What Engine for Base?? 5.4l, 6.8l, or 6.0l

[carringb]

Originally Posted by Flux

Any opinions on an 05 EB V-10 with 115k?? Maybe too much wear and tear to start out with?

I bought my V10 at 105k from Enterprise. I'm at 426,000 miles now. And all my miles are hard miles. At least 200,000 of those are towing miles, typical combined weight is ~22,000 pounds.

The only this to watch out for at that mileage is that is just past the first scheduled tune up. Many fleets sell at 100k to avoid the $500 it cost to have a dealer change the plugs. Not a big deal but should be factored into price if there isn't proof that this service was done. Also some front end TLC is often needed at that point, but that's a moot point if you'll covert to 4x4.

[Flux]

Originally Posted by mikracer

I just posted this one on the for sale forum 2005 E-350 Econoline van 15 passenger

It's not mine, but it sounds like that's the one you are referring to. I have a 2005 RB V10 and I bought it with 106k miles a couple years ago. It now has 130k on it and I haven't had any issues with it other than a couple random things. If the van that I linked to is the one you are thinking about, you can sell the camburg kit and put those funds towards the 4x4 conversion. That's what I did.

Yeah, that's the one. Just from the upgrades the guy did I can't help but think he took good care of it. You can never tell what kind of miles they were or if they towed a lot, but the V-10 and the torqueshift should take care of most of that. I decided an EB was the way to go for me. It's gonna be a roadtrip machine for the wife and I and our twin boys and dog. They are hitting a good age and it's time to see the West top to bottom!!

I have been furiously looking for newer V-10's and they just aren't around. I am not opposed to the 5.4l, but then I would go newer anyway like 2010 plus and finance it. I just wanted to find out if these V-10's go a long distance so that I am not buying into a new engine and tranny any time soon.

4x4 figures to be down the road for me anyway. Just means I can't head up to the Sierras in the snow for now, but I have two other 4x4 vehicles so no big deal. The Camburg would help me put that off a bit.

How did that Camburg kit do for you before you put the 4x4 on?? I really want a well behaved highway machine that can cruise 70-80 mph.

[mikracer]

Originally Posted by Flux

Yeah, that's the one. Just from the upgrades the guy did I can't help but think he took good care of it. You can never tell what kind of miles they were or if they towed a lot, but the V-10 and the torqueshift should take care of most of that. I decided an EB was the way to go for me. It's gonna be a roadtrip machine for the wife and I and our twin boys and dog. They are hitting a good age and it's time to see the West top to bottom!!

I have been furiously looking for newer V-10's and they just aren't around. I am not opposed to the 5.4l, but then I would go newer anyway like 2010 plus and finance it. I just wanted to find out if these V-10's go a long distance so that I am not buying into a new engine and tranny any time soon.

4x4 figures to be down the road for me anyway. Just means I can't head up to the Sierras in the snow for now, but I have two other 4x4 vehicles so no big deal. The Camburg would help me put that off a bit.

How did that Camburg kit do for you before you put the 4x4 on?? I really want a well behaved highway machine that can cruise 70-80 mph.

The V10/torqshift combo is pretty stout. As carringb posted above, he probably puts on the hardest miles on these vans and he has over 400k miles on his motor.

As far as the Camburg kit goes, its a cool setup. The shocks they give you aren't valved correctly for a heavy van (in my opinion). I even paid extra for the Fox shocks with reservoirs and they were still way too soft. The shock issue can be easily put to rest by buying some custom valved shocks from Agile Offroad. If that van has the upgraded shocks, Agile can valve those Fox shocks for you too. I sold my kit to a member here and he had them re-valved by Agile. I think with the proper valved shocks, you will enjoy the ride.

If the seller put the lift and tires on, he paid a pretty good chunk of change for it. The bumper alone is like $1,300. I think the lift is now $3,500 or so and wheels and tires are probably about $1,000. If the interior is clean and the van checks out, I think it would be a pretty sweet start.

