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Previously I started a thread here about a COE cab that I came across in my endless quest for old stuff. See:
https://darksidersrealm.forumotion.com/t303-is-this-worth-40000
I put it on the back burner and for over a year I didn't give it a lot of thought. Fast forward to last week... I have a '93 E-350 0ne ton cargo van that I bought new. I don't use it much anymore but early on in it's life I put over 250K miles on it in less than three years. I originally bought it to use in expedited freight contract work. It saw 29 states plus Mexico and Canada in that brief period. I lived in that thing and slept in it. I guess that is why I have never been able to get rid of it. For the last ten years it has been a work truck for me and probably didn't get 1,000 miles a year. It's a long wheel base cargo van with the old 7.3 L IDI diesel and the E40D transmission. For a few years it has needed a new TC because the lock-up clutch in it hss been slipping. Two months ago I was bringing home an air compressor and when I was backing the trailer in the front seal in the tranny ruptured and started dumping fluid. I parked it. Since then I have bought a new heavy duty TC and all the seals for the tranny. Last week I got it into the shop and jacked it up. It was when I went under it that I discovered how really bad it was rusted out underneath with the worst of it concentrated around the body mounts. I knew it was starting to get bad but I had no idea how bad it was. I though maybe it would squeeze by for another two years but now I don't think it will make it that long. It is rather deceptive because the outside of the body does not look that bad, Although the body is rusting away the power train and rolling chassis are in great shape, The rust has never attracted the frame beyond mild surface rust.
Although I have always valued this truck as a cargo van I know it's not worth the investment it would take to make it right. So, I decided it would be a real good candidate to put that COE cab on. These vans are naturally designed for cab forward design. So, I got in touch with the guy that has the cab and learned he still had it and it has a good title. So, if I put it on the van chassis I can title it as a '54 Ford COE. In the above mentioned thread that is also in this category I posted pictures of the COE cab. I will officially delete that thread and continue on here with the project.
Although this is going to be the official build thread, there won't be much going on here for a while. First I have to get the cab home and then there is the long and expensive process of acquiring the parts I need. Hopefully during that period the van will serve me a while longer and give me time to get some of the other projects advanced to a point where I can switch between them depending on what I have available for each of the other projects. Below I will again post pics of the cab and the donor van. Keep in mind the pictures of the van are at least five years old.
My son has a van just like this one and is only one digit apart from it on the VIN. We bought both of them at the same time. His is not suffering from Rust because it has spent the last twelve years down by Atlanta. When I take this thing apart he will get the good usable partd I will not need. All the doors and windows in my van are in great shape. If he doesn't want that stuff I will tyry and sell it. the van hsa power windows which are also of value to someone who wants to convert or replace faulty units.
Preliminary plans are leaning toward making this a toter for fifth wheel and gooseneck trailers. My van is a heavy duty ambulance package and has the right rear end for dual wheels which I may convert it to for the COE cab. Although I don't think I would want to add a sleeper as in the picture of a nice COE I found on Google which I have posted below.
I'm thinking of much the same set up as this one without the sleeper. I even like the color but I would probably two-tone it with a silver bottom to match my '03 F-350 4WD dually diesel.
Look for my next post on this thread when I bring home the cab in a week or two.
Later Folks...
Last edited by Darkside Dave on Thu May 03, 2012 3:40 pm; edited 1 time in total
