The front has coil springs with a part number referencing a Ford F-250. The gas tank was relocated to the location of the stock spare, behind the rear bumper. My spare is now on my roof in the rack. It has a signicantly improved frame and would not surprise me if it had a Ford F series origin as well. It has a 3" body lift, which comes in handy. In the last year, I have replaced the complete rear suspension and everything except the coil springs in the front. That being said, it can be a bit squirrelly on the road especially if it's windy. I haven't owned a vehicle with front leaf springs but I don't think they will serve you well with this type of tall, wide and heavy vehicle. Those Oregon coast roads would be tough. I have Rancho adjustable shocks and they have made a big difference on wash board type roads. The front wheel base is about 1-2" wider than the rear which gives a better foot print when offroad. The tires don't roll in the same tracks. I think that I have taken it in every type of terrain. Got stuck on the beach because I did not deflate my tires enough. High centered and looked like a doofus but a jeep with a winch pulled me out and I was fine for the rest of the day.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info. I can send pics of the front suspension if you like.

 

Pictures of underneath and any numbers would be great. I don't know if you read back on the post but my plan is to use a same year donor 4x4 dodge truck and hopefully mount the dodge body on the truck frame. Everyone from the 4x4 conversion shops say this will not work but the guy I have seems to think it will. To know for sure he needs to see both vehicles up on a lift side by side. I just got the title so I'm planing to have him look at it in a few days. How are you posting pictures. I can't seem to figure that out using my phone. The two shops that would do the conversion (not my guy) wanted to use a leaf spring front that i was not thrilled about. My guy doesnt want to do the leaf spring front conversion either. Thats where the idea of the donor truck came into play.

 

Upload your pics someplace like photobucket, or similar site, then, you can link the pic here.

 

Ok thanks. Will try to do it later tonight when I get home from work.

 

Here are a few pics of the undercarriage. View is from passenger side front, passenger side and one of the gas tank in the back.

 

View from behind the passenger tire.

 

Frame view. Behind passenger front wheel, below side barn door. Tranny located to the left.

 

View of the gas tank.

 

Thanks for the pictures. I'm sure they will help and I'm also sure they will lead to more questions. I got a bit of bad news yesterday when I went to transfer the title. Secretary of State couldn't do the transfer because they couldn't find the vin number in there computer. They had to email lansing to see if they had a record of the van. Hopefully it won't be an issue and it's only going to be a delay of a day or two. The van has a vin number, I have the title and I have a car fax that shows the van and vin number. Why they can't find it, I don't know. I'm getting impatient. I am itching to get both trucks up on a lift so I can see if this thing is doable at a reasonable cost.

 

You are welcome. I'm sorry to hear of your delay. Hopefully they will figure it all out quickly and inexpensively. Let me know if you need more pics or info. I'm happy to share what I know. These projects can be fun but painful. Good luck.