Iv been looking for a 4x4 cargo van for a long time. I found a interesting 4x4 ford with 351/4 speed manual..

I need this Van able to pull hard.. 10K#
Which diesel engine swap would be my best bet? And could I use the existing ford 4 speed? At least it has the clutch pedal. But would a different MT fit in the same spot the ford top loader was?

Thanks!

 

Your not going to fit much in a van without a custom doghouse, and no, that 4 speed would last 5 minutes behind any diesel.

 

Don't know about that year van but newer Ford vans came factory with the Powerstroke

 

They made those with the 6.9 back then, but there no powerhouses.

You could swap a powerstroke in there, but honestly its a waste of money IMHO. That Van is worth tops $2500... It would cost 6-7k to swap in ANY diesel worth a damn into it.

You could pick up a powerstroke van from an ambulance service for $5000 all day.

 

Yea I realized that van was pre 94 just wasn't sure how much the vans had changed other than body panels. Had a buddy that had a couple PS vans set up as service trucks

 

But I would still need to install 4x4 at that point. And a manual trans..

What I actually want a 1st or 2nd gen cummins manual 4x4 under a van body and thinking about comparing wheel bases. Would that approach be more effective than a diesel manual 4x4 install?

 

It would be easier to buy a truck rip the body off and put a van body on

 

That's what I was wondering..

Wikipedia says a ram 2nd gens longest wheel base was 154.7" and also says a chevy savana van 2000 to present is 155"

I just figured if a body swap was a better option.. How come I dont see more?

 

I've seen all kinds of vehicles on 4x4 frames some shoddy and some really nice, it just depends on your fabrication skills.

 

I'm going to disagree with the body swap thing... I personally think it would be easier to fab a custom doghouse rather than try to body swap different brand and breed. At least I feel that the custom dog house option could be "cleaner" than a body swap. However, you may be better off pulling the body off even then just to get the engine stuck in there. Van hoods are only good for accessing dipsticks and checking coolant levels...

Also keep in mind that those puny 5-lug axles probably aren't going to like 10k towing with a Diesel providing the power. Not to mention the age-old argument on longevity of a half ton rated axle under a heavy Diesel powerplant.

Furthmore, just because I'm a stickler, I'm going to guess that the 4 speed in that is a New Process 435, which was put behind 6.9 IDI diesels and survived just fine. Will it handle a fire breathing PowerStroke or Cummins? Probably not, but many people run them behind old IDI's and even behind 4BT's to keep compact driveline assemblies in Jeeps and such...

Ideally, a 4BT would be a perfect swap into the van....but sourcing them alone can be costly as everyone thinks 4BT's are made of gold or something, and you would still have to get a Cummins/Ford adapter plate or bellhousing. 6BT's have been done as well, but they at TALL and LONG engines, so the doghouse would likely extend back pretty far. Not to mention, the 6BT is no lightweight, so springs and possibly front axle rating would need to be looked at (although the 1/2 ton guys will disagree...to each his own). I definitely wouldn't run the NP 4-speed behind the 6BT though...so that puts you looking at likely an NV4500, which, adding it's own length plus the 6BT, would throw the shifter prett far back, iirc. Just another thing to consider...

Next best, easiest, but least powerful would be a 6.9 or 7.3 IDI swap. They are very simple engines, but also very heavy and quite large! A few pro's for the IDI are one wire hookup, cheap and fairly easily attainable, and standard "gasser" NA setup which keeps the exhaust headers/up-pipe out of the doghouse and won't turn the van into a sauna (anyone who has spent time in an idling 6.0 PowerStroke van can attest to this!). However, the downsides to the IDI; it's obsolete at best, it's fairly gutless without a turbo (which in turn negates that sauna thing mentioned before), and most of them are pretty abused by the time you find them. Assuming you can find one in decent shape, they will pull 10k all day long.....but they'll take all day too. I've had excellent luck towing with 7.3 IDI's, but you better like shifting because they make long grades VERY painful.

Anything beyond a 12 valve or IDI is going to involve electronics, which is going to put you in the complete donor truck surgury catagory in which you'd be better off to just source a decent van with a diesel already in it and convert it to 4x4 (if it's not already)....a much cheaper and easier task than a body swap, in my opinion.

And a shamless plug for Quigly! 4x4 Vans : Quigley Motor Company, Inc. > Home