Well i got this beauty off of Feebay it's in SC i have to get it shipped back home to NJ .
Looks to be all original , i thought it may have chrome slots but i notced the white wagon wheels in the sales brochure .
it need motor work and trany work but i have new ones out back . So i'll have to see what i end up doing with this one .
Cool, did you go to transport reviews?
It looks clean except for that a-pillar rot they all have.
Cool Joe,Mine came witt same white wagon wheels from Factory too!!!
hey
Cool, did you go to transport reviews?
It looks clean except for that a-pillar rot they all have.
Thanks MS i have a guy i deal with , i'll give him a shot first .
thanks for looking out
Awesome! Looks to have the same paint job as the hot wheel model and the sales literature. Neat-o!
I LOVE IT ! SO JELOUS NOW !
That does look like the literature van. Would be cool to keep the same colours and theme, that screams 70's. Very cool find.
Sweet! Totally cool. Plz post more pictures when you get it.
AWESOME!!! That will look good parked at our site haha.
Nice score Joe. Congrats.
AWESOME!! It looks really good. Nice score. Are you keeping the same wheels? AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
AWESOME!! It looks really good. Nice score. Are you keeping the same wheels? AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Big-n-littles on one side, and white letters on the other?? I hope you make them match at least....
ps. I love the raised letter look. Go for that. Goes much better with the period paintjob.
Cool, I'll get to see that on Sunday too!
wow! what a nice find! Id have to agree on the tires! that just looks unsafe. Cant wait to see what you do with it
Yeah there's alot not safe it's been sitting for many years so it needs more then tires .
But anyway here's the smooking gun for the critics on is it or is it not a real Street Van .
it took a while to clean off that resin that leaked out from the regulator .
Shes Real Joe!! Its 109" WB?,mines 127",She cleaned up real good! Thats the same roof rack I just took off mine!
Looks good! keep us posted!
Already started to tinker with it , I pulled the heater A/C box because it was rusted out .
I'm repalicing the wire harness because it shorted out . Now i'm looking at the firewall , i really don't want to paint the van yet . But since i'm taking everything off the fire wall i just may paint the inside only of the engine and firewall area .
A Great find indeed, she cleaned up pretty well for as long as she's prbably been sitting.
Yea Joe,Ya mite as well paint the firewall whiles shes stripped ! Then your going to wana buy all "New" stuff to put on it!!
Saw this van on Sunday. It's in really good shape considering. Look forward to seeing it on the road.
Yea Joe,Ya mite as well paint the firewall whiles shes stripped ! Then your going to wana buy all "New" stuff to put on it!!
Yep, thats how it starts.
yeah i know ... i'm getting in deap .
yeah i know ... i'm getting in deap .
LMAO Jus keep your nose outa da water Joe!! ;0)
well the new motor and trans was going in this week but it looks like the weather will screw me up for a another week .
Im taking it out of my 74 since is so badly rusted on the roof down past the rain gutters ill take the new motor and trans from that and put it in the 77 .
I just bought a parts van in PA i have to go pick it up yet . And it looks like the snow will screw that up as well . I decided since shorty vans are hard to come by on the east coast i may as well just have fun with it .
I'm strongly leaning on chopping this bad boy . Im keeping the idea of the same type of graphics . I did a quick photo shop on my P/C and i don't have a good program for it and it looks decent enough to give me an idea what it will look like .
here's the above photo not touched .
cool! i like chopped vans.
do you have a picture more from the front ?
i could photo-chop that.. would be interessting to see how i looks
Cool Magneto ,
try this one ?
Don't forget a lowering kit....
I'm not very good at free photoshop either, but it helps with visions sometimes.
LOL Josh . Angel chop buddy like BuzzSaw .
Hey you never said! You only said chop!
Weeelllll..... I tried. I'm not good enough. lol
like that ? or is that too extreme ?
here a before/after comparsion image..
i guess in the end the roof needs to be longer and also wider at the front.. much work >_<
but it does look cool to me.
angle chops on the dodges look cool. Mucho work.
Yeah that last pic looks good. The van would need to be lower though IMO
Magneto ,
That looks killer thank you SoOoooo Much! And yes i think it looks really bad ass .
And yes it will need a lowering job and right size tires to ..
Right now i have a 360 going in first .
youre welcome.. i realy enjoy editing van photos!
graphics is my occupation and im glad when i can use the tools for something else then boring commercials or internetpages or such..
also i miss my own van which is away for paint now for many weeks.. and messing around with other people's vans (even if only virtually) helps a bit around the paint of missing my own one ;D
so here the lowered version with a smaler front wheel..
(just quick and dirty)
youre welcome.. i realy enjoy editing van photos!
graphics is my occupation and im glad when i can use the tools for something else then boring commercials or internetpages or such..
also i miss my own van which is away for paint now for many weeks.. and messing around with other people's vans (even if only virtually) helps a bit around the paint of missing my own one ;D
so here the lowered version with a smaler front wheel..
(just quick and dirty)
GOOD EDITING MAGNETO,IT LOOK LIKE U WILL BE KEEPING VERY BUSY ON vanning.com FOR A LONG TIME!!!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD EDITING ON OUR VANS!!
HOPE TO SEE U AT THE NATS ONE DAY!!
I wanted to do a chop on my Dodge but I want to wait until I can get a chance to sit in the drivers seat of one that has been done already. I would hate to spend all that time, energy and money only to decide that I dont like it.
Now that looks bad ass, Even with the wagon wheels
Way To cool bro ,
you have to let me send ya paypal gift ?
Awesome job Magneto, but that big mirror's gotta go.
Also thats a Good idea Downie,I like to be in a relaxed and comfortable position on a long trip,a short haul you can put up with a little more inconvience. ALL chops are Cool though.
Awesome job Magneto, but that big mirror's gotta go.
Also thats a Good idea Downie,I like to be in a relaxed and comfortable position on a long trip,a short haul you can put up with a little more inconvience. ALL chops are Cool though.
I think Superbeast said it best when he said, coolness always trumps convenience.
I'm not at all worried about the mirrors or wheels , i just wanted an idea how it looked with the same type of graphics .
I have alot of Vision .. It's all stuck in my head ..lol
whatever you decide to do with your way so cool Dodge street van i am sure it will be sweet as you have a piece of Dodge Van history and i thank you for sharing it with us
Awesome job Magneto, but that big mirror's gotta go.
Also thats a Good idea Downie,I like to be in a relaxed and comfortable position on a long trip,a short haul you can put up with a little more inconvience. ALL chops are Cool though.
I think Superbeast said it best when he said, coolness always trumps convenience.
You got that right buddy!
i sat in an angle chop Astro, it wasnt uncomfortable at all with shorter seat brackets. felt more like riding in a car.
Awesome job Magneto, but that big mirror's gotta go.
Also thats a Good idea Downie,I like to be in a relaxed and comfortable position on a long trip,a short haul you can put up with a little more inconvience. ALL chops are Cool though.
I think Superbeast said it best when he said, coolness always trumps convenience.
You got that right buddy!
I gotta agree too.
Although personally I'm not a fan of chop tops, that angle chop looks good on that van. Go for it.
put some windows in it!
Ugh, you dont put windows in, ya take em out. I wouldnt have a problem with the chop if it was an alternative truckin vehicle, but as a daily driver, I need the comfort too
cut the windows at an angle ....who has ever done that
Nahh sorry No windows on this baby .
cut the windows at an angle ....who has ever done that
It's been done.
Windows belong in houses and on computers
Back on topic, I agree with keeping this one original. Chop the blue one. Just my opinion. I always like this paint scheme.
cut the windows at an angle ....who has ever done that
It's been done.
Windows belong in houses and on computers
That's arguable, Windows doesn't even belong on a computer.
Back on topic, I agree with keeping this one original. Chop the blue one. Just my opinion. I always like this paint scheme.
I concur
cut the windows at an angle ....who has ever done that
It's been done.
Windows belong in houses and on computers
That's arguable, Windows doesn't even belong on a computer.
I thought it would be Snotty that would say that
Well i have some what of a concept , here's what i have that I'll let out for public view ... hehe
Anyway it will include the street van style graphics , fender flares hand made with metal , angle chop top , and a killer front end remodel that wont be an ankle buster and will be functional for performence as well .
It's not a chip Foose art work but you can get an idea ..
nice renderings.
I like the radical front end......
........Wookee
Looks great....build her up!
Cool! I like the design. Is this going to be a shop build?
Or are you going to build it yourself?
Cool! I like the design. Is this going to be a shop build?
Or are you going to build it yourself?
Up untill paint work and the motor replacement , it's all back yard building .
Well the old motor is out , since there's a big hole there now i decided to send it out for media blasting and paint for the front chassis and motor compartment .
I figured it's better to do that now then wait till later when i have to take it all apart again .. This way i can work on other parts of the van and not have to worry about that anymore .
Is that a 1/2 ton shorty?
Is that a 1/2 ton shorty?
Yes sir , did you check out the begining of the thread ?
Is that a 1/2 ton shorty?
Yes sir , did you check out the begining of the thread ?
Just did...that's a nice van, really. 1/2 shorty without power steering and brakes,, and has factory a/c? first time seeing a street van with the single rear door. I'll buy the van off ya for $5000 right now!
She has power steering , and i have the power brake set up from my 74 whitch is new .
That's gonna look GREAT! Can't wait to see this progress!
She has power steering , and i have the power brake set up from my 74 whitch is new .
The maroon 74? Are you robbing parts off that?
She has power steering , and i have the power brake set up from my 74 whitch is new .
The maroon 74? Are you robbing parts off that?
Yes and so is the motor and trans thats in it as well is going into the 77 street van .
She has power steering , and i have the power brake set up from my 74 whitch is new .
The maroon 74? Are you robbing parts off that?
Yes and so is the motor and trans thats in it as well is going into the 77 street van .
That 74 is a shorty, right? Wanna sell that van to me?
[/quote]
That 74 is a shorty, right? Wanna sell that van to me?
[/quote]
I cant it's rusted really bad in the roof down about two inches ,from a bad Vista install a few years ago .
the rest of it most likely go into Buzzsaw
Well the new motor is sitting in the van the fire wall is painted as well as the chassis under the motor .
Im not going crazy painting and chroming everything till it's closer to being put on the road .
I'm working on the radiator suport now , mine was in bad shape and the one in the 74 was welded in i may see if i can cut it out nice and use that but if not i'll have a delay till i find a better radiator suport sides .
lookin damn good! is that grilled section below the heater box hole for the ones that came with a/c?
lookin damn good! is that grilled section below the heater box hole for the ones that came with a/c?
Yes it is an A/C Truck Im considering going with an after market A/C Unit when the time comes , Im not sure yet .
And thanks for the compliments guys .
Looks GREAT so far buddy! Is that the Mopar color on the engine, or just a color you liked?
Looks great!
Looks like Ford blue kinda sorta.
Looks great!
Looks like Ford blue kinda sorta.
Yeah is dose it's what i had on the shelf , it was blue before so i went with the same color .
This weekend i hand cleaned and stripped the radiator support and fan shroud .
I really want to do these in the body color but since they are not in the best of shape as they are pitted pretty bad i primed them with the spray gun then spray bombed them with a few good coats of black . They look decent , i can't go crazy anyway because i'll be working on the body mods all year .
They would just get messed up anyway .
sounds like a plan why go crazy..but not so bad lookin =)
Well , The new motor is in , I have a few odds and ends to wrap up , but i towed the Van home cleaned out the interior and i'm readying it for the Chop .
My Buddy Bob Came over to look eveything over and pointed out that i'll need yet another roof section from the A piller back to where the B piller starts . I thought maybe i could use the 74 's section but is very rusty hence thats why I'm parting it out reason .
It's been under a cover and i haven't even lookied at it .
So i'm hunting down that Roof section . Delays Delays ...
Other then the Van runnning good i don't have much to report .
Another very talented person
I know I am a bit late in the game but all looks nice man. The drawings, the computer chop and the real work. Keep at it man. Seeing this stuff inspires many to dig in and get dirty. Well I know it inspires me!!!!!!!
Hey no rush man. The van is coming along nicely!
Hey no rush man. The van is coming along nicely!
Thanks Guys , I'm not in a rush I'm just impatient LOL
Im just over excited to start my chop and body mods .
Joe,
Looking good. This will be a fun build to follow. Please keep posting pictures as it progresses (especially of the chop and body mods)!
Looks great buddy. I feel your pain. I'm going to need some roof metal soon myself!
I wish I lived closer to you, I would be at your house everyday exchanging photos of what junky van to buy next! bwhahahaaha
This will be a nice one when done, you did good!
Looks Great! Nothing like a fresh heart!
I wish I lived closer to you, I would be at your house everyday exchanging photos of what junky van to buy next! bwhahahaaha
This will be a nice one when done, you did good!
Ahh ! I have to say i was extremely busy today at work My entire lunch brake of three minutes was looking at this post and laughing my ass off . This made my day .. Hahaha
lolol thats good when u have a day like today =)
I wish I lived closer to you, I would be at your house everyday exchanging photos of what junky van to buy next! bwhahahaaha
This will be a nice one when done, you did good!
Ahh ! I have to say i was extremely busy today at work My entire lunch brake of three minutes was looking at this post and laughing my ass off . This made my day .. Hahaha
Dunno, I think the only van he really should have passed on was Buzz cut. Sorry Joe, I still don't think it's worth fixing. The rest are good for parts or for building and/or rebuilding.
The Gathering of Parts and the retired Van's part will live on ...
My trip to a Junk yard ..
The Donor ..
The massacre ..
The Moble office ..
Donor part home waiting for it's next life ..
This will be used for the Chop's front section .
Well Today was the day the chop Begins !
A tool selection comes out and the van is place in front of the garage .
Just some of items we used :
Bob And Claud come over to school me in the proper method of chopping a dodge .
Donor parts are prepped This took much of our time today as it is time consuming work .
The Van is made ready with suports and removing of all the glass and dash .
No turing back now Bob Digs right in with the Cut ..
A pillers are made ready for inserts .
Im going for a 14 inch window Angle chop . Bob And Claud Both brought tools to the table today as well witch was good because we where able to all be working at once to be able to speed things along .
Enjoy .
cool! deffanitly wanna see this progress...
You'll be Cruzin in No time.It sure makes it Easier, to have Help
Awesome! This will be a fun build to watch!
Very cool.I will be watching this.I really want to see how its done.
Awesome Then Stay tuned and thanks for the comments , wish me luck ..lol
Anyway today I made some repairs , the shifter was ruined when some one tried to fix it with a Nail to hold it together , it was lose and wore out the housing and leaver . It was hard to get in to gear at times because of this . So today i replaced the column from the parts van . I also made a make shift bracket to hold the gauges and wiring . Some of the wires have to be hooked up for the ignition to work .
Very Cool, Keep up the Great Work
this is gonna look sweet i know it haha
this van definately ain't a virgin anymore!
I don't think I have the balls to ever do that.....
