phrog

Looks like she'll be driving a GM since the only thing Ford will have is that gas hog V10

Is this where I should post questions on the E series, now that the diesel is dead Econolines are not long behind!

By that time GM will own the Cab-Chassis cutaway ambulance motorhome market....So long Econoline

1st of all I am a custom vanner, I have driven an Econoline for the last 30 odd years. My first one was a 1976 Chateau with a 351W 2bbl and C6 tranny 3.0 rear end that achieved 22 mpg for 400,000 miles of its 600,000 mile life only 16 after unleaded gas. My 2nd one was a 1985 with the 351HO 4bbl C6 tranny and a 3.7 rear end (What a dog!!!!) No power and about 3 gallons to mile mpg. My current one is a 2002 with the 5.4L 4spEOd tranny and a 3.55 Rear end it gets 19 mpg no matter how fast or long I drive it. My biggest complaint on it was, that after purchase I had to add 2 leaves to the rear spring pack to make it equal to the 2 previous vans and the ride in the 1976 is still more stable and firmer. The 2008, Ford badly needs to update the interior refinements, most of us vanners are getting older and are now pulling trailers, the F-150 now has a towing capacity of 11,000 lbs but the E-150 is 6,700???????I guess we need to buy 2!!! Where is the diesel?????? The V10 sucks gas like crazy 11 mpg highway while a GM 6.0 gets 18-20 putting out 5 more horses. Go over to www.vannin.com see what kinds of vans are still being used The astro van from GM was treated by us as a little brother to the E-150 rather than to the chevy, trust me many a Ford full size guy drives an Astro everyday. Please keep up with GM: 3/4 ton diesels, drivers side side doors, AWD One thing Ford does have is that the 5.4L 2v will pull the socks off the GM 5.3L standard engine of course so would the 4.3 V6 they used to make.

But will the 6.0 meet the new emission specs for diesels?

Rumour over at www.vannin.com is that the 6.4L diesel will not fit in the 2008 vans!

Rumour over at www.vannin.com is that the 6.4L diesel will not fit in the 2008 vans!

Hopefully with room under the hood for the 6.4 diesel.....rumour over at www.vannin.com is its gone from van engines.

What Leaf springs? When I took delivery of my 2002 E-150 I had to immediately take it to a spring shop and have 2 leaves added to each spring pack or else a slight 5 mph wind would blow it off its wheels.....When I got hame from the spring shop I counted the springs on my old 76 E-150 and it was the same as my now beefed up 2002..... STOP TRYING TO MAKE E-150s CARS!!!! We want them to be trucks!! see vannin.com

Check out www.vannin.com for the vanners point of view. Chevys new Avalanche version of the Express/GMC Savannah full sized vans have an extreme problem with the steering geometry. Driving one is like driving an Explorer with the cruise on and a blown out rear tire. Fords rule vanning we only wish for better interiors and updated features... Hurricanes engines or at least lightnings would be nice too

Hummm, Long, long, ago I wanted a custom van that wasn't a cookie cutter and one that you could go from the drivers seat to the rear without crawling over a doghouse, so I bought a 76 Econoline. It was a totally new vehicle different from any other van on the market. It didn't have ANY Recalls or major defects or cost saving problems, in fact I think they were too good. I'm not on the other hand saying they were perfect all the 70's and 80's Fords rusted very quickly and the power steering pump fell off my engine 5 times. But I drove that van for 25 years and over 600,000 miles without a major engine or transmission failure. If I could have purchased a complete new 76 body I would be driving it today instead of the 2002 I currently own. The new van doesn't get as good of gas mileage, or have as good of suspension as the old one. The 76 E150 351W got 21-22 mpg highway the 2002 E150 5.4L gets 17-19 mpg The 76 had 3 leaf spring set the same set as a current E250. Ford you won't believe the handling difference putting the extra springs on a van. Why were they removed??? No matter what Ford still makes the best full sized van. Look at the competition: Dodge?? trannys that go south under warranty and can't be repaired only replaced.....Chevy, ugly as sin Avalanche version with that cow catcher from bumper and less stable than an Explorer with a blown out tire and the stock engine a lethargic 5.3 that has half the power of an Astro v6

The gang on vannin.com didn't believe when I posted a link to the photochop pic of the 2007 Ford so I posted the spy shot you mentioned that should shut them up for maybe 10 minutes LOL

Stop by vannin.com forums there are a lot of econoline vans owners that are tremendously loyal to Ford, yet they aren't supported nearly as much as the pickup owners.