The Whale

[Samtech79]

Work in progress. The disintegrating fake wood grade and smelly blue shag gotta go.

[86Scotty]

I think a Cummins 5.9 would be an easier swap in on a 92 back Econoline body. Have you looked into this? Probably simpler, stronger, more reliable, etc. I know it's been done on motorhomes a few times.

You've got a handsome rig there. I like it.

[Samtech79]

Well. The 7.3 came stock in the E350 econoline and can be done with all stock ford parts. The Cummins, mating transmission and transfercase would be a very, very difficult to stuff into an econoline due to the length. Everything would have to be custom made. The tunnel just isn't that long, the 7.3 is really tight... the gasser is tight but not that bad, I can still get to the plugs and manifold bolts.
The issue is CARB who made it very clean that I can't do a engine swap on this van due to its published GVWR. It's listed as 8100lbs and the cut off for medium heavy duty is 8300lbs.
Basically I can swap any engine I want so long as it came from a vehicle under 8300... which there isn't a diesel made that falls into that range.
However, I can re register the engine as a 91 F150 and do pretty much anything I want to the engine so long as the parts as CARB certified... which there is all sorts of fun go fast parts that will still pass the sniffer and inspection. AFR heads, headers, intakes, cams, etc. I can build a serious brute with the stuff available.

[Samtech79]

Progress as slow as ever... and I found a small leak in the heater core...
oh well, interior is coming along.

[Samtech79]

Ok, E4OD swap it tough. I ended up stripping a bunch of harness out of an F150, getting a computer from a different F150 (mine is SD) and a bunch of custom printed color/strip wire to pull it off.
Both schematics for a couple of weeks of my spare time and wrote full pin out to make it play nice. I went through the harness, OD cancel switch, 4X4 module and the ECU pin by pin until everything was accounted for.
The linkage is also a bear but as the degrees between detents is slightly different between the C6 and E4OD.
Also minor differences in Smog crap that I had to account for so it will still pass smog and the idiot light does t come on.
End result? Kitchen! Mileage when from 7.9 MPG to 10.8 MPG at 70-75 mph and the noise and heat are totally manageable. 2200 RPM at freeway speeds and the temp gauge stays in the bottom half of the range. It's was totally worth the trouble to rebuild the harness and alter some of the other peripherals.
When I get around to rebuilding the motor I expect to pick up another mpg or two.

[Samtech79]

No matter how much I cleaned the potty, if the van sat in the sun for awhile, when I opened the door I would get a puff of barnyard that just wouldn't go away.
Also, the sit down shower completely sucked.
So I tore it all out and replaced it with a regular house shower pan and some polywall.

[marret]

Looking good.