2004 Sportsmobile 4x4 Diesel $28K

[VanDickin]

Just seen this. Almost warranted posting in the "what's wrong with it" section.
For 28K I wonder what's been done to the engine. Looked up the VIN and it's a 6.0L

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2004-Sportsmobile-CUSTOM-DESIGN-5007725797

 

[wish41]

I love how they put SMB stickers on it and are advertising it as a SMB. I see nothing upfitted by SMB on that rig. And I wonder what 4x4 is on it.

 

[VanDickin]

The 4x4 is the only thing that I suspect is from Sportsmobile. But you are right, they could have just put stickers on it. I didn't even think about that!
That's what's wrong with it!

Also. It appears that it was bought from an auction that specializes in salvaged vehicles. Oh, man. This is getting smellier by the minute!

 

[wish41]

It's not a leaf sprung front end, so that wouldn't have been done by SMB. I do think this is just a deceptive marketing ploy, but maybe I'm missing something.

 

[carringb]

This strikes notes of a Javier van except its not overdone for a change. But still, lots of red flags. 145k and engine is stock?!?

Door gaps up front don't line up and the headlight bucket mismatch suggests its an accident rebuild.

 

[Offroading_is_Fun]

Eh... As others have said, there are a number of things that don't really add up.

For high end cars there's not really such thing as "too clean".... but for a 15 year old, 150K mile off-road van that obviously hasn't lived its entire life in an Arizona garage? I'll label this as "too clean".

Price now down to $24K, not sure if that's US or CAD... yeah, I hope whoevers brave enough to sink some hard earned money into this really gives it a VERY thorough look through and PPI.

Something also tells me this 'clean title vehicle' is a flat out lie. If there wasn't something wrong with it, this would probably get $35K if held out for the right buyer.

Really the only other downside of a 2004 is that Ford didn't introduce the 5R110 until 2005, right? I'd much rather have the 5R110 than the 4R100.

 

[86Scotty]

That's a Quigley shifter and I'm pretty sure a radius arm visible on the photo close up of the wheel. I'm thinking coil conversion, not SMB for sure. Nothing SMB about this one.

 

[Offroading_is_Fun]

That's a Quigley shifter and I'm pretty sure a radius arm visible on the photo close up of the wheel. I'm thinking coil conversion, not SMB for sure. Nothing SMB about this one.

Quigley's site says "Nope" on its "Is it a Quigley?" VIN lookup. :b7:

 

[carringb]

Really the only other downside of a 2004 is that Ford didn't introduce the 5R110 until 2005, right? I'd much rather have the 5R110 than the 4R100.

The 6.0 PSD actually got the 5R110 one year early, so this van will have it. The 4R100 won't work with the 6.0 PCM.

The other thing that concerns me is simply the original configuration. It seems that 2004 E350 extended wagons ONLY got the diesel as a fleet order option. I've never seen one that wasn't a former worker shuttle, or best case, a college motor pool van.

The current Chateau seats were not original, as Ford didn't offer them in EB vans and also they're the wrong period. The plush seats with holes in the head rests ended in '97 or '98.

 

[Offroading_is_Fun]

The current Chateau seats were not original, as Ford didn't offer them in EB vans and also they're the wrong period. The plush seats with holes in the head rests ended in '97 or '98.

I thought about calling that out too, but I never kept tabs on when the seats changed, just the 2009 dashboard change. Just another strike against the van...

Feel like it might have been worth something if the dealership came forward saying "Yeah it has a salvage title, yes it was professionally repaired, so-and-so's 4x4 conversion, minor buildout, older chateau interior (etc etc etc)" and letting people be confident in what it is... rather than it being a hot soup sandwich of just about everything and nobody can tell what exactly the deal is.

And even on the 5R110 trans, it still has the early 6.0 PSD. I know it was a bigger deal for the higher output F-Series motors, but I feel like I heard someone say that between 2003 & 2005/2006, Ford made something like 500 different changes to the 6.0... If the E-series were like the F-series in that sense, and all else being equal, I'd tend to devalue the early 2003-2005 vans over a later 2007+ 6.0 van, if I absolutely had to buy one (Under the impression that the early motors are going to be prone to more parts breakages than the later ones).

 

[VanDickin]

Ontario, California. Not Canada. Had to look twice myself.

