6 weeks and $5k later, and I've got my new mobile home/garage :-)
I'm having problems with my digital, but will try to get some pics out very soon.
Here's the rundown:
Pace Aero Sport (V-Nose)
7x23
Ramp rear door
RV style side door (with window and screen)
Very cool indeed.... Hopefully I'll have it sectioned and somewhat finished before BHF (but finishing the bikes comes first)...
I was surprised to find that the 1/2ton van pulls it pretty well.
If you're in the market for a trailer, Super Dave is the MAN! There's nowhere around that could have come close to the price I got for everything.
Thanks again Dave!
I'll second that... Dave is the Trailer King. I'm amazed by how much we're getting for the price. My thoughts of getting a lil' 6x10 somehow morphed into a 7x14, double-axle "bike-o-minium" (well, maybe once we get the inside set up).
23 feet sounds GARGANTUAN. How big is the motor in your van?
My van is the 5.7L V8 (350). I put an extra transmission cooler in, and a set of air shocks.
I purposely pulled it up a pretty steep hill, and it labored but made it okay (just never shifted out of 1st).
On flat ground, it pulls great! I was surprised.
OD is out of the question, but that's just because I'm not into replacing tranny's...
And 23' isn't all that bad considering it's 7' wide which is the width of my van, and it's a V nose.
Your van's motor is about the same size as ours(351 Ford). Tranny cooler might not be a bad idea - was it a PITA to install?
I acually put a tranny cooler on my 350 conversion van this weekend, It was not bad, Once I figured which way the fluid flowd it was great, but then had tranny fluid leaking on my head the rest of the time cause so much shot out! ::)
Quoteon my 350 conversion van this weekend,
Please say its NOT a Geneva, Fontana or Delavan conversion. :o :o ;D ;D ;D
Kim, the trans cooler would probably be a good idea. John can do it. It isn't that bad.
Now, on your Ford, it's like a mid '90's van with a four speed over drive, right?
You need to overfill it with two extra quarts of oil. I always recut my dip stick after that. The trans is huge, and can hold like a million gallons of oil. The extra oil will help keep it cooler.
The motor I'm not worried about. It'll put out enough power. The weakest link here is the transmission, which I want to make SURE I don't end up replacing prematurely.
The tranny cooler I got was a Hayden heavy duty (super duty, or whatever) cooler off of ebay for like $40 brand new. The guy has hundreds of them.
Just do a search for transmission cooler or hayden cooler.
I looked at the pics and counted the number of coils back/forth. Mine has like 11 (or 14 or something like that), it was the largest one I could find.
Mounting was pretty easy. Pulled the front end off my van (amazing that it's only held in place with 4 measly screws), ran the mounting tabs through the other radiators and mounted the tranny cooler out front.
I ran into a problem because I didn't have enough tranny cooler line. The instructions specifically state "DO NOT USE FUEL LINE", well, I went to farm & fleet and let some 17 year old moron talk me into fuel line, and trying to put it on I found that when I dipped it in hot water to soften it to get over the nipple, the hose collapsed!
$15 at my local Napa auto parts store got me some REAL transmission hose.
I didn't need to add any fluid to my van, it still measures well into the correct range. (don't know that I should over-fill it).
I ran it and checked it several times. It was a few hours of work stretched over a couple of days, but still pretty easy...
Now, I'll just have to keep an eye on the hoses to make sure they don't rub on anything or leak at the joints.
Don't over fill the Chevy. On Ford E4OD trans, you have the ability to do this. Chevy will make a big mess, 'cause they are sensitive.
My previous van, we over filled it, it came with the extra trans cooler, and the we added a pressure riser to it. Pulled my huge trailer without wasting the trans.
I think the Chevy 350 has more compression than the Ford 351W, so the 350 is thermally more efficent. The might pull a bigger trailer better than a 351W.
But diesels rule...PSD!
Yep, Dave... it's a '95 4-speed auto w/OD (well, I'm 99% sure it's a 4-spd). I'll print this thread out for John and will start shopping for parts. Thanks for the suggestions, guys!
Yup, E4OD.
Add two extra quarts of oil and recut the dip stick. Just helps out. I think those cases can hold like 16 quarts of oil. It's the same Trans that they use on the diesels. Just a difference internally on the size of the clutch pack, as I understand.
And Kim, you'll need to get a 2 5/16" ball for the back of your van. The top of the ball should be at about 20" high from the ground. If it's a little over, that's fine. Lower is not.
QuoteBut diesels rule...PSD!
PSD? Per Super-Dave???
PSD - power stroke diesel, used in Fords, almost as good as a Cummins.
Oh man I just put a tranny cooler on and now your saying I can get a Hayden brand! With a name like that you know it has to be good!! :P
...I'm taken my NAPA brand back off ;D
QuotePSD - power stroke diesel, used in Fords, almost as good as a Cummins.
Cummins... an engine company owned by Ford.
I have a 26' by 8' 6" wide enclosed V-nose car hauler that weighs 4400 lbs. empty. It's large enough that I can put my Suburban inside of it and is rated for the weight also. I have used my 3/4 ton '95 Suburban (which has a 454 with a 4L80E trans) to tow this trailer since I bought it in '99 and have really no complaints about towing with it except for the low gas mileage and loss of speed while going up long hills.
A few months ago I purchased an '02 Ford Crewcab Pickup with the Powerstroke Turbo Diesel and only have one complaint about it - don't ever forget to plug in the engine block heater on those cold nights! I have already cut my fuel costs almost in half going to this vehicle as my primary driver, as compared to my Suburban's mileage. I am looking forward to towing with the Ford, as it should be so much easier with the Diesel and get almost twice the mileage (my 454 got 8 MPG!).
QuoteCummins... an engine company owned by Ford.
No it isn't.
From Cummins web site
(http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/products/dodgeram/faq/answers.cfm?uuid=000C518F-094B-1E31-850880C4A8F00000)
Does Ford own Cummins?
No, Ford does not own any part of Cummins Inc.
QuoteDoes Ford own Cummins?
No, Ford does not own any part of Cummins Inc.
Thanks, wouldn't want to think that my new truck has any Ford parts in it..... :)
hehe... here we go!
DING DING and in this corner, weighing in at 143lbs soaking wet, Super-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE Rosnooooooo </announcer voice>...
LOL :-)
LOL!
Well, whatever. I know that there was a relationship recently. PSD's are International motors (444's if you've got something like a 4700 INT...).
Maybe FoMoCo sold it? Let me see what I can find.
The Ford owning Cummins is a story that has been floating around for a while. From what I have seen, Ford never owned Cummins.