Introduction and future (hopefully) build thread - E350SD Ext Cargo

hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
Thank you for the response! Mine is full floating as far as I know, but I haven't cracked it open to check. Did any of them come with 35 from the factory? If you could post the part numbers,it would be appreciated. Thank you!
 

djbonsu

Adventurer
Thank you for the response! Mine is full floating as far as I know, but I haven't cracked it open to check. Did any of them come with 35 from the factory? If you could post the part numbers,it would be appreciated. Thank you!

Here you go....I ordered these from Randys Ring & Pinion. Summit also has them as well.

YA WFF35-36.5

YA WFF35-39.5

The D60 rear axles (Semi-float & FF) in the e350 were all 32 spline shafts.
 

hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
Thanks djbonsu! Did you have to chop them, or are they the right lengths out of the box? Also, were you able to use the factory ring and pinion?

Thanks!
 

djbonsu

Adventurer
No problem! The true Trac unit you have will support up to 4.10 gears which is what I swapped my gears to. So with 3.55s you should be good with swapping over the ring gear. I can't remember but one or both of my axle shafts did have to be cut down. I'll ask the shop to verify
 

hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
No problem! The true Trac unit you have will support up to 4.10 gears which is what I swapped my gears to. So with 3.55s you should be good with swapping over the ring gear. I can't remember but one or both of my axle shafts did have to be cut down. I'll ask the shop to verify

Thank you, I appreciate that.
 

hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
So not to tease too much, but below is a pic of what the hobovan is looking like right now in prep for sound deadening. Full update/explanation coming this weekend with more pics. Hope everyone is doing well.

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stormlover

Adventurer
Should be 32 spline axles in your full floater. At least they were in the D60 out of a 2000 van I sourced from a salvage yard. Oddly enough the semi-float axles in the D60 that came on my 2005 E350 were 35 spline. Anyhow, I added an air locker, new 4.10 gears and 35 spline axles from Dutchman using the measurements I supplied from the 32 spline axles. http://www.dutchmanaxles.com/flanged-floater-axle-pair.html

1st Length (Inside of flange to end of spline): 34.92"
2nd Length (Inside of flange to end of spline): 37.64"

If it helps these are the part #'s for the 32 spline. Dana/Spicer # 43811-17 and 43811-16, respectively.
 

hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
More teaser pics....which is basically my way of saying I'm not ready yet to type up the whole explanation of our absence. In the meantime, busted some rust and prepped with paint for the sound deadening. We went with KnuKonceptz Kolossus. Short version is that it is over twice as thick as dynamat xtreme and for less money.

Next layer up will be 1/4" closed cell high density foam. Top layer...we're trying to decide between cleaning up the factory vinyl and putting that back in (rugged/durable/easy to clean) or a heavy grade black outdoor marine carpet (classy/custom/soft/albeit prone to staining/dirt.) Jury's still out so no idea yet. Been doing this in the evenings after work...waiting for Saturday for the big push on the kolossus.

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hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
The first layer of sound deadening is done....the mail fairy didn't bring layers 2 and 3 yet, so I'm on hold until the CSF and MLV show up. In the meantime, the LEDs did show up, so I put those in. One of the illumination lights had been out for a while so I figured I'd use it as an excuse to swap them all. Pics below...the trim is not back in yet but you get the idea. Sorry no "before" pics, but you know what it looks like. The company is running a sale until the 21st if anybody is interested. 10% off coupon code is HOLIDAYCP. I can't vouch for longevity or anything like that...first time I've ever used the company, but the quality looks good and they shipped really fast. Total cost was $23.77 but that was pre-coupon. 6 bulbs total...4 for the cluster and 2 for the A/C panel.