[Flux]

That was my thought as well, heck of a nice start with some nice goodies that make it way better than stock. Nice rims too, I would hang on to those if I could.

Thanks for the info on the Camburg. Eventually I want an Agile 4x4 system, but $$$$. At least with this I have an upgraded dirt road machine. I just won't take it up the mountains in the snow yet, but I have some other vehicles for that.

Was the Camborg way better than stock even with the soft shocks on it?? Again, my concern is highway for now.

I'm in touch with the guy now. May pull the trigger after sleeping on it.

[BroncoHauler]

Personally I would talk with Agile before going with a lift that will just have to be removed when converting to 4x4. Maybe there's some intermediate steps that Agile can take that will then be a stepping stone to a full Agile 4x4 conversion, rather than sunk costs that won't get you closer to 4x4.

I have no idea if Agile has anything like this, but it's worth a call.


Herb

[mikracer]

Originally Posted by Flux

That was my thought as well, heck of a nice start with some nice goodies that make it way better than stock. Nice rims too, I would hang on to those if I could.

Thanks for the info on the Camburg. Eventually I want an Agile 4x4 system, but $$$$. At least with this I have an upgraded dirt road machine. I just won't take it up the mountains in the snow yet, but I have some other vehicles for that.

Was the Camborg way better than stock even with the soft shocks on it?? Again, my concern is highway for now.

I'm in touch with the guy now. May pull the trigger after sleeping on it.

I'm not sure it was WAY better than stock. I believe it did have a tighter turning radius than stock though. The suspension did work better when going over speed bumps, but I would get some bump steer when hitting pot holes. Before buying the Camburg kit for my van, I did as much research as I could to see what people said about their lifted vans. Most people really liked it. In the end, I still wanted 4x4 so I pulled the trigger on the Agile kit.

The 2wd suspension pretty much all comes out when going with a 4x4 kit. The only part you could reuse would be the rear lift blocks. Agile is very familiar with the Camburg kits. I was just there last weekend and they had a kit on their shop floor that they just removed to install a 4x4 kit.

[Flux]

This is all really good info and I truly appreciate it. All you folks on here are top notch and very generous with the info. Shows enthusiasm. I am looking forward to van life!! It would be a dream to travel this way with the kids. Light and fast, go just about anywhere.

I have been scouring for V-10's and keeping an eye on Diesels as well. Still not opposed to a 5.4l, but those are easy to find, literally hundreds of them vs a handful of big motors. I still want an agile 4x4, but if another 4x4 falls into my lap, I might go for it. We shall see. Very hard to be patient even though I have as much time as I want. Don't want to miss opportunities. There was a sweet low mileage 6.0 that had the pop top and quigely, I missed out on that but it was a bit out of my price range right now. Hoping to piece this together without going into debt.

I was in brief touch with the guy and texted him some questions about the rig. I will see if he get's back to me and maybe go look at it. Price is a tad high, but I can use the bumper and the wheels and enjoy the lift for a time if this van seems decent.

Maybe a nice 2010 plus 6.8l 5 speed EB wagon will shop up down the block!!

[Flux]

Just as an FYI, I emailed out to a dealer in Kansas about what they had advertised as a 2014 Wagon with V-10 on Autotrader. It was a misprint, but ended up chatting with their internet fleet guy and he has my number and will call me back if he runs into any V-10 EB's. I guess they do fleet stuff all over the country. It'll be a wait and see thing I guess. If anyone wants his info, I would be glad to pass along.

I did see a couple V-10 passenger Vans that had no seats and the rear AC still in the back. That's a requirement for me in this desert. Gotta keep cool.

[Flux]

I'm about to start looking for a junked EB with front end damage, cut the body off at the cab, and mount it on a 2016 cutaway.

the search for a base vehicle is a bit frustrating. I could throw a rock and hit a 5.4l, maybe I need to just go drive one and see. Just scared it'll be under powered.

[mikracer]

What happened to the one with the Camburg kit?