the info. AnnaLeigh & George. Not really 'needing' anything right now, just wondering for 'down the road', IF & when. I posted it in the 'Show Me Your Van' section the other day,
Yup, that is a conversion van all right Strange that it doesn't have a converter name on it among the tape graphics. Def a luxo conversion with the leather seats and A/V gear like the VHS player. Check those sites I bookmarked; they have a lot of replacement parts if you should ever need anything.
Interior pieces are sometimes not built to automotive standards (they look great in the showroom but after a few years get kind of tattered looking)... But the basic van will run a LONG time.
I really liked my last Ford van which had factory windows, no tape stripes, minimal running boards, and a really tasteful interior although the seats sucked and I bought a couple Ford OEM captain's chairs for the front row.
is this the same stripe kit and running boards as yours? If so try to contact these guys and see if they know who converted it.. Looks like the same stereo trim too
The Dodge has a logo lower left rear door that says Elk American Van.
Elk was a company that made conversion vans, and American Van was another, but they may have merged (Starcraft took over Imperial vans, for instance--I had an Imperial GMC conversion that was a Starcraft built one.)
One other factoid--seems like 90% of all conversion vans came from Elkhart, Indiana. (The Elk brand name was an obvious take on the city name, and American Van was also in Elkhart.)
They make boats, RV's, and campers in Elkhart, and conversion vans were a natural outgrowth of that business--it was a cottage industry that grew and then died with the advent of really well-equipped minivans for family use and SUV's for towing. The OEM Ford seats I bought were shipped to me from a converter in Elkhart.
The lower body cladding with running boards on OldFord's van look more "Starcraft" to me but they used to put cladding over the bumpers also...
I just love a good mystery You can't do a DNA check on a van, can you?
Didn't notice the logos on the seats but as I said in an earlier post, I suggested looking for embroidery in the seats so I think we've got it.
I even find a Yellow Pages listing online for Elk Automotive in Elkhart but the elkautomotive.com website is gone so I'm guessing the company is gone.
Dodge stopped making big vans in 2003. GM started doing fancy interiors and Ford was doing Chateau vans, which had much higher quality than aftermarket conversions. And minivans and SUV's were getting really popular for family use.
When Ford killed the 5-lug E150 in 2007, I figured that would be the death of whatever Ford conversion vans there were left and it was. They were getting too heavy to convert and have any GVW left over, so Ford basically used the E150 name on an E250 "lite" in 2008 and later, and buyers would not have wanted to pay the bucks and deal with the high load range tires. Camper conversions are a different story, but that's another market.
And dealers had a rough time dealing with repairs on tacky conversions, so they did not want to support warranties. And that got worse when the convertors started dropping like flies. Hell, Consumer Reports stopped reporting on full size van reliability because so many people had conversions and blamed problems from a badly done conversion on Ford/GM/Dodge because they did not understand the concept of aftermarket conversions. Ultimately, most conversions got pretty ratty after a few years....
Here's an article that mentions Elk, and their volume peaked in 2003, which is why ALeigh is finding a lot of 2003's out there. (Plus anything older is gonna be rotted out and in junkyards for the most part.) Looks like they started doing PT Cruisers to fill the void, but that market didn't last very long. Looks like Elk was riding high for a couple years--so they may have taken over the other facility from American. (My Imperial by Starcraft was a 1996 GMC--Imperial was a really high end conversion, but when Starcraft got the name, they used it as a lower end brand name--or simply sold GMC Imperials to one dealer and Starcraft Chevys to the dealer a half mile away.)
So OldFord, you have an Elk Automotive conversion! All from Annaleigh's pic of the Dodge van, logo on the back, and the embroidered Elks on your seats!
Like I said, I like a good mystery, especially when we solve it
George
Cool to see some old AMC folks here. Part of my DNA involves TWO 390 2-seat AMX's in the great old muscle car years as well as a Gremlin daily driver when I was a married and broke college grad, new job, just bought a new house, in my first job with a long commute. If nothing else, the Gremlin got me into nice American straight 6 engines, and a couple years later, I bought my first new vehicle where I checked every option box I wanted on the order form--a '78 F100 flareside with a 300 inch six and a 4 speed manual OD transmission.
My late younger brother also had a lot of fun with a Rambler S/CRambler--that was a rare bird!
