New Member & New Ambulance Conversion Project - 2000 E350, 4wd, 7.3L, 18,600 miles

[nyyankees588]

One way to test the waters is to find a set of larger, used tires. I ended up sizing up from stock 225/75r/16 to 265/75r/16 via a set that had 80% tread life that I got on craigslist for half the price of a new set. Of course you add on the mounting & balancing and that's an added $300.... but.... it's a slightly cheaper way to test the waters on larger tires without dropping $1,000 on a set of tires that you're then stuck with for ~40k miles.

The larger tires look a lot cooler (not going to lie), but practically I can't say how much of a difference they make (IMO stock clearance on econolines is already pretty decent). I did take a hit of ~1.5mpg, which is tough pill to swallow at the already low 12mpg avg lol.

[Brenton.Lammers]

I don't mind sharing. I paid $25,500 for it. I bought it in an online auction and I spent more than I had hoped to. I kind of worried that I overpaid for it being only a 2000 model at first. But after doing a lot of shopping around for other 4wd options I felt pretty good about the decision given the mileage and condition.


I had been in your exact situation and was shopping for 4wd's for a while. I have a friend who converted his from a 2wd to a 4wd himself and I was debating on doing that, adding a lift and also adding a high-top to my existing rig since I knew it was a good one. I almost ordered the top when I came across this auction. Thinking about all the work and time that would have involved, I am glad I found this one. Odds are good I would have screwed something up. I am 6'3'' (75''). Interior height is only 65''. I do wish the interior height was a little taller but It's so much better than my current van that I am just glad to be able to mostly stand up.


Here is a link to the actual auction result if you want to see more pictures - https://www.auctiontime.com/listings...2000-ford-e350

Originally Posted by nyyankees588

Awesome find, how much did you end up getting it for (if you don't mind sharing)? Look forward to seeing where you guys go with it. What's the interior standing height as well? I'm in a similar boat - have put close to 20k miles on our 2wd e250 conversion van and am looking towards getting something that has full standing height (current one has ~67", I'm 6ft) and possibly 4wd.

[Brenton.Lammers]

That's a good call. I kind of feel like it looks like it has been skipping leg day right now with that skinny rubber. I do like the idea of maximizing my fuel economy though. I am going to take it easy and run these a while. Maybe start with some used rubber like you recommend and try that next. If that's a decent option I would go up a size or two. I have a ton of clearance. No swampers though.

Originally Posted by nyyankees588

One way to test the waters is to find a set of larger, used tires. I ended up sizing up from stock 225/75r/16 to 265/75r/16 via a set that had 80% tread life that I got on craigslist for half the price of a new set. Of course you add on the mounting & balancing and that's an added $300.... but.... it's a slightly cheaper way to test the waters on larger tires without dropping $1,000 on a set of tires that you're then stuck with for ~40k miles.

The larger tires look a lot cooler (not going to lie), but practically I can't say how much of a difference they make (IMO stock clearance on econolines is already pretty decent). I did take a hit of ~1.5mpg, which is tough pill to swallow at the already low 12mpg avg lol.

[nyyankees588]

Sweet man, that's up there on the price, but also definitely looks to be worth the end price you paid for it. Interesting to see that it's front leaf springs - most of the govt 4x4 conversions/ambo conversions I've seen are quigley and I'm pretty sure they don't do leaf springs in the front. I wonder who did the conversion on it.

Agreed on the tires - I waited until I knew I needed to replace mine within the next 6 months and then had the time to look around for the right deal on a set of decent used tires.

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by Brenton.Lammers

. I am 6'3'' (75''). Interior height is only 65''. I do wish the interior height was a little taller

Having seen Abitibi's ambo in person, I can attest to how well his added Airtop works. The way he grafted it on worked out really well. It is an inexpensive solution to a potentially expensive problem.