8 shops refused to work on this custom '10 E-Series Van! CAR WIZARD shows how easy it was to fix!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Sometimes customizations make a vehicle harder to repair, and that must be why at least 8 shops refused to work on this 2010 E-Series Ford Van. So what made the CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ willing to accept this vehicle in his shop and just how easy was it to repair? You will be shocked!
🔮🔧 AMAZON AFFILIATE STORE: www.amazon.com... 🔧🔮
🇬🇧🇬🇧 UK AMAZON STORE: www.amazon.co.... 🇬🇧🇬🇧
🧰 BENDPAK LIFTS: www.bendpak.com 🧰
👕 CAR WIZARD MERCH: teespring.com/... 👕
📷 INSTAGRAM @realcarwizard 📷
🎸 MUSIC BY CLAYTON CAGLE: / claytoncalifornia 🎸
Some corrections.
To remove the engine pull it out the front end.
I know some of you are squinting at that hood and thinking I am out of my mind. "That engine will never fit throw that hood opening". With most full-size vans the front comes off. You would remove the grill, radiators, and a crossbar that is bolted across the front. Then you can pull the engine and "trans" out.
Ms. WIZARD The Consol is called the "dog house" or engine cover. There are only four clamps holding it down and it is easy to remove. Once removed you have access to most of the engine. Makes tune-ups and most top-end work easy. ;)
Had a very similar problem trying to get my class C motorhome worked on. 94 Ford E350 with the 460 V8. Exhaust leak at the passenger side manifold and had a leaking transmission pan. 4 shops outright refused to work on it, one fella does work on heavy equipment and he was able to tackle the transmission, but was stymied when it came to the exhaust. Was camping in Algonquin Park and met a fellow camper with the exact same camper and it turns out he was a heavy truck mechanic in Toronto. When camping was finished I took the camper to his shop where he fixed it and it now runs and sounds great. Even though its a pain driving the extra distance into the heavy traffic of a very big city, he's my new mechanic!
Here's a fun fact about these vans: These vans never ever came with a 5.4 3 valve engine. All E series V8 and V10 gas engines from 1997-2014 are 2 valve Triton motors. You don't have to worry about cam phasers on these because they don't have them. Only the F series trucks, Expeditions, Navigators, Mark LT trucks had the 5.4 3 valve.
Agreed, E series rode out the 2 valve until the end, no 3 valves to worry about with these
That's exactly what I was thinking, he let his hatred for an engine cloud his judgement.
Very useful info to know.... I was always turned off these vans bc I thought it used the triton
Another fun fact, none of the V10s had cam phasers either even though the later years were 3 valves in the f series.
i'm less concerned about that, than i am the possibility of it being the engine models with the possible plug blowout heads still installed. (rare, these days, but still)
I used to be a mechanic has a few ase certificates but that was in another life , and you remind me of one of my teachers. You take pride in your work but I found out very soon that garages are all about making money ,I couldn't stand the corruption I saw over the years I lost jobs before cause I refused to rip people off . I couldn't do it man it's not in me . But I still enjoy helping friends so they dont get caught up in that crap . Any way I like your honesty and the knowledge in your head is knowledge that needs documented and you do an awesome job ! Bless you guys .
As a retired NIASE (now ASE) Master Mechanic it is great to see and hear a "real" mechanic talk about repairs. As I used to tell people, it's all just nuts and bolts to me. Years of great teachers really did the work, I just held the tools and let experience take over. Much respect for your skill and talent that lets you fix anything, correctly!.
Lol I have to go minimum 3 steps up on a ladder for my lifted 7.3. I needed a tow truck one time and they literally never showed up but I saw them ride past. I do all my of my work even if I could take it to a shop.
Thx for the video and taking on his adventure rig!
The real value of experience... being able to quote the customer in such a way that if the job changes, the customer is aware up front.
Doesn’t matter unless you have the right customer. They hear what they want to hear sometimes. If you say 500 to 5000 depending on what I find all they hear is 500
I love my 2001 Econoline conversion van. It has the Triton V-8 5.4 liter engine with 187,000 miles and going strong!!.
As a Van owner, we've long ago learned about the Van surcharge. Alot of shops charge extra to work on Vans if they will work on them at all. Especially custom Vans.
I mean the engine is always stuffed and not all bays can accept them so it seems reasonable to me
My uncle didn't but he did get to a point where he would turn down the job simply because they are time consuming and frankly not worth the argument he would get from the customer on how long it took.
Having a class b camper van I found the shop that worked on the local ambulances and fleet vehicles and they had the tools and know how to get this longs repaired
Its always about expectations, the van owner has to recognize the maintenance costs are simply going to be a lot higher and more time consuming.
As a technician for nearly 30 years i have seen my share of nearly everything, unfortunately many customers think there conversation van will be no different than their Honda Civic when it comes to repairs, cost , time .
No problem having my astro van serviced. Maybe hiked up vehicles are different which means most wranglers and 4wd trucks etc.
