96 Ford E250 cargo van.

[Fordman75]

Well my 87 F250 finally crapped out and I had a load I needed to haul so I bought this. It's a 96 Ford E250 cargo van. It has a 351W and a E4OD auto transmission. I really don't like automatic transmissions, especially for towing. But I figured the van would come in handy. I'll run it until the E4OD craps out then I'll swap in a NP435 4spd manual.:laugh:

Nothing says style like an old carpet van! :D :rofl: It may be ugly but it tows pretty good.


http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l126/Fordman75/MISC/5-27-10002.jpg

[locopny]

keep it out of OD and it will last longer. Actually that van doesn't look too shabby. Ext. length looks handy. Like its look better than the Chevy I had.

[Fordman75]

The van has quite a bit of rust that needs to be fixed but it's good enough for my needs. And it doesn't look too horrible. I want to cover up all the old lettering though.

The van came with a Draw-tite receiver hitch and a brake controller.

I think someone has done some mods to the transmission. It has some nice firm hard shifts. I had one other truck that had an E4OD in the past and it had some of the softest shifts. This van has some hard firm shifts. So I'm hoping it will last long enough for me to get my diesel on the road. Then I'll just use the van for hauling cargo on the inside and not for towing the trailers.

[Traveler]

Nice find. Is that just the adhesive from the lettering left on the sides?

A good buffing might make it go away.

[Fordman75]

Nice find. Is that just the adhesive from the lettering left on the sides?

A good buffing might make it go away.

Yea I think it's just the adhesive. Maybe some faded paint too. I eventually want to spray the van black. But I plan on trying to remove the adhesive before then.

[Fordman75]

Well I've had the van a couple months now. I've discovered some minor issues and some pleasant surprises.

I still hate automatic vehicles for towing.:laugh:

But I'm somewhat shocked by the fuel mileage. This thing has been getting 18 mpg empty and 12-15 mpg loaded. Not bad for a E250 with a 5.8L. If this thing had a ZF 5spd in it I might be getting 20 mpg.:laugh: With my 87 F250 I got 12-15 empty and 8-10 loaded.:stupid:

The body has plenty of rust holes around the floor which lets in some exhaust fumes. It's not a huge deal since the thing is so hot inside I have to run with the windows open.:laugh: The A/C doesn't work.

The front brakes are pretty bad so tomorrow I'm going to be replacing them.

[Fordman75]

I took care of the brake issues with the van and have hauled a few loads with it. I'm pretty happy with this van. I've still got a few minor issues with it.

It has quite a few rust holes I need to patch. I'll need to repair & re-enforce the driver side rocker/step area.

There's a minor oil leak from the rear main seal. But I'm just going to live with for now. I plan to swap in a manual transmission when the E4OD takes a dump. So I'll fix it then.

And speaking of the E4OD. The end of the shifter is broke. I can't turn off the OD. If I push the button in and hold it OD will shut off. But as soon as I let go OD comes back on. And the "OFF" light flashes all the time.:scratchhe

If I ever get my other crap fixed I'll fix all these minor issues too.


Besides that it's been a great van.

[Traveler]

That OD problem would be a pain. I wish they gave us better control over shifting these things.
We are putting a PSD and E4OD in an '86. I think we are going to put a button on the dash for it. It is nothing that has to be in the shifter for any reason. It is just a button with two wires that run to the tranny.

Rust is never ending. We are working on one truck right now that has rust issues. It is tough to decide when to stop or where to start.

[Fordman75]

Putting the button on the dash is a good idea. I think I'll probably end up doing that too.

For me with living in Minnesota fixing rust is just a part of life.