Tough Tow Vehicle: 1990 Ford E350 Cabriolet Dually
Finding a comfortable tow vehicle to haul those heavy loads can be a difficult task, but this 1990 Ford E350 Cabriolet Dually might just fulfill that role admirably, and do so at an affordable price. I have to thank Barn Finder Roger for referring the Ford through to us. Located in Livingston, Montana, you will find the E350 listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner is asking $5,000 for this awesome hauler.
Cabriolet, based in Constantine, Michigan, was a company that lent their expertise to customizing the E350. Their work was similar in many respects to that provided by Centurion on the Bronco/F-Series hybrid, but they worked on a lower volume. This custom work extended to both body and graphics, as can be seen on this vehicle. The owner of the E350 is willing to admit that the vehicle isn’t perfect. There are spots where the clear coat has begun to peel, which is not a particularly unusual occurrence. The rest of the paint looks to be good, as does the exterior trim, chrome, and glass. The Cabriolet graphics are looking a bit tired in some areas, but the overall presentation of the vehicle is pretty reasonable. As far as towing duties are concerned, this Ford has the next owner well catered for. As well as a fifth-wheel hitch under the bed, there is also a receiver fitted to the vehicle. So, big loads or small, this is a vehicle to take on anything.
As was the case with Centurion, Cabriolet also took the opportunity to weave their own particular form of magic over the vehicle interior. This included the fitting of timber trim items, and the majority of these remain inside this E350. Some of the timber is looking rough around the edges now, but I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be restored. The upholstery and trim all looks to be quite good for a vehicle of this age and type, and while power windows, power locks, air conditioning, cruise control, and a tilt wheel were standard fare, this E350 also wears an aftermarket CD player and tachometer.
With no engine photos, what we know is that under the hood of the Cabriolet is the mighty fuel-injected 460ci V8 engine, backed by an automatic transmission with overdrive. That giant produces a modest 245hp, but an impressive 400ft/lbs of torque. It was that latter figure that made the Centurion such an accomplished tow vehicle, and while it was never going to burn up the bitumen, that torque certainly allowed the E350 to do its job quite comfortably. The owner doesn’t provide a lot of information on the Cabriolet’s mechanical condition, but with only 80,000 miles on the clock, it should still have plenty of life left in it.
This 1990 E350 Cabriolet isn’t perfect, but it does appear to be a vehicle that is ready to go and to undertake the sort of role that it was designed for. It would make a great hauler for someone looking to tow something like a race car, and at the asking price, I have to agree with the owner that it is extremely competitively priced. That makes it a very interesting proposition.
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Comments
Always liked these – – – I’m not an RV hauler type guy but for a goose neck car hauler what a great vehicle.
Have only ever seen (a few) hauling RV type trailers.
and as the expression goes – – “THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THQN GOOD MILEAGE”
At this entry price, it’d seem as though anyone wanting to do some bargain 5th-wheel or goose-neck hauling couldn’t do much better.
I like the overall look, and it appears to be in decent condition. A modern diesel driveline would be an improvement, but you could spend a lot of miles worth of gasoline making that conversion.
morning ben here in fl had one similar a lot of little things like power windows were always messing up and power door locks and gas about 10 miles a gallon when towing ride was nice
Love it and would love to have one! For a daily driver it would never work, but If you’re buying a vintage puller for occasional use the gas mileage isn’t a big concern. Cool factor definitely outweighs that.
I have a 1989 that I put a 5.9 12 valve in and it is great with a c6 and O/D love the truck bigger injectors and turbo 5 inch exhaust and turned the pump up laying down 400 hp 680 ft lbs they can keep there $60,000 new pick up’s I love my 89.
Did seller get it sold?
Yes. Went to Oregon.
Pretty awesome truck. Is it a truck? Part van, sleeper, and part truck? Never seen anything like it and didn’t know these even existed.
Since it its a one ton hauler, I’ll go with truck.
Years ago a neighbor had one similar to this.gmc with diesel , looked great and sounded good with the clunk clunk of a diesel, always told him that when the time came ,i was the buyer but he moved away and never seen or eard of him again
Loved the look and would love to get one and instal a new engine in it but i live in canada and have to multiply by 2 if i buy this truck …
As trailer tow vehicles go, I’ve always loved the Ford van. I love the asking price for this one. Assuming everything works like they should, the only thing I’d do is install a Powerstroke Diesel engine.
I have had several of these. The last one was an 1985 and I owned it for 21 years. I put a 7.3 diesel engine in it and got about 18 MPG. I love these vehicles and if I had my way, I would own a fleet of them from every year that they were produced. I had an original tailgate for one which is really rare and just recently sold it
VANDUALLYTRUCK! well at least that’s what I call these when I see them
Perfect for hauling our collector cars with. Seems like a good price.
Actually a lot of folks refer them as van/truck
I specifically used them to transport classic cars pulling either a 3 car open trailer and a 2 car enclosed trailer. I saved quite a bit of money by sleeping in the rear fold down couch that made into a bed rather than stay in motels
I think that would be a cool use for the vehicle. You could even enter it in the show. (We recently had a 1982 E-100 entered in our local show). Also could be useful for someone towing a trailer to the local state park for the weekend. Price is right. One would never recoup the cost of a powertrain change.
I had an ’85 Ford 150 van conversion with a 351 four barrel for a couple years. Loved it. It just got to be too expensive at the pumps. This one isn’t doing to bad. But, question: Why do they have some old paintings and cardboard on the rear floor? Is the carpeting too bad? Plus, the rear seating might fold down, but, I wouldn’t like to try to sleep on it. My rear seat folded down’ too. But, it was flat. The size of a full bed. Quite comfortable.
When they were around I disliked them.
Now I see their purpose built, yeah – geta cheep blown engine 1 – a 12v and allison. Me happy hauler then (nxt million mi anyway) !
Like the 1 w/the 4 doors (3 – 1 side, 1 the other)
Someone must have bought it, the ad has been deleted.
Hope it found a good home!
For those that were interested, this one is listed for sale again in Oregon. No price, but I had previously talked with the seller and do know it sold last fall for $5k.
Thanks for updating, but not too helpful for interested parties, unless you post the link?
Is it CraigsList? What locality?
Tried, but couldn’t get a link to work. Facebook Marketplace in Gresham, Oregon.
Got it, thanks RH
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1497829543725215
Well let’s see now…. Double the price, add a little more for haggling room, and you get $11,111 as the new ask.
$Flip$
Not that it looked like it needed much, but from reading the description and looking at the photos, nothing has been done to it. Seems like the perfect flip! Keep it for 6 months and hopefully double your money. Maybe got tired of the 6-8 mpg?
I love too buy this if anyone knows who or where it maybe Now or the owner please give them my info And thank you
Neal
graytitanic101. @. Gmail.
Agin any help finding it Thank you
Neal,
I currently have a 1987 Ford E350 Cabriolet Van/Pickup that I just advertised on Barn Finds. To view additional photos, go to http://collectorcars.fotki.com
Please if anyone knows of one for sale get back to me …
Looking for a few years now
I’m
Neal
[email protected]
Thank you