2002 E350 Powerstroke Project

[Ebiketoter]

Hi all.. wanted to start a thread on my E350 turbo diesel. My goal is a high mpg go anywhere rig.. the build is being done 200 miles south of me
Progress to date:
- 8" lift
- 4×4 '07 F350 front / rear axles 3.73 diff
- auto to manual trans swap - ZF-5 / manual transfer case with Gear Venders overdrive
- 37" tires..
first test drive yesterday.. whoopee!!!!
Upcoming:
Extensive engine mods
Full interior conversion
Custom designed hard sided 9ft x 5.5ft pop up with inside access, top mounted 400w solar
12v 400ah house system with alternator / solar / 110 charging
Custom rear bumper dual swing out 1 side for spare, other side for 9.9 hp outboard & trolling motor
Side mount folding 14ft Porta-Bote ( just bought it Friday) 14ft x 6 inches profile folded!!!
Tow rig:
1987 Suzuki Samuari 4x4 115hp 1.6 vw turbo diesel , coil spring conversion with landcruiser front & rear axles, 35" tires
I have a few pics my mechanic has sent..

 

[bullfrog !]

Welcome! Sounds like an exciting build! If great fuel economy is the most important objective a modern computer controlled transmission does a little better than a manual but the reliability of the manual more than makes up for it especially in a vehicle that is used for towing in my opinion. Sounds like you have gotten things figured out well. One concern would be the availability of 37” tires. Our first outing we put 4” cuts in the sidewalls of both rear tires. I’m assuming the axles have electric lockers which are necessary in my opinion.

The Samurai does so well off road because of its light weight and ability to maneuver around obstacles, Nowadays most trails are made by 50” to 55” wide side by sides which my stock axles with 8” wide tires can squeeze thru, I would try to keep that in mind. What transmission and transfer case (gearing in the transfer case?) are you using? I don’t do much serious rock crawling so my Samurai has maintained a sort of beefed up semi stock configuration. I seldom use four wheel drive now I have a locker in the rear and twin sticks. I run 30” “baby” Super Swampers as they have tough sidewalls and seem to work best for me in the desert. Cooling the diesel will be a consideration in high temp slow going off roading. No matter what others tell you if you are going to flat tow the Samurai pull the rear drive shaft before doing so and get an extra set of bolts as they will wear out.

 

[INTJohn]

And enjoy all u du! No1 else can!

intjonny boi

 

[Gr8ful]

I had a few Samurai's. One from Hawaii, no rust & low miles I left at camp. I ran 7.00x15 tall skinny aggressive tires. The best part is instead of the engine trans transfer case are all bolted together, you can use 2wd engines & the Suzuki transfer case. The VW diesel sounds like a great choice. I prefer Cummings 5.9 non computer diesels but they made a 4 cyl "bread truck" engine which should be great in the Samurai. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Ebiketoter]

here's my 1st pic of the 4x4 conversion..

 

[bullfrog !]

Make sure you get a list of part numbers and sources that were used in the conversion. Any custom parts like driveshafts or steering linkage you might consider having made and carrying as spares. Nothing worse than having to leave your “home” in a remote area while you go or wait for weeks trying to get parts. Most towing policies don’t cover off road recovery.

 

[Ebiketoter]

Right you are!! .. I've got a handwritten list but I need to put it into a computer file..
Thanks for your reply

 

[Ebiketoter]

Right you are!!! I've got a hand written list but I've got to load all of it into my computer..
Thanks for the reply