hello, im thinking very seriously about trading in my 97 nissan pickup for an e-150 lowtop conversion. I make several trips a year with wife and baby, and the centennial edition Tauras (as comfortable as it is) is getting to small. I want to find a van for 6k or under, im thinking 95 or 96 with a 4.9 (because i dont know anything about 4.2's or 4.6's and im scared of them) so heres my ?'s......

how do these things handle on the interstate, how hard is it to do tune ups and general maintenence on them, and if the need ever arises, how hard to swap an engine in one of these beasts? im sure not as easy as an f-150....anything else i should look/watch out for? from what ive seen on ebay and autotrader.com these things look super comfortable and would be a blast on trips! i want a low top to be able to pull it in my garage witha 7ft. door. thanks much

by the way is it normal for your buddies to laugh at you and call you married man when you tell them your thinking about buying one of these? lol

 

I'd get the 4.6L V-8 over the 6 any day of the week. Even though the 8 is a bigger motor, it's bullet proof and you'll actually get better gas mileage with it. Most of the Crown Vics have that same 4.6L V-8 in them. All of the cop cars/taxis run them. Plus if you ever want to tow anything with that van you know you'll have the power to do it.

I have a '05 E-150 and with my power washing trailer I'm grossed out at almost 12,000 lbs combined. Thank God I'm ordering my '08 F-450 this week.

 

It all depends on what year of van you're looking at. After '96 the only engines available were the 4.2V6, 4.6V8, and 5.4V8. Prior to '96 you got the 4.9I6, 5.0 (302) V8, or the 5.8 (351w)V8. The 4.6 and 5.4 are near bullet proof just like the old pushrod motors. The trick is to get a 2000 or newer.

 

I have a '95 E-150 Clubwagon XLT. This would be the factory Ford version of the van you are describing. Its not a conversion, its a factory window van with a couple of benches and factory captains chairs. Its a 5 liter that I have owned since early in '97. It has 255,000 miles on it.

I think these are excellent long distance traveling vehicles. I use mine almost exclusively for towing my racecar very long distances. However, I sometimes take it on vacations and it does an excellent job as a long distance, interstate cruiser. It handles very well, gets acceptable mileage and has been rock solid reliable. Super comfortable? Yes! Lots of room to move around in. Accomodates kids, dogs and has easy access to coolers or to use video/games, etc...

Skip the 4.9 - 4.2 sixes, you will hate them on the interstate. The 5 liter and 4.6 are excellent engines. You will be much happier with them.

You shouldn't ever need to do an engine swap. The original engine in mine is still going strong at over 1/4 million miles. Just keep it serviced.

I should point out that while I praise mine for its interstate handling, I have made some simple mods. I added a larger front anti-sway bar, a set of KYB gas shocks and a set of add-a-leaf rear helper springs. These simple upgrades greatly improve handling and stability. I recommend them for all half-ton E-series vans. I also did a K&N air filter, a high flow cat and cat back exhaust system. Also nice upgrades.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

thanks for all the replys....i dont do much towing, maybe my motorcycle on a 5x10 trailer but thats about it. but i do drive through the blue ridge mountains a lot, so i guess i should look at a v-8.

ive heard stay away from the 97-99 4.2.....but what about the 4.6? if i find a 98 or so and its got 80k miles (assuming its been taken care of) will these run 150k with no problems? any flaws in the 4.6 that i should be aware of? thanks

 

The 4.6 is fine. By '98 they had worked out what few bugs there were. 150K miles should be no problem. I see Crown Vic police cars with 200+ K miles all the time.

If geared correctly the 4.6 will be fine in the mountains. My 5.0 with a 3.55 gear is a good combination. I would think that a 4.6 with a 3.55 would be just as good.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Actually you'd want more like 3.73 rear gears for the 4.6. It's powerband starts at 2000rpms, the 302's powerband starts at about 1500rpms. I still think the 4.6 and 5.0 are underpowered for the vans. My dad has both an '88 E150 (clubwagon) and an '04 E150 (cargo full of tools, weighs a little more than the 88). The '88 has a 302, and the '04 has the 4.6 both are WAAAAY undepowered for the weight. I'd go for the 5.4 or the 5.8. The 5.8 has a little more power than the 302, and I got 17mpg unloaded and about 12 with a trailer, that's about the same as the 302.

 

When I replaced my 5.8L in my 93' clubwagon I had too take all of the head light assembly,radiator support brackets all out in order too pull the motor! It was a process but was very doable!! took the upper intake off first so u have clearance to raise up the motor off the motor mounts! room is tight but doable! As sated before they drive very good on interstate and are good pullers as well!