[Jonnyonthespot]

So I am looking into purchasing a van and converted into a camper, then become a total hippie and travel the world making youtube videos and short films to finance my adventures. pretty solid plan right. All I need to do is pick the van. Im between a promaster and the transit. The promaster has a longer extended version (160.2") which gives more room in the cargo versus the transit extended. interior space is extremely important and so even a small amount of room can be critical. This makes me want to go for the promaster. However, since I want to bum around the world, that will probably take me to some pretty inaccessible places, which makes me want to prepare and have a 4x4 van.

The real issue is that I dont have the money to get a 4x4 transit/promaster. but since I plan to roam around the US for the first year or so, and I expect to be able to drive to many interesting places without the need of 4x4, it upgrade can wait. once I leave the US though, I expect to need the 4x4. So I am just wondering which one in your opinion is better for converion.

Also if the transit is better for this, is there any DIY guides out there, kits etc. There is a mechanic that I know of who works for very reasonable pay, great guy. I myself are not afraid to work and use tools, I have experience in the aero industy (but I lack experience in the auto industry). I read that quigley uses mostly standard ford parts so only some require special modification. Basically I want to know if its reasonable to want to upgrade and do it myself as I dont see me paying 12k+ for it.

 

[Jonnyonthespot]

Bump!

 

[morey]

No, it's not reasonable.

No kit exist and no one has publicly done a one off custom before.

You would be trail blazing.

Do you have experience converting a vehicle to 4x4? If no I would run from this idea.

 

[TomB985]

There are companies such as Quigley and QuadVan that earn their living doing these conversions, and it's not a simple plug-and-play installation. Some fab work is involved, and of course all their engineering and design is patented and protected.

ON a side note, I'd recommend poking into the Promaster forums. The Promaster uses the same powertrain as the Grand Caravan, whereas the Transit's powertrain is sourced from the F150. We never considered the Promaster because of that, I really don't trust that powertrain in a heavy van over the long run. A quick peek in the Promaster forums makes me glad for my decision, they seem to be burning up engines and transmissions.

 

[camp&ride]

If your goal is to buy a van and in the future convert to 4x4, stay away from the Promaster. I suspect it is not and will not be possible.

 

[jethaden]

Speaking of your Plan to travel the world, how hard is it going to be to freight your vehicle between continents (or even to S. America). Most people who successfully do that use smaller vehicles which can be squeezed into a shipping container. Not related to your question, I know.

 

[Jonnyonthespot]

Thanks for the responses guys. So basically the way I understand it is that the only cost effective way to get 4x4 would be to have quigley do the conversion at ~12k cost. No one has publicly done a conversion and the especial fab parts are basically unknown as they don't make them public/show the general public because they are protected. The only positive is that quigley claims to use "90% standard ford parts". So the fab parts are apparently minimum. I wounder why no one else has done a conversion yet. Im sure someone will at some point though, there are many tinkerers out there doing all types of projects.

This is very discouraging, I didn't realize it was this much of a problem because there are kits available for the older vans and people seem to be converting them with no problems.

Non related to the initial question:
thanks for asking about shipment of the van, I hadn't really thought that out! I started doing some research and the interior dimensions of a standard container are 94" height unfortunately we loose some because the actual door clearance is only 90". The transit high top has 110" clearance, the promaster has a height of 101" clearance. both are too tall for the standard container. There is a special tall container that gains an extra 10" of interior height, bringing the door clearance to 100" which is still not enough, but its only off by 1" for the promaster. I am sure for such a small difference something can me done to lower the van, either deflating or removing the tires completely and having it rest on some kind of casters. I wonder how much extra is this container. After researching this further I am estimating a 4K cost to ship overseas from the US. mmmm something to think about.

 

[hammerhome]

Thanks for the responses guys. So basically the way I understand it is that the only cost effective way to get 4x4 would be to have quigley do the conversion at ~12k cost. No one has publicly done a conversion and the especial fab parts are basically unknown as they don't make them public/show the general public because they are protected. The only positive is that quigley claims to use "90% standard ford parts". So the fab parts are apparently minimum. I wounder why no one else has done a conversion yet. Im sure someone will at some point though, there are many tinkerers out there doing all types of projects.

This is very discouraging, I didn't realize it was this much of a problem because there are kits available for the older vans and people seem to be converting them with no problems.

Non related to the initial question:
thanks for asking about shipment of the van, I hadn't really thought that out! I started doing some research and the interior dimensions of a standard container are 94" height unfortunately we loose some because the actual door clearance is only 90". The transit high top has 110" clearance, the promaster has a height of 101" clearance. both are too tall for the standard container. There is a special tall container that gains an extra 10" of interior height, bringing the door clearance to 100" which is still not enough, but its only off by 1" for the promaster. I am sure for such a small difference something can me done to lower the van, either deflating or removing the tires completely and having it rest on some kind of casters. I wonder how much extra is this container. After researching this further I am estimating a 4K cost to ship overseas from the US. mmmm something to think about.

Do some more research on this site. There are currently 2 4x4 conversion companies and I would personally go with quadvan having seen their process and where they are headed.

This van is nothing like old vans. It's not a body on frame. The geometries that need to be adjusted to lift the van are not linear. It's new to market in the US and thus will take some time for the aftermarket to catch up.

Good luck

 

[vulf]

You could perhaps look at getting a used sprinter van 4x4, although I think it is probably easier to find gas everywhere in the world than the kind of diesel you need for the new sprinters. I would stay away from the promaster because of the ridiculous rear axle. That thing looks way too low for me to be comfortable taking it on any kind of off-road adventure.

 

[dustytires]

There must be a ton, ok, several tons of wrecked late model F150s piling up. Anyone hear of a sharp fab shop swapping in a light truck front? UJoint is probably way too busy building kits for E series vans, but a shop like them to provide the Transit customer base an option to the 12k Quigley.

 

[86scotty]

I have no idea whether Quigley’s 4x4 Transit conversion actually costs $12k but I’d be very surprised. Many E-series converters used to be $12k or so, now they’re all about $16-20.

Better make some really good Youtube videos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[130tucker]

ExpoVans just posted yesterday about MG Metalworks upcoming DIY Transit 4x4 kit. Be on the lookout.