Ford Van Converted Into Longbed Pickup

Ford Van Converted Into Longbed Pickup FARM HOME Cars It was relatively inexpensive to build and has design features that eliminate many of the problems with factory-built pickups says Bruce Mossbrucker Sewell N J who converted a 1985 Ford E-350 1-ton van into a pickup equipped with a 10 1/2-ft long bed     He cut the body off about 12 in behind the driver s seat and made a new back for the cab He also designed and built the bed fenders combination rear bumper/tow hitch and spare tire mount The bed has an upper floor on both sides and a lower floor in the middle Stake pockets allow adding 2-ft high wooden extensions      I was looking for a used 3/4-ton pickup but nothing was available in my price range It took two years to build says Mossbrucker     The bed s length really comes in handy he says A standard 3/4-ton pickup has an 8-ft bed You wouldn t believe the difference the extra 2 1/2 ft makes Also the van I used is wider than a pickup so the bed is also wider     He paid $600 for the van which was equipped with a 351 cu in 5 8-liter V-8 gas engine After cutting the body off he made a wooden frame to fit the back of the cab and bolted a 16-ga steel plate to the back of that He cut a hole in the middle of the plate to install a sliding window     He used 14 ga steel and 2-in sq tubing to build a frame for the bed and bolted it onto the van s frame Metal cross pieces spaced 24 in apart form a grid that supports the floor which is made from 3/16-in thick steel     He also used 14 ga steel to build the fenders and sheet metal to build a one-piece tailgate The tailgate pivots on a 1-in dia steel rod that rides on sealed roller bearings     The truck now has about 160 000 miles on it but still has the original engine which gets 8 to 9 mpg I plan to replace it with a more fuel efficient engine I also plan to mount toolboxes on both sides between the cab and rear fenders says Mossbrucker     The wheelbase from the front wheels to the back is 138 in compared to 128 in on a factory pickup The extra length allowed Mossbrucker to build the longer bed     He says his conversion also leaves more room behind the seat On the standard E-350 cutaway series cab there s just 2 in of space behind the door jamb and the back of the cab but on mine there s 12 in As a result I was able to push the seat two inches farther back from the steering wheel Also I used the extra room to add a shelf for more storage space behind the seat     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Bruce Mossbrucker 456 Center St Sewell N J 08080 ph 856 468-6297; mcmoss @verizon net

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