mgmetalworks
Explorer
What I don't think comes through in the pics very well is how much taller this van is vs. a stock Transit. For reference, measured just behind the B-pillar, this van is only ~3.5" shorter than the Cummins van, ground to roof line. Also, ground clearance under front/rear diffs is 12"/9" on this Transit compared to both Eseries 4x4s I have here at the shop with ~10-11" front/back (both Eseries vans on 35s).
Unlike Quigley and Quadvan, I opted for an adjustable camber knuckle design. It converts the non-adjustable Transit suspension over to an assembly that adjusts similarly to many strut/knuckles on the road today. There is a lower strut mount that slides over the Bilstein strut body and the knuckle is a fabricated part made from a few machined parts and a few laser parts. My intent is to switch over to a fully machined knuckle once I'm done with the first couple prototype vans.
The front hub engagement is a hybrid truck/van design using parts from the F150, parts from a Transit and a few custom machined parts to adapt things all together. The hubs lock/unlock with a vacuum solenoid just like on a F150 and maintaining the system is not much different than how you'd maintain an F150. If you have familiarity at all with the F150 IWE hub locks, assembly, disassembly and maintenance will be a no brainer for you.
The front diff is 2012-ish F150, this van in particular has a remanufactured Raptor front diff with limited slip, which is to say that the limited slip carrier is the Ford part # used in '10-'14 Raptors but for all intents and purposes is the same Ford 8.8 front diff housing and such from the plain ol' F150. One of my peeves about the Transit 4x4 market is that I always hear people boasting "Quadvan uses Raptor parts". While technically it's not a fib as explained above, it is (IMO) misleading to say you're using Raptor parts without clarification of which parts especially when the only parts you can use from a Raptor are the same exact parts that fit or can be used in the F150. None of the Raptor-specific pieces (axle shafts, suspension control arms, chassis, steering rack, etc...) will work in the Transit. So to set the record straight, the Expovans conversion uses a combination of Transit, F-series and custom pieces to complete the 4x4 drive components and some upgrades from high performance applications (such as the Raptor) or aftermarket parts are compatible in some instances.
The transfer case I'll be using for the foreseeable future is the Borg Warner, manual shift which came out of 2009-ish F150s (at some point around 2012, the manual shift option went away and only ESOF tcases existed after that). I am still able to buy these new from Ford so all conversion kits will come with this tcase and cable shifter. BTW...I'm not done with the final brackets yet but the shifter will mount to the driver seat base and be completely out of the center pass-through between the seats. None...and I mean hours and hours of searching and hundreds of dollars spent buying various shifter mechanisms...NONE of the available t-case shift levers on the market today would work without a difficult install and/or being right in the frickin' way of your feet. So I decided to design my own shifter assembly and keep it really tight to the driver seat, easy to reach, not in the way AND with about as basic an install as you could possibly get on a Transit. Many of you don't know the accessibility constraints of the drivetrain in a Transit because you're so used to working on the wide open spaces under the Eseries...trust me, I'm doing what's best for everyone by making my own parts.
Because of the position of the drivetrain relative to the front axle centerline, the tcase has been moved back in the vehicle using a custom CNC machined billet aluminum tailhousing adapter and a custom designed splined adapter shaft. Total spacing is a smidge more than both Quigley and Quadvan so the front driveshaft angle on our conversion is not quite as severe as either of theirs. That said, the front driveshaft is relatively short because it has to be.
The steering rack is a pretty significant change in these conversions in that you have to go from a "rear steer" layout to a "front steer". What's that? The short answer is rear steer = rack behind axle centerline, front steer = rack in front of axle centerline. There are a few consequences of making this change that, if not done right, can seriously affect the vehicle handling characteristics. This is where the vast majority of my time was spent in the design process because I didn't want to get it wrong. I'm really happy with the outcomes I've seen in CAD and now in real life driving the van. Coincidentally, this is reason why the 2020+ Transits are difficult to convert. They have an electronic steering rack with an assortment of sensors. You can imagine the difficulty of adapting a system of complex electronics to a steering geometry that works exactly opposite of the stock configuration...
The steering rack is, you guessed it, from an F150. I tried like hell to find off the shelf power steering lines that just magically fit right in a Transit without any modifications but it turns out that it's easier to just make new lines with aftermarket fittings. The steering shaft is aftermarket, high quality, high strength joints and installs easily. Tie rods are stock F150 (They're actually much beefier than the stock Transit tie rods so don't fear the change). The steering rack mount is a fabricated assembly that bolts to the engine cross member. The mount is somewhat self-aligning to the cross member so drilling the mounting holes is pretty easy. Power steering lines are accessible and easy to install with the front bumper/grill removed.
The biggest differences between the Expovans 4x4 conversion for Transits and those of Quadvan and Quigley can be summarized by the following:
-Adjustable camber knuckle design
-2.75" of built in lift. Additional lift possible with Bilstein struts and different coils
-Up to 255/80-17 tire size (it does require what some might consider "significant" inner fender lip trimming but come on...the Transit looks good with 33's)
-Our custom splined adapter parts are made from high strength, heat treated steels...some of the strongest, highest quality steel you can make these parts out of.
-None of the serviceable items used in our conversions have been modified in any way and they're readily available through many online and local sources.
-It has been my intent from the beginning to make this conversion available as a "kit" that can be installed in someone's driveway with simple tools and I'm 99.8% of the way there. Within the next 1-2 conversions done here in-house, I'll have the exhaust routing sorted and have a (nearly) bolt in solution for that. There might be one exhaust joint that needs welding but at least it will be in an accessible location.
Aside from the exhaust, the installation of the complete 4x4 conversion is actually pretty straight forward. I believe the conversion process is easier than the Eseries conversions and will take far less time than those vans.