I worked for a company that utilized Ford E series vans in the fleet. They had 1 van that had around 80,000 miles and had developed an exhaust leak. Now, this van ran good, this was the first major problem as it had broken manifold studs. The garage had estimated the cost to pull the heads, drill out the studs, replaced them, and reinstall the heads.(I don’t know if they were installing the manifolds on the heads before installing the heads, or not) but they came to the conclusion that they could replace the entire engine with a low mileage engine from a wrecking yard for less money. That is what they did.
I love these vans Especially the Quigley's conversions.
The sacrifices we make to drive a vehicle that’s capable of more…. I put larger off road tires on my Honda CR-V so I can have the luxury of driving on gravel road all day long and doing light off roading without worrying about the tires. The cost is everything wears out faster, I have less power, worse fuel economy, it’s harder to drive on the highway in a straight line, but the pros outweigh the cons. I’ve seen unbelievably cool stuff in this Honda CR-V as a result of suffering through the cons of the tires, things that some people will never see in the entirety of their lifetime because they aren’t willing to make those sacrifices. This van is no different, ya aspects are a absolute pain in the ass, but the pros of a van like that are priceless. Just imagine the places you could get to and thoroughly enjoy for days on end without worry. If I had the money for repairs I would be the lifted K5 blazer guy and not the Honda CRV guy, but it’s still 20 steps in the right direction compared to any sedan or hatchback without All wheel drive. I’ll take what I can get, and I will live life to the fullest 🤘
I had a 2001 E-350 for almost 20 years and put 237,000 miles on it with very few problems! Was a super reliable vehicle and I had a lot of fun road trips and memories behind the wheel of that van. Fantastic vehicles! Would love to have one again, esp one of these 4x4 conversions!
I have a 1989 E350 and no one will even look at it besides me. I have been doing something similar to what you are working on, but I don't use the 4 WD. Just drive it here and there, I have some manifold issues that need exhaust gaskets and I am afraid that they will break into the heads , I will just have to take my time and use plenty of gas from my torches to get them out probably. Great evening and weekend to you and Mrs. Wizard! 😉
It's common to see the attitude of shops not wanting anything to do with any work that involves anything more than a simple fix. I see it all the time in the trucking industry too. Mechanics have mostly been replaced by technicians.
They hear modified and that's the reason
Mechanics and shop owners are selling electric cars better than anybody
The real mechanics are at home working on their daily so they can go make money at Walmart for their 3 project cars
@@bigburtha3471 This, 100% this.
Yes. If a computer cannot tell them what is wrong, it is difficult to get fixed.
In my shop we work on big, heavily modified trucks and vans a lot and whenever we get an especially tall engine bay into the shop, we usually let the air out of the tyres. That lowers the front end so that it becomes easier to work on the machine. No biggie to then air up the tyres again once we're done.
I was shocked when I called around the local "exhaust shops" to get a resonator put in. Got through about 8 to 10 that couldn't weld. Exhaust shops that can't weld! So many auto repair shops are just pathetic.
I've had exhaust shops that can't weld, transmission shops that don't work on transmissions (just replace them), and upholstery shops that just install ready-made covers, no sewing working.
@@rwdplz1 crazy
That's why you see so many brake and tire shops.
Takes minimal skill.
The sad part is, there are people who could be taught and would be good at something more than menial labor. But the shops don't make as much money if the lift is tied up, even if they can charge more. We live in a throw away society. Soon it will all be electric and they will only replace major components, because you won't be able to "repair" any of it.
@@rwdplz1 from what scotty and others have said many shop rebuilt trans are terrable that factory rebuilt is a better choice
Happiness is… finding a mechanic you trust.
I own a stock standard Jeep JK Wrangler 2-door Sport, and have had trouble getting repair shops and tyre shops to work on it if it involves lifting it off the ground. They always say it's because it doesn't fit on their lift or it's too tall or something, even though I've seen huge SUV's that were twice the size & weight of my little Jeep being worked on in the same places. The last tyre shop I went to when I needed to get a set of new tyres said the same thing (though I think they said it was because of the solid axels or something) and ended up working on it out in the lot, using 4x trolley jacks under the axels to suspend it while they pulled the wheels off it.
As far as engine removal goes, they come out the front no problem. Remove the bumper, grill, radiator and then the radiator support panel that spans headlight to headlight. You do need to wiggle the motor a bit to work the oil pan over the crossmember but that's it. Back when I was still spinning wrenches for a school bus company I pulled plenty of 7.3 IDI's and Powerstrokes on 4th gen Econolines. I could have one out in about 5-6 hours by myself or even quicker if someone was helping me.
Regarding putting a full size van on a lift, we did everything on our backs from regular services to exhaust repairs and transmission swaps.
Wizard, I can tell you 100% as I used to be a porter at a Lincoln dealership, whenever we got one of these in that needed an engine swap or head job done, they would have to raise the body off of the frame to access the engine. Pretty crazy looking and very labor intensive.
But none of that had to be done.
@@kb9oak749 you take the cab off on most of these ford trucks to do engine work.