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https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...re-wedge-retrofit-lan/3308/#/attributes/10822
 

hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
Alright so if we rewind a bit, the last time we posted an update we had left the Ford dealer and were headed to Kentucky to get the van checked out. We ran basically stripped out and sleeping on an air mattress in the back of the van. It was pretty sweet...we racked out at a truckstop on the way out and then crashed in a walmart parking lot with a presidential candidate on the way back. It was super awesome to have the van for privacy, warmth and shelter from the torrential rain storms, and we learned a lot about how we will use the van and what changes we should make.

Shortly after we got back, we got a phone call about a job and ended up moving to New England. The van came with us but, aside from basic maintenance, we really didn't have the time over the summer to get anything majorly done on the van. Things are starting to slow down and, while we're still sorting out our living situation, we have started back again in preparation for a trip south for the holidays. The plan is to knock out the exhaust and the floor once we are south, and then long term the body will get plucked next winter so we can coat the frame and go through the drivetrain as well as start looking at the swap.

We started with the deadening as noted, and that is progressing well. The Kolossus is done in the cab area. I'm still waiting on the hoodmat/closed cell foam to arrive. I'm also trying to find a good source for MLV locally, as it is expensive to ship. Unfortunately, when we pulled the doghouse off to do the deadening, we noticed a trail of fuel down the back of the engine. Phone call to dieselsite and got another set of sleeves on the way. While we were waiting, I figured we'd correct the PCV issue and ditch the silencer, both of which I had wanted to do but was avoiding working up under the cowl again. We were deep enough in it now....it was only 2 more bolts and 2 more hose clamps to check the turbo, so we went for it. Good news...minimal shaft play. Bad news....chewed fins. :-/ Luckily I had a spare wheel in the van, so swapped/cleaned and put it all back together. One more bolt from the hardware store tomorrow and she'll be back on the road again. Pics below!

This was what I saw with the phone after popping the tube off:

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Once we popped the housing off, I got a better look at it:

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Old and new, side by side:

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As to the missing bits and pieces...I'm hoping they're long gone as we can't crack into the top of the engine at the moment to track them down. It was driving/running fine before, so I'm hopeful any way. Curious to see if some of the lag is corrected and efficiency approves. Can't remember if I mentioned it or not but we also swapped in the International recommended 203F thermostat as well as new hoses top and bottom and delo ELC.

Hope everyone is doing well.
 
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hobovan

'00 E350SD PSD
Links for deadening the way we're doing it:

Dynamat Headliner 1x for doghouse. We did not do the hood as I am planning on swapping it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/252559730605
$56.27

Knukonceptz KnoKnoise Kolossus. 35 sq ft. This is enough for floor and both doors, although we did parts of the body and headliner instead as we have to replace one of the doors. http://www.ebay.com/itm/390476923679
$154.99

Closed Cell Foam - 2 of 1/4 (60"x72"). He's sold out now but has more on order. You could do 4 of 1/8 but it was cheapest to do 2 of 1/4. I also hear that you can find this stuff locally, but I am not in a geographic location where that is possible. http://www.ebay.com/itm/151950077939
$44.80

TMS MLV - The bulk of the cost of this comes from the shipping weight...1 pound per sq. ft. If you are closer to MD, then SoundDeadenerShowdown might be a cheaper option, or you can call around to high end audio stores in your area to check and see if they sell. None of that worked for me, so from amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Loaded-Vinyl-Square-Acoustic-Barrier/dp/B008JHE1P6/
$119

Foil tape for seams on Kolossus was $6.99 from local hardware store.

We will still need to get spray adhesive for CSF ($9.99 from Home Depot) as well as a heavy gaffing tape for the CSF and MLV ($15.30/roll from HD.) Gaffer's tape not totally necessary as the layers overlap..just using it to hold in place. Duct tape would be equally well suited.

Finally, we are planning on cleaning and reusing our factory vinyl floor liner, but you can get marine grade waterproof/outdoor carpets for $4-$9/linear foot.

$407.34 doing it this way less carpet but plus tape/glue/etc. IMO this is the best way to do it. YMMV
 
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