It just became too expensive and involved to continue, and it's too bad, now that it has become the van I was hoping it would become, it is no longer mine, but I too find pleasure knowing that my efforts have not gone to waste, and hopefully someone that loves this van will buy it and enjoy it for many more miles. Cheers, Cotton

 

Thats sad, wiring is the biggest headache, you don't realize that there is a lot of it, takes 2 people to trace it all to do the patching. Maybe you can find one on better shape.

 

You'ld be hard-pressed to find one this old in this good a' condition. Full disclosure: There were a (very) few pin-holes in the driver's floor pan that I painted over, but other than two tiny spots of surface-rust, (besides what was shown on the drip-rails, EDIT: which was NOT "surface" rust!) it was remarkably rust-free & super solid. The coating on the inside is a combination of 3M micro-balloons and Rust-Oleum Tractor paint to prep for insulation, because I wanted to build a work-bench inside for a mobile business, and the roof is covered in Kool-Seal starting just behind the front doors. Mark (the body-shop owner) is a great guy, and he did a good job getting it back on the road. If I were to acquire this van right now, the only things I would concern myself with is bushings & likely some drive-train seals, and I'd bet I couldn't get more miles from a used Toyota. I remember trying to piecemeal a polyurethane bushing kit from bits of a Bronco body-mount set, but engine mounts, and front radiator supports I think were quite elusive. An upgrade to '87+(?) exhaust hangers would allow for a newer-style poly exhaust bushing, and get rid of the sad weld fix the hanger's got now. I regret using stainless hardware on everything, and I would have opted for a perforated headliner as well, now that I know better. There's TONS more I never included in this thread that either happened just before I sold it, or wasn't worthy of a post like how I restored the doghouse, and installed new pedal pads, though because it was work-in-progress, there was some-assembly-required when I sold it, but I knew it would come together quite nicely, if I may say so. Not that I'm trying to peddle my old van for the new owner, but I sure would love to see a true van-lover get this one. That's my 2¢ anyway, Cotton