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Crossposting my van's for sale post from ADVrider/Expedition Portal where I hope I might get more money for it... would cut a deal with a goon though: 1999 E350 V10 125k - Budget Stealth Camper/Motorcycle Hauler/Roadtripmobile in Chicago – $9500  (trip to Moab a couple years ago) Looking to sell this beast. I’ve had it since 2015, when I got it as an empty cargo van with ~105k Nevada/California miles on it. I designed it to serve as a stealth camper, motorcycle/kayak hauler, and roadtrip-mobile. Registered as an RV in Illinois with title in hand. It purposefully looks crappy on the outside so nobody will break into it and steal things. All the brown spots on the outside body are Rustoleum paint covering every chip or mark in the paint I could find. The body and frame are in great shape with almost no rust. I've parked it on the street in Chicago for over three years now without anyone messing with it. I built this in my apartment’s parking lot without great tools, learning as I went, so the finishes are rough. But it serves its purpose very well, and I have kept the maintenance, so the van has a long life ahead of it. Lots of records of work done (I have over $3000 in receipts).  (most recent picture, trip back home to upstate NY)  It's made trips all over the country with up to ~1000lbs of motorcycle inside it all with zero trouble. Super heavy duty tie downs with backing plates are bolted through the floor in reinforced areas with quality hardware. It has a full off-grid solar/battery bank setup. For stationary camping, the battery will go down by about 15-20% a week if it’s very sunny, or 15-20% in a weekend if it’s not. It has a sink, fridge, toilet, and a shower prototype, and a second row bench seat that is removable. It can still fit a dirt bike behind the bench seat when it is installed. It has the 6.8 V10 engine, great for going over mountain passes with a full load. At first I was looking for a diesel, but the cost of maintenance and increase of a couple mpg didn't seem worth the much higher asking prices. I’ve regularly managed 15-16mpg going 60-65 loaded. It’ll cruise very comfortably at 75-80mph but the mileage drops a bit to more like 13-14mpg. City driving is about 10mpg.        Electrical: - 100w roof mounted solar panel. - Bogart SC-2030 solar charger & Trimetric battery monitor with shunt - high-quality PWM charger & monitor combo that tracks amp-hours used in order to completely recharge an appropriate amount over 100% full (mini-equalization). Supports up to 30amps of power, very customizable for different battery setups. It would be easy to add additional panels in parallel (which would really only be needed for more extended off-grid stationary camping, you could just get a few more panels and use them outside on the ground on stands.) - 416ah Interstate flooded lead acid battery bank bolted through the floor – dated 2015, rarely taken below 80-90%, regularly equalized/topped off so they should still have most of their life left. - Alternator charging via relay for the battery bank while you drive. - 60 amp Progressive Dynamics A/C charger for the battery bank. - 1000w Magnum inverter with remote switch (not the MM1012, but the CSW1012. Looks a little more consumer quality but it has held up just fine). - AC outlets wired on both sides of the van from the inverter. - USB charging hub. - Dual 12v cigarette outlets in the back. - LED reading lights by the front seat and by the bed, and LED overhead lights. Amenities: - Older Waeco (now Dometic) DC fridge – the cycle is a little erratic sometimes but it has always kept the beer cold. - Induction cooktop. - Vanity with stainless sink, faucet and Shurflo pump plumbed to use 5 gallon fresh and 5 gallon grey jugs. - A bed I hacked out of an old futon – folds up against the wall, down into a single bed, and expands up to the vanity for a double bed. The expanding method is a pain and is the first thing I’d redo in the van. - Front passenger seat swivel. - Removable second row bench seat. The driver’s side seatbelt had to be fudged a bit, so it isn’t in the best spot, but it’s better than nothing (lap belt is positioned correctly at least). - Shower prototype – coffee urn for water heater, rechargeable showerhead pump, and a hoop made from PEX with curtains mounted to fold out of the way. Could be used outside, or inside with some modifications. - Vanrug insulated waterproof foam carpet mat. It’s very comfortable to kneel on, which I have to do most of the time sadly, since I’m 6’5”. Surprisingly easy to clean, once dirt dries it vacuums right up with a shop-vac. - Storage all over – some clothing bins, cabinets over the back and a shelf over the cab, with shelves running the length of the sides. A drying rack and some clothes hangers too, I like these much more than permanent closets because it leaves the van way more open. Construction: - Sound deadening on the walls and floor. - Insulation for walls and ceiling – solid foam panels cut to shape, sealed with aluminum foil tape and spray foam to fill some cracks, all covered over with Prodex (like Reflectix but aluminum foil over foam instead of bubble wrap, a little more durable).  - MDF panels and burlap finishes. It’s a little rough because I’m not exactly an interior designer. - Prodex window covers, and a Prodex windshield blocker. - More Prodex in the van cab under the floor and in the doors. Basically the van is comfortable with body heat alone down to a low of around freezing. Anything colder than that and a heated sleeping pad makes things just fine. A 200w space heater that will chew through about 20% of the battery capacity in a night to keep you going down to a low in the teens. - Oversized tie-downs in four strategic spots where I could bolt them through the floor where it was thickest. I’ve hauled a 750lb Tiger 1200 inside with no problems at all (and another small bike at the same time too!) Other: - Blackvue 2 channel dash cam (front and rear). - Pioneer bluetooth head unit and 4 new speakers (nothing special but no rattling like the old ones that had crumbling paper cones). Wiring for a Bazooka sub (my sub has a wonky connection so not currently being used). - A screen setup for the back door. Nice to sleep with fresh air right by your face but no bugs. Exterior: - Again, basically rust free. This was a Nevada van, and I don’t drive it much in the winter here unless I'm leaving the area. I have painted over all the chips showing bare metal with brown rustoleum, which makes it even uglier but seems to have completely protected the body. The underside is in excellent condition as well. The ONE spot of rust was in the front gutter on the passenger side. I stripped it, treated it with rust converter, painted it with rustoleum, and sealed it with 3M 5200. I have pics of that process if you're interested. - Aerodynamic high-top roof. This leaked a bit when I got it due to prior owners running a screw up from the inside through the top (facepalm). I redid the fiberglass on the top where it was sagging, and did a layer of white bedliner over the whole affected area. Just to overdo it (the paint was peeling anyways), I then laid several layers of a quality thermoplastic roof coating over the whole roof, with Eternabond tape over the gutters to bypass them as apparently that is a problem area for these vans (see above rust issue). https://i.imgur.com/68YYuaO.jpg shows some detail. - Class III tow hitch with brake controller in the cab. Comes with a pin adapter of some type too. I’ve never towed anything with the van but it appears it is set up to tow several thousand pounds if that’s your thing! It would be easy to get a hitch mount carrier too, either for more cargo or more motorcycle/bicycle carrying. - Rear windows – this makes parallel parking and driving a 22 foot long van much easier in general. I’m so glad it doesn’t have the solid rear doors. - I’m not sure if it’s lifted, but it looks taller than the other E350s I have seen so it may have been. Maintenance/work done (documentation for most of this): - Transmission fluid replaced at 103k - Air filter replaced at 108k - MAF cleaned at 108k - Upper/lower ball joints replaced at 108k - Front wheel bearings replaced at 108k - All four tires replaced (Cooper Adventurers) and alignment done at about 110k - Tire rotation, ball joint lube done at 115k - All 12 coils and spark plugs replaced at 115k - Serpentine belt replaced at 120k - HVAC blend door and control switch replaced at 120k - New Bosch premium starter battery at 122k - Oil changed every 3k with 5-20w high milage semi-synthetic. Other fluids topped off each time. Issues: - The rear door lock has been pushed in and kinda dangles, but can still be operated by key. I think someone tried to break into the van sometime when a previous owner had it. Unlocking and locking worked fine when I got it, BUT not too long ago the rod that connects the keylock to the rest of the mechanism disconnected and can now be heard flopping around inside the door. I suspect that you could re-attach it pretty easily by opening up the panel that accesses the license plate bulb, but I haven't tried since it is cold now. - The rear door weatherstripping is a little beat up. I put some aluminum tape on the rear lip of the roof to function as flashing and keep the water from flowing down directly onto the weatherstripping, and this has kept leaks at bay just fine. --- I would get in the van and drive across the country no problem. I have taken it on 1000+ mile trips east and west. Made it through record snow last winter in Erie PA with no trouble… the van just plowed right through it all:  It would be easy for me to meet you at O’hare or Midway airport and for you to drive home anywhere. Let me know if you want additional pictures of anything!
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Jan 13, 2019 22:09
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edit: no longer available.
Man_of_Teflon fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Sep 24, 2021 |
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Sep 24, 2021 03:34
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