1989 Sportsmobile Ford E-250

[santi]

Oh, right.

Thanks, Brent.

Originally Posted by vwteleman

Wheel base doesn't change between an EB and an RB in a Ford (it does in a Chevy).

Cheers,
Brent

[jage]

Originally Posted by santi

My next line of research is to see what engines people have in their 4x4's and whether they wish they had more power or not.

6.0L. Could use some more power.

[santi]

Just like the next guy, I think that cranking uphill on snowpack in the desert is a blast, I don't necessarily need to have a beast under the hood. As long as the engine isn't stressed pushing a 4x4 around with two people and gear for weeks or months on the road.

Are the 5.4's going to crack, per se, pushing a 4x4 around? I'm looking for that balance between capability and economy.

Originally Posted by jage

6.0L. Could use some more power.

[rockbender]

Just a little more info on the Gear Vendors for you:
The 3-speed C6, while bullet proof and cheap to repair if it does fail, can be miserable for any prolonged driving without an overdrive on both a MPG and noise standpoint. This is amplified even greater if you have relatively low differential ratios (numerically bigger). The GV adds an auxiliary overdrive to the transmission which makes life more tolerable with the C6. The C6 also does not have a lock up torque converter so the engine will always be spinning 100+ rpm faster than an equivalent lockup model. Another downside would be that if it is in a 4x4 application then the GV sits behind the transfer case. This means that you can not use the overdrive if you are in 4x4, otherwise your front axle will be going slower than your rear. The GV is available in every gear as long as you are going over 15 MPH, so you effectively could have 6 gears if you wanted to use them that way. It typically isn't super effective due to gear overlap in the C6 though.

From a driveability standpoint, I'd rather have an E4OD. It will have a lock up torque converter and the overdrive ratio is actually taller than what the GV give you. The drawback to the earlier E4OD's is that they weren't as reliable. I don't recall the year range, but it is something in the 88-94 range.

My 84 E350 has a C6 / GV combo and it works just fine for what I do. I'm happy that I found it that way, as I'm not sure I could tolerate the lack of overdrive with my 4.10 gears and diesel engine.

[santi]

Great information, Rockbender. Honestly, some of it is still above my head (lock up torque converters and how gear ratios work), but I got the rest. I've been thinking that I'll save for longer and get something a bit newer, '95+. In any case, I'll probably stay away from any C6 without a GV. We'll be staying in climbing destinations for a long time and then driving to the next one, so long distance driving is important.

My ideal rig is for the following: 6-12 months on the road, one climbing destination after the other, in all seasons. Snow, dirt, 4x4 trails, but nothing crazy, no crawling. Minimal but comfortable (AND SAFE and RELIABLE) enough. I imagine that to be something like a '95+ RB50, 4x4, PH. I can't imagine being able to spend more than $30k on it but maybe my head is in the clouds. I've seen what some of these sell for.

Originally Posted by rockbender

Just a little more info on the Gear Vendors for you:
The 3-speed C6, while bullet proof and cheap to repair if it does fail, can be miserable for any prolonged driving without an overdrive on both a MPG and noise standpoint. This is amplified even greater if you have relatively low differential ratios (numerically bigger). The GV adds an auxiliary overdrive to the transmission which makes life more tolerable with the C6. The C6 also does not have a lock up torque converter so the engine will always be spinning 100+ rpm faster than an equivalent lockup model. Another downside would be that if it is in a 4x4 application then the GV sits behind the transfer case. This means that you can not use the overdrive if you are in 4x4, otherwise your front axle will be going slower than your rear. The GV is available in every gear as long as you are going over 15 MPH, so you effectively could have 6 gears if you wanted to use them that way. It typically isn't super effective due to gear overlap in the C6 though.

From a driveability standpoint, I'd rather have an E4OD. It will have a lock up torque converter and the overdrive ratio is actually taller than what the GV give you. The drawback to the earlier E4OD's is that they weren't as reliable. I don't recall the year range, but it is something in the 88-94 range.

My 84 E350 has a C6 / GV combo and it works just fine for what I do. I'm happy that I found it that way, as I'm not sure I could tolerate the lack of overdrive with my 4.10 gears and diesel engine.

[santi]

Also, about E40D's, I've read that they can be greatly improved with an aftermarket controller like this one: http://www.usshift.com/

Does this help the earlier ("unreliable") E40D's or are those separate issues?