'90 E-350 Cutaway Pickup Truck?? What is this thing / trans issue.

[thetandycollector]

Hello all,

Recently I was at an estate auction and purchased possibly one of the strangest trucks I have ever seen. I have watched this same one run around town since I was a little boy and figured, since I haven't seen another like it in Missouri ever, I had to have it. For a grand I bought a 1990 Ford Econoline 350 extended cab pickup. The sticker on the door is torn so the manufacturer name is gone, but it details a conversion by an ambulance company from a cutaway cab and chassis to a truck, equipped with a massive fuel tank, overload suspension, rear air suspension, and dual rear wheels. Anyone have a clue what this creature is and who built it? VIN runs as an ambulance. **NOTE since my first posting, I discovered that the air suspension was a later conversion. I also bought the building the truck was stored in and after cleaning the place up I found a second fuel tank that was marked to be part of this truck**

Secondly, upon further inspection since I really couldn't drive it or tear into it during the auction, we found that the insignia indicating turbodiesel where aftermarket, the engine shows quite a chunk of wear with some knocking rods but surprisingly enough not really any smoke other than normal for an IDI, no startup acceleration but plenty of highway speed. Our major disappointment was the transmission: park is where it should be on the indicator, but reverse can only be found by juggling the shifter. For forward motion, you have to put the shifter in the position for first and shift to second by hand. Judging from the way it moves, its starting out in second, shifting to third by hand, and no overdrive whatsoever. Thought maybe the filter was cooked but upon further inspection it has been changed recently. Fluid looks clean, smells like Mercon V. Possible valve body issue, or do y'all suppose the transmission is roasty-toasted? Gotta love a good old E4OD. **Note: Since my first posting I also confirmed that the transmission is starting out in second and shifting to third by hand, no first or overdrive.**

Thanks for the input, Bill.
Will post some pictures of this thing from my computer, doing the Android thing right now.