Looks GREAT so far! Keep the process coming.
Saw the Dodge you cut the roof off on Saturday. Are you going back for the side? Was gonna grab it, but thought I'd give you first crack at it since you cut it first.
Looks GREAT so far! Keep the process coming.
Saw the Dodge you cut the roof off on Saturday. Are you going back for the side? Was gonna grab it, but thought I'd give you first crack at it since you cut it first.
Nahh i might go back for the green roof skin on the 97 , If you need it grab it .
FANTASTIC work so far! Where you at in NJ??
THAT IS COOL ANOTHER VAN GETTING CHOP.KEEP THE PICS COMMING!!!
Can you elaborate on the 2 vertical metal pieces heading vertical off the cross windshield support?
If we all follow the same recipe and each add our own spice... what a sick and wonderful world of chopped vans it would be..
Imagine the excitement you share when posting a chop and share the details. The payback is seeing another vanner in a van. This should bring more to the party.
The recipe thing makes me think of success... to succeed you should model someone who is successful. If you do the same exact steps exactly, you increase you probability of success. Makes sense to me...
Looks GREAT so far! Keep the process coming.
Saw the Dodge you cut the roof off on Saturday. Are you going back for the side? Was gonna grab it, but thought I'd give you first crack at it since you cut it first.
Nahh i might go back for the green roof skin on the 97 , If you need it grab it .
Cool! I may grab a side from a newer van, since they are the same. The bottom of that one was shot. Don't really need the bottom though. I don't remember seeing a green one?
Wow 14" is a heavy chop! This is going to be such a cool van.
Keep up the good work.
Wow 14" is a heavy chop! This is going to be such a cool van.
Keep up the good work.
No no it will have a 14 inch window , we took 10 inch's out .
: ) Just wanted to make that clear for ya .
Ok Today was a productive day , A glass cutter came over and cut the old window for a templet for me so we could line things up better .
Bob and I changed the top panel as the other one didn't look as good , I think the notcher reshaped it so im going to butt weldd the other seams .
we also had to re-ajust the driver side a 1/4 inch down .
A lot of ajusting and looking things and lines over . This is the grey area that you can't read about how to do in a book or tech article.
Templet window .
Looking better already ..
Inspecting my own work .
Bob brings over an old school wiper cowl cover and i through it up quick to get an idea how it looks .
SWEEEEEET. Keep the pictures coming.
Looking good! Love the pics.
thats a blast!!! so cool!
i like it more without the wipercover tho.
but still amazing.
keep making and posting the pictures. thanks for sharing this!
Dodges look so Cool Chopped
Looks great so far. I didn't get to work on the 84 this weekend, but made out well at the boneyard.
Thanks for the clarification, And keep up the good work!
Alrighty ,
todays venture begins around 12:30 I ready the van for more choppin fun .
First Bob and i start off by drilling out more welds on all the door upper corners .
We need the brace behind the upper corners in 100% good shape .
Then the van is marked up with all it's cut lines in the rear , sides , and roof .
Then we make the cuts .
Now i have a convertible Van LOL : )
Very cool,thanks for the informative pics.Cant wait for tomorrows pics.
Ah oh a big picture window in the roof, lol
Lots of progress today ! Although the day started off slow we begain around 12:30 and ended at 6:00 .
Bob and i started cleaning the areas to be cut removing paint and seam seal . Munz and Chuck stop over to check things out and lend a hand . It's awesome when your friends stop over and get involved . It's a good thing to they helped hold the sides up while making the center cuts .
The side rails where cut and flared out .
Then cuts are made in the main rails .
The rears get the most takin out .
The Center braces are cut and the roof is laid down , it took two times to line it up and figure out what else needed a trim to line it up better .
Now it's starting to come together and im getting more excited .
I'm diggin the way it's comin out .
At this point there is four days of work into the van .
I'm droolin already .
Lookin Good and movin right along.
this is comin along nicely, great job
WOW thanks for posting these pics.I really enjoy watching this build.Makes me wanna go chop my Dodge.
Joe,
This is looking awesome. Keep the pictures coming....this build is fun to watch! Makes me want to chop something!!!!
man this is going to b sweet. I hope to to get some wheels for my chop it is on jackstands right now when i get the wheels will post some pix. keep up the good work and good luck.
It's starting to take shape now. I can visualize the end result!
I'm really enjoying this build thread. Keep the updates coming.
very nicely!..im likin the direction its goin in! =)
Joe,
This is looking awesome. Keep the pictures coming....this build is fun to watch! Makes me want to chop something!!!!
Thanks LEE ,
It's not as easy as it looks tho ...
WOW thanks for posting these pics.I really enjoy watching this build.Makes me wanna go chop my Dodge.
thanks Luke ,
man this is going to b sweet. I hope to to get some wheels for my chop it is on jackstands right now when i get the wheels will post some pix. keep up the good work and good luck.
Thanks Beeper ,
you should post some pics i'd like to see it . I never knew you had one ?
And a special thanks to all who give me positive feed backs and comments . I'm trying my best . I have a good coach to witch helps .
You are doing an outstanding job.......
keep up the GREAT work and keep the good pictures coming.........
.........Wookee
Awesome job,Looks Great so far
Joe, text book job! I'll check back when I'm in India in May since I cannot access the site from China. Awesome!
Randy
Looks great buddy! Can't wait to see it in person.
New Jersy is becoming "radical van" central......LOL
........Wookee
Joe, text book job! I'll check back when I'm in India in May since I cannot access the site from China. Awesome!
Randy
Thanks Randy !
My buddy John is in Idia to working off the shore line . He's a salvage diver . If your near there say hello . He's good people .
Looks great buddy! Can't wait to see it in person.
Thanks Ken ,
Jump in the truck and come on down : )
New Jersy is becoming "radical van" central......LOL
........Wookee
Awesome ! Thanks wookie
New Jersey is becoming "radical van" central
I like the sound of that!
New Jersey is becoming "radical van" central
I like the sound of that!
Me too! I'm due to start one this summer too.
looks like you guys have done this before, great job !!!!!
Looks great buddy! Can't wait to see it in person.
Thanks Ken ,
Jump in the truck and come on down : )
Sure buddy, in my spare time
Maybe one of these days though. Question for you, though. Why did you cut the 45 degree angle on the rear corners of the roof? are yo going to overlap metal there? Just thinking in type.
Looks great buddy! Can't wait to see it in person.
Thanks Ken ,
Jump in the truck and come on down : )
Sure buddy, in my spare time
Maybe one of these days though. Question for you, though. Why did you cut the 45 degree angle on the rear corners of the roof? are yo going to overlap metal there? Just thinking in type.
No thats so i can make a cut on the inside .
Looks great buddy! Can't wait to see it in person.
Thanks Ken ,
Jump in the truck and come on down : )
Sure buddy, in my spare time
Maybe one of these days though. Question for you, though. Why did you cut the 45 degree angle on the rear corners of the roof? are yo going to overlap metal there? Just thinking in type.
No thats so i can make a cut on the inside .
Oh, gotcha, Thanks!
Made some good progress Saturday.
Alot of prep work and Making inner sleaves for Joints . Getting areas ready for welding and tacked up the back with the front and checked alignment . Everything is looking good !
Sunday , i'm taking off and relaxing a bit although i couldn't help my self to placing the old door from buzzsaw on there to get an idea how it would look with a single door . It's Not cut right for this van But it could be fixed . I have to see if it's twisted from improper storage .It was alittle bowed out on one side .
I also thought it would be cool to put Eagle One in the pics : )
Making the sleaves .
Cleaning the paint off for welding and steping or flanging the metal.
Alingnment of the roof .
The Day i been waiting for , To be able to take a pic and get the intire picture of what she's looking like.
LOOOOOOOOKIN GOOOOD! Well, for a Dodge.
Nah, seriously I like this style dodge. Looks great!
Wow this is really coming together nicely!!
thats gonna look hott! i like it!!
ok thats it , i want a chopped shorty lol
This is looking GREAT. Keep up the good work and keep the pictures coming. AWESOME!
Looking good keep up the good work
Looks GREAT buddy! It is coming along nicely too. Was nice chatting with you on Saturday.
Lookin good Joe!
I take it the gull wing got chopped also to match roof? that looks like the door I got,mine is 79' tho had to cut bottom left of door off...
Wish I had time an $$ to do a chop!
LOOOOOOOOKIN GOOOOD! Well, for a Dodge.
Nah, seriously I like this style dodge. Looks great!
Your a closet Dodge Guy and you Know it !
Lookin good Joe!
I take it the gull wing got chopped also to match roof? that looks like the door I got,mine is 79' tho had to cut bottom left of door off...
Wish I had time an $$ to do a chop!
No it's not cut right at all infact Buzzsaw has a 10 inch window where mine is a 14 inch . , the door would also have to be cut some where and pulled in as well to fit the new contour to the van as the sides came in a little .
And thank you very much : )
P.S. i'm glad you kept your van .
Looking at page 15 & others,I didn't realize how much work went into the Chop.
The van is looking AWESOME!
In the words of Wookee...
Welcome to New Jersey, radical van central!
Welcome to New Jersey, radical van central! I like the sound of that I don't have to go far to see cool vans.
Welcome to New Jersey, radical van central...
That really makes me miss home.I grew up in Hackettstown.I will be back one day.
ha wow! great work !! looks realy cool
did you bend forward the uppper back side of the van ?
.. i love how chopped vans look. cant wait for more pics!
ha wow! great work !! looks realy cool
did you bend forward the uppper back side of the van ?
.. i love how chopped vans look. cant wait for more pics!
if i understand the question right , yes it is And thanks to you and your art work it gave me alot of insperation .
It's all your falt Magneto ! LOL Haha ahaha
Thanks Guys !
Since Bob has helped me out so much i bought him a surprise for his Astro Van . Sorry i can't tell you till he gets it .
[quote=GALAXY]The van is looking AWESOME!
In the words of Wookee...
Welcome to New Jersey, radical van central!
Sweet ! you mean we are ahead of California for once?
LOOOOOOOOKIN GOOOOD! Well, for a Dodge.
Nah, seriously I like this style dodge. Looks great!
Your a closet Dodge Guy and you Know it !
Closet? Nah, I had a 76 dodge factory custom once. It was pretty cool. Got my Chevy and sold the dodge to my buddy and he goes vannin now too.
You really piss me off Joe, once again if you lived closer I would just come by once a week. Get my Van fix and never have to buy jack!
You really piss me off Joe, once again if you lived closer I would just come by once a week. Get my Van fix and never have to buy jack!
i just keep givin you beers till you for got why you where here .
Not to much will get done this weekend , I have to catch up on spring cleaning and other projects needing some attention as well .
I did make a little time to tilt the back door in . I started off by cutting out notches on the sides and taking out just over an inch strip from the center .
I put a 2x4 inbetween the sections to hold it while i finshed with the grinder making the cuts flush with the door skin at the crease where the door will fold .
Once i was ready i took the same 2x4 and held in inside along the center with the edge of the 2x4 inside of the body line .
The i took the door and pulled it down towrds me easy and said a prayer as i was doing it .
Well God was listining , the door folded nicely .I just had to make it fit flush closed so i used vice grips on the drip rail to keep the top of the door in while i went in the van and made temporary brackets to weld on .
I didn't want to go to crayz because the door still has to be aligned and i can't really do that till the corners are welded up .
wow man you are going to town on your street van ~~ nice job & thanks for sharing
Man keep it up that shit is looking bad ass. like looking at the pix.
That looks so sweet, I could never do it tho, I'd not be able to enter the side if I did, but I manage to refuse hightop vans, don't ever want another one.
Wow..I love the single back door on the Dodges, and it looks especially cool on the chop I must say.
I like how the factory paint loops around the glass.
Man that back door folded nice!
Shame chops arent that easy
Lookin Good
PS: I'm also glad I kept the van
Amazing
wow man you are going to town on your street van ~~ nice job & thanks for sharing
Thank you
Man keep it up that shit is looking bad ass. like looking at the pix.
Thank you
That looks so sweet, I could never do it tho, I'd not be able to enter the side if I did, but I manage to refuse hightop vans, don't ever want another one.
Thank you : )
Wow..I love the single back door on the Dodges, and it looks especially cool on the chop I must say.
I like how the factory paint loops around the glass.
Thanks Nate , Thats the way the new paint will be as well .
Man that back door folded nice!
Shame chops arent that easy
Lookin Good
PS: I'm also glad I kept the van
Thanks Heavy
Wow...that back door folded really nice and looks great on there. Keep up the good work....it is looking awesome!
Wow..I love the single back door on the Dodges, and it looks especially cool on the chop I must say.
I like how the factory paint loops around the glass.
Agreed. If it wasn't for the solid rear doors, I'd have a single rear door! Still unique to Dodge.
you know that door turned out good when Superbeast said eve He would keep that window........LOL
I got to see this build first hand this past weekend pictures really do no justice to the quality of work going on here........
........Wookee
I said I would keep that window yes, but it's not my van
Van does look great. Looks as good in persona as it does in the pics. Keep at it buddy!
You really piss me off Joe, once again if you lived closer I would just come by once a week. Get my Van fix and never have to buy jack!
i just keep givin you beers till you for got why you where here .
Make that Red Wine and Pepcid, I drank so much beer my stomach is shot!
Well I ordered a set of wheels today , they are called Boss Motorsports #338's
I ordered 18x8 in the front and 18x9.5 rears I'm thinking they will look pretty decent on this van .
Best part about it was it turns out the guy selling them was one of our older friends from the truck shows back in 1997 .
Small world some times ...
Ya, I just saw on CNM Headline News they recalled half of Boss's wheels as to a defect with the Vehicle Owners!
You should have bought the JD Halibrand Replica.
http://www.jdwheels.com/images/m/mSS%2015x10.JPG
man, can't wait to see this van completed....i like the wheels, sweet!
Nice choice on the wheels!
thos boss rims will look real nice on there..i like those jd wheels too 1st time seen those..
thos boss rims will look real nice on there..i like those jd wheels too 1st time seen those..
Thanks Guys , i saw those JD wheels i like them i might get them for something else i'm not sure yet , but they are not avalible in 18's and i wanted a little more wheel in the well .
haha i know what you mean..its really gonna look good
thos boss rims will look real nice on there..i like those jd wheels too 1st time seen those..
Thanks Guys , i saw those JD wheels i like them i might get them for something else i'm not sure yet , but they are not avalible in 18's and i wanted a little more wheel in the well .
I see a very cool van in the makings______
well Bob and i started to make the door jamb corners . For the front door Jambs the back larger brace was trimed back and inch square stock was added .This will accommodate the corners once they are moved back .
Here after much time spent the corner is being fitted .
The side doors have a different width as they accommidate the larger back brace . they are modified to fit and put into place they will go in like the factory had placed them .
I also prepped the passinger side back pannel to get ready to spot weld back together .
Thats it for this weekend unless i get time to spend on it today .
