2002 Ford e350 with 7.3 powerstroke diesel, 4x4 conversion and “mobile concept” fiberglass camper body.
This is a proper ground up vehicle restoration and camper van build that was completed in July of 2018, and it has only seen 30,000 miles of use since. It was taken down to bare bones before being totally rebuilt as the ideal go-anywhere, do-anything, comfortably livable, surprisingly efficient, easy to drive, fits in a parking space home on wheels.
Mobile Concept was a company that created mobile office solutions, and they made one of the coolest fiberglass bodies ever offered on a ford van platform to do it. As a bonus most of their builds utilized the powerstroke diesel platform, and this one was lucky enough to be from the last year of the notoriously reliable 7.3.... The fantastic reliability of this motor is the reason that it remains the only original piece of the drive train in this build. The beauty of this platform is that it allowed for a massive amount of useable interior space, while remaining relatively easy to drive, and fitting in a regular parking space.
Here are some details on the build:
7ft x 12ft fiberglass two piece clam shell body by Mobile Concept
21 foot overall length so it still fits in a normal parking space
6 1/2 ft standing height inside
Passenger side RV style entry door with entry steps, a deadbolt, and a handle lock
Passenger side 45”x45” Garage door to access the all of the storage space underneath the bed platform, inside is a full width 500 lb drawer slide to conveniently pull your storage out of the side of the vehicle.
A mix of Sheep's wool and rigid foam board were used to insulate in 2” thick wall space, ceiling, and floor.
Walls are cedar planking
Bed platform sleeps across the van and fits a full size mattress with potential for extra length up to 6’ 4"
200 ah 12v system charges while you drive or with the 200w of solar panels.
12 volt stainless steel truckfridge drawer style fridge
1000w inverter with 2 120v outlets, 2 12v car style outlets, and 4 12v usb outlets.
6 Flush mounted LED Lights in the ceiling, wired as two zones, along with separate reader lights on the bed, kitchen light, shower light, garage light, and a exterior porch light… all LED
Maxxair Maxxfan 14” Fan mounted above the kitchen space. This fan paired with the top hinged window at bed level makes for cool sleeping on even the warmest of nights. Also, in our experience, with the high level of insulation and the van being white, this fan kept things tolerable inside up to almost 100 degrees during the day.
40 gallon fresh water supply paired with seaflo 1.2 GPM (trust me it’s enough) water pump… showering/cooking/drinking every day got us about a week.
Isotherm 4 gallon coolant powered hot water heater. All you do is drive the vehicle and when the engine is warm you have hot water that stays hot for 12+ HOURS even in winter… no joke!
Sink and stove combo from CAN with two burners and separate lids for each (this has it’s own 1 gallon propane tank that lives in an exterior vented compartment, and generally powered the stove for 2-3 months of every day use!)
Shower INSIDE the van, walls are coated with LINE X and are extremely waterproof/durable. The shower also doubles as a space to dry wet clothing/gear, as it has it’s own small heater vent, and it’s own 6" exhaust fan.
Espar diesel fired heater with digital controller and high altitude pump, pulls straight out of the diesel tank and works up to 10,000 feet. Kept us warm and all water systems from freezing in temps as cold as -10 degrees F this past winter.
52” wide couch with flip up table makes for a cozy hangout space. Couch also folds flat for a "guest bed”
Custom powder coated rear ladder build by Action Van of Bend, that gets you to the low profile aluminum roof rack, with walkway, Thule Box, and solar panels.
Tons of storage! This was built for two people to live in full time, and it includes more than the necessary storage to do so.
Some details on the van:
Ford e350 1 ton Chassis with 7.3 Powerstroke diesel (213,000 miles)
Single Rear Wheels
4x4 conversion done by VAN MAFIA 4x4 here in Bend at 185,000 miles. This included new front and rear f250 superduty axles, driveshafts, steering components, 4r100 transmission, transfer case, wheels, shocks all around, front coil springs, and rear airbags.