@@kb9oak749 very true but the shop hears "off road van with conversion" they assume the worst because its been off road and abused. It's gonna come in for a few simple things and need way more then the customer thought and navigating this can be difficult especially if it needs one of the custom parts from the conversion replaced and those parts a lot of times aren't readily available at O'Reilly or whateve national supplier they use and furthermore as the wizard pointed out certain things on this are much more difficult to do. 90% of the time this is the case but luckily here there isn't a whole lot that needs to be done.
@@jhomrich89 Makes me wonder just how it's being presented. I'd suggest that a truck shop that works on Ford trucks would not even look twice at this as it's not anything unusual. Perhaps an unusual combination, but any shop that works on an f-350/450 would have no problem with this.
Those must be the dumbest techs I’ve ever heard even with the the 7.3 or 6.0 diesel you never have to raise the body off the frame of the e-series van. Everything comes out the front
On the Texas-Mexico border at Brownsville, TX we have wonderfully skilled mechanics who can fix anything. They will dismantle a starter, locate the problem and make the repair for a fraction of the cost up north. I've used the same AC man for over 40 years and its always been a simple, inexpensive repair. The same holds true for power windows and other electrical items. Even radiator shops will likely find the leak and make the repair before installing a new radiator, unless that's what the customer prefers. The only problem: many mechanics here speak no English.
That thing is cool. There's one that runs around my town, looks like the Rumpo custom from Grand theft Auto 5.
My uncle had a F150 with the 5.4L 3 valve engine in it, and with routine maintenance it was a reliable runner up to 360,000 mi. Used it to tow a camper a lot. When I became more educated about cars I heard about that motor being a lemon, so he must have had a golden sample.
Rumpo Custom!!! Totally is the same 🤘😀 Love it
I am lucky to have a shop that has a tech who grew up working on trucks like mine - a 1984 dodge ram. they just dont survive in the northeast, so theyre hard to find, and they have no issue with working on it. they gave me quotes for everything
I absolutely no use for a vehicle like this... but I still want one. 🤣Very cool machine, indeed!
Many uses for a van like this
@@BCJDM literally anything is a use for a van like this? it can tow, haul, MPV, offroad? wtf is this guy on about.
@@Amerikanskis Exactly. Same can be said for the Full Size SUVs like the Suburban(that's been around since fkn 1933!)
Ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.
@@jeffrobodine8579 You could take out a lot of walkers with that grille guard!
This story sounds so much like my story. Almost every shop I called in Utah didn’t have any information about my 2007 grand Cherokee with a Mercedes 3.0 Crd (common rail diesel). This is a 2 year only OM642 Mercedes’ Diesel engine. It is a great vehicle till I need to get work done on it.
Sportsmobile is a van conversion company. That’s definitely their pop top / penthouse. They likely did the interior as well. I have a 2002 e350 sportsmobile conversion. I love my van.
Sportsmobile is a major builder of custom built-to-order adventure camper conversion vans, with facilities on both coasts. Most of the E series Sportsmobile 4x4's I've seen have Quigley 4x4 conversions, which are Ford approved and basically mate F350 4x4 parts with the E350 van.
I think that may actually be the 2 valve 5.4 Triton in there. If I remember correctly, Ford only used the 3 valve in the pickups and the SUVs in the 2000s. I think the Econolines only had the option of the 2 valve engine for the 5.4 when it was used between 1997 and 2016. My brother used to drive a box truck for work that was on a 2013 E350 cutaway platform. That was definitely a 2 valve 5.4 and at one point, he had a spark plug blow out while driving.
You are right
THEY THROW PLUGS LIKE CRAZY.....
I own a 2008 E250 Quigley 4x4 with F350 transfer and front end, A 2v 5.4 and a million mile Quigley transferable guaranteed factory install. Damage to the truck or it falls out of the truck I suspect. They were 2 valve in the vans with Forged Crank and fracture-split powder metal connecting rods. After you do the spark plug recall and use the right plugs this motor is Ward's 10 Best Engines list for 1997-1998 and 2000-2002. At 220k miles the motor is strong. Confidence is high for expeditions and 15-16 mpg US highway 70mph still. The steering box can be lash adjusted and big tires kill the box eventually. Lash is a known correction for the float and axil bearing wear. Had the front axil trunnion U joints replaced and balanced by grinding some of the yoke. Yep they can be done that way 70 mph engaged and smooth. Axil vents are extended and synthetic rear fluid against water infiltration. "Non aggressive tread tires with matching spare" high lift jack, two 12 x 12 x 1 1/2" plywood bases, shovel, and snatch cord, insurance, registration, inspection, and Permit if available are required for some National Park ORV access. Goodrich AT meet that nuter requirement of Not moving to much sand. And don't run over a watch list or higher, bird it's a felony charge in the NP because they hate humans and their access. 25k lb trans cooler with fan and bypass. Transfer and diffs get oil changed, seals and cleaned every year or two. Incredible with diff locks. Mid summer sand and immediate intake air with no wind, can exceed 140 F with 90/100 F mean. You should edit this video and as a professional run the vin decoder before you make a video that lives on into the future.
I work at a dodge dealership so I’m completely used to stepping on stools or even tables to get into engine bays. Sometimes we even sit in the engine bays to do things like spark plugs. It’s not that hard just inconvenient. Sad those other shops weren’t willing to go through a little inconvenience to help the customer.
