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Re: 01 E350 7.3 Build
This is my first post, so bear with me.
I am the proud owner of this van. UJOINT delivered it to me yesterday. After a through briefing by Chris, I put about 200 miles on it. All I can say is that it is spectacular, and the work by Chris and his crew at UJOINT is absolutely world class ! I have held off posting anything until it was finished so I could form my own opinion of the work.
This whole thing started when I started looking for a new vehicle and could not find anything I liked, or wanted to spend the money on. I had a Westy long ago and then started looking for a good one. Realizing what they wanted good Syncro's now, and how finicky they can be, I moved my search into the E-350 arena, and Sportsmobile.
I have a F-250 with a 7.3 and new I wanted the same engine in a van. I was lucky enough to find a very nice 2001 E-350 cargo van with about 120,000 miles when I bought it. The only bad thing on the van was the paint. The previous owner had some decals on it and they ruined the paint. I Line X'd the rockers and hood because of the bad paint. I have some areas on the sides that I am going to wrap with a carbon fiber look to hide bad paint. Painting these things is very expensive and I am quite happy with the Line X.
I decided on a EB-50 SMB, mainly due to my experience with the Westy, and that layout works well for me. I took it to Sportsmobile North. Nancy guided me thru the process there. I can only say that I am completely satisified with SMB North. They did a fantastic job and met and exceeded my expectations. It was a great experience there. I love my SMB makeover !
After the SMB conversion I realized that I was going to need suspension work. I wanted a better driving experience and the van needed a lift, more brakes, and better suspension. I looked at lifts and all makes of 4x4. I had tentatively decided I did not need 4x4 and was going to do a 2" lift. I wanted to refresh the transmission and other items as well. One thing led to another and I decided to go ahead with 4x4. So, after looking at all that, all the 4x4 vendors I ended up at UJOINT. Smartest move I could have made.
I drove up to meet with Chris and get a look at his work. After seeing the quality of his work and kits, I was sold. For many reasons, mainly my lack of ability, I wanted UJOINT to do the work. Another great decision on my part ! Chris guided me to what I wanted and needed. I kept adding items that I probably didn't need, but wanted, thinking that it was best to get it all done now and over with. I dropped the van off a few weeks later and the rest of the story is what you see in the pictures on this thread.
It is a completely different van. Drives better than I ever imagined. Rock solid, comfortable ride with no sway, rolling, or bad habits. The DP Tuner with UJOINT's tunes has made a night and day difference with the performance of the van.
The whole experience with UJOINT has exceeded my expectations. If all vendors, companies and individuals that I deal with had the same work ethic, professionalism, service and commitment to the customer that UJOINT has, my life would be easy. The quality of their work, materials, parts, service and communication is better than I have experienced anywhere in any industry. Chris runs a world class business, and knows what he is talking about. I was fortunate to be able to work with him on my van. Chris and his guys are certainly the subject matter experts when it comes to the E-350. Not only on the 4x4 systems, but engines and all other systems on these vans. Dealing with UJOINT OFFROAD has been a great experience.
There you have it. Fire away.
See you on the trail
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UJOINT 7.3 SMB
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Linear Mode