In the nearly 30,000 miles we put on the van, we always averaged between 14.5 and 15.5 MPG at 65 mph. It will easily do 75-80 mph but fuel economy likely won’t be the same.
Front bumper/brush guard created by ThreeSixNine Custom Fabrication in Bend. Powder coated and extremely strong. Two Hella 500ff series driving lamps mounted and wired to come on with the bright switch for crazy good nighttime visibility.
Extensive dynomat sound deadening throughout the cab of the van.
New full exhaust system from Custom Exhaust Services here in Bend March of 2018.
New white exterior paint in January of 2017
LED Headlight bulbs are super bright with excellent visibility in the stock headlight assembly
New exterior LED marker lights all around
Rear mounted full sized spare tire
Nokian Rotiiva snowflake rated all season tires ~20k miles on them, tire wear indicators still reading almost 80% (I drive easy)
JVC Stereo with Apple CarPlay, back up camera, 6 new speakers, Low profile Kicker sub under passenger seat, and a switch to run the stereo off of the house Deep Cycle battery, so you can listen to music while parked without killing the engine battery.
New 240 amp alternator November 2018
New Starter April of 2019
About me (the builder):
I began plans for this build when I exited building vans professionally in the early spring of 2016. I was co-owner a custom van company here in Bend called “The Van Guys” and left when my girlfriend and I decided to sell our home and hit the road. My partner in the business went on to open Action Van, and their shop was used on a few occasions during the build. It took over a year for us to sell the house, and even longer for us to find the right vehicle. I have owned everything from an air cooled vanagon to a sprinter, to 33 foot RVs, worked on probably 40+ vans, and fully built out 15 vans before beginning this project, so I knew exactly the specs I wanted. I built this van with no intention to ever sell it, and took my time to get it right on every little detail. Simple yet highly functional was the name of the game, and from our year living in it I can say with confidence that it was well executed.
So why on earth am I selling it? In January we found out that we are going to be adding a little one to the family, so our vanlife days will be put on hold for the foreseeable future. This thing was made to be lived in, and I can’t stand to see it sit in our driveway. Not to mention the money will be very helpful in setting us up for the little guy to arrive.
This van truly has all of the function and capabilities of vehicles that are far more expensive (Earth Roamer, Outside Van, Sportsmobile, Earth cruiser etc.) I purchased the vehicle in December of 2017, and completely gutted it before beginning the build process, so every single piece of the camper build is less than 2 years old, and has a ton of life left in it. At 213,000 miles, the motor is the only piece of the drivetrain left with high miles as the rest was replaced during the 4wd conversion, and the strong running 7.3 (one of the best diesel motors ever offered in the US) likely hasn’t even hit halfway in it’s lifespan.
The vehicle has a rebuilt title, and this was from a sideswipe collision according to the Carfax (which I will provide.) I had the vehicle extensively inspected (twice) before I purchased, and the only concerning damage was in the front right side suspension components, which actually made the vehicle a great candidate for the build as all matters of concern were removed and replaced during the 4wd conversion. The frame was measured straight and square by two shops before I bought it, as well as the person that did the conversion... It took me a lot of searching to find this particular vehicle, and I wanted to make sure that it was the right candidate for the build. I wasn’t willing to take any chances on the vehicle that would be our permanent home... The only remaining signs of damage are some scrapes along the underside of the rear rv style side door. My best guess is that since the inside was rough, unusable, and impractical (it was a mobile golf shop in a previous life) that some minor damage deemed it totaled as the state of California didn’t see any valuable use for it. I know that a branded title is concerning for any vehicle though, and will encourage anyone interested to have it looked at by a shop of their choosing before a sale is made.
I am asking $58k which in my years of van experience seems like more than a fair asking price for the amount of van you will be getting. I know that a van like this could go for 80-100+ pretty easily with lower miles on the motor and a non branded title. But as I stated above, I built this van to be my personal home, and the re-sale value wasn’t a concern of mine when I started. I can happily say that in the one year and 30,000 miles we spent in the van neither of those things were ever an issue in any way. Feel free to contact with any questions! 785-587-7990
This is a proper ground up vehicle restoration and camper van build that was completed in July of 2018, and it has only seen 30,000 miles of use since. It was taken down to bare bones before being totally rebuilt as the ideal go-anywhere, do-anything, comfortably livable, surprisingly efficient, easy to drive, fits in a parking space home on wheels.