Gotta get a topside creeper. Makes pickups and tractors 10x less frustrating for me.
What a lovely Adventure Van ! ...and you are one of the last men standing against the industrie and their business models which includes bad parts nowadays.
Yes, something about vans it seems that a lot of shops don't want to work on them. One shop even lied to me and said that they didn't work on cars that old (1993!) when I've seen them work on older classic cars. Thankfully I did find a shop that knows exactly how to work on it and have treated me very fairly.
People wonder why The Wizard is so busy..... His can do attitude is the reason. Instead of the knee jerk reaction of NO! He adapts and overcomes for the score and some great new content for us!!!
The quintessential non-euro available vehicle. We get Mustangs, Corvettes, Escalades, RTX Rams, but nothing like this. Thank you, Wizard
Other markets got the ford transit which is available with factory AWD
@@rysterstech no ford transit has this engine options, but that's because of regulations not market.
In portugal ford transit can be ordered with factory all wheel drive but the most powerful engine has 185hp and 420Nm (2.0 liters diesel with mild hybrid options)
I sold my 1993 motorhome because RV shops won't work on them anymore which makes no sense since the drivetrain is much simpler. However, the underlying reason is remanufactured PARTS and the quality of them. I had to take my RV back to the mechanic THREE times because the hydro brake booster was poorly rebuilt. Parts are also scarce. This also was the case with my wife's '98 Z 28 Camaro. Covid also played a role in this as well.
Wizzard - I have the dreaded 5.4 3v in my super duty. It needed manifolds too. I knocked the rivets out of the shock buckets and pulled them off. It gave me plenty of room on each side to pull the manifolds out. I simply replaced with grade 8 bolts/lock washers and locktite.
Love these videos!
BFG KO's despite the 3-ply sidewall is one of the softest sidewalls out there. Combine that with a 16" wheel and tall sidewalls and you have tire squirm. Toyo's in the same configuration exhibit less squirm but it's still there. Going to an 18" rim with the much higher load rating of all the 18" tires mitigates the issue with an approved width wheel.
I wish you had shown the steering setup. The owner of the company that did the conversion (Randy I think his name is) showed me the patent he submitted for the high-steer bracket he claimed to invent. You'll notice the drag link connects above the leaf spring to a bracket bolted to the top of the steering knuckle. When the van is sitting on the ground the drag link is nearly perfectly level with the ground. This creates nearly perfect steering with no bump steer. This shop was actually authorized by Ford to do these conversions and vans are shipped directly from assembly line to the shop. Many of them end up in the mining industry in countries in South America as personnel transports. I imagine the front axle is from a super duty though they do build their own custom axles.
This reminds me of when I worked for a national chain that rhymes with Tiretone. Had a military officer come in with there early 2000's Jaguar x type. Every shop they had been too told them "No, we won't do your oil change." They were at a loss. I was 20 or 21 and said. "Let's go take a look at it." They popped the hood and when it was opened. Low and behold, it had a Ford engine. "Yea, let me get the filter off and cross the number." Did that and got his oil change done and had a customer for the rest of his duty station there. It was on a Marine Corps base in HI. The Jaguar was shipped over when they moved from the states but there was no Jaguar dealer at the time in HI.
I can understand smaller shops not wanting to work on this, as their lift may not have enough weight capacity or their ceiling is too low to lift it even enough to use a stool to get under it. But any larger shop should have the proper equipment. Some of those shops may have been bitten by custom vans in the past, where the alterations were poorly done and caused what should be simple repairs to get very complicated. But they still should have at least taken a good look at this one that seems very well done and also considered the repairs were nothing out of the ordinary. Oh well, more business for the Wizard!
⅓
@@rch5991 Awesome first car!
Yeah but you can fit under it the number one plus 4x4s is just getting under there with a crawler and some jacks. the number one minus is you got twice as many things to fix potentially
Having seen some really janky mods in this channel and others, I can see why a shop might not want to open a can of unknown worms.
And sad as it is, I can understand a "no exceptions" policy: if I work on your truck, every clown with a bad clone of your truck will see it and think I work on those. Saying yes is just buying months of unpleasant phone calls and arguments with people I say no to.
But it does seem sad that this guy has trouble finding a shop that will work on a truck that was essentially made to be what Ford would have made if Ford made these.
I bought a new E350 Quadravan by Parthfinder in 1978. A truly horrible reverse engineered monstrosity. Suspension parts cobbled together from various and sundry cars and trucks. A 460 cubic inch motor with a mileage number that began with a decimal. Huge factory lift kit, giant wheels and tires that was over 8’ high. I never understood why Ford didn’t build one themselves, I think there was a market even back then.
I have done a couple of exhaust manifolds on those vans and it's not fun, especially if you have to drill the studs out. Each one i swear took 2 years off of my life.
On my 97 f150 4x4 it would be nearly impossible to drill the studs out with the heads bolted on, absolutely zero room. I ended up rebuilding the engine on my truck, so I had it easy and heated the studs up to remove them with the heads off. I couldn't even imagine doing that job on this van if that's all the engine needed... that would be a pain. You had you work cut out for you.
