FS: 2006 Ford E350 Sportsmobile RB30 4x4 - FULLY bulletproofed - $95k

owlicks

Advanced Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2021
Posts
47
Location
WA
I'm selling my beloved 2006 Sportsmobile RB30. I'm the third owner. I purchased this rig after many months of searching in 2021 with 68,000 miles on the clock.

The van currently sits at 86,XXX miles and is located in Bellingham, Washington. The asking price is $95,000.

The first owner had the truck built by Sportsmobile, but kept it for less than a year. The next owner, a Los Angeles resident, took meticulous care of it from 2007 until 2021. He used it to haul an Airstream and rarely slept in it, leaving the interior in pristine condition. This truck has been on the West Coast its entire life and is completely rust-free.

In my time owning it, I've put extensive work into it. My goal was to build a van that would be as fun and reliable as it is practical. With every upgrade I've made, I've used top-of-the-line components. The sale includes all original Sportsmobile manuals and all maintenance records and receipts.

This rig was built by Sportsmobile West in 2006. Here are the original specs:

  • E350 6.0 diesel XLT trim passenger van (includes some nice touches like temp/compass gauge, cruise control, rear heat/A/C, and rear LSD)
  • RB30 layout with electric pop-top, side gaucho, fridge, microwave, and rear sink
  • Front & rear Aluminess bumpers
  • Air compressor
  • 12,000 lbs Warn winch
  • Sportsmobile designed Dynatrac 4x4 setup with Atlas transfer case
  • Rear shower

Since owning this beast, I believe I've turned it into one of the most fully built E350 Sportsmobiles in the country. Here are the current components of the vehicle, broken down by system:

Engine

  • Fully built top end: The story here is that some injectors went bad at about 82,000 miles. Those familiar with this van know that replacing injectors is a huge undertaking. I decided that if I was going to have the engine pulled apart, I would upgrade everything I could along the way. The engine upgrades include:
  • New cylinder heads
  • ARP head studs
  • New OEM oil cooler
  • New pushrods
  • New valve lifters
  • New glow plugs
  • New injectors
  • Blue spring upgrade
  • HPOP kit
  • Dummy plug kit
  • All new seals/gaskets
  • BD turbo: Upgraded by the previous owner at around 65,000 miles.
  • All coolant hoses were replaced with new OEM hoses
  • Bullet Proof components: Bullet Proof EGR cooler, Bullet Proof billet water pump, Bullet Proof FICM
  • Amsoil bypass oil filtration system
  • Strictly Diesel fan switch: Tricks the ECU into thinking the engine temp is high, allowing you to turn on the engine fan whenever you want. Excellent for extra cooling on steep hill climbs.
  • New vacuum pump
  • Gearhead unlimited tow tune: Currently sits at about 350 horsepower and 650 lb/ft torque. Extremely capable for towing.
  • Edge digital gauge monitor
  • 35 gallon fuel tank

Suspension and brakes

  • 6" Sportsmobile lift
  • Fox Performance 2.0 shocks
  • Fox steering damper
  • Rear air bags with Air Lift remote control compressor: Raise and lower the rear suspension height remotely to level the truck for towing.
  • Sportsmobile designed Dynatrac 4x4 setup with Atlas transfer case
  • Custom Dynatrac big brake kit: As far as I know, this rig is one of only a few in the country with this much-needed kit. I worked directly with Dynatrac to piece together this front big brake kit, which required custom spindles to mount. Includes new steering knuckles, spindles, pads, rotors, and calipers.
  • Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller for towing
  • 17x9 Pro Comp 69 Series wheels
  • 35x12.5r17 Toyo M/T tires

Exterior and lighting

  • Vantage Optics HID headlights: Morimoto D2S 5.0 (3.0" round Lens), Morimoto XB35 D2S Ballasts, Morimoto XB D2S 5500k, LED corner lights
  • LED tail lights
  • LED in-bumper reverse lights
  • Rear roof-mount lights
  • Baja Designs XL-R 80 driving/combo lights
  • PIAA LED bumper-mounted lights
  • Aluminess front and rear bumpers: New front bumper added in 2022, rear bumper restored and re-painted with upgraded square wheel and box mounts to hold more weight.
  • Aluminess side steps: Added in 2022.
  • Aluminess rear box: With flip-down door. Used for outdoor kitchen.
  • Aluminess expedition shovel and axe kit
  • Aluminess side ladder
  • Two 1UP USA bike racks
  • Yakima JetStream roof rack
  • Yakima CBX 16 roof box
  • Rhino Liner coated roof
  • OEM replaced roof gasket
  • Custom stainless one-piece roof bolt upgrade: Custom made by a Sportsmobile forum member. Huge upgrade over factory roof attachments, prevents leaks.
  • Billet front grill
  • Full-size spare tire
  • Bushwacker fender flares: Replaced with new in 2023.
  • Fiamma F45s awning: Replaced with new in 2022
  • New water inlet and 30 amp power inlet: Replaced with new in 2022
  • GP Factor Maxtrax tire mount
  • Warn 12,000 pound winch