Mobile Concept was a company that created mobile office solutions, and they made one of the coolest fiberglass bodies ever offered on a ford van platform to do it. As a bonus most of their builds utilized the powerstroke diesel platform, and this one was lucky enough to be from the last year of the notoriously reliable 7.3.... The fantastic reliability of this motor is the reason that it remains the only original piece of the drive train in this build. The beauty of this platform is that it allowed for a massive amount of useable interior space, while remaining relatively easy to drive, and fitting in a regular parking space.
Here are some details on the build:
7ft x 12ft fiberglass two piece clam shell body by Mobile Concept
21 foot overall length so it still fits in a normal parking space
6 1/2 ft standing height inside
Passenger side RV style entry door with entry steps, a deadbolt, and a handle lock
Passenger side 45”x45” Garage door to access the all of the storage space underneath the bed platform, inside is a full width 500 lb drawer slide to conveniently pull your storage out of the side of the vehicle.
A mix of Sheep's wool and rigid foam board were used to insulate in 2” thick wall space, ceiling, and floor.
Walls are cedar planking
Bed platform sleeps across the van and fits a full size mattress with potential for extra length up to 6’ 4"
200 ah 12v system charges while you drive or with the 200w of solar panels.
12 volt stainless steel truckfridge drawer style fridge
1000w inverter with 2 120v outlets, 2 12v car style outlets, and 4 12v usb outlets.
6 Flush mounted LED Lights in the ceiling, wired as two zones, along with separate reader lights on the bed, kitchen light, shower light, garage light, and a exterior porch light… all LED
Maxxair Maxxfan 14” Fan mounted above the kitchen space. This fan paired with the top hinged window at bed level makes for cool sleeping on even the warmest of nights. Also, in our experience, with the high level of insulation and the van being white, this fan kept things tolerable inside up to almost 100 degrees during the day.
40 gallon fresh water supply paired with seaflo 1.2 GPM (trust me it’s enough) water pump… showering/cooking/drinking every day got us about a week.
Isotherm 4 gallon coolant powered hot water heater. All you do is drive the vehicle and when the engine is warm you have hot water that stays hot for 12+ HOURS even in winter… no joke!
Sink and stove combo from CAN with two burners and separate lids for each (this has it’s own 1 gallon propane tank that lives in an exterior vented compartment, and generally powered the stove for 2-3 months of every day use!)
Shower INSIDE the van, walls are coated with LINE X and are extremely waterproof/durable. The shower also doubles as a space to dry wet clothing/gear, as it has it’s own small heater vent, and it’s own 6" exhaust fan.
Espar diesel fired heater with digital controller and high altitude pump, pulls straight out of the diesel tank and works up to 10,000 feet. Kept us warm and all water systems from freezing in temps as cold as -10 degrees F this past winter.
52” wide couch with flip up table makes for a cozy hangout space. Couch also folds flat for a "guest bed”
Custom powder coated rear ladder build by Action Van of Bend, that gets you to the low profile aluminum roof rack, with walkway, Thule Box, and solar panels.
Tons of storage! This was built for two people to live in full time, and it includes more than the necessary storage to do so.
Some details on the van:
Ford e350 1 ton Chassis with 7.3 Powerstroke diesel (213,000 miles)
Single Rear Wheels
4x4 conversion done by VAN MAFIA 4x4 here in Bend at 185,000 miles. This included new front and rear f250 superduty axles, driveshafts, steering components, 4r100 transmission, transfer case, wheels, shocks all around, front coil springs, and rear airbags.
In the nearly 30,000 miles we put on the van, we always averaged between 14.5 and 15.5 MPG at 65 mph. It will easily do 75-80 mph but fuel economy likely won’t be the same.
