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Old 11-08-2016, 11:01 AM   #1
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2006 E350 6.0 diesel 4wd 167k miles - $12k San Diego

2006 E350 Diesel 4x4

"2006 Ford E350 6.0 4x4, good condition, has complete interior, front and rear a/c, reclining chairs in back with motorcycle chock in between, everything works, perfect for desert/mountains/baja, asking $12,000 or best offer"



I'm new around here but have been using the forum as a resource to learn about 4wd vans and sportmobile conversions. I've been keeping an eye on craigslist to get a sense of prices and always thought I'd be buying a 2wd and paying for a 4wd conversion. I never expected to see a newer diesel 4wd for this cheap. I'm currently in the process of trying to buy this but wanted to seek the advice of the members here. I wasn't sure where to post this and wanted to keep it out of the main forum since it's not a SMB.


The owner didn't have much information in the ad but here's what he's given me.

The owner before him had the conversion done by a shop in the SD area but he can't remembmer the name.
It's supposedly an F-350 dana 60 in the front, 10.5 Sterling rear with limited slip. 3.73 gears.
Previous owner claims a bulletproof EGR was installed.
The reason he is selling it at a low price is a shop has told him at least 3 injectors will need replaced soon.
There's no CEL and the owner will have it smogged tomorrow.
I did a carfax on the van and everything looks good. No accidents/damage.

My question is what do you think of the 4x4 conversion? Is this deal too good to be true?

It looks to me that all the welds are good on the conversion and no glaring issues. I'll be travelling from the bay area tomorrow to look at the van. What can I look at to figure out who did the conversion?


Pictures of the conversion




















Previous owners ad




Carfax






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Old 11-08-2016, 11:18 AM   #2
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Might be a conversion by Javier. If so, a bit more of a budget conversion and I believe he has much of the work done south of the border, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, just that a few corners might be cut.

Not sure if he has a website, but here's his You Tube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRK...3OhUV_aOzFRhDw

At the price being asked, it might be worth some risk, even if a new front end (Agile Offroad, MG Metalworks, U Joint) were needed.


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Old 11-08-2016, 03:30 PM   #3
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Thanks for the link BroncoHauler. Found a video of the van on there. Same plate/wheels/etc.

Looks like I have some research to do. What are some major things that can be wrong with the Javier conversion? Is it a conversion most would consider junk and needing fully replaced or is it small issues that can be fixed? Is this a good deal considering the conversion or a faux deal?
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Old 11-08-2016, 04:29 PM   #4
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Definitely Javier.

His vans are a little half-baked.. folks have had suspension issues, welds breaking, poor geometry, etc. I'd be wary, but if you're a decent mechanic and understand suspension, it could be a good base to fix up.
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Old 11-08-2016, 04:36 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rallypanam View Post
Definitely Javier.

His vans are a little half-baked.. folks have had suspension issues, welds breaking, poor geometry, etc. I'd be wary, but if you're a decent mechanic and understand suspension, it could be a good base to fix up.

He also sells under Crows 4x4 as well as Javier. Think Chris at Ujoint has a dedicated FB page for Vans that he's had to fix by this builder. It's not to say all are bad, you'll just need to do some research...
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Old 11-08-2016, 04:58 PM   #6
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Thanks for the heads up MSD. Found the photo album and all the Javier/Crow ones are pretty bad. Here's a link in case anyone else is looking for it https://www.facebook.com/pg/ujointof...91653090853922
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Old 11-08-2016, 05:21 PM   #7
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After reading everything I could about the Javier conversion I'm going to pass on the van. The current owner said he hasn't had any issues with the conversion other than needing to re-balance the driveshaft and he's had it off road multiple times. Even with all that said I look through all of the U joint photos and read about other people's issues and I just can't go through with it. I'd much rather get a stock 2wd van and have it converted the right way. Thanks everyone for the help. It saved me a trip south to look at the van and maybe even a lot of headaches if I would have purchased it.
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Old 11-08-2016, 08:16 PM   #8
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Good Call! As someone who just finished (well almost) De Advancing a van and making it an MG Conversion, its so much easier and more emotionally manageable to just get a clean slate 2wd to start with.
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Old 11-08-2016, 11:36 PM   #9
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Glad you decided against it. Even from the pics I can see some flaws, including an un-reinforced crossmember (has to be trimmed for axles clearance), poor track-bar geometry, and a track bar mount that looks like it was clearanced post-conversion due to pitman arm interference.

But really the engine worries me more. That van was used hard for a year. Possibly hauling his other conversions around? 100k+ miles in 15 months...

And the real read flag... "possibly needs 3 injectors soon". This means the shop found a failed cylinder contribution test. Could be 3 injectors. Or a bad head gasket. And if it is injectors, 3+ failing at a time points to a deeper root cause. Prior electrical work suggests a FICM issue, but could easily be due to poor engine oil quality wiping out the HPOP sump screen.
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