Introducing Gidget The Van
After 7 months of waiting we are now the proud owners of Gidget, a 2016 Ford Transit cargo van! We plan on converting Gidget to the perfect little adventure van.
We order her July 4th weekend in 2015 from a dealer up in the Portland area. Why Portland when we are based in San Diego? Because almost all the dealers we went to around here had close to zero knowledge of the Transit and didn’t know anything about QuadVan or Quigley. The dealer we went with has a close relationship with QuadVan and it made the most sense to go with someone who knew about the Transit and had an extensive history with QuadVan.
Here is what we ordered:
- 2016 350 HD SRW Transit HR Van 148″
- 3.5L EcoBoost® V6 Engine
- Long (148″ wheelbase)
- High Roof
- 3.31 Limited Slip Axle
- QuadVan 4×4
- SYNC 3, Pewter power 10 way seats
- Reverse parking alert
- Lane keeping alert
- Dual batteries
- Trailer tow package
- PATS
- Anti-Theft
- Upfitter switches
- Running Board
- Privacy Glass
The whole process was hit with multiple delays and was a true test of Matt’s patience.
07/02/15 – Ordered 2016 Cargo High Roof, Long, EB
07/20/15 – Received VIN
09/07/15 – Expected Build Date
09/13/15 – Received Window Sticker
11/04/15 – Delivered to Dealer
01/29/16 – Transferred to QuadVan
03/01/16 – QuadVan Finished
03/04/16 – Finally take delivery
Over the weekend we flew up to Portland and drove Gidget home to San Diego.
Lightly testing the 4×4 capabilities on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay.
Tricia somewhere in Oregon driving Gidget home.
Mount Shasta behind the clouds.
Driver seat view.
Rear view.
Front view.
Side view.
Passenger side front tire. QuadVan adds approximately 2 inches of lift.
Passenger side rear tire. QuadVan adds approximately 2 inches of lift.
4×4 shifter is located next to the emergency brake.
4×4 indicator light comes on whenever 4×4 is engaged.
What’s your ground clearance after the 4×4 conversion? Did you consider large wheels?
The ground clearance varies depending on how and where you measure it. It is better than stock.
Still looking into wheels.
Any idea what it is at the lowest point on the rig?
I think the rear differential is the lowest point.
What was the price with the 4×4 conversion?
QuadVan and Quigley are $13,000 last I heard. I would call to find out.
Quigly told me you couldn’t put larger wheels or tires on because it would impair ability to turn within the wheel well area…
Nice. I’m keeping my improvements modular and removable as this will be the nicest work van this cabinetmaker ever had. We have med. roof with side to side bed in the rear window wells where a full size mattress fits. Domestic cooler style fridge, campmor propane stove, anxiously awaiting the passenger “couch” as I have four grandsons. See you on the road!
Want exactly your setup, either quadvan or Quigley. Dale at Newberg Ford told me he quit selling Quadvans after most had issues and was hard/impossible to get warranty work done. How has the quadvan be ern working for you? Did you get gen 1 or gen 2? Thnx!
We got a QuadVan based on Dale’s recommendation. We where the 2nd or 3rd Transit to get the QuadVan Gen 1 treatment ever and had the Gen 1 version for first 1.5 years. Just a few months ago we drove Gidget up to Portland and had QuadVan turn it into a Gen 2. We have had 2 issues with our QuadVan before the Gen 2 upgrade:
• Front sway bar rubbed against the front right axel when fully turned and would make a high pitched squeal
• When getting the above looked at by a mechanic he discovered our CV boot on the front drive line ripped off, we didn’t even know
Both issues were fixed by a shop in San Diego and QuadVan paid for it under warranty. If you can get John from QuadVan on the phone he is super helpful, just need to be able to reach him. John is very intelligent and makes a great product. But it’s a small shop and they don’t have multiple staff members just taking care of customer service issues like Quigley does.
I’m happy we went QuadVan, but I can understand why others don’t.