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I have a really cool E350 camper van with a Quigley 4x4 (which makes it cooler). I love this van, but there is extreme rust damage on the rear crossmembers. I'm willing to pay someone to fix it, but I don't know what an appropriate fix would be, or who does that type of work. Body shop, welder, RV repair, what type of shop can fix this?
Last edited by murphymurph; Feb 17, 2024 at 12:39 AM.
Reason: Clarify
Years ago A friend of mine had a body shop beef up a rusty frame on a Honda. He needed enough steel to keep the drivetrain in place in the rear. He had to pay cash as it was just a fix to get him by and there was no warranty.
The only proper way is to do a complete frame swap. Not cheep or easy. I'm on the west coast, so I don't have to deal with frame rot. I wouldn't have a clue if or where to have someone do that.
Nice camper though. I would think it would be worth it to try and fix it temporarily or permanently. Good luck.
Mike
From these photos it seems one or more of the body lateral crossbeams has severely rotted away----sadly this type of damage isn't unusual and does require someone with skills and knowledge to replace those parts. I would contact a heavy truck frame repair shop and have them inspect the entire van in person. They would be better able to assess the damage and offer suggestions how to best repair the body.
I believe new Ford body parts would still be available and also possible aftermarket body parts too. Check with Mill Supply out of Cleveland, Ohio. That body is an upfitter model, if there are any identifying markings as to who the original manufacturer that would be extremely helpful. This will be a fairly labor-intensive project to don't be too shocked at the estimates you'll receive.
After thought contact Quigley with the body serial or other identifying labels, etc seeing if they have any records about the added-on body.
Jwa is right, “lateral crossbeams”. Reminds me of the bed rails under a super duty truck bed only yours are beefier. Google bed rail replacement f250 that would probably give you a bunch of ideas.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I’m in remote Alaska, so not a lot of options for frame repair here. I think I’ll ferry it to Washington and look for someplace there. I’ll also reach out to the folks at Quigley to get any info they have.
Thanks again!
Money, money, money
You had me at ferry it to WA
The body needs to be lifted off the frame and each individual piece replaced and welded back in
Not a problem for a good body man but you need time and money
A bunch of it
If in my shop I'd hit you with 6k and watch your eyes
If you flinch you get rejected
It is liable to take more time than that 6k will buy
The metal is cheap, so is undercoat
Wwwheaty
I think it’s #’s 4 and 8. It drives fine for now, but who knows how long it will hold up. I’d like to get it fixed asap, which for me would be the end of March when I can take leave to get it somewhere.
The images I see show this damage is NOT to the Ford manufactured frame at all---its concentrated to the body's construction itself. I could be seeing this all wrong so proceed carefully if you're thinking of ordering parts.
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