AWESOME! Can't wait to see this van finished. It's really coming along nicely. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the updates. I'm learning a lot following this build thread.
This is such a cool project!
Thanks Love seeing the build
Looks great guys. Looking forward to doing this step on the van I'm doing.
Ok guys i'm limited on time tonight , I just wanted to thank everyone for stopping by and checking out the thread on the Van and it's progress .
Today i had spent some time on my buddy Mikes van in the Am till noon , then around 2ish i think i was ready for a nap and Bob stopped in .
So back to work we go and what we did today was ready the side supports and weld then in , i had to use my braces to take the sag out of the roof i raised them up a bit and it worked great .
I then cut the tops of the supports down and made tabs like the factory and welded them up alot more then factory LOL .
After they all where in place i welded the centers back .
Once this was done i filed the inside cut lines and tacked the sides in a bit .
I also had a chance to get an idea how the wheels will look with the Street Van .
Again thank you for your comments and your support .
time for a few beers
Great work Joe! I still love the way the single back door looks tilted in like that
Now THAT is going to look BADASS! (As if the chop wasn't awesome enough as it was!)
DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! I WANNA WORK ON MY VANS!
sweettttt my teeth hurt!!
You can really get an idea of the finished look now. Looks awesome!
What are the plans for the rear bumper?
I think it would look great without one. Just a smooth roll pan instead.
[quote=lukester]Looking good... [/qote]
thanks Luke
Now THAT is going to look BADASS! (As if the chop wasn't awesome enough as it was!)
DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! I WANNA WORK ON MY VANS!
Awesome ! thanks Buddy and yeah get something done !!
sweettttt my teeth hurt!!
Thanks Limitizz
Great work Joe! I still love the way the single back door looks tilted in like that
Thanks Nate ,
yeah it dose look good i'll have to see if it's staying or not. I have not decides since it was not in the original plans .
You can really get an idea of the finished look now. Looks awesome!
What are the plans for the rear bumper?
I think it would look great without one. Just a smooth roll pan instead.
I was thinking of wrappin sheet metal around it then roll it ??
Looks GREAT buddy! Those rims are going to look awesome on there.
yeah their gonna make it look mouth watering haha =)
I can't wait to see it finished
Ok so i installed the wheels today when i got home from work , i'll need a 1/4 spacer for the front and longer studs as disc brake hub just hit the top of the inner bore of the wheel .
I could get two new rotors and have them machine a tic and round the edge out some that may work .
How ever i'll need longer studs to so for now i have the wheels on but i wont go far other then in and out of the garage as the lugs only have a few threads caught .
Thats why the crapy sunlight in the photos i didn't want to drive the van around the yard . I'm on the fence about the rear tire size to .
oh yeah its gonna look sweet!
I hope you paint it back to what it is now. It is SEXY!
You gonna drop her down to the ground?
LOOKS great....IMHO the rear tire is a little small looking..but if you lower it, it will probably fix it.
Cool...the wheels look good on it and I like the angle chop.
Looks GREAT buddy! Those rims are going to look awesome on there.
Thanks Ken
I can't wait to see it finished
Me too , but it may never be entirely finished LOL .
You gonna drop her down to the ground?
Most likely , Some kind of Air ride set up for sure .
but not for a while yet .
LOOKS great....IMHO the rear tire is a little small looking..but if you lower it, it will probably fix it.
Yep i'm still liken the older tire wheel size , we will have to see .
Cool...the wheels look good on it and I like the angle chop.
Thanks VanVida
Joe,
I don't like those rims and tires on there at all, we should bolt them on my early and see if they look any better on there. LOL
They look GREAT it just needs to be a little lower and that will enhance the chop even more, those are an excellent choice for this project.
what color is the van going to be?
Looks like those rims need more rubber..
Van looks great ..wheel choice awesome..but I agree,,,more sidewall rubber
JMO
realy cool.
i envy you for having this gotten done!
but honestly i personaly dont like too much the back side bend forward like that..
thats propably just a matter of taste..
on this the front is lowered a bit too..
.. i would put more rubber, but only for the back wheels.
looks good to me just the way it is .
Those wheels are Bad A$$ on there
oh yeah deffanitly!
realy cool.
i envy you for having this gotten done!
but honestly i personaly dont like too much the back side bend forward like that..
thats propably just a matter of taste..
on this the front is lowered a bit too..
.. i would put more rubber, but only for the back wheels.
There is a HUGE difference in a "Photo Shop Chop" and a real live metal being cut and actual work being done chop........
I'll take the real thing any day......
.......Wookee
I AM LOVIN IT ! Keep up the GREAT WORK and keep those pix coming too!
yea wookee, since its done allready i propably shouldnt say that i personaly would like it more in a different way..
so even when the van is cut in pieces as much as it has been done,
it would be a realy hard thing to make the roof longer ?
i dont realy get yet if the back has been bent to avoid making the roof longer, or because the owner prefered the look of it (?)
yea wookee, since its done allready i propably shouldnt say that i personaly would like it more in a different way..
so even when the van is cut in pieces as much as it has been done,
it would be a realy hard thing to make the roof longer ?
i dont realy get yet if the back has been bent to avoid making the roof longer, or because the owner prefered the look of it (?)
The design of this van , is ment to be an angle chop with the roof pulled forward . It has a more dramtic effect as it dose a flat chop or long roof .
The over all concept requires more then just a chop so your photo shop of the long roof would not work in this appilcation Magneto , sorry bud, but thank you .
As as always your and everyone's opinion is welcomed but in the end it will be my preference .
thanks : )
As as always your and everyone's opinion is welcomed but in the end it will be my preffernce .
thanks : )
Well said bro!
As as always your and everyone's opinion is welcomed but in the end it will be my preffernce .
thanks : )
Well said bro!
AGREE.........
Pulling the rear Quarters in is done sometimes to keep from having to cut the roof into quarters.
Every body who does do a chop has a little different way of doing them.......
I also have to say the work being done on this van is right on the money.
Pictures really don't do the quality work being done here,any justice at all......
........Wookee
I was right the wheels do look great on there. I vote for a taller tire in the rear also. Even with lowering and your intended flairs I think it would look a little better.
The roof could be stretched to keep that back corner straight, but I think it looks so much cooler pulled in.
Pulled in - this is a good point in how similar chops can be done a number of ways. My Early angle chop has the roof left whole and everything pulled in. This one, they spread the cab area to meet the windshield posts and pulled in the rear portion, the Dodge I'm doing now the roof is left whole front to back, but side to side will be spread to meet the sides to keep the original contour of the sides of the van.
The possibilities are endless!
Big n' littles is the way to go. With a classic angle chop it's just begging for the proper stance to go with it too. ....even if you are updating the wheel sizes.
You know I'll vote for big n' little.
You know I'll vote for big n' little.
The wheel stance on your van is awesome.Looks real mean coming down the road,and also when parked.
You know I'll vote for big n' little.
The wheel stance on your van is awesome.Looks real mean coming down the road,and also when parked.
Thank you. That's actually Pennys van, she just lets me drive it.
well this weekend i was very tired , Saturday i have no ambition , but Bob stopped over and we worked for a bit , he worked on the back door jamb while i worked on the front door Jambs and upper corners .
Sunday i had more drive to work on the Van so i jumped on it , but i had to stop around three to post this before i head out to the club Meeting .
First the top panel had to be completed . So i cut it to size and Tacked it in That includes cleaning the edges as well .
This is the part i need to put back , wow what a mess ..
I started by cutting it in half , it took a while to figure that out but putting it up there and figuring where to cut .
Still looks ugly but tacked it up and checked it out .
Moving right along I started the other side as well and welded up the holes one at a time and then grinded them down .
Bobs makes both sides of the inner jamb as well .
Lookin' most excellent!
Looking better all the time
Nice work your doing there.
Very cool..keep those pics coming
Looks great! I started working a bit on those corners this weekend too. They got a shit load of spot welds in them pieces!
between joe n ken these vans are gonna be a nice addition to the custom van world cant wait to see finished results =)
Lookin' most excellent!
Thanks Josh .
Looking better all the time
Thanks wizard .
Nice work your doing there.
Thanks Jim .
Looks great! I started working a bit on those corners this weekend too. They got a shit load of spot welds in them pieces!
Thanks Ken .
between joe n ken these vans are gonna be a nice addition to the custom van world cant wait to see finished results =)
LOL True !
Thanks Xtreme .
Well this week i put a few hours in after work , and while working i noticed i didn't take a pic of Bobs upper door jamb .
While inspecting it i could only be amazed at his patients and attention to detail .
Well the swiss cheese corners are all one peice again . after much welding and grinding and metal shapping .
After those front sections where done i started on the back door Jambs. I still have work to do in these areas , I hope to finish these this weekend and move on to another section of the Van .
So i went to the Junk yard today picked out a victim for a donor roof and went to town on it , And after all that i was being careful not to screw to much up the fork lift pretty much trashed the rest of the van .. But i got what i needed .
sweet, can't wait to see how it goes...!
what does it cost to buy a roof donor section as that?
Realy nice how you got in these swiss cheese corners!!
And how well they fit with the doors!
are these like repair parts that you get prepared with the holes ?
and why the new roof ?
what does it cost to buy a roof donor section as that?
I cut it off my self ,they helped load it with a tractor , and they charged me $140.00
Realy nice how you got in these swiss cheese corners!!
And how well they fit with the doors!
are these like repair parts that you get prepared with the holes ?
and why the new roof ?
Thanks Magneto ,
Those corners came out of the first donor roof section , scroll back to page 11 and 12 of this thread and you can see where the corner comes from , as for the roof i need the center section skin all but maybe three inches on the sides . It takes Three roof sections to do one chop the right way anyway . The sides of the original , a donor front section , and a donor center section .
I tried to make sence of it thinking about it but it really dosen't seam right or it's alot of extra work till you do it and see how it fits . Then it makes sence .
Great work Joe! You guys are amazing.
Nice job on those corners. I bet it was a lot of work!
Looks real good, some nice work happening on this build...
Getting Sweeter & Sweeter
Well it's been a few weeks , Some how i managed to catch the Flue , and before that a stomack problem .
Any way so much for bitchin about useless stuff you wouldn't care about .
Bob stopped over and got my ass off the couch we went out back and took the donor roof apart .
Then some more of the sides where trimmed off and we removed the original center braces .
Once this was done we test fit the roof skin .
Back off again for more trim work , the roof skin is centered and the van is backed out for pics .
Test fitting me in the Van ..LOL
Nice , starting to really look good .
so how many angle chopped vans are there on here now?
man you are doing a great job ~~ looks sweet , thanks for sharing
Can I bring my van up next? Looking great Joe.
I WISH MY ANGLECHOP LOOK THAT GOOD ,WHEN IT WAS FIRST DONE.
LOOKS VERY NICE!!!! GOOD HANDS AND SHILL THERE MAN.
Very nice work. I really like the lines of this chop. Can't wait for more.
Joe....that's looking frickin sweet.....you guys do really nice work.
Looks killer !.............
Nice , starting to really look good .
Thanks Ghost
man you are doing a great job ~~ looks sweet , thanks for sharing
thank you Vanman2
Can I bring my van up next? Looking great Joe.
I wish i could say Yes , but i still have to much to do now . And thank you .
I WISH MY ANGLECHOP LOOK THAT GOOD ,WHEN IT WAS FIRST DONE.
LOOKS VERY NICE!!!! GOOD HANDS AND SKILL THERE MAN.
Thanks Leanmachinechevy
Well it's been a few weeks , Some how i managed to catch the Flue , and before that a stomack problem .
Any way so much for bitchin about useless stuff you wouldn't care about .
Bob stopped over and got my ass off the couch we went out back and took the donor roof apart .
Then some more of the sides where trimmed off and we removed the original center braces .
Once this was done we test fit the roof skin .
Back off again for more trim work , the roof skin is centered and the van is backed out for pics .
Test fitting me in the Van ..LOL
It looks good and ya FIT well.
Very nice work. I really like the lines of this chop. Can't wait for more.
thank you I'm already looking at the flairs to and starting to see where i'm going with them .
Joe....that's looking frickin sweet.....you guys do really nice work.
Thanks Lee at least i know it will be done right : )
It looks good and ya FIT well.
And it's a 97 Shorty Roof skin , fits awesome i was a bit worried it wouldn't work .
wow that is looking amazing, I am very impressed so far
Looking awesome! were you sitting in the van making motor sounds like a little kid? vroom vroom.
What is really impressive about this build.Joe is not really a welder fabricator by profession.He is how ever a vanner who has a dream about what he wants to see in a van build.He has a good friend helping him who has done a few very nice builds him self.
This is a true back yard project.Back yard is not meant in a bad way.The work that is being done in this back yard rivals allot of work that has been done in so called professional shops.
I like to use the saying "can't means won't".
Joe is a very good example of a vanner who has not said I can't in this build.Instead he has figured out How to solve what ever problem he has came up against.....
I really hope this thread and this build inspires other vanners to step out of there comfort zone and take on a project that they really want to do...
........Wookee
Well said my friend, well said...
I've read the whole post and all I can say is AWESOME. Not just the way the van looks [and it looks very awesome BTW] but friends helping friends build it, sharing their passion and experience. That makes it awesome if nothing else. I miss the old days of building stuff with friends and the fun we had doing it.
ENJOY and thank you for sharing!
What is really impressive about this build.Joe is not really a welder fabricator by profession.He is how ever a vanner who has a dream about what he wants to see in a van build.He has a good friend helping him who has done a few very nice builds him self.
This is a true back yard project.Back yard is not meant in a bad way.The work that is being done in this back yard rivals allot of work that has been done in so called professional shops.
I like to use the saying "can't means won't".
Joe is a very good example of a vanner who has not said I can't in this build.Instead he has figured out How to solve what ever problem he has came up against.....
I really hope this thread and this build inspires other vanners to step out of there comfort zone and take on a project that they really want to do...
........Wookee
well said joe
I have to admit when I first saw what you were going to do with the van I cringed. I am one that lives in a sort of comfort zone and believe certain things should stay the way they were built. I have a ’40 Plymouth and a ’38 Chrysler all done original down to the tires they wear. Now my van it is being changed, but only bolt on and no sheet metal or structural changes.
Until now!! That van you are building is turning out so coooool that I might step out, only baby steps at first like put a gull wing side door and go from there. Nothing to rad. I would have like to have seen your van going back to original, but I rather see what you are doing to it now then see it rust away and be sent to the wrecking yard. Too many vans are heading that way. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see it finished.
Richard
Looking awesome! were you sitting in the van making motor sounds like a little kid? vroom vroom.
LOL no it makes it's own Vroom vroom sounds , although it dose need headers and Zoomies .
What is really impressive about this build.Joe is not really a welder fabricator by profession.He is how ever a vanner who has a dream about what he wants to see in a van build.He has a good friend helping him who has done a few very nice builds him self.
This is a true back yard project.Back yard is not meant in a bad way.The work that is being done in this back yard rivals allot of work that has been done in so called professional shops.
