Here's a few from a recent trip. Montana to Portland, down the coast to the Bay area.
Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho
Winchester Bay, OR
Out along the Lost Coast
They have very thick sidewalls and soft rubber - great in the rocks and places like Moab, not good for tire wear. Lack of full depth tread blocks doesn't help.
Not sure how a converter slipping translates into needing a trans rebuild. I have heard of vacuum issues effecting trans shifts. I'd get a second opinion.
A few clues and pointers are better than nothing. I'd say the old saying "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free" applies. He did the hard work of figuring it out, he's under no requirement to give it out. If you want to Cut & Turn a set of Dana 44 beams for a Bronco, nobody that...
No affiliation. Roof stack will probably turn most people off and I'm assuming salvage title because of the fire but seems like a lot of van for the money.
http://www.buslifeadventure.com/index.php/vans-for-sale/31-for-sale/vans/94-vans-4x4-ford-e350-van-for-sale