1995 7.3 Powerstroke Turbo Diesel Ford E-350 Cargo, converted to overlanding / camper

IncorpoRatedX

Explorer
Located in Mesa AZ.
This rig is a great starter project for a u-joint 4x4 conversion, the frame is solid and has very little rust, the body has rust around the lower edges, nothing you'd care about for an off-road adventure vehicle, no holes in the floor or rot, body mounts are all solid. Has a few dents and scrapes, it's been properly used.

We originally bought the van to move us across country, after moving a few years ago and hauling cars across country we decided to keep it because of how impressive the 7.3 engine is. Fairly rare van to find, has the same running gear as an F350; international 7.3 liter turbo diesel V8, automatic transmission. The van has all-terrain load-rated tires (E rated) about a year or so old, lots of life left, hitch and trailer wiring, cold AC, decent stereo, custom front bumper with 8000 lbs direct drive worm gear winch. There's a roof rack, the roof is painted white and the van body is grey. Always maintained with motorcraft filters and rotella diesel oil. The headlights have been converted to Autopal H4 units (dot approved) There's a plywood bulkhead seperating the cab from the back of van, which has been insulated, covered with plywood and there's a full size box spring bed in the back. Lots of space with shelving down the driverside of the van. Clean title in hand, current tags and registration. It's had new brakes, batteries, tires and front shocks in the last year. I also serviced the trans with new filter and fluid in the last 20k. While in there I changed out the gear selector switch because they're known to fail and as a preventative measure changed out the engines TPS and crank position sensor just before 200,000 miles. (These two are also known to fail).


Feeling confident with this rig, which I daily drive, I took the van to a ford diesel specialist about 3 months ago when it rolled 200,000 miles. I've owned some turbo diesel vehicles before (mostly mechanical injection pump style) and know that they will run forever, as long as you maintain them. I'm told it will need maintenance, but it's still dependable and gets 20 MPG, it's driven daily and I'm not in any rush to sell it.

The diesel shop ran a diagnostic check on the van and looked everything over, the major test was a pulse check on the injectors, their diagnostic tool runs through all the different ways the injectors would be used, from idle to cruising to full throttle, I was told this is how they determine if a vehicle is due for injectors. Everything tested out just fine but the diesel tech said I'm "on borrowed time" and if I want to keep using this rig for cross-country travel I need to start setting aside cash for the following parts:
Glow plugs, valve cover gaskets, another fuel filter (I already change this every 20k) and the biggest expense, the high pressure fuel injectors.

Although the van's injectors test out good and it runs fine, the common lifespan is around 200,000 miles before needing rebuilt or replaced. The diesel tech also suggested I replace my radiator hoses and any coolant or transmission lines that I can. Which I had on my to-do list already, simply based on age alone.

Trips with the Van that I've posted about here:
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/158136-By-Land-and-Sea-to-Berkeley-Big-Sur-and-Back

http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/164252-Cross-Country-Color-Run-Rattle-can-adventures

In the last 3 years it's driven across the country 5 times. we've gone up and down the west coast, over to the midwest and beyond. I've got too many projects, too little money and not enough free time to give this van the love it needs to complete, I'm hoping to pass it on to someone else that will continue to improve it. I wouldn't hesitate to drive this van across country again. It needs some maintenance but has good bones and a great drivetrain.


Photos are just images from the adventures we've been on with the van, I know they're lacking detail and quality, I apologize.
I will update this when I have some time to get pictures of it.

I'm asking $6500 for the van. For another $2,500 I will throw in a steel 24' car trailer with slide-out ramps. I used this trailer to tow my cars across country when we moved. You can kind of see it in the photos. Open to cash offers, no trades, I'm trying to reduce the amount of things I own. You can reach me at 269.357.4372, my name is Josh, texting is preferred, thanks.

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F350joe

Well-known member
Sweet rig. Anybody considering this van should not be afraid of those items mentioned. The mechanic is just mentioning known long term issues with the 7.3, not even sure they apply to the E series. The valve cover gasket is literally know as the .25 cent fix. Injectors can go much longer than 200k, just run some diesel additive to keep them clean. All the other parts are cheap and easy with plenty of youtube vids for the DIYer.

Good luck with the sale! Would sell in a day oit here in San Diego at that price.
 

RangeDrive

Observer
Would love to see more detailed pics of rust, interior and exterior when you have the chance. Also how much lift, if any does the van have?
 

IncorpoRatedX

Explorer
Thanks guys. I took some photos of the interior yesterday when a craigslister asked me to, I'll get some underbody and frame photos soon. I don't know where the van was originally from, I imagine a car fax might show that info?

----Ok, guess I can't attach photos from the mobile site?

Text me if you'd like photos, otherwise I'll post them when I get back to my computer.

-Josh
269.357.4372
 

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