Okay, torn a little bit here. Found a parts van for my 89, and managed to get ahold of the owner. I need a rear window for my van to pass inspection, which he said I could take for $50. OR I could have the whole thing delivered for $200. Money is tight, so while my brain goes $200!! FIND the 200!! It also says that will seriously bust ya man.

A quick visual inspection makes me think it's an 89, but they guy thinks it's a 90 or 91. Says it runs too ... body is just pretty much rusted out. Mentioned it had tranny work done before it was given to him. Gut says most of the parts would transfer even if it's a 90/91 ... unless the engine is a different size. They are the same wheelbase/bodystyle by the looks of things too.

Would I be an absolute simpleton to not buy the whole thing, strip it for any parts it's worth, and sell off (give) the shell to the wrecker?

 

You could take the parts you need, and with enough advertising, you could sell the extra parts for enough cash to recoup your initial investment. My town won't allow nuisance vehicles sitting around, so I'd have to strip the vehicle and store the parts untill they sold. Keep that in mind as well.

If it were me, I'd buy it and part it out!

 

Well, I'm thinking that if the thing runs like the guy told me, I may just decide it I'd be better off putting THAT van on the road and using the one I have now as parts. A glance inside revealed AC and Cruise that the one I have now is sadly missing. :P The body on the other van is worse, BUT it's pretty much a matter of cut out the bad parts and either weld (if I can get to a welder) or rivet some new metal in place to fix it. Plus the windshield is cracked across, but the one I have now is fine. I'll decide for sure once I get a chance to take a look inside/under the hood and maybe hear it run. He said he drove it to where it sits now, so what's there to lose!

 

is it drivable? has tires? check the engine,and fluids. try to fire it up!! shift tranny through all gears, does the van engage.. if can can get it out of there with little or no hassel it would be worth it. then it goes into the "married , not married" catagory for me. since i'm married i would discuss/plead with my wife. then decide if i can bring it home !! just my 2 cents worth!! ( i once got a car just by being able to get it started, and removing it from the persons yard , my brother and i had a blast! it was a 65 plym belvedere , but i digress... rick

 

I have a parts van and have used it on numerous occasions and have paid for it many times over. I'm lucky to have a place to store it however. If you have room for it, buy it! cause you just know that the week after you don't youre gonna need that other part...!
007BRONCO

 

Well, I went and took a look at it tonight. It's a 90 extended wheelbase, vs. my 89 regular length.

He boosted it and it fired right up. 189,000kms and the transmission had recently been worked on before it got parked, so in theory, it should be good as newish. The motor idled fine, smelled very rich though, and the exhaust got knocked off when they moved it to where it's parked. Only thing I really noticed was that when you hit the gas, the engine hesitated and almost died before revving up. Probably nothing a tune-up and maybe some new sensors couldn't fix. The guages all seemed to work, the oil pressure looked good, the alternator appeared to be charging, the lights worked, and the temperature came up and stayed in a happy range while it was running. All in all, I'd say from a drivability standpoint, it's in much better shape than what I have now.

The body is pretty rough, basically the whole length is rusted out along the bottom on both sides. The back door didn't close as smoothly as the 89, but I'm sure it's fixable with some minor adjustments. The rear hatch also doesn't open, but again, nothing I'm sure can't be fixed by pulling the panels off the inside and toying with. Could be a stuck latch or something. The windshield would have to be changed, since it's cracked full across, but the one from the 89 should fit right in. My wife is a bit worried about the shape the body of the van is in. But, as I told her, if we're not worried about it looking pretty, which right now, we're not, it's nothing a weekend with an angle grinder, a couple rolls of aluminum, a rivet gun, a drill, and some primer can't make certifiable!

So what it looks like the plan is right now is to have it delivered Thursday for $200 and put the PARTS van on the road (the 90) instead of fixing the questionable 89. I may know less of the history of the 90 ... but I'd rather do some body work than a motor and tranny swap!!

Did the 90s still run the 3.0 litre? Or was it a different engine?