In high school, my buddy had one of the Rambler Scramblers......One of the few cars I was pulled over in while driving.....those were something else!
Many years later I had a 1/2T International P/U. 4X4, short bed. 256 -i6, 4sp....One week, I found a shell for it, put some insulation in the bed, put 4 kids in back, me n the wife up front and took leave from Ft. Lewis...5 state trip in 11 days! Back then the national speed limit was 55mph...that little six just kept up with the semis on the open road!
George, I've got a brother that was into AMCs. He owned either an AMX or Javelin (I was too young to know which, just starting to get into cars). Later he had an SC/Rambler, his wife's car was a '71 -'73 Matador (took my driving test in it), & a Rebel 'The Machine'. I wanted to buy it SO BAD, but he sold it while I was in basic ! Another brother had a basic Gremlin & later the Purple X I bought (& sold when I got sent to Germany ). This Eagle is actually my 5th. Bought a new Kammback in '81, didn't really care for it & traded it after about a year for a wagon. Went to the dealer & sat down with the option book, said "I want this, this, this, not that, this, not that or that". Kept it for a couple years & the wife was running a little grocery, we needed a pickup so it went bye-bye. After she died, I decided I wanted another one & had a bright idea about putting a 360 in it. Long story short, it didn't happen. Had it sitting at a friend's house, his 'mechanic' was gonna fix a short in the horn & inspect it. Got hit, ins. totalled it. Bought another one, took it in for inspection after I got this one & found out it didn't have any frame left up front! Two in a row that got sold for parts. My computer/infernalnet gets tired later in the evening. Couldn't load these last night. The first three are what happened to the NEXT-TO-LAST one I had. They shoved the gas tank up to the rear axle. The last 3 are the LAST one I had (before THIS one). Who needs a frame anyway??
Last edited by 1OldFordMan; Dec 13, 2017 at 08:25 PM.
Reason: Add pics.
Living in the salt belt, pretty much all the Ramblers are gone up here. I have an older friend who was tour guide at the Chrysler museum and they had a few pieces of AMC history there. I don't even have a Ford truck any more, having sold my van, but am trying to avoid the temptation to buy an Expedition and waiting for the new Bronco to come out. I'm also tempted by the Edge Sport because it's a good hot rod with the 2.7 Ecoboost but want more of a real truck.... I'm also tempted by the Hemi Durangos and Grand Cherokees.
The muscle car era was a fun time in history; after the AMX's, I had a couple 426 Hemi Mopar cars and a couple Corvettes. Then I got into bicycling for my wheel-based thrills (hence the vans), had a son, did Boy Scouts with him and supported him in bicycle racing, and focused on other hobbies like playing rock and roll guitar (which I still do at the age of 65). I still know *too* much automotive trivia and have Detroit buds who are deeply into cars.
Good to meet you guys; unlikely I'll ever have another AMC vehicle, but my Dodge Grand Caravan is an R/T...which means it looks kind of cool but it sure doesn't have a 440 or Hemi like the original R/T Coronets did in 1967
Strange that it doesn't have a converter name on it among the tape graphics. Def a luxo conversion with the leather seats and A/V gear like the VHS player. Check those sites I bookmarked; they have a lot of replacement parts if you should ever need anything.
Yep! My disguise is blown. Didn't know any Eagle folks were here. How you doing?
! Another brother had a basic Gremlin & later the Purple X I bought (& sold when I got sent to Germany 
). This Eagle is actually my 5th. Bought a new Kammback in '81, didn't really care for it & traded it after about a year for a wagon. Went to the dealer & sat down with the option book, said "I want this, this, this, not that, this, not that or that". Kept it for a couple years & the wife was running a little grocery, we needed a pickup so it went bye-bye. After she died, I decided I wanted another one & had a bright idea about putting a 360 in it. Long story short, it didn't happen. Had it sitting at a friend's house, his 'mechanic' was gonna fix a short in the horn & inspect it. Got hit, ins. totalled it. Bought another one, took it in for inspection after I got this one & found out it didn't have any frame left up front! Two in a row that got sold for parts. My computer/infernalnet gets tired later in the evening. Couldn't load these last night. The first three are what happened to the NEXT-TO-LAST one I had. They shoved the gas tank up to the rear axle. The last 3 are the LAST one I had (before THIS one). Who needs a frame anyway??