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Hello fellow Ford owners! My name is Daniel and I'm new here. My '96 E150 Conversion Van was purchased new ($24,000 after some tough negotiation for my son who was about to be released from a year long hospital stay and now using a power wheelchair) and currently has 108,000 miles. I've always wanted to do an upgrade to the newer model because I liked the front remodel, but I kept it on my wishlist for a couple of years... until now. Converting the '96 to the 2014 E250 model was a fun, challenging project.
All products were new, but weren't purchased in a single day; comparing prices from different sites took awhile and took longer because of delivery. Parts/labor total $3,000.
Took about two months to prepare & complete. All in all we are pretty satisfied. Just the two of us: my son helped with navigating the Web and researching/ordering and his 63-year old father installing the parts/nagging him what to Google I'm pretty comfortable messing with cars, been doing minor exterior mods all my life and treat them like princesses (second owner of a '92 Honda Prelude 150,000 miles), but this was a whole different level. If you are thinking of a big mod, or a minor one, go for it! Some researching, Youtube, and a little ingenuity will go a long way.
Thank you for stopping by!
Before image conversion of the '96's front.
New grille header panel installed.
First checking to make sure they all fit. Yup! Sent to local shop to paint white.
Business in the front...
Party in the back! No truck results in this, and the FedEx guy must have done something because the TV was cracked
Huge opening that was later filled with the black moldings on the running boards that were uninstalled to lessen the weight.
This was the most challenging. I had to gather steel and electric saw it to make this frame because the new hood, when shut, would extend out not making any contact with the latch. It turned out well , but the hood popped open while driving at 35 MPH. It scared the hell out of me and it kept happening! Found out days later that the rod connection from the interior hood release was too tight. The welding was done by a local shop.
The valance underneath the bumper took about a month to arrive. It said 'available' but two weeks later I contacted them to be told they were out of stock. Waited a week to get refund and then ordered elsewhere with another week of waiting for arrival.
Thank you all for the generosity! We appreciate it very much
The van's transmission was acting strangely; we were told it had to be repaired. Because this is needed for my son, we researched for about three months on which van to purchase--Ford Transit Connect, Nissan NV200 Compact, or Dodge Pro Master. We were inches away from getting the Transit Connect, but opted for the NV200.
Got it for $18,000 brand new 2016 model in the first week of December. There are no side windows, just the rear. We bought three of the windows and I installed them just last week. The last window (driver's side sliding door) is going to be likely a different one because it's not in stock where I bought the others and CRL Laurence is very expensive. Besides this, 17" inch tire/rims replaced the stocks. The last major mod is to install a pop-up roof. We searched endlessly (Europe has the best ones) but looks like it's a DIY; gas struts, hinges, and latch toggle clamps were ordered. Just have to patiently and accurately cut the roof.
I'll post a link when done. As for the E150, we're planning to buy the repair kit and maybe convert it to a truck.
Very nice. I just bought an e350 and looking to do some mods also. Probably not to the extent you did but maybe a light lift and some nicer tires and rims. Van is going to be used as a truck, but needs to stay clean and well maintained also as it represents our farm.
Very nice. I just bought an e350 and looking to do some mods also. Probably not to the extent you did but maybe a light lift and some nicer tires and rims. Van is going to be used as a truck, but needs to stay clean and well maintained also as it represents our farm.
Thank you Djcoak! I like your thinking; nicer tires/rims go a long way as they can totally beef up the vehicle's appearance All the best to you and the farm.
05-04-2016, 11:33 PM
'96 E150 to 2014 E250 Mod Project w/Photos
I'm pretty comfortable messing with cars, been doing minor exterior mods all my life and treat them like princesses (second owner of a '92 Honda Prelude 150,000 miles), but this was a whole different level. If you are thinking of a big mod, or a minor one, go for it! Some researching, Youtube, and a little ingenuity will go a long way. 