I like to use the saying "can't means won't".
Joe is a very good example of a vanner who has not said I can't in this build.Instead he has figured out How to solve what ever problem he has came up against.....
I really hope this thread and this build inspires other vanners to step out of there comfort zone and take on a project that they really want to do...
........Wookee
Wow Joe (Wookee)
You left me speechless on this comment .. I'm truly Humbled Thanks Buddy : )
Well said my friend, well said... Thank you Beast_lee
Thank you for your support
I've read the whole post and all I can say is AWESOME. Not just the way the van looks [and it looks very awesome BTW] but friends helping friends build it, sharing their passion and experience. That makes it awesome if nothing else. I miss the old days of building stuff with friends and the fun we had doing it.
ENJOY and thank you for sharing!
Your 100% right It's a lost gathering art so to speek , Mostly as adults we always have something going on with family and work it's hard to get together for most of us . And thank you very Much
I have to admit when I first saw what you were going to do with the van I cringed. I am one that lives in a sort of comfort zone and believe certain things should stay the way they were built. I have a ’40 Plymouth and a ’38 Chrysler all done original down to the tires they wear. Now my van it is being changed, but only bolt on and no sheet metal or structural changes.
Until now!! That van you are building is turning out so coooool that I might step out, only baby steps at first like put a gull wing side door and go from there. Nothing to rad. I would have like to have seen your van going back to original, but I rather see what you are doing to it now then see it rust away and be sent to the wrecking yard. Too many vans are heading that way. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see it finished.
Richard
Richard , i hear ya , i keep some things stock how ever this needed much attention in the areas that was upgraded making this a perfict van for the job plus with the paint job it's getting it only made sence to use a street van . I know the Bvan guys are not to happy . But I don't think they had much faith in me from the begining thinking it was not going to be done right and end up in the scrap yard .
And thank you for your support .
Well said Joe and i also hope to see more backyard builds.
Well it's been a few weeks , Some how i managed to catch the Flue , and before that a stomack problem .
Any way so much for bitchin about useless stuff you wouldn't care about .
Bob stopped over and got my ass off the couch we went out back and took the donor roof apart .
Then some more of the sides where trimmed off and we removed the original center braces .
Once this was done we test fit the roof skin .
Back off again for more trim work , the roof skin is centered and the van is backed out for pics .
Test fitting me in the Van ..LOL
Looks great buddy! what van are ya bringing to the Nats?
lol joe bring them all..... =))
I'm speechless. The work on this van has been top notch all the way.
Bravo sir!
I'm speechless. The work on this van has been top notch all the way.
Bravo sir!
Yes
Top Notch
Looks great buddy! what van are ya bringing to the Nats?
MY Tandem I'm getting her ready now .
I'm speechless. The work on this van has been top notch all the way.
Bravo sir!
Thanks Nate
Well i have just spent some time reading this ENTIRE thread and seeing the progress you have made is amazing. The van is coming along very nicely. Good hands and good eye. Cant wait to see more.
Well i have just spent some time reading this ENTIRE thread and seeing the progress you have made is amazing. The van is coming along very nicely. Good hands and good eye. Cant wait to see more.
Hey Thanks for taking the time to check it out , i grabed a beer my self and went over the thread for fun as well as a few other Vanners threads to .
It's amazing to see how they start .
Thanks Again RiverRatcustomz
Well, how to I follow up after Wookie's comment
Looks great guys. The new skin fits like it came right off of there. You leaving the 3rd brake light? Did, you have any extra roof ribs? I may need one.
Killer!!! This totally makes me want to chop my GMC before I get too far into the interior work
Killer!!! This totally makes me want to chop my GMC before I get too far into the interior work
This too makes me want to chop a mid ford extremely...
Grind to Grind... Hot metal will abound the land...
IceAge II 'The MeltDown'
Well said Joe and i also hope to see more backyard builds.
Something tells me there are a few more backyard builds in process in Joe's Kustom Vans workshop....
Maybe even a mid Ford!
And I never imagined a chopped van could look as good as this one. The proportions are perfect, and it almost looks like something the factory could (or should) have done. Well done, bro!!
Any new pics yet? I cant wait to see more of this build.
Well after a crazy week , and having hurricane Irene behind us , i went out to the garage and started to do some spot welds on the side panels . I figured it's a perfict day to sit out there to weld and wait, weld some more and wait some more . Weld wait ,weld wait ... you get the idea .. then i added beer to the mix and it was weld wait & have a sip of beer .. LOL
Anyway that was pretty boring As i was waiting i figured i could start affixing the back corners . I was a little confused on how to tackle it at first . only because i wanted the top roof line to meet the corner panel nicely as well as the lower front corner , it would push out the top if i held it on the bottom .
I have the clips to hold it , but i called Bob and asked him if it was the right way .
Turns out he was bored sitting at home and came over to lend a hand .
He told me since i trimmed the metal back behind the body seam i had made a little more work for my self because now i have to fill in the seam as well as weld the side in .. It wouldn't be me if i didn't make more work for my self .. LOL
Anyway Here is how the back corner is shaping up .
Out side pass side :
Inside pass side Notice the re-leaf cuts in the back part of the seam pinch weld .
next time enjoy ..
This is looking GREAT!!! I love even more the fact that its home grown, If i had a shop or even a 2 car garage i would love to do this kind of stuff. Good job friend!
Glad to see the update. No biggie about the seam. I think it will look good filled. What do you have planned for the back doors?
I prefer the weld, drink, cool method too!
nice..weekend time was spent well
Looking Good
Looks like it fits pretty well. I learned on my projects, that the drinking has to wait till after the work is done. It is nice during clean up time tho.
When doing a lot of welding I like to do large areas or both sides at a time. That way you can weld, move to the other side weld, go back to the first side and grind welds, then second side and then back to first for more welding. Sucks to keep moving, but it help to keep you from warping metal by getting too anxious.
Glad to hear you made it through the storm OK. We had no power for 20 hours, so I couldn't let the sparks fly!
Ken, sounds like you developing all kinds of good work habits. To move from side to side you must keep your work area clean. (Safety first...) Don't drink until you finish the days work. (Safety first, then quality...) You should write a book! I'll admit that I was much more productive during my 20's when I had few bad habits and lots of energy. Hindsight...
Randy
Keep it up! Keep making me jealous! lol Love it.
Gona be a killer ride man. Thanks for the updates. Hope i get to see it in person one day
Gona be a killer ride man. Thanks for the updates. Hope i get to see it in person one day
That is a fact !........me too !
I wish I had talent like that.
OMG ! LOL i have to laugh ! I had two beers you guys crack me up you drink all night at a truckins and give me shit for having a couple of beers while i work in my own garage .
I have Zero warpage in my panels ..
It was really my attempt to add some comedy to my post more then anything .
Yeah i could drag my welder around the garage back and forth to each side of the van for two or three spot welds , i'd rather not tho .
Anywho ,
Thanks everyone , I have some great ideas for this project .
As for the back Door Radicalran i may leave it a single door as it is right now just do something neat with it . I never seen one with glass ?
So i'm thinking out side the box here ..
Joe
I do some of my best work after a couple. And im a whiskey drinker. Lol
Ken, sounds like you developing all kinds of good work habits. To move from side to side you must keep your work area clean. (Safety first...) Don't drink until you finish the days work. (Safety first, then quality...) You should write a book! I'll admit that I was much more productive during my 20's when I had few bad habits and lots of energy. Hindsight...
Randy
I learn from my mistakes
A book, hum, what a NOVEL idea
OMG ! LOL i have to laugh ! I had two beers you guys crack me up you drink all night at a truckins and give me shit for having a couple of beers while i work in my own garage .
I have Zero warpage in my panels ..
It was really my attempt to add some comedy to my post more then anything .
Yeah i could drag my welder around the garage back and forth to each side of the van for two or three spot welds , I'd rather not tho .
Not giving you shit. I just stated that I wait till clean up. The reason is that one time when I was working with a 6" grinder and had a cocktail while using it (only 1) it started to make me tired (as I was already in the garage most of the day) and I wound up grinding my arm with it.
As far as cleaning up the floor, ask me how I broke my foot
The only reason I mentioned working both sides, is the 'wait' part gets eliminated.
I didn't mean any harm.
well a little up date , I trimmed and Notched out the roof for the new center section , with the new center section in place i tacked it down front and back ..
I didn't take a pic of it back in place just the notching .
In the mean time i have been doing spot welds to make the cut lines a solid weld . A tedious job but all the seams and cut lines need to be done this way for the best long term effect on the body work so it does not split or crack down the line .
You can see how it's starting to be one solid weld with all the many little spots welds .
I'm ordering a bunch of parts this week to so i can start working on the ground effects . ( P.S ) since i don't have all the neat bending tools , a friend of mine will be getting his hands dirty on that part of the job .. till then it's a secret .
mice! shaving the drip rail too?
Wow that looks great, I think it would be cool to repaint it the same!
Damn!! all i can say, cant wait to see more!
Joe, you're looking good. For the roof, do you plan to install the cross braces, then the skin or put the sheet metal on and then the braces?
I look forward to the next phase. Steady as she goes!
Randy
nice work joe looking good...and yeah i think you should paint it street van style
nice! shaving the drip rail too?
Thanks , and no i did not consider shaving the drip rail . Most likely i wont but ya never know things may change .
Wow that looks great, I think it would be cool to repaint it the same!
Thanks you Big air , and yes whe's getting painted up like it used to be only more flowing to the body . check the thread out and i have some drawlings some place in there back a few pages .
Joe, you're looking good. For the roof, do you plan to install the cross braces, then the skin or put the sheet metal on and then the braces?
I look forward to the next phase. Steady as she goes!
Randy
Thanks Randy ,
Well i was planing on having some one push up from the inside on the edges while i press down to get a good contour. Tack it in place all the way around then build the braces ? Once this was done then finsh the welding all the way around .
I'm open to your sugestions ?
Thanks Joe
nice work joe looking good...and yeah i think you should paint it street van style
Thanks Bud , Hey how are you doing with that item we talked about ?
Joe, you're looking good. For the roof, do you plan to install the cross braces, then the skin or put the sheet metal on and then the braces?
I look forward to the next phase. Steady as she goes!
Randy
Thanks Randy ,
Well i was planing on having some one push up from the inside on the edges while i press down to get a good contour. Tack it in place all the way around then build the braces ? Once this was done then finsh the welding all the way around .
I'm open to your sugestions ?
Thanks Joe
I can tell you what did not work for me... My first chop van was a 1974 Chevy done back in 1977. I did a 10" straight cut using the same method you are using. Since this was pre-mig days for me I had a friend (master metal man) stand inside the van with a hammer and dollie, working the welds as I welded using an gas torch. The sides came out great using this method.
When it came to installing the roof skin I first widen the braces then welded the skin in place using brazing rod since this area could no longer be hammer welded. The result was that I ended up with a slight hump at each brace. So much so that I ended up installing a vinyl roof which was the last thing that I wanted but the easy way out. So if I had it to do all over again I would do what it sounds like you have planned. I'm sure that your will come out great.
Randy
SWEET
I remember this van. I bid on it on ebay. If I would have gotten it, she would have remained stock. although it would have looked great stock. It looks amazing the way you chopped it. You are doing a fantastic job. you guys are making it look so easy.
As for the boss wheels. I love them. But I would have put the 20s on the rear. Not that I want to tell you how to build your van. I work for a rim shop in pittsburgh. And have sold those wheels to 2 of my friends. One set on a 66 lemans. And another set on a 58 biscayne.
your van is f#@king sweet....
I remember this van. I bid on it on ebay. If I would have gotten it, she would have remained stock. although it would have looked great stock. It looks amazing the way you chopped it. You are doing a fantastic job. you guys are making it look so easy.
As for the boss wheels. I love them. But I would have put the 20s on the rear. Not that I want to tell you how to build your van. I work for a rim shop in pittsburgh. And have sold those wheels to 2 of my friends. One set on a 66 lemans. And another set on a 58 biscayne.
your van is f#@king sweet....
Thanks Mopar..
As for the wheels i'm going back to the old style of 15's reverse 15x10's ans 15x8's only problem i'm having a hard time locating something i like . I was trying for a 3 inch back space on both front and back .
Other then a custom oder from budnik or billet specailties i have only found circle track wheels with that size and back space .
I thought i could get cragers but they are 3 3/4 on the 15x10's or 4.5 . Thats not much of a back space difference for a reverse wheel .
I need to build the wheel well flares to the size of wheels and tires i will be running .
Cool bro, you are making good progress with this van.
Looks awesome!
I remember this van. I bid on it on ebay. If I would have gotten it, she would have remained stock. although it would have looked great stock. It looks amazing the way you chopped it. You are doing a fantastic job. you guys are making it look so easy.
As for the boss wheels. I love them. But I would have put the 20s on the rear. Not that I want to tell you how to build your van. I work for a rim shop in pittsburgh. And have sold those wheels to 2 of my friends. One set on a 66 lemans. And another set on a 58 biscayne.
your van is f#@king sweet....
Thanks Mopar..
As for the wheels i'm going back to the old style of 15's reverse 15x10's ans 15x8's only problem i'm having a hard time locating something i like . I was trying for a 3 inch back space on both front and back .
Other then a custom oder from budnik or billet specailties i have only found circle track wheels with that size and back space .
I thought i could get cragers but they are 3 3/4 on the 15x10's or 4.5 . Thats not much of a back space difference for a reverse wheel .
I need to build the wheel well flares to the size of wheels and tires i will be running .
You can get any backspace you like from Cragar for an additional 10 bucks per wheel and it takes about 3-4 weeks for the special order...also you can get direct bolt instead of the uni-lug....
Looking GREAT Joe. Tack, Tack!
Lots of that going on!
well i bought some goodies for the Street Van ...
How about some Zoomies !!!!!!! I may change the tips tho .. later but they will work good for the ground effects and wheel flares mock up and build .
Ohh i got more stuff Ill be adding this weekend to .. Not to be a tease but ...
You tease lol been wondering what been going on with this van .
SWEEEEEEEET. I love zoomies!!!!
Very nice
Man this van is going to own the streets. A real head turner. I can see First place a lot on this van. When you run out of places for the trophies, your going to have to build a new wing on the house. Like I said before I don't like chopping, but you have done it with such taste, it makes me look at mine and wonder!!
Those pipes will look great on it. Really can't wait to see it finished.
Need more pics!!!!!
Richard
Thanks,,
GhostRider
Lee
Riverrat
Luke
Extreme
Finallya
She looks good joe!! what size tires are ya runnin up front? I see it needing to B a little lower up front.....ya doing flairs and lower spoiler? that would make it look a little lower,i remember when I did my warp around I had to get heavier coils to put in front cause it was to low after spoiler! Any who she lookin good! I should B legal in next week maybe I could cruise on over an checker out! ;0)
Nice progress, Joe! I like the deep-dish wheels. Kinda like how many ran back in the day.
