I Promise, You’ve Never Seen a Ford Pickup Truck Quite Like This
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I really need a dually pickup truck, but I really could use a van, too”? Well, if you have said that, you are cooler than me, but more importantly, you have probably had to deal with the fact that you just need two different vehicles. Well, you’re in luck because the 1989 Ford E-350 Centurion van/truck exists, and it is the greatest, most useful vehicle thing on Earth.
Is there a van truck out there?
Centurion is known for building insane Ford conversions. After years of building bizarre custom Fords, the wildest of them all is up for sale at Cars & Bids. Ford Authority notes that any Centurion conversion is rare, but the 1989 Ford E-350 Centurion van/truck is the rarest. There is something about it that is equally amazing as it is completely wrong. It’s like a Zebra’s head on a horse’s body; it works, but there’s no doubt that something ain’t right.
Don’t get me wrong, though; I want it, and you probably should too
Aside from the fact that we are looking at a Ford E-350 Econoline van with an HD Ford pickup truck dually bed slammed on the back, you may also notice that it isn’t restored. The psycho conversion has 30+ years of chips, scrapes, and scratches showing just a hair over 100,000 miles on the clock.
Centurion converted this E-350 into a pickup truck complete with a proper sleeping cabin, or at least one big enough to have a sleeping cabin. Its size alone makes it a compelling long-haul adventure mobile. Not only does it offer plenty of space, but it is also a pickup truck that can haul and tow heavier loads. Think about it like a mini-semi truck/van. Thanks to its 460 cubic-inch V8, which was rated to produce 230 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque, it’s not hurting for power either.
Is the van truck 4×4?
Unfortunately, only the rear wheels are powered via a three-speed auto transmission. However, the rear axle is a Dana 70 HD rear axle and a Power-Lok limited-slip differential. While it might not be as off-road adventure-ready as most camper vans today, at least that back end can dig in a get it.
More importantly than 4×4 (I hope that isn’t heresy), this is the most unique truck and the unique van we have ever seen. This rig can be converted to a camper up front and a toy hauler out back. Yes. Four-wheel drive is cool, but is it cooler than having a camper van dually pickup truck with a dirt bike or two in the truck bed? I didn’t know it until just now when I wrote that sentence, but nothing is cooler than that. Nothing.
How much is the truck van conversion worth?
It’s hard to say. This Ford pickup truck creation is rare, specialized, and niche. On top of all that, it’s being auctioned. If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, collector car auctions are insane. There’s no telling what might happen. But if you want to watch or bid, follow the link here to Cars & Bids.
