Anyone have experience with Boulder Offroad?

zip

I prefer social distancing.
Looking to get some opinions on the Ford straight front axle conversion on a Chevrolet 4 x 4 van conversion.

I previously owned a Sportsmobile Ford E 350 4 X 4 Quigely with a 4 inch lift. The ground clearance was fairly adequate for my needs.
Sold it cuz I no longer wanted a pop top..
Replaced with a Roadtrek.
Even with a Weldtec 5" lift, the Roadtrek is still way to low.
Considering a 4 x 4 BOR conversion with 6" lift, but a little anxiety filled about a Frankensteining my vehicle with Ford parts.

I know one member here has had that done, but wondering if anyone else here has experience with this conversion,or know anything about the quality of the workmanship at BOR.

Any and all constructive advice greatly appreciated.
 

marret

Active member
Here is a guy who lifted one, then put a FF axle in it, and then did a 4x4 conversion with Advanced 4WD Systems. He did have some work done by BOR, but the solid axle conversion might have been more than he wanted to spend. Anyway, see this thread for his build:
Roadtrek 210 Adventure Build Link
 

zip

I prefer social distancing.
Here is a guy who lifted one, then put a FF axle in it, and then did a 4x4 conversion with Advanced 4WD Systems. He did have some work done by BOR, but the solid axle conversion might have been more than he wanted to spend. Anyway, see this thread for his build:
Roadtrek 210 Adventure Build Link

Good read.
Looks well done, but you can definitely see that these vehicles have minimal ground clearance.
 

marret

Active member
I remember reading a thread about someone removing all the lower cladding from a Roadtrek or similar van. If I find it, I'll post a link.
 

zip

I prefer social distancing.
I remember reading a thread about someone removing all the lower cladding from a Roadtrek or similar van. If I find it, I'll post a link.

Thanks, but all that stuff is more than just ground effects.
Water/waste tanks, batteries, and storage are all down there.
 

b. rock

Active member
I've seen their shop and their own rigs and they look legit. They also run the hell out of their vans offroad so they speak from experience. After talking with someone who had one of their conversions, make sure to ask questions on ABS sensor integration. He was having some issues with that and was still working through it - I lost touch with him before hearing the final resolution. Their lifts go big enough to run 37s on a standard Express and as long as you have a build sheet so you know what to reference at a parts store (this would apply to any SAS really), I wouldn't be too worried about having a Ford axle. I was going to go their route but ended up finding a Ford that was already 4x4.
 

zip

I prefer social distancing.
I do recall the ABS sensor integration issue being discussed on this forum, but don't recall if there was a positive resolution.
I know nothing about the quality of workmanship from BOR, so this is my concern.
I was very disatisfied with the build quality of my SMB, and just want to avoid going through that again.
 

b. rock

Active member
Are you taking your roadtrek somewhere pretty gnarly that you need the clearance of more than 5" of lift? What about skid plates/protection for the fragile stuff underneath instead?
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Are you taking your roadtrek somewhere pretty gnarly that you need the clearance of more than 5" of lift? What about skid plates/protection for the fragile stuff underneath instead?
Roadtrek's have so much stuff hung under the body that 5" of lift probably only gets you to a net 8" or 9" clearance in some places. I've seen (or rather heard) at least two different RTs contact tall speedbumps with something in the mid-ship area (breakover) - they're slung VERY low.
 

zip

I prefer social distancing.
Are you taking your roadtrek somewhere pretty gnarly that you need the clearance of more than 5" of lift? What about skid plates/protection for the fragile stuff underneath instead?

Herbie nailed it.
Also, I don’t think there was any suspension modifications made for all the extra weight put on these conversions.
 

pappawheely

Autonomous4X4
Considering a 4 x 4 BOR conversion with 6" lift, but a little anxiety filled about a Frankensteining my vehicle with Ford parts.

I would not worry, Dana 60's were used by Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford and Land Rover.
 

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