Do you still have the original wipers for it? I've been looking for a bright set of wiper blade holders for 76-77 vans. Don't want the newer black ones.
Nice progress, Joe! I like the deep-dish wheels. Kinda like how many ran back in the day.
Do you still have the original wipers for it? I've been looking for a bright set of wiper blade holders for 76-77 vans. Don't want the newer black ones.
The black ones on my buddys van just seem to have had that black sprayed on! Brass wheeled the black off and they look just like stainless !!!
I am at a loss of words. You have taken that van from near JK status and gave it new life. Like I said before you are making a 1st place winner. Very nice seams, very clean!!!
I am Jealous.
The front doors will have modified tops and special glass made?
Richard
Joe, excellent choices. I can't wait to see what you do with the wheel openings. The voomies and Cragers will give the van the period look that I think you are going for. It looks like from the pictures that you have put the roof skin on. How did that go? I agree with comments. The van has all the right stuff. Cool!
Randy
Looks awesome
Looking great Joe,
I would not mind stopping in the next time I am in the area.
I have Running Wilds dance penciled into my calendar.....
I see you found the cragers with the correct off set you where looking for.
........Wookee
Looks great with those wheels. Nice choice in the sizes.
She looks good joe!! what size tires are ya runnin up front? I see it needing to B a little lower up front.....ya doing flairs and lower spoiler? that would make it look a little lower,i remember when I did my warp around I had to get heavier coils to put in front cause it was to low after spoiler! Any who she lookin good! I should B legal in next week maybe I could cruise on over an checker out! ;0)
Heavy those are 265/50/15's i'l have to make a change as they do not make that size anymore i'll most likely go with a 245/60/15 .
As for the coils it's an A/C van Originaly and i'm installing aftermarket A/C when the time comes so i hope it evens out with the weight i have to see .
Anywho give me a shout when you want to stop up .
Thanks and thank you Joe
Nice progress, Joe! I like the deep-dish wheels. Kinda like how many ran back in the day.
Do you still have the original wipers for it? I've been looking for a bright set of wiper blade holders for 76-77 vans. Don't want the newer black ones.
I have to look , but the black will polish out if you hold it to a polishing wheel?
Thanks
Looking great Joe,
I would not mind stopping in the next time I am in the area.
I have Running Wilds dance penciled into my calendar.....
I see you found the cragers with the correct off set you where looking for.
........Wookee
Anytime Joe , and if your comming to the running wild party i'm making a southern dish called " Hoppin John" It's made with Rice ,black beens,sausage ,chicken,and specail spices .
Looks great with those wheels. Nice choice in the sizes.
thanks ken , and thanks for holding Mikes parts .
Looks awesome
Thanks Luke
Joe, excellent choices. I can't wait to see what you do with the wheel openings. The voomies and Cragers will give the van the period look that I think you are going for. It looks like from the pictures that you have put the roof skin on. How did that go? I agree with comments. The van has all the right stuff. Cool!
Randy
Randy I'm still working on it , I hope to make some progress this coming weekend .
Thanks Buddy : )
Great choice on the wheel/tire setup! This van is tough looking already. The deep dish really sets if off.
Those wheels in cased in a set of custom made all steel flares are going to look KILLER.....
.....Wookee
Looks great with those wheels. Nice choice in the sizes.
thanks ken , and thanks for holding Mikes parts .
No problem buddy!
dude! u need to get this!!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/70s-BUBBLE-...tr&hash=item336d235a70#ht_500wt_1200this will be perfect for this van!...the sellers a cool dude too, ive bought from him..
Yea dat! If ya gota have a window mite as well B a bubble window
It would look sweet to tho!
I know the seller personally He is a nice guy / I all ready have my plans set out and i'm sorry to say i have no use for a used window . I might , i say i might put round ports in the side only if they are NOS but then again i'm not looking to do that .
Thanks Tho
Heck, you have done a little nip and tuck here and there to this van already. So a couple of holes for ports wouldn't hurt.
Round ports would go with the Street Van look.
Man, this chop has grown on me. Can't wait to see this done.
Richard
Looks like the same wheels i used on the Nautilus,looks sweet!
I know the seller personally He is a nice guy / I all ready have my plans set out and i'm sorry to say i have no use for a used window . I might , i say i might put round ports in the side only if they are NOS but then again i'm not looking to do that .
Thanks Tho
lol just a thought...but im likin where ur goin...cant wait to see
Joe, If you like that bubbled back window, I have a couple of NOS ones in the attic. They fit only the 71-77. The back window changed in 78, and I have an 80's model door on mine so I can't use them.
I know the seller personally He is a nice guy / I all ready have my plans set out and i'm sorry to say i have no use for a used window . I might , i say i might put round ports in the side only if they are NOS but then again i'm not looking to do that .
Thanks Tho
Joe, from one radical van builder to another, please think long and hard before you install port hole windows. Keep it clean!
Randy
I know the seller personally He is a nice guy / I all ready have my plans set out and i'm sorry to say i have no use for a used window . I might , i say i might put round ports in the side only if they are NOS but then again i'm not looking to do that .
Thanks Tho
Joe, from one radical van builder to another, please think long and hard before you install port hole windows. Keep it clean!
Randy
No problem Randy Thinking, thinking thinking...
Anyway sorry no new photos but i have been welding up seams . Both sides are done and i'm working on the roof making it all a solid weld .
When i was done today i grabed a beer and stood back to think about the doors . I'm leaning more to a suicide front doors ,It's been done 1000 times over. But untill i come up with something else i think thats the plan.
The Back door will have hiden hinges and the side door i'm leaning more to a 3/4 door same thing hiden hinges .
All the side doors will be cut just below the lower body line and molded in at that cut line so the doors will be smaller in length.
Yep more work for my self ..LOL
Lamborghini doors! Do it!
Suicide's are a good choice. Actually, what you outlined for the doors sounds perfect. Rock and roll!
Randy
Great choice on the wheel/tire setup! This van is tough looking already. The deep dish really sets if off.
VAN LOOKS AWESOME ..AND DD CRAGARS ARE REALLY TRICK !...
well i been wroking my ass off here trying to get in as many nice days as i can before it's to cold .
I'm wrapping up the roof with the welding , i'm more then half way done . Solid welding the seams and grinding them down .
When i get an area done i coat it good with water resistant fine fiber filler . So i don't get any rust in the work areas . It's the fist coat of filler i use all the time anyway .
Still a Ton of work to do tho...
Hey Joe, things are looking good. The roof metal looks very straight so I want to compliment your workmanship. What about the holes in the windshield frame? Will welding those affect the filler?
Make hay while the sun shines...!
Randy
Looks GREAT Joe! Did you tape off the weld area before adding the filler? What brand filler did you use? Do you like it, recommend it?
Hey Joe, things are looking good. The roof metal looks very straight so I want to compliment your workmanship. What about the holes in the windshield frame? Will welding those affect the filler?
Make hay while the sun shines...!
Randy
Fiber filler takes alot to burn it does not melt or bubble . It will trun brown, i have welded next to it before and only had to grind a small amout away , my goal was to keep the new welds from rusting . Even if it does burn i can grind it out and start over i plan on having the van media blasted later anyway so i'm not going crazy with body work at this point .
Thanks Joe
Looks GREAT Joe! Did you tape off the weld area before adding the filler? What brand filler did you use? Do you like it, recommend it?
Yes ken i did , only because there's alot of old paint on either side and it was getting late . Plus it looks cleaner . I would have to strip the paint farther back to put a wider spread on.
here's some info on the duraglass :
Duraglas® body filler is the original fiberglass reinforced automotive body repair filler. Formulated with short-strand fiberglass fibers, Duraglas provides ultimate strength and durability on rust-outs, holes, tears and cracks.
Ideal for use on metal and fiberglass panels
#1 Short-strand fiberglass filled body filler
Reinforced for superior strength
Use with fiberglass cloth for large repairs
Rustproof
Waterproof
Color: Blue-green
Mix 2% by weight (50:1 ratio) with supplied cream hardener
Quart
Substrate:
Metal
Aluminum
Fiberglass
Wood
Masonry
Marine Repairs
Suggested Use:
Rust repairs
Repair cracks and holes in fiberglass
Use on weld areas and bond seams for automotive and marine repairs
I been using it for years works great !
Thanks Joe
Well today i started to make the back radius corners . I used U bend pipe for the back bone for this job .
I cut out sections then fitted them in . I had to cut slots and spred them a bit more to con form to the shape of the van .
I was half tempted to cut out sections from a parts van and see if that would work , but i went with this idea for now ,
Looks GREAT Joe! Did you tape off the weld area before adding the filler? What brand filler did you use? Do you like it, recommend it?
Yes ken i did , only because there's alot of old paint on either side and it was getting late . Plus it looks cleaner . I would have to strip the paint farther back to put a wider spread on.
here's some info on the duraglass :
Duraglas® body filler is the original fiberglass reinforced automotive body repair filler. Formulated with short-strand fiberglass fibers, Duraglas provides ultimate strength and durability on rust-outs, holes, tears and cracks.
Ideal for use on metal and fiberglass panels
#1 Short-strand fiberglass filled body filler
Reinforced for superior strength
Use with fiberglass cloth for large repairs
Rustproof
Waterproof
Color: Blue-green
Mix 2% by weight (50:1 ratio) with supplied cream hardener
Quart
Substrate:
Metal
Aluminum
Fiberglass
Wood
Masonry
Marine Repairs
Suggested Use:
Rust repairs
Repair cracks and holes in fiberglass
Use on weld areas and bond seams for automotive and marine repairs
I been using it for years works great !
Thanks Joe
I have used Duraglass for my first coat of filler since the late 70's and feel that it provides superior quality. Sometime back Doc-cyber (maybe wrong) provided several threads on Vandomain where he suggested that using these glass impregnated fillers was a no no. While I have seen instances where rust did form under the filler they were rare and happened under extreme conditions. For me I still use this method and probably always will. Glad to see that others agree.
Thanks for the info Joe. I've used Duraglas in the past, but have also tried some other brands that I wasn't too happy with. I like that it has a cream hardener. I used one type that had a clear liquid hardener and it was a bitch to mix.
I've always used a glass filler first.
I like the idea of taping it off like you did to do temp fills. Keeps things neat. Nice idea!
wow realy stunning! looks so well done and the idea with the round tube is pretty cool too.
before this thread i didnt have a idea how much detailwork such a chop would need.
Before this thread I didn't like chops at all. Thought of it as butchering a van, but that has changed. I see now how it's done and for some reason I now want one.
Looking good, very good!!!!
Richard
I want one too
Hey ,
Randy ,
Ken,
Luke,
Magneto,
Rich,
Wizard,
Thanks for stoppin in and checking out the van thread . And thanks for your comments
Joe
well here is how it came out , i think it will work good - next up the filler ..
Sweet! Almost makes me wanna chop mine. Almost...
Come on Chris Chop one
c1run1, Im coming up to North Brunswick Friday for runnin wild party. I really want to see this van. It looks great so far, also planning on checking out Kens chop too! Might do my next one into a chop. Already have the whole thing designed in my head!
c1run1, Im coming up to North Brunswick Friday for runnin wild party. I really want to see this van. It looks great so far, also planning on checking out Kens chop too! Might do my next one into a chop. Already have the whole thing designed in my head!
Cool let me know I will be at the party working , but if your around friday i can show you the van as long as i don't get stuck at work .
that is bad ass!
Looks GREAT Joe. It was nice seeing you and chatting with you on Saturday!
that is bad ass!
Yes it is
Looks GREAT Joe. It was nice seeing you and chatting with you on Saturday!
BTW awesome job on the van model for the tricky tray!
Looks GREAT Joe. It was nice seeing you and chatting with you on Saturday!
Thanks Ken , Yes it was cool hanging out havin a few beers and eating some great food and some awesome music ..
that is bad ass!
Yes it is
Thanks Guys !! I can't wait to get back on it , this weekend looks good for me to be able to get something done . I hope the weather holds up a bit longer .
Looks GREAT Joe. It was nice seeing you and chatting with you on Saturday!
BTW awesome job on the van model for the tricky tray!
Thanks Charley
Looks GREAT Joe. It was nice seeing you and chatting with you on Saturday!
BTW awesome job on the van model for the tricky tray!
Yeah man, and it was almost mine
Looks GREAT Joe. It was nice seeing you and chatting with you on Saturday!
Dammit! Joe you were there too? I missed meeting you! It sad to say, but I don't know what you look like. I probably walked right by you!
Josh were you out of Focus?
Man that's quite a transformation can't wait to see the finished van.Thanks for taking time and posting all those photos.Keep 'em coming.
A little behind on my posts here. I went and saw this van in person last Saturday before heading to Runnin Wild party. The pictures dont do justice to the workmanship being done. This is a serious build and many man hours in, with many more to go. Joe is doing some amazing work and has a vision that I am sure will come to reality. I cant wait to see the updates and to see the progress in person yet again a year from now. Thanks Joe for taking the time to show me around and for having the patience to explain things, both here and in person.
I got to take a peek at Buzzsaw and this is many steps above the work done on that old chop. Another one of Joes vans is Nebula and if his work on the street van is any indication, Nebula will once again be a great van as well. Good luck Joe, and great work. Your patience and perseverance will be rewarded when you drive this van!
Thanks Downie ,
It was nice to meet you and your wife , and thank you for the Kind complements .
ANd thanks for fixing the post.
Notice anything different ?
The front looks a little lower, but that could be the angle of the picture.
Wiper cowel looks taller than the bottom of the windshield....
.......Wookee
It's looking more Bad Ass every pic update!!!
Richard
man u are doing one hell of a job on that van looking good.u think u will make it to the nats next year?
Notice anything different ?
Mmmm... the addition of the ever-fashionable blue tape to the roof?
;0) -LOL!!
Nice van - please keep the pics coming!
Fixed my previous post, sorry for any confusion I may have caused.
Looka like the welds are all finished on the drivers side and they are all covered in duraglass, looks good from this angle. cant wait to see it all in primer or solid color, gonna look sweet man!
I'm gonna have to go with Chris and say that you lowered the front suspension. Regardless, you're looking good! How are the plans coming for the new garage?
It's looking more Bad Ass every pic update!!!
:
Richard
The front looks a little lower, but that could be the angle of the picture.
Yes sir ,
Bob ame over with some tools i didn't have like a spring compressor and puller for the tie rod ends . We pulled the springs on the B200 , cut a coil off then pulled apart the street van and installed the springs and put it all back together . The next day i finshed up by changing the calipers and brake pads .
If kinda buged me that i was putting old parts back in not detailed or painted . I was only able to clean some things up good before putting them back in.
I guess this will be a future winter project pulling the motor and the suspension for a full restoration of the chassis . yet more work..lol
Wiper cowel looks taller than the bottom of the windshield....
.......Wookee
It's looking more Bad Ass every pic update!!!
Richard
Thanks Richard
man u are doing one hell of a job on that van looking good.u think u will make it to the nats next year?