Look very hard ...
@@superdivemaster I'm pretty sure I'd refuse to do it.
If you have the space I always do the " mig weld a nut onto the broken stud" trick! It's a lifesaver for many a broken bolt or stud, basically anywhere you can fit a mig gun and don't have a risk of fuel vapors right over the gas tank 🔥😉 I usually use whichever style of vice grips that allows the best access to hold the nut and act as the ground clamp, although you can get even move creative in tight areas by tacking on a piece of steel rod/ filler rod/coat hanger/etc. to act as your nut holder 😊 and ground (just be careful about how many amps are gonna be flowing through that wire, the shorter the better, otherwise it's gonna glow like a lightbulb filament 😄💡 I hate drilling/ez-outs/extractors/helicoils/thread tapping unless I'm tapping fresh steel or cleaning existing threads, so hopefully this info helps someone else as much as it's helped me! 👍
(Oh and for steel exhaust flanges with recessed broken studs I get grade 8 tapered locknuts to keep the nut from being welded to the manifold, they are the nylon free style locknuts that most resemble steep taper trailer lugnuts.) These aren't commonly available at big box stores, but are common at industrial supply stores/ professional hardware stores/ metal supply yards, or any company selling hardware that caters towards more industrial/professional customers 👍
Just an FYI. If you have to swap an engine. Pull the whole van body on the lift. After you've done it before it's only about an hour and a half job to pull the whole body. And you have the motor at your finger tips. The 6.0 is a tight squeeze in them. Pulling the body makes it super easy to work on.
As a 4x4 van builder the other issue people forget is that the front suspension (wheels & tires) are much closer to you than a lifted truck. This just makes it feel all the more "lively" hydro-assist steering helps resolve this problem. Also upgrade your tires to a "G" rated or 14 ply tire.
I drove a Quigley-converted Chevy Express in BC a bit last year . Working for a rail crew transport company.
Nobody liked it, they would much rather drive the Suburbans we had, me too. It was a 1-ton, and it was
a rough-riding, low geared beast that didn't like highway speeds and was much worse on fuel than the Suburbans.
The steering was kind of sloppy too, but that could be attributed to the treatment it had received..
The story was it was borrowed from a mine in southern Alberta where the CP line rain thru. I guess in the environment it was intended for, that is, rough, off-road. low-speed, it was okay.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has a van like this converted by Boulder Offroad Vans to use in field work. It was an impressive off roader and helped rescue a stuck Tacoma overlander rig out in Grand Staircase. It did have quite a few reliability problems, but those were from the conversion company screwing up.
Love your channel Wizard!
My guess is these shops rely on online paid subscription auto repair programs that only feature factory built vehicle layouts, not custom built or aftermarket modified vehicles. But you Sir are fearless and care to help folks, so I applaud you.
thing about those tires, is the sidewalls are soft, need a tire that has 8-12 ply side walls, ones that can go up to 50 psi and as low as 6 psi off road depending on what its driving over, bf goodies are decent tires but those are wrong for the application on that van. that is something i learned having a 4x4 with big tires.
It's the right tire if they stay local and do more off road then on (that's my use case), but most likely you are right and a pair of actual truck tires with stiffer side wall would serve them Much better.
Hi that’s why CSX always has the better trucks, vans and pickups. Everyone of their vehicles are 4x4’s. Trying to get one in really good shape is like hitting the lottery. Great Video Thank You 🙏
My dad has the same van with the 5.4. He’s put 50k miles on it and now it’s at 200k. He just had the intake manifold and spark plugs replaced which was expensive but other than that engine runs great no issues
Thats why you will stay in business when shit hits the fan, and they not. Who does good receives good and will have a great life.
My local dealer sent me a coupon for a transmission flush, which is something I was wanting to do. I drove by the other day and decided to stop in and set up an appointment. Two service guys were sitting at the counter and a lady was behind there as well, all joking around. One guy sees me and tells me he'll be with me in a second and the lady says "oh don't mind me I don't work here". They proceeded to fool around for a solid 15 minutes and completely ignored me. Eventually I decided I would just leave, they have zero interest in filling any of the dozen empty bays they have.
This seems to repeat over and over at every shop I go to, trying to buy a set of tires I can't even get a call back from a tire shop letting me know what they can get in the size I need. Its an epidemic of lazy.
I had something similar the other day. Went into a shop and the guy was looking at his phone and didn't even look up once. All he said was "nope".
@@matt.604 Yeah its totally nuts, I could see the whole shop was empty, nobody working and they simply don't bother.
The clue is when he said "just a *sec."* Hyperbole like that means they're willing to overpromise and underdeliver. Run don't walk away!
If they say " be with you in a minute" then they may be worth doing bu$in€$$ with.
Where do you live? Lmao I live in a state full of stoners and it’s not like that
@@paulcarmi8130 Even stoners want to make some income to buy their weed & bongs with.
Nah, this really is an epidemic of laziness to such a degree that so many people are too lazy to even get stoned.