Interior

  • Stinger Elev8 UN1880 CarPlay head unit
  • Morel component front speakers
  • Kenwood amplifier and subwoofer
  • Two custom in-dash USB chargers: Driver and passenger. The driver USB connection is CarPlay enabled.
  • Ravelco anti-theft device
  • Alarm with remote
  • All interior lights upgraded to LED
  • Espar Airtronic S2 diesel heater
  • Lagun table with custom solid wood top
  • New house battery: Replaced in December 2023.

Below are the photos of the van. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Exterior

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Underbody

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Interior

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OMG Alex, have you lost your mind??? After all you’ve done, now’s the time to keep it!
Someone’s going to acquire an excellent rig…GLWS.
 
OMG Alex, have you lost your mind??? After all you’ve done, now’s the time to keep it!
Someone’s going to acquire an excellent rig…GLWS.

I may have lost my mind! But for multiple reasons, my wife and I decided that a new rig from Field Van was more practical for us right now. We purchased a new rig, so we have one too many vans at the moment! The new one is nice, but it definitely doesn't have the personality or fun factor that the 2006 has!

This truck was certainly a labor of love and I will come no where close to recouping costs. I haven't tallied precisely recently, but I'd venture to guess that receipts for the upgrades over the last few years are well over $60k at this point. I hope it goes to an owner who is able to enjoy it!

Thank you for all your help and guidance on the build. Your stunning rig was always the inspiration for this!
 
I may have lost my mind! But for multiple reasons, my wife and I decided that a new rig from Field Van was more practical for us right now. We purchased a new rig, so we have one too many vans at the moment!

Well, that certainly clarifies the motivation...I guess Congrat's are now in order as well! :d3:
 
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wow, that's a decked out rig! I'm sure it's bittersweet but good luck on the sale.

I also did the Dynatrac big brake upgrade and can attest to how much better my 10,000lb van stops.
 
As mountain bikers we're envious of the interior layout. We are always concerned about our bikes staying outside, and your van has the perfect setup for storing them inside since you don't have anything (like a bed or cabinets) on the one side.
Very cool van, bet it turns heads everywhere you go.
 
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As mountain bikers we're envious of the interior layout. We are always concerned about our bikes staying outside, and your van has the perfect setup for storing them inside since you don't have anything (like a bed or cabinets) on the one side.
Very cool van, bet it turns heads everywhere you go.

This thing generates more conversations and compliments than anything I've ever owned, including my new Sprinter platform Field Van.
 
Very nice. Saw your add on SF Bay Area Craigslist as well. Someone should snap this up. Just curious is the front receiver part of the bumper or its own thing?
 
Very nice. Saw your add on SF Bay Area Craigslist as well. Someone should snap this up. Just curious is the front receiver part of the bumper or its own thing?

It's bolted on, not welded onto the front bumper. May have been a factory addition from new. Has always been on since I owned it. Works great and supports a good deal of weight.
 
Well it would have been a lot easier and cheaper to have just bought this one instead of all of the work and $ put into mine! Alex, what is the front bumper hammock hanger mod on the Aluminess Bumper? That is way kool! I have that same bumper on my 2006 E350 6.0L RB50, and would like to do that! Thanks.
 
Well it would have been a lot easier and cheaper to have just bought this one instead of all of the work and $ put into mine! Alex, what is the front bumper hammock hanger mod on the Aluminess Bumper? That is way kool! I have that same bumper on my 2006 E350 6.0L RB50, and would like to do that! Thanks.

I hear you! Believe me, this is a big money losing proposition on my end :n5:

So that's just a front receiver bolted onto the Aluminess bumper. It's something like this, but more of a "L" shape. Then, the hammock mount itself is this one.

Hope that helps! It's one of my favorite accessories!
 

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