Truck Repair: E-250 van suspension, reinforcement kit, air chambers

Question
I have a new 2005 Ford E-250 super duty van.  Coversion was by Tuscany for a Braun Under the Vehicle wheelchair lift.  The van has no middle row seats so I can get my two kids, both in wheelchairs, in the middle row behind the drivers seat.  Had to have the rear springs de-arched to lower the rear 1 1/2 inches and a different set of front coil springs to lower the front 1 3/4 inches.  No other changes to the suspension, wheels or shocks.  The van rode beautifully before it was lowered...smooth as glass.  Now it rides like a school bus, particularly int he back bench seat.  If I hit even a moderate bump at highway speeds, the rear seat passenger runs the risk of hitting his/her head on the bottom of the storage bin that  hangs from the raised roof above the rear seat.  The place that did the spring work is a truck suspension specialty shop but the people there don't know what to do to restore the van's ride.  Their first thought was that after lowering, it now has too much rear shock or too little rear shock, but they don't know which.  The van still has the stock E-250 shocks on it from the factory.  Can you help me save my family's necks?

Answer
Hi Greg,
I'd bet the frame bumpers are hitting.
Typically when you drop the rear of a pickup, there is a cutout and reinforcement kit so the axle will have clearance.
There is a shop in Fort Worth Texas that I just had a van in for a modification for a wheelchair person. Had remote control door openers installed.
The owner of the shop showed me around, and I was amazed with some of the things that are available.
One van had the interior floor actually lowered, and the suspension was modified with air chambers, kinda like the hydraulic cars you see on TV. It would squat low, especially on the right side, and just a real short ramp, not steep at all, was all that was needed.
The name slips me, but if it is possible that you would like the name, I can get it. The van that I took in belongs to my father.


But I think your shocks are ok, because the orriginals would allow the axle to hit the frame bumpers before the shocks bottom out.

Van