I had a 2007 Quigley 4x4 Van. It was great for my dogs, had a temperature control fan and windows in back open from the bottom. I wish I had ordered the gas engine. The diesel engine seemed too heavy for the way you sit forward in the cab. I had to install stronger steering dampers and front shocks. The engine cover always felt too warm. It was insulated. I did tow at least 10000 lbs and the diesel engine and the weight of that van would town that like nothing was behind you. Amazing compared to my F250 with the 5.4l gss engine. It was great vehicle to have. It helped my best friend was a mechanic.
Those vans can be turned into an apocalypse mobile home with 4x4 ruggedness and some ready-made food in a kitchen
And a video game system like a PlayStation 4
or the perfect van for *THE PUNISHER*
Except for EMPs.
I don't see the big deal with these shops not wanting work unless they are limited by lift size, this is pretty straight forward and kinda cool 😎
Wizard,
You should consider getting an in ground 2 post lift. Rotary makes regular versions up to 12,000lbs and you don't ever have to worry about hitting the crossmember with taller vehicles or hitting the vehicle's door on the post. I have worked at a few shops with in ground two post lifts & they are so much nicer than the standard two post lifts.
Some states dont allow them unless they were already installed because if/when they leak they leak into the ground/soil.
Nah, he needs 4 mobile Stertil-Koni lifts.
Even if this may not be something Wizard normally works on, and may not work on many more of these custom vans in the future, it would still be nice for him to be able to look over a proper thoroughly built example, and familiarize himself with the base vehicle.
I am planning for a new van purchase for next year. 1 of my leading contenders is a Quigley-ed Chevy Express 1 ton. I hadn't even thought about shops getting their undies in a bunch over it. I still imagine they'd prefer that over a Mercedes Sprinter with factory 4x4. The AWD Transit would be another option. I remember as a youth in a dealership, Fed-Ex had some new Quigley converted GMC vans. The Quigley axle actually had properly torqued lug bolts. the Rear axle didn't. All the parts they took off were shrink wrapped to a pallet and tossed in the back. That was a long time ago. I don't remember if they used an extended adapter to mount the transfer case, but I don't think so. I think (at least back then) Quigley changed the output shaft of the transmission to the 4x4 style.
Mom
I am not what you would call an Car guy meaning I do not have a desire to own a ton of cars and make them as loud as possible, however I do find myself appreciating learning about working on vehicles more so I can try to do my own maintenance and what not
Quick guess, no flatrate book!!!! They work lifted trucks a lot these days, but they would still use the factory 4 wheel drive flatrate book. The roof and empty rear area make me think there is a raising soft top / tent roof and this is a camping rig. Air the tires up for highway use.
MR WIZADD ...ME AND MY PAPA have been doing the same type of work as u sence 1967 also specialize in engine rebuilding....your talent and how honest u are is very rare with us mechanics it's a shame.. jus a little helper maybe we find when doing the manafolds and the head breaks off we do 1 of 2 things depends of few things we find getting a nut a few sizes bigger hold it in the center of the stud get the mig welder lay in the weld fill up the nut give it a few seconds to cool hit it wit air /battery wratchet the heat plus the quick snap will brake the broken stud lose.. and safe a ton of time or if your lucky u can get the manafold out and use the tool on the 3/8 wratchet that adaptes to the stud the more u turn it out the more it grabs the stud hope this maybe helped keep up the great work
Not related to the awesome van in the video but it impresses me how much Mr and Mrs Wizard are in sync when filming under the vehicles. 👍🏻
Good video. Most shops don't want to work. Glad he found you
I feel for this customer. I had a hard time finding a competent shop to agree on an engine swap on my Landcruiser with a stock setup. Seems most shops prefer smaller jobs where they can mark up parts and labor and make a hefty profit with minimal work. If I had the space and time, I would’ve just done it myself because of the frustration.
Edit: great to see that it is not beneath the Car Wizard to take on these types of jobs. Wish I was closer to the Wizard!
you're 110% correct. most small shops today just do small jobs like breaks, alternators bolt on stuff. because its so much easer to do and they can charge the customer big money for a very easy job.
The way the Wizard diagnosed that steering vagueness makes me want to take a special trip all the way there from Chicago just so he can tell me what the hell is wrong with which wheel that causes the steering wheel to waddle at low speeds. Only when the wheels I currently have on back are rotated to the front. I haven't had a tire rotation in years because of it.
Bent wheel or the tire was not perfectly centered on the wheel when it was mounted!! I'm just down the road from the Car Wizard and can hopefully solve the problem without a pricey road trip.
Maybe the "years old" tires need replaced..
lots of tyre problems are solved by buying nice new rubber....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq Nope, brand new tires did not solve my issue, and every shop I've ever brought it to and questioned this said they never noticed anything off when each tire was being balanced. One shop did say however that one of those back wheels gave them a hard time getting it balanced, took a few tries before it read 0 on either side. We agreed this could be a hint at being the culprit bad rim, but my wheels require sticky weights and those can be finicky by design anyway so... I can't bank on it too much. Especially when a new rim is over $900
@@man_on_wheelz
Then it leaves the mounting to the wheel hubs...
is it a concentric mount hub style ?