Thanks Beeper
nahh this van will not be done for the Nats sorry
Thanks,
Ramforever
Wizard
Downie ... Thanks for taking the time to check out the updates .
I'm gonna have to go with Chris and say that you lowered the front suspension. Regardless, you're looking good! How are the plans coming for the new garage?
Thanks Randy ,
It's slow the county is making me get grading plans from an engineer , yet more money and time wasted ... by the time i get approval it will be to cold i bet .
As they say, you can't fight city hall... Good luck!
The van is looking really good. Great build thread.
The front looks a little lower, but that could be the angle of the picture.
Yes sir ,
Bob ame over with some tools i didn't have like a spring compressor and puller for the tie rod ends . We pulled the springs on the B200 , cut a coil off then pulled apart the street van and installed the springs and put it all back together . The next day i finshed up by changing the calipers and brake pads .
If kinda buged me that i was putting old parts back in not detailed or painted . I was only able to clean some things up good before putting them back in.
I guess this will be a future winter project pulling the motor and the suspension for a full restoration of the chassis . yet more work..lol
Looking Bad A$$
Looks very c
l
I want my chevy to do but am still looking for info and in your topic is quite a lot so I will continue to follow.
Keep up the good work and lots of pictures please
Great work Joe. She's coming along real nice.
i like that stance! and i deffanitly gotta come by ur place..
can deff use some advice
Looks Good, how about a straight on shot of the side
I like the lowered look. How far did it come down?
I've been following this build all along. Great work and nice effect, Joe!
Happy Thanksgiving, bro!
One of the sickest builds i hav ever seen.
very impressive and very cool.
im hooked
Yup, got the correct stance to go along with the chop.
Looks great bro!
well i have not repsoned to this thread in a little while so i have a few people i have to say thank you to ..
Randy,
Draggnastro,
Wizaed ,
weed ,
Pyschoward , Galaxy
Nate,
Ivan,
Mace,
Mike,
Ken ,
Galaxy
Thanks Guys , : )
Well Now for the Fun world of mine ,I started the weekend out by ripping out the springs and the rear of the parts van. I did this friday night.
I also pulled the rear bumper off and the home made hitch that was welded in solid .
Then something a little fun , removing some of the bracing that was no longer needed .
Saturday Bob stopped over and we milled the idea of swapping the spings around on the chop to get her to sit lower . I didn't want to flip the rear as that would be to low . I only wanted like two inches .
After all the work was done and having the same springs on each side the van was sitting an inch taller on the diver side and the intire job gained me a full inch and a half drop on the passenger side and 3/4 of an inch on the driver side . It didn't make sence .
After this was done i put my self to work back on the roof .
I made a patch plate for the third brake light area that was in the newer van roof .
nice work , what blue van is that in the background of the second pic?
Back to doing some welding .. I had a few gaps to fill in plus a rust hole i been putting off .
Some one inquired about how to fix a rust spot in the rian gutter ( drip rail ) lower roof area here is a method i used .
Lucky for me i saved some scrap from the donor roof as I had the part i needed .
Even tho it was a little rusty to , the rust stopped just where i needed to cut it out , I got real lucky on this one .
Cutting out the bad metal on the chop van proved to be risky here as i didn't want to cut in to the good part of the drip rail . I got as close as i could with the dremel cutting wheel the i put the channel pliers on it and pealed it like a can opener ( I got lucky again ) it came off clean and straight.
I cleaned up the drip rail free of sealer and serface rust and started to fit the new part .
No shit guys for all who don't know i bet i spent three hours on this alone from removing it to fitting in just right and cleaned the area so you can weld to it .
then a little welding it's not all done at once you have to keep hitting it with little spots and come back .
Looking good.Nice work covering the third brake light.The drip rail repair is amazing
That's exactly what I was thinking GhostRyder, I don't recall seeing that artwork before, -or what looks like a multi-tier wing! Do you have the blue van in any threads C1Run1? I'd love to see it; I'm pretty gung-ho on space scene murals!
C1Run1, I wish you would have included a few pictures of the actual rear end work; I'm really curious why you would have ended up with so much of a side to side difference in height too. You didn't really get into the details in your post, so how did you actually go about accomplishing the drop?
Nice job on that patch! Did you flange that or are those butt welds?
Now for a little Teck tip on filling hard to get to spots .
Here you see i have a gap inside the back door post . I have no real way of holding metal there frimly so i can weld it .
I can't clamp it or use a magnet as the area is to small .
So i had some heavyer gauge metal scraps on my little bench for when i made the back corners .
I grabed one just the right size placed it on the van while the welder was on and tacked some welding wire to it .
you then simply fish the wire through or slide the metal in and pull it back up , hold it then tack it in .
this was done two times on both sides that i needed to fill in .
The end result saves alot of time and is better then factory as i used the heaver metal .
A little more welding needed and some grinding , i ran out of wire after 6 hours in the garage today and my head hurts a little , where's the aspirn ??
A little fiber hair will seal it for final body work .
nice work , what blue van is that in the background of the second pic?
Thats Nebula
That's exactly what I was thinking GhostRyder, I don't recall seeing that artwork before, -or what looks like a multi-tier wing! Do you have the blue van in any threads C1Run1? I'd love to see it; I'm pretty gung-ho on space scene murals!
C1Run1, I wish you would have included a few pictures of the actual rear end work; I'm really curious why you would have ended up with so much of a side to side difference in height too. You didn't really get into the details in your post, so how did you actually go about accomplishing the drop?
Nice job on that patch! Did you flange that or are those butt welds?
Thanks Ram ,
well its a good question . How ever since i didn't get the result i wanted i figured it wasn't worth showing .
we took out the last half ton sping and added the 3/4 ton last spring witch is shorter but thicker . We thought that the half ton springs would lay on top of the 3/4 spring and flatten out some . It dose work , bt the truck feels more springy . The side hight issue could be that one bolt is really tight on the driver's side and has not settled in yet .
I might remove the 3/4 spring and add air bags this will stop the springy issue and lower the truck to where i want it .
And yes I'm Butt welding it ..
nice work , what blue van is that in the background of the second pic?
Thats Nebula
ok had to do a search but i know now lol
nice work , what blue van is that in the background of the second pic?
I see buzz cut has been moved to the back forty........LOL
Nice welding tip C1run1 - that's clever!
I certainly would have thought the same thing with the leaf springs; that's how mine are built with the really heavy short one on the bottom. I sure hope you can get it to sit the way you want!
Have you perhaps considered going a step below the air bags - I got the Timbren air springs on my rear end and like them. They act a lot like sway bars. You can get spacers to decrease the clearance to have them preloaded so they kick in even faster than normal.
And thanks for posting the picture Wookee! That's one neat van. Love the space murals. I also think that may be the same type of visor I have. Any idea what make it was? All mine says is "Dodge Custom".
Are you working on nebula too C1run1? Quite a fleet you've got there; thanks for sharing all the details!
Damn thats alotta paitience involved work, looks good though even better than factory...
Theres alot to learn hear
I really enjoy reading these build threads. Learn so much from watching the experts work. Like the excellent tip on how to hold a patch panel.
I see buzz cut has been moved to the back forty........LOL
LOL well i can't put flowers in it .. LOL
Nice welding tip C1run1 - that's clever!
I certainly would have thought the same thing with the leaf springs; that's how mine are built with the really heavy short one on the bottom. I sure hope you can get it to sit the way you want!
Have you perhaps considered going a step below the air bags - I got the Timbren air springs on my rear end and like them. They act a lot like sway bars. You can get spacers to decrease the clearance to have them preloaded so they kick in even faster than normal.
And thanks for posting the picture Wookee! That's one neat van. Love the space murals. I also think that may be the same type of visor I have. Any idea what make it was? All mine says is "Dodge Custom".
Are you working on nebula too C1run1? Quite a fleet you've got there; thanks for sharing all the details!
Hey Ram ,
well if i have it my way it will have a 4 link rear end i have to see how much the new shop will take up moeny wise this year .
As for Nebula it's waiting and not going any where at the moment .
And thanks for your support .
Damn thats alotta paitience involved work, looks good though even better than factory...
Theres alot to learn hear
Thanks Ivan
I really enjoy reading these build threads. Learn so much from watching the experts work. Like the excellent tip on how to hold a patch panel.
Thanks Charlie , but i wouldn't call my self an expert ...just some one to cheap to pay anyone to do the job so i do it my self ..lol
While the time, blood, sweat,and tears used up during a project like this can be overwhelming.
When the time comes that the project is done and you look at it and you relies. I DID THAT MYSELF........it will make all the work well worth it.
Considering what it would cost for a so call "Pro" to do it and there is a very good chance that you could get the van back and not be happy with it.The money spent would seem wasted.
.......Wookee
No shit guys for all who don't know i bet i spent three hours on this alone from removing it to fitting in just right and cleaned the area so you can weld to it .
I had to laugh when I read this line. Some days I leave the garage after being beat to death for hours and think, damn that's all I got done today? Until you actually do this kind of stuff you can't even fathom how much time and work can go into something that doesn't seem to difficult.
You doing great work. I must say you taught me something too, never thought to do that with the welding wire. I worked on that same piece this weekend on the chop and I used a pencil magnet to hold it in place. The wire trick is awesome tho.
While the time, blood, sweat,and tears used up during a project like this can be overwhelming.
When the time comes that the project is done and you look at it and you relies. I DID THAT MYSELF........it will make all the work well worth it.
Considering what it would cost for a so call "Pro" to do it and there is a very good chance that you could get the van back and not be happy with it.The money spent would seem wasted.
.......Wookee
Well i can't say i did it all my self Wookie I had alot of help from Bob , and some of the running Wild group .
Thanks Buddy : )
No shit guys for all who don't know i bet i spent three hours on this alone from removing it to fitting in just right and cleaned the area so you can weld to it .
I had to laugh when I read this line. Some days I leave the garage after being beat to death for hours and think, damn that's all I got done today? Until you actually do this kind of stuff you can't even fathom how much time and work can go into something that doesn't seem to difficult.
You doing great work. I must say you taught me something too, never thought to do that with the welding wire. I worked on that same piece this weekend on the chop and I used a pencil magnet to hold it in place. The wire trick is awesome tho.
Amen buddy Amen ,
Thanks Ken
There is an old saying when you are good at something you make it look easy to do.....
.......Wookee
There is an old saying when you are good at something you make it look easy to do.....
.......Wookee
Thanks Joe
well some parts came in the mail, Now i can't wait to get started on the doors ...
Joe, could you repost what you did with the suspension? I would like to change the stance on mine by dropping the front a bit. What year did you take the springs out of? What was the difference in spring lenght or weight ? Did you have to change shock length too?
Joe, could you repost what you did with the suspension? I would like to change the stance on mine by dropping the front a bit. What year did you take the springs out of? What was the difference in spring lenght or weight ? Did you have to change shock length too?
No it's more about trial and era here , and in this case it didn't work out . i'm putting the 1/2 tons springs back in place and adding AIR OVER LEAF Kit , I'll be removing the last ( bottom ) spring and then add this kit . Check out the Video
http://youtu.be/V9TRbP_vBhc
So at what point does the wife kill you for having $50,000 into a 77 Dodge Van?????????????
Believe it or not some wives are into van projects as much as there husbands are.....
......Wookee
I believe you, my wife loves the yellow 4X4 so I am going with that!
So at what point does the wife kill you for having $50,000 into a 77 Dodge Van?????????????
Kiss them just right and they forget everything ..
anyway besides my time i have about 4,500.00 in to it and its the way i want it .
And Joe is right to she like's my project
Your van as usual is looking Bad Ass. And the addition of suicide doors is just killing me with envy. I need the money, the space and someone that can chop. Like I told Ken, between the two of you I am going to have to find a chopped mid Dodge and install a Vista Cruiser roof to satisfy this urge you guys have bestowed upon me. Thanks!!!
Can't wait to see this van done!!!
Richard
Its your own fault if they FIND OUT you have 50k into it
It's so true that the fun part (dream, cut, weld and so on) is also the low cost part. Then comes the finish work, paint, interior, & mechanical's and there goes the budget. That's when the kissing and sweet talk are required... LOL
The van is looking awesome. And I only thought I worked my ass off doing body mods. The work you and Ken are doing on these projects is inspiring.
It's so true that the fun part (dream, cut, weld and so on) is also the low cost part. Then comes the finish work, paint, interior, & mechanical's and there goes the budget. That's when the kissing and sweet talk are required... LOL
That's my issue with Superbeast! I want to do air suspension in it, and just can't manage to get ahead of the bills to buy the parts I need.
Joe, is so right too, take care of her needs and she'll support your habits.
Believe it or not some wives are into van projects as much as there husbands are.....
......Wookee
Pretty please, where can I find me one of those??
;0)
C1run1, I'm amazed at how you've been able to contain costs to such a degree. My other half might just marry *you*!!
Any tips you'd care to pass along?
Just like body mods somebody who knows what they are doing does not give all of his learned tricks away.
If you have not figured out how to kiss your wife right we can't help there........
A good vanner does not kiss and tell.......
Then comes the finish work, paint, interior, & mechanical's and there goes the budget. That's when the kissing and sweet talk are required... LOL
actually if you have the sheet metal that straight when the welding and cutting is done.You did that much your self why not just finish and paint it your self too.......
Just to pay for a job you might not be happy with?
The down side is doing every thing your self does take more time.BTDT a few time now.The finished product and a fatter wallet along with a whole host of newly learned tricks is well worth it in my books..........
............Wookee
well some parts came in the mail, Now i can't wait to get started on the doors ...
Suicide doors will be a great addition to this radical van!
Please keep the updates coming, I would like to learn how this modification is done.
Well i had a house full of females so i found my self out side in the garage on christmas day .
I brought some beer with me and went to town on the dodge .
I finished the entire back end of the roof with the welding and grinded it all down then gave it a coat of duraglas like i did before when i showed you guys how i taped it out .
Then a piss coat of etching primer on the edges . That should keep it safe over the damp winter .
All i have to do now is the two front corners and the holes in the windshield frame .
Wooo hooo !!! the roof will be done !!!!
Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas to me. Cheers!
That's what I call dedication or self preservation. One of the two.
I would had loved to had work on my van, but 1) it's not here and 2) the wife and I had to cook Christmas dinner for the family. So I am glad someone could work on their van.
Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. Now where are the pics!!!
Richard
well one of the last weekends of the year i'm sure that will be kinda nice out . I had to get the chevy running that took most of my Saturday up and i had a bad head ache as it was running to rich and it took the rest of the day to get rid of .
So come sunday was dodge day i went out and set up to work on the front corners . I had to cut out a small rust spot on the passenger side . from there i grinded it down and treated the area with rust mort .
while this was drying i set out on the driver's side corner . I re-cleaned the area and welded it up and welded the holes in the window frame .
a small copper backing was used to help fill the holes in .
Welded up and started to grind it down ..
Pretty much done here although i have to figure out what to do with the rain gutters as the newer ones are rolled the the original ones are folded .
