Ford Cutaway 4x4 With Full Height Hardtop Prototype Planned

[mgmetalworks]

Originally Posted by Flux

I'm sure. I asked too, they were considerate and replied. I totally get it why they wouldn't though. Good luck to you with that one. I am sure it would make life a lot easier. I did see some Ford approved rendering models for about 100 bucks. They look to be fairly accurate but lack a lot of detail. This could suffice for doing a rear body:

Surely I am talking out of my butt here, but I am gonna do some preliminary design work and have my buddy who is an industrial designer look it over. Again, just wanna see how complicated it gets and how much it weighs and how much material costs go into it. You get a lot of opportunities to do things like open up the wheel wells for better articulation, develop better storage all around the body inside and out, a big more width on the body, little things that would make the interior build very clean.

I can dream it anyway!

For reference (see my website), I know its a little smaller than your box idea but the tailgating trailer I built years ago was a steel frame, aluminum skin "box" and the whole trailer weighed 1750 loaded with full propane, half keg and all the gear. We used rivets and VHB tape for construction and it is super stout. It survived a trip into a deep ditch where it went 50+mph to zero in about 3ft. Bent a corner of the frame and ripped some panels but it was fixable. you'd be surprised how rigid a 1" tube frame skinned with 0.080" aluminum is. VHB tape is the bomb too! The base material ripped apart all around the bond surface. It's legit!

[86Scotty]

I just used VHB tape on a solar mount. I wasn't brave enough to just use VHB tape as some suggested. I put a few stainless screws in too.

What was the subject of this thread again?

[Flux]

Originally Posted by mgmetalworks

For reference (see my website), I know its a little smaller than your box idea but the tailgating trailer I built years ago was a steel frame, aluminum skin "box" and the whole trailer weighed 1750 loaded with full propane, half keg and all the gear. We used rivets and VHB tape for construction and it is super stout. It survived a trip into a deep ditch where it went 50+mph to zero in about 3ft. Bent a corner of the frame and ripped some panels but it was fixable. you'd be surprised how rigid a 1" tube frame skinned with 0.080" aluminum is. VHB tape is the bomb too! The base material ripped apart all around the bond surface. It's legit!

I'm fully on board with VHB Tape and rivets!! I think people would be shocked at what is held together with that. I did check out your trailer! Everything on your site for that matter, I am a lurker for sure.

My buddy was also telling me about some 3m epoxy that is used for panels and it becomes stronger than a weld. I think it's 8115. But VHB is the stuff!

I guess one of the issues is that I am jealous of ambulance builds, all that nice space in there, but I would want SRW and a pop top bunk for the kids.

[Brianjwilson]

Originally Posted by TomH

Alan Feld told me Ford was confident the full body Econoline could not last against better mileage unibodies. They wanted to insure their market share by bringing in the Transit, which had been very successful in Europe for 40 years. The number of Class C motorhomes built on the E-450 justifies its continuance. Some of those things are really big and very heavy. They lengthen the beefy frame and that V10 is able to pull those big things.

Yeah that's what you say, when you're forced into a product that you're trying to sell.

[eddyturn]

The Transit is number one because, well, that's all you got for a full bodied van. Sprinters are too expensive to maintain and there aren't enough dealers around for the general populace. RAM is a Chrysler product and I won't ever go there. Love to have some sort of Frankenvan in the future if that is all we can get. The SMB Classic will be super pricey at about 140k. I'll keep an eye out for what some of you guys come up with. Might even be able to buy one from you if you put them up for sale.

[TomH]

Some thread drift is normal. We keep inching farther and farther though. Would appreciate it if we can move back closer to original topic. Thanks.

[TomH]

Originally Posted by eddyturn

The SMB Classic will be super pricey at about 140k.

Where did you hear that? SMB told me $125k with typical choices.

[Flux]

I'm heading there in 2 months. I'll crawl all over the classic. Hopefully they have one of those german bodies there and I will check that out too. Hopefully they will give me the big tour even though I am just getting my van topped.

[eddyturn]

Got the price estimate from Nick at SMB at OX 2 years ago. The demo one they had would be priced out at 140k as it was. Maybe they've gotten the price down some to get more interest. I don't think they really knew how much the add on was going to end up being at that time. A lower price makes it very desirable.

[TomH]

I am wondering whether Hymer might be the company SMB is looking at for the cabin. Though shown on Sprinters here, they look like what was described to me, very boxy. The top six models on this page fit the description.

https://www.hymer.com/en/models/motorhomes/