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq mounts flat like most other cars, no other way to mount it. No debris or anything impeding the mounting point. And it is only when the current rear wheels are on the front, so that alone eliminates any steering and suspension components, which have been mostly replaced by now anyway.
That is one BEAUTIFUL van!
Real life A Team vehicle.
Very cool.
First day working without a trainer as a lube tech I pulled the ticket for a lifted f-150. I had to stack two tires to get to the engine bay to do my inspection and take the oil cap off. After I drained it and rotated the tires getting the oil up there with me was even more sketchy.
Mr Wizard!
I have a very similar built lifted Ford 2009 e350 camper van. Mine is a 5.4 triton as well, I have been told by other van enthusiasts that the 3 Valve 5.4 never made it into any of the Econoline vans ever. only the 2 valves were used.. ?
The blessings of the gods be upon you Mr. Wizard for helping these people, and all the others that you have helped. You are a true gentleman, in a very exclusive club.
This isn't a minivan, it's a MAXIMUM VAN!
if you think this is big, look up the old Dodge sportsman van! that suckered was about 35 foot long!
"MEGAVAAANNNNN! AN An an an" (echo)
@@hirisk761 That was called Maxi-van
I love it. I'm not a Ford fan, but love this van.
The Econoline's and most other vans have simple enough designs, the center console is easily removed for most jobs but when needed for engine swaps the front bumper and radiator support come out easier than you might think. Putting it back together most are complete assemblies except AC condenser bracket, thats the weird part
We have a few E 350s at work with the 5.4. Luckily, mine has the V10. 85,000 miles and no problems, and she gets up and goes. Sounds like a subdued Lambo.
Last time I did one of those along with the 6.0 gas Chevy motor I used the induction heater and the 3/8s socket attachment for my air hammer and only broke 1 man you talk about a mood changer in the shop high fives and hooping and hollering all around lol
I can totally see why shops wouldn't take it. Anything out of the normal because of the conversion will mean customized parts. The Customer is telling you on the phone he has a leak somewhere, without physically looking at it, the shop doesn't know what is involved. As a shop owner I'm looking for quick turn around jobs that's aren't going to sit in my bay or outside waiting for parts.
@@linkavichchamofskee5519 Yeah go ahead and tell the customer you can help him over the phone without looking at what the problem is.
On the Chevy Express, the motor comes out the front with the grill and radiator removed. Nothing too crazy. Take the intake off while still installed and pull it with a cherry picker. This is most likely the same deal.
Ive seen Adventure 4x4's in person on a NV3500 back when I used to work on Nissan, it was honestly like Nissan did the work and sold it as a 4x4 Nissan NV3500 lifestyle vehicle.
Unbelievable. In a year all these shops will be begging for customers.
Why? People are going to keep their cars longer, you think that is going to generate less work?
In a year, they will all be out of business
@@gsilva220 Who, the 4X4 off-road shops where this thing SHOULD have been taken to. People are not buying toys like they used to.
@@bindingcurve people out of work in a recession don't drive as much, and have the time to fix their own garbage or just let it sit.
@@groofromtheup5719 so going for 5 to 10% unemployment is going to have a MASSIVE impact on the repair work compared to no one buying a new car?🤣🤣🤣🤣 Auto mechanics are among the list of recession proof careers. Right up there with debt collectors and teachers.
I don't think many shops with younger mechanics know to look for grease fittings. I know there have been times when I have had my Bronco serviced I double checked the work and the grease fittings are dry.
Sounds ds like the tint shops I called for my 96 impala. Most places said they can't do rear glass? Went to a shop I've used before and they laughed 😅 🤣. "Why say u do tint when u can't do a rear window" he said...
@ram dat, I am fortunate. Local tint shop has always performed great, timely work for me.
Rear tint on one of my vehicles was delaminating from the window. Since the tint job had a lifetime warranty, I returned with receipt in hand.
Dropped off and job was completely next day.
Great service and warranty.
Maybe it is really "won't" not "can't." I had a clear security film installed and they did the rear. But because the film goes over the heater strips, it created some distortion. I could see some shops just wouldn't want to get into an argument about that, and have to try removing it. Or, using some brands of tint that said not to be installed over heater strips.
@@lyfandeth have u ever seen a car without defrost stipes on rear glass? Come on 🤣🤣🤣
@@TheWhiteAfghan I owned several cars before defroster stripes were available, let alone mandatory. I think some states started requiring them in the late 70's. And even in 1980 customers in Texas, Florida, etc. didn't want to pay for something they never used. And the classic 60's Beetles didn't even offer a rear defroster fan.
@@lyfandeth did the tint industry stop after 1970?
Long ago in the days of Yore home mechanics with unusual skills did strange things to keep their old cars running or go faster... I've worked on a few "customized vehicles" and I've run into some real weird things over the years. So I kind of understand where a mechanic might not want to touch a modified vehicle. I once spent a day in a junkyard trying to figure out what engine was in a particular car... because... well apparently the former owner got a better deal on a newer engine and didn't bother to tell me or even knew what it was. It did turn out to be a great motor once I fixed the fork lift damage to the valve covers EGR and vacuum switches and knew what I was fixing so I could get the right parts.
