SOLD: 1996 Ford E350 ext length Sportsmobile 4x4, 7.3l diesel, 14-16mpg, new trans, tons of new parts!!

So I never thought this day would come but I am thinking about selling my van that I have loved owning and put so much time and money into. Perfect bugout or overland vehicle to escape the earthquakes here in Utah or do some social distancing all year long. I have 4 kids and its worked out great but I am thinking about moving into a F550 build (may regret the size). I am only selling my rig to help finance another project otherwise I would totally be keeping it. So on with the specs, I have many threads around here and have done a ton to this van mostly just to refresh it and I planned on keeping it forever, you know the story. Zero Rust and never driven in the salt.

Asking $55k

- Late 1996 Ford E350 ext length Sportsmobile (Texas build and spent most of its early life there)with 7.3l turbo diesel engine and Fiberine 30" super Camper top
- Original Quigley 4x4 conversion that has been heavily modified with new adjustable torque arms (axle was pushed forward 2" so caster AND camber can now be adjusted), new high steer setup with new tie rod and brackets, plus drag link and tie rod with Heims. Way better setup now that is really beefy and was professionally done by Agility Customs here in UT. Van can fit 35" tires without modification and 37" with a little fender trimming
- Brand new full RIP suspension package from Agile Offroad including their full custom to the weight of the van 8 spring leaf pack. So new leafs with higher ride height (ditched the lift blocks), Custom valved Fox 2.0 shocks, new front progressive springs, new Fox steering stabilizer with custom mounts to work with upgraded front end, and rear sway bar.
- Nearly new (8k miles ago) Dieselsite Legendary E4OD heavy duty transmission and billet torque converter filled with Amsoil. This is an amazing transmission that cost nearly $6k all said and done installed with 4r100 internals, all steel planitaries, etc, it will last forever and is way better than any stock or rebuilt ford unit and easily handles the extra weight of this van (10,600lbs worth fully loaded)
- About 16k miles ago I totally refreshed the engine and replaced just about every part I could find to keep it running forever, It didn't need anything but I wanted peace of mind. List includes but probably forgetting alot: New Injectors (kept it stock for reliability), new glow plugs, new OEM valve cover gaskets and wiring, new HPOP lines and new Terminator HPOP, oil rail crossover, new lift pump, totally rebuilt fuel bowl with new hoses, better clamps, viton orings, etc etc. New IPR, new ICP, new monster glow plug relay, Beans D66 high flow turbo, full 4" exhaust, EBPV pedestal delete with high flow outlet, all new gaskets and seals, High output IDM, upgraded Denso starter, new alternator, new starter, new aux tank switch, and a bunch of other random parts and some more sensors (I spent easily over $8k on just parts, not including any labor).
-Beans D66 turbo with bellowed up-pipes (installed 4/10/2020)
- All new brakes front and rear few thousand miles ago, calipers, pads, etc.
- 5 BFG KO2 tires 285/75r16 with good tread and american racing 16" Baja rims. (Planned on eventually going to 35' or 37" tires after all the suspension mods, its about a 5-6" lift now).
- Reunel steel rear bumper with 2 swing arms and integrated hitch, super heavy duty and works great.
- auxillary gas tank (holds about 60 gallons of diesel and I average no lower than 14 mpg no matter what the conditions, more like 16 on flats (and Utah is hilly) so it has a range of over 800 miles).
- 240k miles currently and I would expect it to easily go another 200k before needing much.
- No solar but it has a propane generator mounted under the van with a push button start inside so its easy to fire up whenever you need full hookups (original generator only has 26 hours so It wasn't used much). Considered adding a portable solar panel but batteries run the lights, fridge, charging phones, etc for 2-3 days as is and recharge while driving so I haven't had the need for solar personally.
- Updated 2014 door panels and switches with great storage
- New Bluetooth apple/Android compatible radio.
- 2 100AH AGM house batteries
- Maxxfan Deluxe roof vent (can be used while driving or in the rain)
- 20 gal clean water
- 8 gal grey water tank
- 3 gal hot water heater
- Thermostat controlled propane air heater
- Undermounted Propane tank
- Quick connect propane socket for grills, fire pit, etc.
- All LED lighting
- New high efficiency truckfridge that runs off 12v or 110v automatically
- Microwave
- Built in drink cooler (actually really handy to keep drink in it and food in the fridge).
- Seats 8 in seat belts
- 2 beds sleeps 4-5 adults easily
- Tons and i mean tons of storage
- Sink and custom outdoor shower (hot and cold) out back in the licence plate location
- Flat screen 12v TV
- Day night shaded on all the windows
- Vinyl flooring
- Swivel passengers seat
- Bed liner on Fiberine 30" top and lower panels (great for dragging it through trees without scratching the paint)
- New running boards (not on in the old pics)
- Very unique and great floorplan (my favorite of any I have seen with lots of storage) with walk through out the rear.
- Rear AC unit, currently runs off the vehicle while driving but a lot of work has been done to it, with a new custom $500 condenser and it only needs a new rear compressor to run off 110v. All the lines have been run and are capped off ready to go if someone wanted to have ac running while on shore power or with the generator.

Cross posted locally on KSL, and on the Sportsmobile forum
 
Last edited:
1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
6.jpg
9.jpg
11.jpg
13.jpg
17.jpg
18.jpg
 

northstar2018

Northstar
I had a '96 B190 AirstreamE340 with the 460 cu inch, Boulder Offroad did the 4x4 conversion, handled really well, loved it, good for weekends in the nearby woods, but the big problem was gas mileage--I needed a Boeing refueling plane hooked up and overhead at all times to make any kind of long trip feasible...;) Having the 7.3 with the 60 gallon tank solves a critical issue with these 4x4 vans. Wonderful work, GLWS.
 
Thanks for the compliments. It really is a perfect vehicle to load up and take off for a weekend or weeks. Can hold a ton, has all the amenities you would ever need, great engine and gas mileage and pretty darn capable off-road. Its honestly been the perfect rig for us and if it didn't sell I wouldn't be horrible heartbroken. A F550 build would also suit us good but have pros and cons that I would be giving up compared to a rig like this van. I feel like it's the perfect balance of size and amenities and really love the high top and layout of this one. Having owned 2 other pop top vans, this one checked all our boxes on what we were looking for.
 

Subourbon

New member
How many kids were you hauling around? I have 4 and it has been hard to find a rig that will fit everyone (even uncomfortably)
 
How many kids were you hauling around? I have 4 and it has been hard to find a rig that will fit everyone (even uncomfortably)
We have 4 kids and it's plenty comfortable. The rear bench seats have 3 sets of seatbelts per side so it can seat 8 in seatbelts and sleep 5 adults easily or in our case all of us fit easily with kids in the mix.
 
So I have been debating just keeping this van and to make it more usable for us I added this sweet M1102 aluminum trailer with Rooftop tent (not included in sale). I am really liking this setup together. I have also upgraded the turbo to a high flowing Beans D66 with bellowed up pipes and a few other upgrades as we are still enjoying using it till it sells. At this point I am keeping the price at $55k, with all the earthquakes Utah is having its comforting to have an escape vehicle ?. Feel free to reach out with serious inquiries, my contact info is in the link to the local AD on the second post.

IMG_20200413_163257_01.jpg
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
185,539
Messages
2,875,661
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top