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Old 09-09-2012, 06:47 PM   #1
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1999 E-350 EB Build

Hey Guys, wanted to share this project, been working on it for two and a half years. Just about finished. I have gotten some good ideas from looking at some of your builds, so thanks for sharing the information.
The Van began as a 1999 One ton, 7.3 diesel with 170K miles. The 4wd Kit is 4" lift from U joint (Chris is a great guy to work with), everything else is custom. I added some has some cool features like an Espar Diesel Hydronic heater that is mounted inside the frame rail and heats the interior through a heat exchanger, hot water for the sink, shower and the engine coolant loop. Also installed two large deep cycle batteries and a inverter / charger on a ML Battery switch and a voltage sensitive switch that activates a fan to evacuate the gasses during charging. I added a instrument cluster from a 2001 Excursion 7.3, so I have a tachometer and 4wd light...very cool. All the cabinet work is 3/4" birch ply, the floor is 3/4" ply with a heavy duty laminate floor. Lots of insulation throughout. Fiberglass topper is from Summit, a very nice top at a good price and not too heavy. The bed is just under queen size, and the wood for the kitchen counter came out of a 150 year old barn in East Tn. and is laid up with epoxy. I still need a front bumper, finish the overhead rear and front cabinets, some minor trim and then off to the paint shop. Hope to hit the road this fall for an extended trip.
So far, the van tips the scales at 8200 lbs, not bad considering all I have added. Finished weight loaded should be less that 10K.
More pictures in my gallery.
















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Old 09-09-2012, 08:36 PM   #2
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

Very nice build and I like the huge AC on top. Thanks for sharing.
Eric
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Old 09-09-2012, 09:59 PM   #3
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

That looks really nice... You have a lot of little details in there the more you look the more you see...
Was the instrument cluster hard to do, I don't need one but I bet quite a few guys would like to have that swap... How about the 4wd light?

Thanks for sharing...


...Jamie
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Old 09-10-2012, 06:55 AM   #4
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

No, not hard to do ...just took some time. On both vehicles all the plugs leading into the two instrument clusters are similar (i think ford used the same clusters, just had minor changes between vehicles), but some of the pins had to be moved. I pulled both wiring diagrams and changed the pins accordingly. The factory wiring harness in my 7.3 Van has a wire that reads the RPM (white wire labeled "CTO", found in the wiring harness towards the top of the the drivers side firewall closest to the windshield) The BW 1356 Transfer case has a switch that reads when it is shifted into 4wd; I wired this into the correct pin on the new cluster from the 4wd Excursion. Also, the Excursion Cluster has one tab that will not line up with the factory E series dash bezel...I just cut it off and it fit perfectly. The only issue was the Anti lock brakes light kept flashing...I searched for an answer, and the brakes are working fine so I just took out the bulb.

Note: the clusters from the 6 liter diesels will not work. Find a 1999 - 2003 7.3 Excursion 4wd. Not sure about the F series.
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Old 09-10-2012, 08:01 AM   #5
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

Great work buddy

Now go get some Desert Pinstriping and send us the pics!!

bw
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Old 09-19-2012, 06:44 AM   #6
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

Thanks....I am looking for cool options on decals, pinstripe, etc after it is painted. Any suggestions?

C
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Old 09-19-2012, 10:16 AM   #7
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1999 E-350 EB Build

Quote:
Originally Posted by 3677chris
Thanks....I am looking for cool options on decals, pinstripe, etc after it is painted. Any suggestions?

C
Chris, I'm pretty sure he means something different by 'desert pinstriping'. Think harder!
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Old 10-01-2012, 02:43 PM   #8
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

What front seats are those? They look comfy.
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Old 10-01-2012, 03:11 PM   #9
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1999 E-350 EB Build

Very impressive
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Old 10-01-2012, 03:32 PM   #10
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Re: 1999 E-350 EB Build

I've got Air Conditioner Envy real bad, and the rest of the build is very well done.
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