Ford Transit
- Thread starter katmat
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Graphite Dave
Dave Orton
Believe the springs are different. I split the difference and bought a 2500. Still do not know for sure what is different.
I'm thinking about the 2500 & having a local spring shop beef up the spring if I need to. Which engine & rear end did you go with? Are you carrying much weight in it & how is your fuel mileage? I'm a electrical contractor so I carry a lot of weight & do tow some lifts sometimes.
Thanks,
Graphite Dave
Dave Orton
Bought the EB V6 because I was seduced by the power. I bought the 3.31 rear but added the limited slip option. I have about 7500 miles and have averaged 16.5 mpg. Started with zero added weight and currently my guess is 600 lbs additional with the partial conversion. Expect final conversion weight added will be a bit under 2000 lbs with all the travel provisions.
Believe if I was an electrical contractor and used van locally I would get the normally aspirated V6 with the Ford recommended 3.7 rear. I would still get the limited slip. Non-turbo has less chance of mechanical issues because there is less "stuff" to go wrong.
Using it locally, the abundant low rpm torque of the EB would be less useful. The EB feels just like a diesel because it runs at low rpm and has a very large max. torque range. The engine and gearbox work very well together. Gearbox is excellent.
I might add the rear anti-roll bar that is standard on the passenger Transits. Probably not necessary but I do like to drive.
Graphite Dave
Dave Orton
Looks like Ford copied one thing too many. Ford white vans rust like Sprinter white vans. I did confirm that the van is white. Ford uses two paint processes. One for white vans and one for the other colors. Thought some folks here would enjoy this.
http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/...ng/7329-doors-not-aligned-paint-chipping.html
http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/...ng/7329-doors-not-aligned-paint-chipping.html
danski0224
Active member
I looked at the Transit, Promaster and Sprinter, specifically in the wheel well area where the tubs meet the outer body panels.
Why? Because that is a rust area problem on my 2008 Sprinter.
The Transit looked the worst. Three panels coming together and shoddy application of seam sealant from something like a caulk gun, it is not brushed on/over like the Sprinter . The front joint area at least had a 90* leading edge to deflect some debris, but no wheel well liner.
Promaster was second. Front and rear had 90* bends to protect plain raw edges, but they skipped covering about 3" of the lowest metal at the rear of the rear wheel openings with the textured stuff elsewhere in the wheel openings. That makes no sense. Brake lines visible in the wheel opening also.
Surprisingly, the sealant application on the Sprinter looked the best. Only the Sprinter has any plastic shielding in the wheel well- the front wheels.
I am surprised that none of these vans has any sort of plastic shielding in the rear wheel wells. The seam location gets peppered from debris thrown up by the tires.
A bad design, but the Sprinter is the best appearing of the three.
Transit Wheelwell pics attached
Why? Because that is a rust area problem on my 2008 Sprinter.
The Transit looked the worst. Three panels coming together and shoddy application of seam sealant from something like a caulk gun, it is not brushed on/over like the Sprinter . The front joint area at least had a 90* leading edge to deflect some debris, but no wheel well liner.
Promaster was second. Front and rear had 90* bends to protect plain raw edges, but they skipped covering about 3" of the lowest metal at the rear of the rear wheel openings with the textured stuff elsewhere in the wheel openings. That makes no sense. Brake lines visible in the wheel opening also.
Surprisingly, the sealant application on the Sprinter looked the best. Only the Sprinter has any plastic shielding in the wheel well- the front wheels.
I am surprised that none of these vans has any sort of plastic shielding in the rear wheel wells. The seam location gets peppered from debris thrown up by the tires.
A bad design, but the Sprinter is the best appearing of the three.
Transit Wheelwell pics attached
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danski0224
Active member
I have looked at a few more Transits, and they are all the same. I even got to see a special order extended van in a different color, and the detailing is the same (I did hope that it would be different).
Yesterday, I finally got to open two up on the lot, and there is no wax in any of the doors or inside the cargo area- I could see coated steel inside the passenger door through the bottom drain hole that didn't have body color paint overspray. Expanding foam is used in many places inside along the bottom (top of the rocker panel from outside). Some places the foam may be there to isolate parts and prevent rattles and it may be used as a seam sealer in other places- in the center picture above, the mass of sealer on the right is some sort of caulking but the horizontal line in the middle is foam of some sort.
In the sliding door opening, there is a line of seam sealant along the bottom that stops about 3" from the ends on the right and left sides.
The picture on the far left shows the rear of the front wheelhouse, at the front is what looks like the windshield solvent tank, exposed to whatever is tossed from the tires.
Unless Ford has some super duper galvanized steel and paint process, these things may be worse than the Sprinter as far as rust goes. Time will tell, but I'm certainly not buying one.
Yesterday, I finally got to open two up on the lot, and there is no wax in any of the doors or inside the cargo area- I could see coated steel inside the passenger door through the bottom drain hole that didn't have body color paint overspray. Expanding foam is used in many places inside along the bottom (top of the rocker panel from outside). Some places the foam may be there to isolate parts and prevent rattles and it may be used as a seam sealer in other places- in the center picture above, the mass of sealer on the right is some sort of caulking but the horizontal line in the middle is foam of some sort.
In the sliding door opening, there is a line of seam sealant along the bottom that stops about 3" from the ends on the right and left sides.
The picture on the far left shows the rear of the front wheelhouse, at the front is what looks like the windshield solvent tank, exposed to whatever is tossed from the tires.
Unless Ford has some super duper galvanized steel and paint process, these things may be worse than the Sprinter as far as rust goes. Time will tell, but I'm certainly not buying one.