Well.. Ive never owned a van but I came across this for 1000.00,,, clean body 97k

460 with a C-6.. this was the bad boy of the day
[I]It was a conversion van..bathtub top... with funky brown and yellow tweed and dark paneling ..shades of the 70s..
The floor was covered in wood for the buildup and underneath its all in good shape.. surface rust stuff only

I have decided to strip it all the way.. body off... blast all the rust.. removed all the chrome and do dads from nearly 40 years of RV'ing.. which made for 10 hefty trash bags of junk and a bunch of funky old wood on the burn pile
Ill have a bunch of questions and as always appreciate the expertise on here

The transmission was on its last legs so Ive already pulled it for an upgrade red clutches rv convertor deep pan.. and a couple of c6 tricks .. I wasn't going to do the motor other than gaskets but Im so far into it I think its probably worth pulling.. its life was unknown but from the good ol boy publications stuffed behind the insulation I bet it had a hard life...

The valuable thing about this van is that it is pre-smog... which is such a killer here in California.. so I intend on making it run the way it should... removing (for testing purposes only mind you.. smog *****) anything that reduces performance ,mileage or just plain weight

Im toying around converting it to 4 x 4..more on that later

Here's some pics of the tear down... and a question or two while I'm waiting for a manual to arrive

Thanks all

notme



A round canister with the fuel lines leading to it was bolted to passenger frame rail below the passenger seating area.. tanks. I assume its some kind of evaporative canister... goes to the carburetor.. if I eliminate it can I just put a vent on the gas line?



Junk from the RV conversion.. UGLY!!!!







All cleaned out... surface rust will be blasted then Ill coat the entire interior with extreme liner




The only rust of issue was the battery boxes.. typical from batteries over 35 years.. I will blast it.. remove the boxes and move them inside into an aluminum battery box



I need a right fender... thanks for those who helped me already on that

 

i would hesitate to move them inside, unless you spend extra money on batteries that vent out a hose instead of to their local environment. you don't want all those acid fumes inside with you.
you say it "was" a conversion van, what will it be when you're done? a "******* waggin", a "sin bin", or just a fun little camper?
for that guy on the fuel line, i'm guessing thats on the vent/return line? that would be the carbon canister, which is an early device to control evaporative emissions. its absolutely no harm to keep it there, it just serves as a filtered vent. even though i tend to remove unnecessary emissions devices on these older rigs, that one is harmless.

 

You are correct about fumes from standard lead acid batteries... I should have been clear.. Ill use optimas.. which will also remove about 170 pounds off the front end and move it back to center

I will rebuild the conversion part of the van with late model technology

The evap canister was thrashed so Ill remove it and add a vent

Other than the green company (200 ea) does anyone have a source for fenders... OEM or CAPA... I can find junkyard... but why if I dont have to.

 

Strange, Certifit shows my price as 74 dollars. If you know someone with an account you might be able to get it cheaper. Just go raid a junkyard, they wont hardly charge you anything for a part from a 91.

 

Certifit?

I checked their site they do not list fenders for 75-91 econos

 

Certifit Online

My copy of the catalog is from last year, and they are closed so i didnt call my rep., They did recently increase costs but I dunno about a 75 :P

 

Other than green company I have struck out finding capa fenders for our vans... yes I can wrench at the yards but its as much as a new capa fender (obviously if they aren't available then the choice is limited.. new and pay the big bucks or yard stuff at about 65 ea ... pic and pull)

 

So now that the tranny is out and Ive decided to do the motor...or do a conversion

I was wondering what motors might be a good possibility (gas-carb's)

the 300 seems small
a 351 is a possibility but from what I read it doesnt get much more in fuel mileage
Im interested in the 302 ..I realize its down on power but they can get pretty good on mileage.. the van wont be a hauler... just a weekender. I had a 71 with a 302 I drove for awhile and it was a great fuel miser.

Still contemplating 4 x 4 conversion

Is it true the easiest way to access the motor is too pull the body? (which isnt a bad idea if Im going all the way.. but Ill have to build a new hoist because this thing is so tall)

thanks all

 

if your consideration were only 300 vs 302, i would go with the 300, as its got so much low-speed torque. anyone who's tested it will tell you that a 300 beats a 302 in a 0-60 run, but the 302 pulls ahead in the higher speed range.
i've heard a lot of guys say that they get better economy on a 460 than just about anything else, though i lack the personal experience to confirm it. you might also want to think about a diesel, as we all know that they get better mileage, and are non-computerized, but different than a gasser. at the end of the day, the choice is yours, but i would choose a diesel any day of the week.

 

A 351 is the better choise over a 302. IF you're going to go 4X4 in the future then get the 351 now and not have to worry about not enough power later. A 351 set up with good heads, RV cam, a small 4bbl carb, headers, and a modern ighition system will get good MPG and not have to work as hard as a 302.

 

Have you considered an oilburner? Mercedes, Isuzu, Cummins?

 

I am looking at the possibility of a donor 4 x 4 f250hd or f350 diesel....6.9 or 7.3
lost the cheap deal on one so Im still undecided as of yet... but there is plenty to do...
spent the weekend building a shop crane... a mondo shop crane.. pics to follow

still have a thousand screw to remove from isnide... but its getting cleaner

some capa fenders just popped up on ebay... and if the part numbers are right Im going to grab them

thanks

notme

 

Well I bought the passenger fender... 91.00 (as opposed to 200 plus shipping green wanted)... we will see how well it fits

I spent my weekend making a shop crane to lift the body off... the van is currently about 9 feet tall...the shop crane 15 feet.. less a foot for the trolley and a chain hoist... Ill need every inch of that to get above the motor... and roll the frame out

 

I can't believe you threw everything that was in/on that van in the trash! DO YOU have ANY idea how hard it is to find that stuff!!!!


Lights, chrome, dark chocolate wood paneling, yellow **** carpet, and vinyl captain chairs are genuine 70's van stuff, and i'm looking everywhere for that kind of stuff to put in my van!

 

With all due respect to the beloved 6.9 and 7.3 motors, when installed in vans they were down on power due to space limitations in the van causing plumbing and other problems, if I understood my buddy with an oil buring E series.

Serving suggestion for a smaller, lighter, easier to work on motor.....