A coat of duraglass to keep the rust from forming in the welded areas is applied .
you are making a person who's never done this , that doesnt have the knowledge , the know how , a shop ,or the tools want to try and do this lol
Good luck with the gutter issue. I'm sure that you will come up with a plan. Looking good!
Randy
Awesome work
Looks Awesome
Good to see ya back working on the Dodge again. Fortnightly, except for the cold snap this week we are having a very mild winter this year. Remember just a year ago we were buried under three feet of snow!
No worries though, it will be fifty degrees again by this Saturday
yeah your right , they are calling for low 50s Saturday .WoooHooo !
Hey Thanks everyone for checking in and your comments
Lookin Good Joe!
I also took some beers an went to garage christmas day
Glad to see it coming along. I have some roof left from The Dodge Parts I bought plus a whole van side, but I guess it has the newer style rain gutter on it. Any idea when they changed? Also, Ivan has a Mid Dodge he was talking about parting out, maybe he can get you a section of rain gutter?
Glad to see it coming along. I have some roof left from The Dodge Parts I bought plus a whole van side, but I guess it has the newer style rain gutter on it. Any idea when they changed? Also, Ivan has a Mid Dodge he was talking about parting out, maybe he can get you a section of rain gutter?
I think they changed when they did the new body style i'm not 100% sure on that tho , and yes If Ivan parts that van out i'd like to see whats good on the roof and gutters , I think i'm going to taper them down but i still need to either make the parts or get donor parts for the gutters .
And thanks Ken : )
Alrighty then , here are my weekend follies on the van ..
I repaired that rust spot on the passenger side and finished welding up the roof in that corner .
I also welded up the drill holes in the windshield frame both under and over and cleaned it up the best i could .
Oh And that sucked trying to work up side down i hated it !!
It was tight,and no where to get in a good spot with the dog house and the steering wheel in the way .
Now on to the passenger side B piller corners .
Lining everything up making cuts as you go ..
Everything is tacked in i like the way it came out i have to make a few small filler parts but other then that i'm diggin it .
Last but not least , i found ths grill from an old chrysler and i'm considering using it and the bumper if i can cut it down and make it look right it will be killer in the van as part of the front end .
Good progress. To me it's interesting how we all approach the project differently but end up at the same result and there is no right or wrong way, just our way. I tend to weld all of the post completely, then do the sheet metal work. That's why I like this site so much. I learn something new almost every day.
I like the grill. Good luck with it!
Randy
Nice work there Joe,i'm likeing that grille also!
Last but not least , i found ths grill from an old chrysler and i'm considering using it and the bumper if i can cut it down and make it look right it will be killer in the van as part of the front end .
what kinda chy that grill from??? I knew old chys were wide but Dang!!!
Last but not least , i found ths grill from an old chrysler and i'm considering using it and the bumper if i can cut it down and make it look right it will be killer in the van as part of the front end .
what kinda chy that grill from??? I knew old chys were wide but Dang!!!
72 imperial
Very cool grill. Are those headlight covers too? Vacuum operated?
Very cool grill. Are those headlight covers too? Vacuum operated?
I was told i'm getting the head light door , motor and rods .
Today i finished welding up that passenger B piller and grinded it down real nice .
I'm happy on how it turned out .
Looking awesome! Kind of a fan of the factory style grille though.
Looking awesome! Kind of a fan of the factory style grille though.
I respect that ..
That van will look cool with that grill and hidden lights
Roof and pillar looking good buddy. Interesting grill, will be neat to see if it works for you in there.
Tell me about it ..LOL thanks Ken
Its cool to see the differences between this build and the one Ken is doing. Both with amazing results.
Its cool to see the differences between this build and the one Ken is doing. Both with amazing results.
Thanks, and true that. They are both going to look a bit different as well.
I actually forgot you were pulling the back section of yours in Joe. How far is the top of the side doors off? Are you gonna have to slice and pull in the driver and passenger door as well?
Its cool to see the differences between this build and the one Ken is doing. Both with amazing results.
Thanks, and true that. They are both going to look a bit different as well.
I actually forgot you were pulling the back section of yours in Joe. How far is the top of the side doors off? Are you gonna have to slice and pull in the driver and passenger door as well?
Ken ,
I just cut a crapy side door down so i can make sure that B piller was straight .
I'm not using that door on the side i think i'm going with a 3/4 door for the side .
As for the front doors i don't think i'll be pulling them in very far , maybe a half inch if that . It deff will be a tapper cut as the front of the door tops are pretty close where the backs will be needed to pull in .
Thanks Joe
Well today i cleaned up all the pillers and smoothed them all up .
I also picked out a cool tail light, it's from a 69 Newport .
I'm thinking i'll make a smooth plate so just the lens and center bezel show . So you only see the two long thin lights .
Chrysler had some bad ass C-body cars.
Those lights will look great in there!
Lookin cool, love the grill and tailights.
Lookin cool, love the grill and tailights.
......
I Can't believe you guys chopped up an original street van.
Tail light should look great and it does go well with the grill. Great choices!!!
I Can't believe you guys chopped up an original street van.
Well, it was only one guy who did it....
And I think it looks cool.
BTW, I also love both front and rear light/grill treatments. Great taste!
Chrysler had some bad ass C-body cars.
true Nate
Those lights will look great in there!
Thanks Drag
Lookin cool, love the grill and tailights.
Thanks Chevyvan
Lookin cool, love the grill and tailights.
......
Thanks Highway
I Can't believe you guys chopped up an original street van.
Believe it !!!
no, NOW its an original street van .
Tail light should look great and it does go well with the grill. Great choices!!!
Thanks Randy
I Can't believe you guys chopped up an original street van.
Well, it was only one guy who did it....
And I think it looks cool.
BTW, I also love both front and rear light/grill treatments. Great taste!
Noo i had alot of help Mike , Bob Morgan and some of the running wild van club chipped in .
OK, I guess you're all guilty as charged.
Alrighty ,
This weekend i spent alot of time smoothing welds down and filling drill holes by welding them up .
I also pulled the doors in so the tops line up with the body .
this was done by cutting a 1/4 inch out of the back of the door going down an 1/8 inch to the front of the door then tilting it in and spot welding it inplace .
The i spread a thin coat of fiber filler in all the worked areas of the pillers and filled the corners .
The fiber filler will keep out by buddy Mr Rust .
nice , wish youd hurry up and finish it , lol
no, NOW its an original street van .
LOL true , Thanks Buddy
very nice work cant wait to see more
Yep ..... we slaughtered that thing like a pig at a pig roast!!
Man ur movin right along joe! Real clean and neat too
read through the whole thread this morning, enjoyed every minute of it and thought back to the 76 street van we drove to high school and wish it was still around
great work! reminds me of re-doing a 55 chevy i had in the late 90's, 6 months of welding and making panels and seeing this thread makes a guy want to weld something...anything....i gotta go to the garage for awhile....
I cant hardly weld and I want to chop something now
The doors look great Joe. Funny how much welding, grinding and tweaking needs to be done, and it all gets compounded when you do an angle chop as opposed to a straight chop.
so much work done so far, and I am sure there is much much much more to go. . . . . keep up the GREAT work and add more PIX!
Pure raw talent you got there. That van is looking great.
very nice work cant wait to see more
Thanks Mister B
Yep ..... we slaughtered that thing like a pig at a pig roast!!
Yeah we sure did !!haha
Man ur movin right along joe! Real clean and neat too
Thanks Ivan
read through the whole thread this morning, enjoyed every minute of it and thought back to the 76 street van we drove to high school and wish it was still around
great work! reminds me of re-doing a 55 chevy i had in the late 90's, 6 months of welding and making panels and seeing this thread makes a guy want to weld something...anything....i gotta go to the garage for awhile....
So how far did you get ?
And thanks for checking out my project : )
The doors look great Joe. Funny how much welding, grinding and tweaking needs to be done, and it all gets compounded when you do an angle chop as opposed to a straight chop.
thanks Ken ,
this weekend should be interesting
so much work done so far, and I am sure there is much much much more to go. . . . . keep up the GREAT work and add more PIX!
Yeah there is always something i could do , and thanks Fester I'll try
Pure raw talent you got there. That van is looking great.
Thanks Finally : )
The van has came a long way since the last time I saw it.
Keep up the great work.Most of all have fun doing it.
........Wookee
This is an awesome project. I just read the whole discussion / build. The only thing I could say was missing was a bowl of popcorn. However, I was to entranced to get up and fix one. Might have missed something.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.
Great Build!
Dave
Thanks Boot !!
Everyone Boot Hooked me up with this little Gem , It needs a little help But i got ideas .
Oh and it's a J&J
This is an awesome project. I just read the whole discussion / build. The only thing I could say was missing was a bowl of popcorn. However, I was to entranced to get up and fix one. Might have missed something.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.
Great Build!
Dave
Hey Thanks Dave I'm glad you enjoyed it .
BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Way to go Boot!! Joe has been looking for one of those for a long time now. They do pop up every now and then but NOTHING LIKE THAT!!
That's gonna look great on there! I'm always glad when rare parts I have find their way to the right person! I'm watching the progression of this van in awe, my friend.
It just keeps getting better and better.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it was at the top something like this Bitchen hood comes along. Man this is getting better and better. That is one bad ass hood.
Boot if you have any more truly classic add on's laying in the way. I am pretty sure my van will accept them and give them a good home. She is at the custom shop in the add on state. Until it hits the paint stage then it will be harder not impossible to add on.
Man I definitely can't wait to see this van done!!! The chop with the hood!!!!!
Richard
Bad A$$ hood
Thanks Boot !!
Everyone Boot Hooked me up with this little Gem , It needs a little help But i got ideas .
Oh and it's a J&J
That would make a sweet mold......
Do it got factory underside and bolt to hinges?
Thats going to look nice joe
Thought that "White" looked familiar
This van is gonna look so AWESOME !
Todays Topic Door Tops .
While doing some research this week I wrote to Randy Pelc and asked for some advice in regards to the shaping of the door tops .
And he sent me a great diagram how ever i'm having a hard time posting it as it came in a file and not a photo.
Bob came over and he basicaly made it his personal quest to do the door tops . I was the clean parts , spot weld and over aged gofer . It took 6 1/2 hours just to do the one driver side .
Parts are made ready ...
The First oart is tact in ..
Sleves are made .
The second part gose on it was tuff to line up lots of triming all day long .
Next this back door Jam cap gose in some pie cuts and backing sheet metal fills the open areas .
The inside looks great ..
The last part of the puzzel ..
The outer end cap..
It's all spot welded in now i have to solid weld it up .. Looks great i can't get over how few cuts are in this door top .
They all ways say the best way to tell a really good chop is to look at the window openings.......
......Wookee
Great work going on here. Been following the thread since the start. That hood looks sweet on there.
[/quote]That would make a sweet mold......
Do it got factory underside and bolt to hinges?
Thats going to look nice joe
Thought that "White" looked familiar
[/quote]
Thanks Guys the hood is bitchin !
Heavy the under side frame came lose , It sags in the midle to fix it quick i installed a rubber bumper .
Today i took an old hood and pulled the skin off. I'm going to take the inner frame and send it out to be media blasted .
Then i'll use a special bonding agent to hold the fiber glass to the metal frame . I'll take apart the J & J hood and afix the fiber glass skin to the metal frame ...
I love Mad science !!
The door is looking great. I know doing the doors makes the roof work seem easy. You wouldn't think shrinking something a few inches would be that big of a deal. But it seems every dimension / radius changes and has to be dealt with as you can tell from the photos above. Super Job...
Dave
Yeah that hood is totally bad ass, I'd love one for my van.....
Wow....the doors are coming out nice. Great work....this van is really starting to take shape.
I just can not believe the level of work in this van.
Now I have to wait for more cool work to be done. . . . .
Joe, I am impressed. Obviously the path taken beats the crap out of my method. Lesson learned!!!
Randy
looks beautiful. I cant help but wonder about the glass? will you be able to use factory door glass slid down, or will you have glass cut?
Outstanding work on the door, Joe!
that door is lookin great!
The hood looks awesome on there, but I have a ?
The windshield framework looks great and it looks to be finished? Is the one extra piece I see staying? If so, that's an awesome idea!
Also, the door is looking great.
That would make a sweet mold......
Do it got factory underside and bolt to hinges?
Thats going to look nice joe
Thought that "White" looked familiar
[/quote]
Thanks Guys the hood is bitchin !
Heavy the under side frame came lose , It sags in the midle to fix it quick i installed a rubber bumper .
Today i took an old hood and pulled the skin off. I'm going to take the inner frame and send it out to be media blasted .
Then i'll use a special bonding agent to hold the fiber glass to the metal frame . I'll take apart the J & J hood and afix the fiber glass skin to the metal frame ...
I love Mad science !! [/quote]
Looks good,a buddy of mine just did same ting bonding metal inner to glass hood,used that body panel adhesive stuff,the quick set stuff,im in progress of makin a glass inner for the gullwings,just not sure on glassin them together or bondin them.......
They all ways say the best way to tell a really good chop is to look at the window openings.......
......Wookee
Thanks Joe ... I think ..lol
Great work going on here. Been following the thread since the start. That hood looks sweet on there.
Thank you Relaxed
The door is looking great. I know doing the doors makes the roof work seem easy. You wouldn't think shrinking something a few inches would be that big of a deal. But it seems every dimension / radius changes and has to be dealt with as you can tell from the photos above. Super Job...
Dave
Thanks Dave
Joe, I am impressed. Obviously the path taken beats the crap out of my method. Lesson learned!!!
Randy
Thanks Randy ,
It was Bob's idea
Wow....the doors are coming out nice. Great work....this van is really starting to take shape.
Thanks Lee : )
I just can not believe the level of work in this van.
Now I have to wait for more cool work to be done. . . . .
Thanks Fester I can't wait either .... haha !
Thanks Lost in the 70's
looks beautiful. I cant help but wonder about the glass? will you be able to use factory door glass slid down, or will you have glass cut?
Factory My friend and thank you
Outstanding work on the door, Joe!
Thanks MIke
that door is lookin great!
Thank you : )
The hood looks awesome on there, but I have a ?
The windshield framework looks great and it looks to be finished? Is the one extra piece I see staying? If so, that's an awesome idea!
Also, the door is looking great.
Thanks Buddy !! and yeah i wanted the feel of a VW split ??
Nahh Just kidding it will be removed soon .
The hood looks awesome on there, but I have a ?
The windshield framework looks great and it looks to be finished? Is the one extra piece I see staying? If so, that's an awesome idea!
Also, the door is looking great.
Thanks Buddy !! and yeah i wanted the feel of a VW split ??
Nahh Just kidding it will be removed soon .
Shame, I kinda like it there
Would prolly be a bitch driving with it tho.
You know it would be different and cool looking to have a spit window. How hard would it be to make it split? I haven't seen a mid(not saying they aren't out there)with a split. I mean you are making this thing to be way different then any other van so a split would give it that more of an edge!!
