The Sportsmobile Lives! A Modern Day Version of the Iconic 4×4 Overland Econoline Van Built by Field Vans

The iconic Sportsmobile, a pioneer of American 4×4 overland rigs. Today, the company Field Vans, formerly known as Sportsmobile West, has brought to market a modern-day version of this classic overland van. At the Adventure Van Expo in Olympic Village, Tahoe I got to take a tour of what is now called the  “Classic 4×4” Ford overland van with Field Van’s President, Johnny Feld.

The Classic 4×4 is “based on the old Econoline builds that we did back in the late 80s, early ’90s

when we were Sportsmobile West”, Johnny mentioned “We couldn’t let the Econoline Die”. The company was rebranded to Field Van around 2020. As far as the Ford Econoline van, it was discontinued in 2014, but Ford continued offering the Econoline E-350 cab/chassis for builders like U-Haul, ambulance companies, Class C motorhomes, etc.

Instead of putting a box on the back, Field Van emulated the same traditional/iconic body style by building their own fiberglass body which retains the same body lines but is slightly flared out for a little more interior space.

The modern Ford E-350 cab/chassis is sold as a 2-wheel drive cab/frame setup.  Field Vans installs their own robust 4×4 system, adds the fiberglass body, the pop-top, aluminess bumpers and running boards and coats the entire rig in Raptor Liner to armor the vehicle body and prevent paint pinstriping.

Custom 4×4 Econoline E-350 Van Chassis/Drivetrain Conversion 

For their Ford Classic 4×4 E-350, Field Vans utilizes Fox suspension, custom springs and a really cool manual quick disconnect (pull the pin) front sway bar up front. The updated suspension maintains a nice ride on the road, and with the quick disconnect sway bar you get increased articulation for off-road.

Touching the pavement are BF Goodrich KO3’s on Fuel 20 inch wheels.  Another tried and true classic feature you don’t see on modern 4×4’s are manual locking Warn hubs. Everything is gear driven with an Atlas transfer case and a Dynatrac 60 ProRock 60 front axle. All components are custom designed for this Econoline 4×4 conversion that is done in-house at their build factory in Fresno, CA.

What’s really cool about the Atlas transfer case is the twin stick, which not only allows you to switch from 2-wheel to 4WD high and low, but if there was any ever issue in your rear axle or the driveshaft, you can actually put the rear in neutral and switch the van to front wheel drive to get out of any sticky situation. The transfer case is a 3:1 reduction in low range.

The power plant in this 4×4 Ford E-350 is swapped to the Ford Godzilla 7.3L V8, so it has plenty of power, and a 40 gallon fuel tank.

Overland Van Exterior Features

The front of the van is armored with an Aluminess bumper which has a concealed winch compartment housing a Warn 12,000 lb. winch and the hose for the onboard air compressor,  allowing you to air down then up when getting back on the pavement. There’s a Rigid LED light bar integrated into the bumper as well as a larger one integrated into the roof rack. Johnny comically stated that, “These things turn night into day, so they work really well at night!”.

Up top, there are two intelligently designed safari roof rack systems that waste no space for storage. The first rack sits over the van cab and allows for clearance of the pop top.  The front window of the pop top unzips, allowing you to access the rack over the cab from inside the van.  The second larger rack sits on the roof of the pop top and houses 2 solar panels for the on-board lithium battery power system, and also has a platform for additional storage.

In the rear, there’s plenty more storage with a below bed trunk storage space, and beneath floor level there’s a trap door storage space great for placing tools, recovery gear, etc. There’s also storage included in the swing-out read van doors that have drop-down doors which double as small table tops. Accessible from the rear is an outdoor shower tied into the van’s on-demand hot water system, which ties directly into the fuel tank. The driver’s side rear van door houses a spare tire and the passenger door houses an external, large storage box for more gear.  The rear bumper provides armor guarding the rear corners and taillights of the van. It also houses a quick disconnect to the onboard air system.

On the passenger side of the van is external LED lighting, a ladder to access the roof rack and a crank-out awning. One of the van side swing-out doors houses a swing-out cabinet with and dual drop-down countertops which they call a “door galley”. Its great for storing a stove and gear for cooking outdoors. 

Off-Grid Power System

Accessible from the rear is the van’s off-grid power system consisting of a 360 amp hour battery, 3,000 Watt AC power inverter and two 120 Watt solar panels on the roof to charge the system. The system also charges when the van is running, or you can plug into shore power at a campground.

CamperVan Interior

The particular interior configuration of this Field Van model we reviewed is called the Summit 1 floorplan which offers a nice open space to move around and the van has ample ventilation  The kitchenette offers a big countertop to place a stove if desired and houses the sink. All the drawers are lined to minimize noise of things jiggling around in them when driving.The van has a high-end microwave and an Isotherm fridge/freezer. The windows have day/night cell shades that give you the option to let in a little light, ample light or open up completely to the window. It’s an awning style window so you can open it in the rain.

Rearward inside there’s a comfy bench seat with 3 seat belts so you can have a total of 5 passengers. It easily folds flat with a deck and padding to the rear making for a giant 81 inch bed. This is a great feature if there are only 1 or 2 occupants where you can sleep without popping the top up if you desire. Of course there is an upper bed that folds out as well with 360 window/vent views out of the pop top. Without the upper bed built out (which drops down from the ceiling), there’s plenty of head room. I am 6 ft and had ample room to stand up straight.

Johnny mentioned that many people ask in regards to the pop-up top, how the van does in the winter. The pop top has insulated curtains keeping in the warmth, and there’s also an onboard furnace that ties into the fuel tank just like the water heater that keeps it exceptionally warm inside. As Johnny states, “You know, the heat rises and I mean, I’ve camped in well below freezing. I think it was five degrees in Mammoth when I was skiing and sleeping up top and perfectly warm. And on nice days like today, you can undo all the windows.They all have screens so you can get tons of ventilation through here”.

Next to the van side door on the interior wall are the control panels for the inverter, the Timberland water/air heating system and the solar controller. There’s of course LED lighting throughout including poseable reading lights and recessed ceiling lights and there are USB charging ports strategically placed throughout the interior.

Up in the cockpit, the passenger seat swivels 180 to face the van cabin. There’s a Kenwood screen that controls the custom sound system built into the van, Apple Carplay, and the rear backup camera, etc.

More Info

Visit www.fieldvan.com for more information. Their factory is located in Fresno, CA and have a sales/service showroom in Reno, NV.