Front bumper/brush guard created by ThreeSixNine Custom Fabrication in Bend. Powder coated and extremely strong. Two Hella 500ff series driving lamps mounted and wired to come on with the bright switch for crazy good nighttime visibility.
Extensive dynomat sound deadening throughout the cab of the van.
New full exhaust system from Custom Exhaust Services here in Bend March of 2018.
New white exterior paint in January of 2017
LED Headlight bulbs are super bright with excellent visibility in the stock headlight assembly
New exterior LED marker lights all around
Rear mounted full sized spare tire
Nokian Rotiiva snowflake rated all season tires ~20k miles on them, tire wear indicators still reading almost 80% (I drive easy)
JVC Stereo with Apple CarPlay, back up camera, 6 new speakers, Low profile Kicker sub under passenger seat, and a switch to run the stereo off of the house Deep Cycle battery, so you can listen to music while parked without killing the engine battery.
New 240 amp alternator November 2018
New Starter April of 2019
About me (the builder):
I began plans for this build when I exited building vans professionally in the early spring of 2016. I was co-owner a custom van company here in Bend called “The Van Guys” and left when my girlfriend and I decided to sell our home and hit the road. My partner in the business went on to open Action Van, and their shop was used on a few occasions during the build. It took over a year for us to sell the house, and even longer for us to find the right vehicle. I have owned everything from an air cooled vanagon to a sprinter, to 33 foot RVs, worked on probably 40+ vans, and fully built out 15 vans before beginning this project, so I knew exactly the specs I wanted. I built this van with no intention to ever sell it, and took my time to get it right on every little detail. Simple yet highly functional was the name of the game, and from our year living in it I can say with confidence that it was well executed.
So why on earth am I selling it? In January we found out that we are going to be adding a little one to the family, so our vanlife days will be put on hold for the foreseeable future. This thing was made to be lived in, and I can’t stand to see it sit in our driveway. Not to mention the money will be very helpful in setting us up for the little guy to arrive.
This van truly has all of the function and capabilities of vehicles that are far more expensive (Earth Roamer, Outside Van, Sportsmobile, Earth cruiser etc.) I purchased the vehicle in December of 2017, and completely gutted it before beginning the build process, so every single piece of the camper build is less than 2 years old, and has a ton of life left in it. At 213,000 miles, the motor is the only piece of the drivetrain left with high miles as the rest was replaced during the 4wd conversion, and the strong running 7.3 (one of the best diesel motors ever offered in the US) likely hasn’t even hit halfway in it’s lifespan.
The vehicle has a rebuilt title, and this was from a sideswipe collision according to the Carfax (which I will provide.) I had the vehicle extensively inspected (twice) before I purchased, and the only concerning damage was in the front right side suspension components, which actually made the vehicle a great candidate for the build as all matters of concern were removed and replaced during the 4wd conversion. The frame was measured straight and square by two shops before I bought it, as well as the person that did the conversion... It took me a lot of searching to find this particular vehicle, and I wanted to make sure that it was the right candidate for the build. I wasn’t willing to take any chances on the vehicle that would be our permanent home... The only remaining signs of damage are some scrapes along the underside of the rear rv style side door. My best guess is that since the inside was rough, unusable, and impractical (it was a mobile golf shop in a previous life) that some minor damage deemed it totaled as the state of California didn’t see any valuable use for it. I know that a branded title is concerning for any vehicle though, and will encourage anyone interested to have it looked at by a shop of their choosing before a sale is made.
I am asking $58k which in my years of van experience seems like more than a fair asking price for the amount of van you will be getting. I know that a van like this could go for 80-100+ pretty easily with lower miles on the motor and a non branded title. But as I stated above, I built this van to be my personal home, and the re-sale value wasn’t a concern of mine when I started. I can happily say that in the one year and 30,000 miles we spent in the van neither of those things were ever an issue in any way. Feel free to contact with any questions! 785-587-7990