 

[Vanimal]

Thank you all for your very valuable input. MSD and I attempted in another unrelated post to school some members on a subject of an overpriced top and we were slightly berated. All this information is great. It helps tremendously those that do not know #1 learn #2 not get taken advantage of. I like to see schooling of others in the knowledge that many of you/us have here. Please keep it up and maybe someday someone may have knowledge of something you know nothing about and save you some $ !!

To add on the speculation a minor point. The front seat belt anchor clip seams out of place just hanging there with the cylinder exposed leading me to think that the seats are definitely out of character. I know, when I swapped mine out the bracket did not work on the base that came with the different seats, so I had to rig it to with some welding and reworking. Beside it is too far forward because the picture angle is from rear to front and would probably delete seeing it at that height. It is definitely a coil suspension. It has the big dbl bushing radius arm setup. I do not know which after market companies use the new er style front radius arm front axle but this is not a leaf spring front end! Just my 2 pesos!

 

[vandiesel]

Plus those stickers looked photoshopped

 

[GARhead]

04 6.0

I check out th his van out and posted about then got directed to this thread.
From my other post:

A local RV dealer has a "Sportsmobile" on their lot that I checked out.
First, it's not a real SMB. Someone just put stickers on it. Dealer has no build info other then carfax. It originally was sold in Arizona but had spent some time in San Diego and Florida.
It's a 2004 6.0. I snapped a few pix of the good bits to see it anyone had ideas. Its a solid axle coil conversion so that rules out Agile so I told them that if it's from some "other" SD shop (other than Weldtech) I'm running away faster than a transgender man in a women's 100 yd dash.

Any thing look familiar or alarming
Thx
Gar

 

[GARhead]

04 6.0

Here are a few pix of the van

 

[Vanimal]

For spending some time in Florida it does not appear to have too much corrosion under the body.T case appears not to be a BW1356 could be a 271 but those things are huge. I am not sure why the comment of you'd run away if it was any "other than WeldTec". The radius arm drop down brackets appear to be manufactured and the pan hard bar is manufactured and welded in solid. I cannot see if the frame side was tied into the cross member, which would have been nice everything else appears to be factory parts. I would have leveled out the pan hard bar more on the axle side to make it parallel to the steering link and supported more the frame side. Every thing else looks solid

 

[GARhead]

04 6.0

I was implying that if it's a Crow's 4x4/Javier conversion I wouldn't touch it, too many horror stories. As everybody knows, they/he is out of San Diego where the van was located for a short time after bought from auction.
The RV dealer is trying to obtain information regarding the conversion and has already been in contact with Sportsmobile and was told they didn't do it.
I feel the RV dealer was being up front with me but told them they had 3 strikes against them...1) they listed it as a Sportsmobile when it clearly wasnt 2) they also list it as a Class B RV when it is registered as a commercial van & 3) no information regarding the conversion i.e. who did it, what year parts were used. Then add how bad the 6.0 stumbled and popped on the test drive equaled a big no thank and glwts.

 

[Vanimal]

With all that sounds like a strike out and a agent release is in order. The drive train seems to be in order by pics posted but when you described the 6.0 pop and stumble with an already marginal engine at the price requested I beleive a reconsideration is well in order. At $15K if you had to throw $6-7K bullet proofing engine work you woul then be at ballpark resale value.

 

[carringb]

A couple other conversion observations:

1) It does not look like the radius arm brackets were offset to compensate for the wider E-series frame. If you look at QuadVan/ExpoVans/CCV brackets, they have an offset to bring the radius arm inboard, so the arms are parallel. This is isn't a great pic, but I don't think that was done. having a trapezoidal layout with the radius arms will likely cause some severe Death Wobble if anything triggers bump steer.

2) The Drag Link and track-bar are not parallel. This thing will have some bad bump steer.

Makes me wonder if thing thing wasn't sold to auction with so few miles because it's nearly un-drivable. I wouldn't take this thing for free. There's better vans out there that will be less headache.

 

[Vanimal]

After a second look, It looks to me that the gusset part of the radius arm drop down brackets line up directly under the bottom of the van frame which would set the the radius arms inward (closer to each other), how much, I can't tell. Is it sufficient, can't tell. As I mentioned earlier I would have improved the Panhard bar angle. I would have brought the frame bracket down further but preferably the axle side up further. I do not think the flaw is so much in the conversion as it appears. The bones (factory parts) are there but yes it needs revamping. My bigger concern would be the popping and sputtering of the 6.0 that is why I do not thing $13-$15K would be a bad start!