Since the Ford Super Club Wagon is built on the one ton
E-350 chassis, it sits high off the ground.
Brush Guard
I have a black brush guard. Unfortunately, brush
guards are hard to find for vans. They are also less functional than
the brush guards made for pickups, since van grille guards are bumper
mounted rather than frame mounted. Since the front slopes away so
rapidly on an van, it can be difficult to determine where the front corner
of the bumpers end. The brush guard gave me a place to mount corner
marker poles (made for use on boat trailers).
Fog Lights
If you spend much time in coastal areas, fog lights will be
a necessity. I mounted a pair of "Diamond Blue" fog lights
to the grille guard. These put out a bright white light similar to the
new HID headlights but with a wide beam that has a distinct horizontal cut
off to prevent the light from bouncing back into the drivers eyes in heavy
fog. I mounted the fog lights so that they would be protected by the
grille guard. I would have preferred to mount them lower but potential
damage from curbs and shopping center drivers in head-in parking spaces
would have increased. I mounted the switch to the tachometer bracket
on the dash to improve accessibility from the steering wheel. Of
course they are wired through the light switch to eliminate the potential of
leaving them on accidentally.
Clearance Lights
To further aid in night visibility, I added clearance lights
to the van. These were wired into the parking light switch so they
come on with the parking lights.
Running Boards
Entry and exit is significantly improved through the
addition of running boards. Running boards offer a second
benefit. The wide stance of the tires results in mud and other debris
being thrown all over the side of the vehicle. Running boards
significantly reduce the cleanup effort and cut down on the paint chips
caused by rocks kicked up by the tires. I added full length black
anodized running boards to my Wagon. Georgia appreciates not having to
haul herself up into the passengers seat.
Wind Deflectors
Speaking of paint chips, a front wind deflector will keep
the hood in much better condition IF you use the small plastic stick-on
bubbles to keep the deflector from rubbing the paint off. On vans,
these wind deflectors offer no assistance in keeping bugs off the windshield
but they do keep the hood cleaner. I have a black wind deflector to
match the black running boards, although the clear deflectors are less
obvious. If you like to drive with the windows partially open at
times, adding wind deflectors to the driver and passenger windows will also
help. I installed the small deflectors on my previous van. I
have the large deflectors on the Super Club Wagon. While they allow
you to lower the windows more, thus getting more air circulation in the
vehicle, they are dark enough that they make it more difficult to see object
in the outside mirrors at night. If your State allows some window
tinting on the driver and front passenger windows (Texas does), the small
deflectors in conjunction with tinting the front windows would be a better
choice.
Wheels
The wheels on the E-350 must be capable of carrying
80 psi tire pressure and loadings in excess of 3200 pounds each. While
the stock wheels and hub caps are not bad, the Ford alloy wheels are better.
Roof Rack and Ladder
Since there are times that you may need to carry items that
will not fit inside, I have a roof rack on my Super Club Wagon. Even
with the step bumper, accessing the roof rack would be very difficult.
My van has a rear ladder on the left rear door to improve roof access.
It also provides a good way to get access to the roof of the trailer by
backing the van up beside the trailer with the left rear corner of the truck
almost touching the trailer.
Rear Wind Deflector
Having driven vans for many years, I was aware of how dirty
the rear window gets when driving in the rain. To minimize this, I
added a rear wind deflector. You will probably have to have one
ordered. I did not find anyone who carried rear wind deflectors for
vans in stock). It does help. I would recommend that you install
the wind deflector prior to installing the roof rack. They may
conflict, causing you to have to move the roof rack forward or modify the
rear wind deflector.
Hitch
Of course, to tow a trailer requires a receiver hitch.
I have a class IV receiver hitch rated to tow a 10,000 pound trailer with a
hitch weight of 1200 pounds. The Ford heavy duty (Class III) towing package
includes the wiring harness for the electric brake controller and the 7 way
trailer electrical connector. I have both the 7 way connector and the
4 way plug so I can tow smaller trailers (such as U-Haul) without a handful
of adapters.
Backup
Monitor
With the limited rear visibility for hooking up a trailer
afforded by the high rear windows in a van, a back-up monitor is
wonderful. I installed a 5" Audiovox monitor on the engine cover
console using the stand made for mounting a cellular telephone in a
vehicle. I attached the small camera in the center of the van just
below the high mounted brake light so that I could get a view of the
hitch. The monitor I use has a built in microphone in the camera so
that the driver can hear instructions from anyone at the back of the
vehicle. This has been a tremendous benefit to us as I can give my
wife directions as she backs the van up to the Airstream.
Rear Docking Lights
To aid in night hookup and docking, I added fog lights to
the underside of the rear bumper slightly angled outward and upward.
This gives increased light to the rear without having to leave someone in
the van applying the brakes since the vehicle must be in reverse to activate
the backup lights. I have a pair of toggle switches under the
dash. One controls the rear fog lights. The other controls a 12
volt receptacle attached to the left rear fog light. This allows
plugging in a handheld spotlight or emergency flashing lights into the 12
volt system. Since the rear stone guard blocks much of the light, I am
considering mounting the docking lights to the rear wind deflector.
This would enhance the lighting effect since the light would be shinning
down on the hitch.
Rear Stone Guard (Mud Flap)
To prevent damage to the front of the trailer from rocks
thrown up by the rear tires on the van, I installed a rock guard across the
rear of the van. I mounted the guard to the hitch bar so it could be
removed when the hitch bar was not needed. The weight of the Hensley hitch
bar is such that I added washers between the U bracket that goes under the
hitch bar and the metal tubing that supports the rock guard so that the rock
guard can be easily removed from the hitch bar.
