1999 E250 EB Off road ability

[SMB_Beancounter]

Hi All,

I am a new owner of a 1999 E250 EB with pop top. Wife and I are scheduled to pickup the van on Friday. Excited to be part of the SMB community.

I do have a few questions for you all, Wife and I currently have a 2003 Ford excursion 6.0 diesel that we have built out with a basic homemade build. We have lived out of it for 3-4 month stretches over the past few years, but have been in the market for a pop top or high roof van thats a bit more comfortable. We found that in this 1999 EB we are picking up.

I am a bit concerned about the off-road ability of the van, its a 2wd and we don't do any hardcore off-roading, but do enjoy backpacking adventures and find ourselves venturing down rough rocky roads getting to trail heads. Is this van going to be capable of that? I understand sand, snow, mud etc won't be ideal being 2wd and being a heavy van, I am an experienced offroad driver so i understand we need to take it slow and avoid dragging the bottom on rocks. We rarely use the 4x4 in our excursion, but obviously sits a lot higher than the van. We will be getting a MT or AT tire to put on the van, whats the biggest tire we can go with without rubbing? The van we are getting has the fiberglass side steps/fender flares that run the length of the van, should these be removed?

Ive been doing some research on lifts, and am just now realizing the limitations due to the I beam construction. Has anyone used the Ford Parts one 2" lift?

https://fordpartsone.com/products/e2...ft-kit-2-inch/

Will this small lift create issues? I am hoping to just pick the van up a little bit to get a bit more ground clearance without dropping big money.

I was up all night last night just concerned the wife and I are making a bad decision and loosing our ability to get to the places and spots we enjoy. any input or suggestions is much appreciated!

Cheers!

[boywonder]

Camburg, Weldtec and Action van all sell lift kits for the vans.


285's usually fit without rubbing, although it's close.


....and you could put a locker or a limited slip diff in the back.


Eaton Trutrac is a limited slip that doesn't use clutches (that wear) and they are around $700.


You may have a factory limited slip in there already..check the axle code on the label on the driver's door jamb.

[mikracer]

You can get a ~6" lift kit as Boywonder mentioned above and run 285's.

You can also get a taller spring and level the van to run 265's. There has been a lot of discussion on what springs will lift the van. I believe its a Moog 880 or something like that.

With the axle code, its a 2 digit code. If its a letter and a number (C9), it is a limited slip. If its a number and a number (22), its open. You can find what all the codes are with a simple google search.

[boywonder]

If you do 285's you may want to consider 4.10 gears. You likely have 3.73's...your axle code will tell you.


3.73's with 285's makes the speedo off by about 10% and in my case and maybe your case (5.4L V8) it's just geared too tall for the grades out west. I'm in the process of putting 4.10's in mine.

[SMB_Beancounter]

Good info, thank you both!

[BrianW]

I’ve gotten down some fairly rough Forest Service and BLM roads in my previous 1999 EB SMB. 2wd, no lift, limited slip rear. Even stock the e-vans have a good bit of clearance.

[Twoxentrix]

Another option to consider that may help the confidence issue would be adding a winch & some recovery gear as a fall back. Won’t help with clearance concerns, but should get you out of most everything else. If you put a front and rear tow hitch on the van, there are winch mounts available allowing you to use the unit on either end if needed.

[deserteagle56]

Off pavement, uneven terrain is a 2wd rig's downfall. Unweight one rear wheel and you're not going any further. So put a selectable locker in the rear diff and you will be amazed at where you can take your van.

[SMB_Beancounter]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, a locker might be a solid option for us, along with some tires.

What size tires could i go to with having to change gearing?

Recovery gear is something we will carry for sure, likely will go the wench option with the front and hear hitch receiver.

The van has the fiberglass running boards that run the length of the van, they are fender flares and sidesteps. Would you guys suggest removing these? Will they limit by tire size choices at all?

I am not so concerned about getting stuck, mainly just destroying the bottom of the van on rocks etc.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by SMB_Beancounter

What size tires could i go to with having to change gearing?

...without having to change gearing?

Assuming that you have a 5.4L.....

I've been driving my van with 5.4L 285/70-17's and 3.73's for years; it just shifts out of OD at the slightest grade.......and when you are climbing large grades you need a good running start at say 75mph to be going 60 mph (or less) by the summit.


265's would be less of an issue.....