I wonder if this van is used as some kind of offroad recovery vehicle? At first it looks like an overlander setup but its clearly not unless they ripped all of that out. Really cool van, love stuff like this!
I was wondering the same thing, with a ford 5.4l I doubt it would have much capability aside from being an anchor with a winch, seems more likely they took all their camping stuff out of it before taking it to the Wizard.
Perhaps they have a "camping cassette" style slide in/slide out conversion so they can use it as a van when not camping?=
I'm currently halfway through a body and paint job on an f350. It sits like the van, other shops turned it away , which is too bad because it's actually in really nice shape. I'll admit , so many jacked up trucks are so badly put together I was leery of taking it on until I really looked at it. Nice to work on something that wasn't done by a butcher
Note: Don't install high lift jacks there, or on your hood. In an accident, that could detach and then enter the windshield! It's better to have them along the side of the vehicle.
I caught that also!
I want one of these van conversion so bad. Would love to have one for Camping and exploring
To be perfectly honest, I respect a shop that straight up tells me they don't want to work on my stuff. If they don't want to work on it, they probably aren't going to do a good job. It's better for all involved when all parties to a transaction are happy. And don't forget Wizard, aren't you the guy who turns down all BMW work?
Well said. True statement, and shots fired.
@@foellerd its because bmws are shit
I get the same response when I used to go to different shops on my lifted Chevy Trailblazer. As soon as they saw it, they turned me away. " we don't work on modified suv's or pick-up's.
I don't believe the 5.4L 3-valve was ever available in an E-series van. 5.4L 2-valve only.
You are right. Only 2v's
As a super car noob, what is the difference between the 3-valve and 2-valve? Is it like 3 valves per piston vs 2 valves per piston? Or is to referring to something else totally different?
This is a 2010.
Wikipedia would agree with you. 5.4 L (330 cu in) SOHC 2V V8 1997-2016 Even the V-10 stuck with the 2v through 2019 in the vans.
@@nexusyang4832 Yes, 3 valves per cylinder.
It looks like they are just beginning their van build out. Their next step is probably building the interior with a bed, storage, sink/stove and whatever else they have in mind for it. If you want to see good build out on a slightly older version of a Ford E series van, check out Chrome's channel, Vancity Vanlife. He has a lifted van as well, but didn't go for the 4x4 conversion, but he does have a locking diff in the back.
I have an adventure van, and it is hard to get work done on it. Wanted to get it painted, and nobody would help us. Do love adventuring in my van though.
I had to have some paint work done on my 93 Chevy conversion. The usual body shops didn't want to do the work, but luckily I found a hot rod/restoration shop that gladly helped me out.
The conversion looks like it was a really high quality job. It looks better than factory!
The inside of this van looks optimized for a modular system. The tracks on the floor will hold the modules in place. The owner must have removed the modules for service along with the GPS and navigation aids suggested by the extra plugs in the dash. I could be wrong but am working off what I observed in the video.
Yeah, I was thinking a phone and GPS as well. Might also be a PC with GPS and mapping. One more possibility is a rear view camera system.
I have read that if you machine the warped cast iron manifold flat again, it’s less likely to snap studs in the future.
I worked for a DOT that had a Ford fleet. Nearly every 5.4 of this vintage that I drove made that exhaust sound. It's ridiculous.
Took my 2010 Prius in for an ABS booster+Pump and the local shop wanted nothing to do with it. I was willing to pay... Well I'm fixing it myself now saving buko coins and they will do the yearly inspection when it's time for it and I'll let em know then.
I've noticed in the last couple of years that a lot of shops are getting more and more picky about the cars they're willing to work on and it's a shame because in a way, they're going to lose business because they're giving people a bad impression especially when it's a vehicle that's not unreasonable. I ran into this with my 94 Firehawk and a shop must have thought that it was some kind of exotic car and I tried explaining to them that it's a firebird with an LT1 but they didn't seem to care whatsoever.😑
Unfortunately you have to charge by the labor books in most shops and a mechanic can end up working days for nothing .
@@Jeffbambam Understandable, but a Firehawk mechanically is 99% the same as every other GM V8 vehicle of the era and are notoriously easy to work on compared to others. Seems odd that a shop would be hesitant to work on it, unless it was more of an issue of being afraid every connector or plastic part will fall apart and every bolt will be rusted due to the age.
Couple guys I knew used to use them on Jersey beaches, great for hauling their stand up jetski, they had fresh water tanks and a roll deck inside, better then hauling a trailer which usually gets stuck in the sand like a boat anchor, they worked really well.
In my experience with older vehicles pre 1991 these new and even older techs do not want to mess with it unless it has a obd II port. The simple fact is unless they can look at some screen they are not going to go out of their way to figure out a repair that involves outside the box thinking. No matter how simple. That's why I learned to work on my own stuff.
I have a hard time finding a mechanic to work on my 1975 VW bus. It’s a custom food truck but they don’t even want to touch it even if it’s stock. Luckily, I have a trusted local mechanic I’ve been going to for decades