The Tan Hot Dog Build

[Jsweezy]

In keeping with the "Stock 4wd Ford E350" look I went ahead and added something that it obviously would have come with from the factory...



I also placed it as close as to where it goes on the trucks and I went with the 2013 logo instead of any other because my van has a 2013 axle. That and I think this one is the best looking logo they have made so far out of all the "FX4" logos.

[Glider]

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[Jsweezy]

Glider - Thanks!

[Jsweezy]

Alright so I am happy to say that as of now everything is operational on this beast and as of now nothing else needs to be done for it to be a perfectly fine functioning offroad van.

Obviously I have my list of extra stuff I would like to do but those will all be upgrades and not repairs which we all know are easier to pay for.

So the exhaust is fixed and after using the correct mount on the transmission it was a necessity but I will get into that in a minute, either way, its done.

Lets recap on the advanced solution to having less of a driveline angle.

By using such a short transmission mount, it didn't require them to put a CV Joint on the rear driveline coming off of the transfer case. Thats all fine and well except that it was compromising the way the engine mounted on the frame and oh wait it gets better.

Here is a picture of what the mount looked like after I removed it (Left) compared to what it should be stock (Right).


Yes, thats correct I pulled it out in pieces. I dont quite understand why or where this mount came from but bottom line is that it wasn't doing its job anymore and holy smokes that sucks.

Also as i was attempting to remove the stock crossmember that they had to weld a box in to fit the front driveline, because they used a shorter mount, they also stripped one of the nuts holding it onto the frame. Fortunately i was able to leave it on the one side and just jack the engine tranny up high enough to slide the new mount in between.

Here is what it was supposed to look like all along -


Here is where the notched out the stock crossmember to fit the front driveline and as you can see it no longer needs that notch and they wouldn't have had to do all that work even though it does look like they did a good job.



Another plus is that the transferase is now up under the vehicle and looks like it should, it used to hang a lot lower and I never did understand why until I saw the mount.


Thankfully that journey is over. Next up is probably a cv joint on the rear driveline, rear passenger side T slider and mounting the 55 gallon gas tank in the rear of the frame.

I am so glad no-one actually came through and bought this van, I would have felt really bad selling it to them with that issue. I am also glad I still have it because now all I literally haven't touched is the engine, tranny and transfer case. So I basically know it like the back of my hand.

[mgmetalworks]

Factory parts work! Why make this harder than it is?

Several hours of labor to modify the cross member and replacing the stock trans mount with a different one all to avoid putting a double cardan joint on a driveline that had to be modified anyway... now that is some ADVANCED thinking right there.

[Flux]

I now know what a double cardan joint is. Love this place.


You never really know the shortcomings of something until you take the pain to fix it or upgrade it. Kind of goes back to that nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It'll make it hard to ever part with it knowing that any old van won't do now.

Such a nice van. Can't wait to see it with the windows and decked out interior.

[Jsweezy]

Flux - Thanks! I am pretty excited to get the interior done, but my wallet and my wife aren't ha ha. And yep your totally right, I look at this van in a whole different way than I used to and have learned alot so I think its totally worth all the effort.


I also just wanted to say to the general population reading this post. I never meant this to be a "lets bash Advanced thread!" It just sort of turned out that way with everything I have found. I am also not on here posting any of this because I just feel like complaining, I am posting all this as a "Heres what to look for and how to fix it" thread because I would have loved to have read a thread like this before I looked at purchasing this van. Just wanted to clarify.

Thanks for following along!

[Backcountry Pursuit]

After my many, many hours of research, I never considered a Quigley or an Advanced. I knew I wanted something better with the plethora of information out there on how bad some of these conversions are and how good some of the other ones are.

Front axle #2 is getting POR right now and will hopefully go in tomorrow.... MG has been beyond awesome while I have gone through this process. I am going to have one hell of a build thread to start here in a week or two once the 4wd is done. Talk about obstacles. None to do with MG's kit. That is totally solid. Salvage yards suck. That's all I got to say about that.

[Flux]

Many commercial enterprises do things a certain way because they have to. They may cut a few corners or not know better. You're just redoing things your way.

I really can't wait to have 4x4 and a lift. I have some plywood and an unbolted bench bed. It slow going and my cash is thin too. Some day. I know what I want my van to be. Gonna take some time to get there.

Home build support group.

[Jsweezy]

Flux - Advanced doesn't get a free pass from me for this conversion. If I would have paid for them to do the conversion and received the van like this I would have lost my mind. They definitely cut corners and they know it and know better. But, fortunately for them, I knew what I was getting into when I purchased it, I just didn't realize how much a well known company could screw something up. This van was up for sale for a reason that's for sure.

Ok off that then.

Definitely take your time and do things right the first time because cheap fixes aren't gonna last long and if your like me it's all you will think about anytime you get in your van until it's done right.

I'm excited to see what you end up with!