Just my 2 cents!!
You are doing a great job as it is. Really coming together.
Richard
Just spotted this thread, as I have been a bit distracted from the Vannin fun, as of late. Spectacular build!
Completely love the idea of useing the killer Chrysler front grille and rear tail light setup. I could see doing that on even a milder custom build, just cuzz they look so cool all on their own.
Love the chop on this one to. I'm not always automatically for any chop top job, but this one looks right. Really learning on my end to, as to what all it takes. Lots of awesome insight in your pics.
Thanks for letting us in on the fun!
i think it would be cool with a split and have them open...like on those cali vw buses..
i think it would be cool with a split and have them open...like on those cali vw buses..
That would be trick, but very difficult to do with contoured glass.
Great to see some more progress on this bad ass van! The door came out really nice, man you make it look easy. Love the hood!
Wow looking great makes me want to do a chop.
Wow looking great makes me want to do a chop.
I agree. If I didn't actually need all the headroom I can get in my van, for hauling dirtbikes, I'd be all over chopping mine just like this. Perfect, not to much, and just enough. Maybe I need another van, so I can unleash the creative custom side..Will have to wait till I have more room, atleast......
Is it just me or is there nothing better than a Chopped Van?
Or maybe a Sectioned Van,
Oh Yeah a Tandem Van,
Shortened or Lenghtend
I guess I just like them all.
You have company, lots of company. But we are all different. I am always surprised at the number of comments that say that do not like chopped vans. But I will admit that I don't like shortened vans or even tandems so I guess it does come down to personal taste. Chopped, sectioned and bagged... that's what I'm talking about!
Being 6'2" I like a higher roofline but I love to look at chop jobs
Being 6'2" I like a higher roofline but I love to look at chop jobs
I have owned several chopped vans including Heavy Metal which is chopped and sectioned and I am also 6' - 2". It's all about the seating... lol
I'm only 5'7". I was made for short/chopped vehicles. Lol. But I drive a 4x4 I almost have to jump in to
Being 6'2" I like a higher roofline but I love to look at chop jobs
I have owned several chopped vans including Heavy Metal which is chopped and sectioned and I am also 6' - 2". It's all about the seating... lol
Yeah that! Recline the seat! Read my signature!
Just spotted this thread, as I have been a bit distracted from the Vannin fun, as of late. Spectacular build!
Completely love the idea of useing the killer Chrysler front grille and rear tail light setup. I could see doing that on even a milder custom build, just cuzz they look so cool all on their own.
Love the chop on this one to. I'm not always automatically for any chop top job, but this one looks right. Really learning on my end to, as to what all it takes. Lots of awesome insight in your pics.
Thanks for letting us in on the fun!
Thank you SOooo Much ! I'm overly excited about this Van i hope it turns out really cool .
Thanks for taking the time to read up on it .
Great to see some more progress on this bad ass van! The door came out really nice, man you make it look easy. Love the hood!
thanks Buddy
Wow looking great makes me want to do a chop.
I agree. If I didn't actually need all the headroom I can get in my van, for hauling dirtbikes, I'd be all over chopping mine just like this. Perfect, not to much, and just enough. Maybe I need another van, so I can unleash the creative custom side..Will have to wait till I have more room, atleast......
Thanks Guys !!
Well the passenger side door is done , we lined up and tacked in . we started on it last week it wasing working out well and i was getting hungery so i closed up the shop to come back to it later .
So this weekend i went in and cut it all apart and re-aligned everything .
And it went togerther better this time . Just as i was finishing up Bob stopped in and wanted to do something so i turned the inner corner door cap over to him .
Other then that the weather made me a bit lazy and i didn't get much of anything else done but a good cleaning out of the van with all the metal dust and scraps needing to be evicted .
I need to get some B pillers to beef up mine for the new suicide hinges i bought . at least as i'm looking at them it wouldn't hurt to do that .
I NEED TO CHOP SOMETHING!!!
Great work I love it!!
Well the passenger side door is done , we lined up and tacked in . we started on it last week it wasing working out well and i was getting hungery so i closed up the shop to come back to it later .
So this weekend i went in and cut it all apart and re-aligned everything .
And it went togerther better this time . Just as i was finishing up Bob stopped in and wanted to do something so i turned the inner corner door cap over to him .
Other then that the weather made me a bit lazy and i didn't get much of anything else done but a good cleaning out of the van with all the metal dust and scraps needing to be evicted .
[IMG]
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t291/c1run1/77%20street%20van/007.jpg[/IMG]
I need to get some B pillers to beef up mine for the new suicide hinges i bought . at least as i'm looking at them it wouldn't hurt to do that .
Joe....that looks GREAT!!!
Boy that door looks like it grew there...nice job.
Very very nice...tks for posting the pics.
Just spotted this thread, as I have been a bit distracted from the Vannin fun, as of late. Spectacular build!
Completely love the idea of useing the killer Chrysler front grille and rear tail light setup. I could see doing that on even a milder custom build, just cuzz they look so cool all on their own.
Love the chop on this one to. I'm not always automatically for any chop top job, but this one looks right. Really learning on my end to, as to what all it takes. Lots of awesome insight in your pics.
Thanks for letting us in on the fun!
Thank you SOooo Much ! I'm overly excited about this Van i hope it turns out really cool .
Thanks for taking the time to read up on it .
Tuffman is an old friend who defected from Ford Club Wagons when he found that awesome big-block powered Sportsman.....
Joe, the door and chop is looking ideal!
Looks great Joe!
How 'bout some B-pillars from a 78-up Dodge van? They are much "beefier".
Door looks great Joe! It's always a good thing to walk away when things aren't going right. Debbie taught me that
I have the B-piller for the other side and we are going to be parting out a rusty mid soon if you need parts. Let me know.
Moving right along, got both doors almost done now. I forgot if you mentioned this or not. Are you planning on shaving the door handles and using door poppers?
BTW I'm really looking forward to seeing how how the suicide door hinges get installed. I have always wanted to know how that job is done.
Thanks for the updates
Oo door poppers with motarized acuaters... Would be cool have them open by remote
I think this van will look great with a chopped door, opening suicide style, electronically. Man you will catch people of guard. This is going to be one amazing van. Keep the pics comin'!!!
There was a place near where I worked that would put any style of door opening on any vehicle. So long as you had the bread. I mean I saw doors open like a Lambo on a Hyundai. Saw new pick ups with suicide doors. Went to talk with them and they said they haven't met a car or truck that they couldn't make the doors open any way physically possible. He showed me a Mercedes that cost over a $100g and they were putting in Gullwings like the 300's had. They are gone now. Business got real good so they had to move to a bigger shop. West Coast Customs use to be near there too! Samething, they out grew their shop. Sucks they move when I get my van.
Richard
I NEED TO CHOP SOMETHING!!!
Great work I love it!!
Thanks Jess ,
Make a plan get your parts together and go for it ...
Joe....that looks GREAT!!!
thanks Lee !
Boy that door looks like it grew there...nice job.
Thanks Friction
Looks great Joe!
How 'bout some B-pillars from a 78-up Dodge van? They are much "beefier".
Sure if you have them ? And thank you
Door looks great Joe! It's always a good thing to walk away when things aren't going right. Debbie taught me that
I have the B-piller for the other side and we are going to be parting out a rusty mid soon if you need parts. Let me know.
Thanks Ken And yes let me know so i can see whats on that van i may need .
as of right now i been having an Internet issue i keep haviing to start over from the forum front page t make a posting ? wierd
Moving right along, got both doors almost done now. I forgot if you mentioned this or not. Are you planning on shaving the door handles and using door poppers?
BTW I'm really looking forward to seeing how how the suicide door hinges get installed. I have always wanted to know how that job is done.
Thanks for the updates
No i did not mention that at all , I'll see how much time it takes to get Phase one of this project done first . Thanks for asking
I think this van will look great with a chopped door, opening suicide style, electronically. Man you will catch people of guard. This is going to be one amazing van. Keep the pics comin'!!!
Richard
Thanks Richard ! your the Man !
as of right now i been having an Internet issue i keep haviing to start over from the forum front page t make a posting ? wierd
I have the same issue in here only, like crazy. Its like I log in, and then any other page link I pick, its as though I automatically am logged right out. Even though, I check the box to keep me logged in, and, I have no issues on numerous other forums. Every time I see a interesting post to a subscribed thread in my email, and I click the link, ....if I want to reply, it can take me 15 minutes of logging in over and over and over. I often give up, and try again later, or just forget about it. Though, oddly, I only had to log in 3 times to be able to post this. So, I dunno..........
Anywho, keep up the great work. She is lookin amazing, thus far...
As of right now, the mid van should be at my place on Monday, With any luck we'll get it stripped down in a day or two. Gonna prolly save anything that is good for other projects.
truck is looking awsome, what a job you are doing !
Nothing over the top exciting here , but i did the roof braces this week .
At least it's something closer to getting done .
I started by using Bob's design of making the brace ends and puched holes for spot welding in place . this way i can come back later and finish them nice.
Before i welded the brace ends in I wire brushed and wheeled the welds from the chop on the inside then coated all of them with seam seal to keep out Mister Rust .
I also played around with some new weld through primer made by SEM called coppercoat .
Over all look ....
"keep out Mister Rust."
That would be Mrs Rust cause rust is a BI>>cH. Generally speaking that is.
Wow! Thats a great shot... Lovee it!
This project is looking great Joe!
Sure is looking nice Joe.Nice work your doing there.
Man this van has come along way in a year. Lookin real good bro.
looking real mean
Joe, you keep impressing me with your methods. Class in session!!!
It's looking great Joe, keep up the great work!
Just wanted to thank everyone for checking out my little up dates ..
Lee
Frictonaffect
Extreme Limitzz
Draggnastro
Boot
Riverratcustomz
Mr Honey
Radicalran
Mutt
Alright being so nice out today i wanted to play around with my Hinges .
I need to make them open exact and parallel so i cut a 14 inch square tubes and lined everything up .
Now i'm working on wood and a pick nick table so i'm not 100%comfortable on welding it up solid at this point . I'll have to see about using a buddies steel level table to check them out . But over all i think they came out very good they look great , i just have to see if they work great lol .
Once i check them i'll start with the install of the suicide hinges . They are just tacted together at this piont till i see if the are 100% true .
It's hard to tell from the pics if you have but you might want to cut those apart and clean the yellow chromate before burning those all the way around. Zinc poisoning is pretty nasty.
This van build is so impressive ! Keep up the great work and keep posting those pics too!
Awesome work
This build just keeps getting better and better.
Roof interior looks great Joe. Nice work on the hinges so far too!
Thanks Wizzard
Eagle Dave
Superbeast
I wanted to Thank Ivan and Ken for locating some parts for me an taking the time to remove them
I went out to Kens Saturday to pick them up in the morning and i couldn't wait to get home and start doing something . How ever the weather was a bit cold and i only got so much done . I did get a filler panel so i can make a 3/4 door and drip rail sections . It was trimed and fitted in to place but hats all i can do for now . Bob is making me a small part for the top of the filler panel so i can fill the gap between the roof and the panel .
Then come sunday i was set to work on the van all day but i ended up taking it kinda easy ( Ok so i'm in a lazy mood today LOL )
I did try to make a corner section for the filler panel but i can't do much with out the part Bob is making for me .
I Also pulled the van out of the gargage for the first time since winter set in .
The parts i picked up :
Prepping the parts to install
I pulled the van out and dusted it down
Looks awesome c1run1. Very cool build thread.
Man oh man that old Dodge is lookin' good.
haha awesome! glad to help out
and thats gonna be cool,
love the motivation too
LOVE those meats! Coming along nicely Joe.
Its gonna be Sex On Wheels
C1run1 You can use that name if ya like
Its gonna be Sex On Wheels
C1run1 You can use that name if ya like
SEX ON WHEELS VIDEO Its gonna be Sex On Wheels
C1run1 You can use that name if ya like
"
yeah No .. But thanks anyway - It's called "Street Van"
Keep going C1. I really enjoy watching vans get done out "right" here at vanning.com. This van is no exception. Essentially we all get to take a master class in van building from some great metal workers, for free. It really dosen't get any better unless you are in the garage feeling the heat of the welder and smelling the filler.
This thread is an inspiration and a great reference for anyone doing a mid dodge (like myself).
If you are gonna cut up a collectible van, this is the way to do it. Im blown away by every update to this van. Always reading dude. Keep up the amazing work!
We are watching the berth of the full on custom Street Van the way it should be. The way Dodge intended it to be!!! A van that will cause heads to turn so fast that chiropractors will be booked years to come. A birth that will rival the film "A Birth Of A Nation". A birth that will put an end to all births!!!
OK maybe over the top there, but a birth of a Vantastic Street Van nother the less!!!!!!
Great job and keep the pics a rollin'
Richard
As my Uncle says all the time, " ANYONE CAN RESTORE A CAR/VAN, IT TAKES A REAL MAN TO CHOP ONE UP !"
Keep up the great work. . .
Sweet! I didn't know you were going to use the full filler panel. I thought you just wanted the jambs! Good thing I cut it off the way I did.
I don't think i was ever more nervous cutting in to something then this weekend .
I think it's because i had put so much work into the van that i was a bit apprehensive . I also was not to keen of the idea of the door jambs having the big square holes for the new suicide hinges .
It leaves a wide open port for water to travel in and hang out .
How ever i'm going to box the back off and seal it well with a drain hose . This should solve that problem .
The Hinges are tacked in and i fitted the box hinge plates today and filled the edges in on the door .
Bob helped with fitting the door , i called for some advise from Ted Walters and he pointed me in the right direction .
The Gaps have to be filled in :
You can see how much bigger the hinges are then the B piller.
A suport was made for the back :
the door finished :
thanks for stopping by
that looks really good, i love it!
Its been so cool watchin this van come together.
I also see some extra sheet metal added to the side door opening......
.......Wookee
Hey Thanks for stopping in ...
Ken
Josh
Mr Honey
Radarlove
Wizzard
Ivan
Nate
wookee
Riverrat
Bandvan
Finallyavanner
Uncle Fester
better wearther is coming i hope so more of Gether Done ! Will be going on .
Looks great Joe. How bout a shot with the door on and open?
Love watching this build & Ken's
Found this today on YouTube, maybe you need to get him to sell it to you?
LINKY 2 Video
This is incredible work. You really have put some hard work and some fantastic plans together. Keep the post coming. I have read 75 pages in 2 days and enjoyed it. Btw I'll be sending my "Creature" your way so you can pimp it for me. Lol
Looks great Joe. How bout a shot with the door on and open?
an door closed pic
Lookin good man!
Waitin on some new rims an rubber on rear so I can run further,then I can get over your way some day and looke
This is incredible work. You really have put some hard work and some fantastic plans together. Keep the post coming. I have read 75 pages in 2 days and enjoyed it. Btw I'll be sending my "Creature" your way so you can pimp it for me. