Hello From Alaska,

I decided to take a few min this morning and post some of the new mods to our family hauler and grocery getter.
I have been wanting to modify this truck since we purchased it.
Its a 2003 E350 15 pax with a V10.
I finally got tired of frequently hitting my head on the ceiling driving in and out of my place. Its too bad the taxes we pay dont seem to make it to the roads......
The front suspension travel was lacking as modified buy the Quiggly company so we installed some longer front springs from an older diesel truck. It gave a 3 1/2 inch lift to the front end and eliminated constantly riding on the bumpstops driving on Alaskan roads.








Next we did a shackle flip to the rear, to gain the 3 inches for leveling out the van.


The left rear



And the right rear.





I found a brush guard and a used husky 10,000 lb winch on craigs list so a front bumper extension was fabricated and the winch mounted with the modified brush guard.






I needed some new tires as my old BFG,s had seen better days.
For now I found a cheep (for Alaska) set of 285X16 mud stars, the largest size that will fit on my stock 7" rims.






I plan on some wider rims and at least 35 inch tires in the future but the money is being spent on fabricating a rear tire and gas can rack next week.
Future mods include an additional fuel tank in the rear behind the axel as the quiggly company foolishly decided that a 26 gal tank was enough.......and 2 more batteries for the winch.

Regards,

Jim

 

Looks great!
I have always liked the way Ford 4x4 vans look.
I wish I had the need for one, then it would justify owning it.
Looks fun and I see you really NEED a 4x4.

 

Im not sure what the load rating would be for the shackle in compression as opposed to stock. But I dont think 1,000 lbs of camping gear or cargo would be a problem.
If something comes up I will fab a stronger shackle for it.

Regards,

Jim

 

Still enjoying ours in a stock configuration, but it looks like you're doing everything right. I know what you're talking about regarding the fuel tank size. I see no reason they couldn't offer an option with the puny (mine's 31 gal.) stub tank they usually provide and a 40 or 50 gallon aft-axle tank for those who want to travel without stopping every station they pass. (I calculated that if you're towing heavy getting 9 mpg and you want to be prudent by re-fueling between 1/3 and 1/4 tank, you're only going to be able to travel 180 to 200 miles between fill-ups...hope there's a station available when you need it!

I am following what you're doing with interest. My first goal is to rust-bullet the entire underside first (I had more rust showing after one winter than you show through the mud after three or four! I'd take mud any day over the salt).

Then I want to add more fuel capacity (for the times I make it past a Reservation and can take advantage of the 20 cents a gallon price difference and help support my Native American brethern) and for when we finally can make some long trips.

I haven't been able to look much, but I did see an E-450 cut-away showing a 55 gallon fuel capacity. If that tank could be found and mounted aft-axle, that'd be great. Stay in touch.

Dave

 

Ran across a cheep set of 35X12.5 BFG AT's with 16.5 rims.
The rim offset really made a difference in the way the van handles. Its more stable both on and off road. The rear end felt a little squirly with the narrow rims and tires.
The rear bumper build is going a little slow. Finding heavy enough spindles for the swing away hinges is a problem The readily available 1000 lb wont be heavy enough. Also with the short summers in Alaska some projects are taking priority over the van.

Regards,

Jim

 

Hi Jim, You're van looks great, Do you have any pictures of the fender trimming needed to clear 35's?
Thanks, Robert

 

Sorry Robert, no pics right now.
I will be home next week and take some for you.
I moved the running boards back about 3 inches and trimmed off about 1 1/4 or so on the lower rear of the front fender wells.
The right side running board being full size also needed some trimming in the rear. The rear wheel wells didn't need any trimming.

regards,

Jim

 

Thanks for the reply, do you think a 33" will fit without trimming?
Thanks again, Robert

 

Yes 33's fit great with the stock Quiggly 4X4 conversion.
I ran BFG 285X16 MT's on stock rims for the last few years with no problems. The BFG tire measures right at about 33 when new. The 1st few pics show them still on the van but worn out. I got the mudstars in a 285 thinking they where the same at the BFG tires but they are actually only about 32 inches.

Regards,

Jim

 

Thanks Jim.
Robert

 

As promised here are a few pics of the lower fender cut out to clear 35" tires.
The space between the double fender walls is filled with silicone. I moved the lower fender retainer bolt to the rear about 1 1/2" then trimmed from the fender liner screw down to the fender retainer bolt. I know as clear as mud.
Also are a couple of pic's of using the winch to lift the roof joists onto my new shop. Its 32X20 with a 12 foot door and 14 foot ceiling. Plenty of room to get my unimog in and cab lifted, finally fixing that clutch.

Regards,

Jim

 

Hi Jim,
Thanks for the pics of the fender trim. Nice shop and a Unimog too!
Robert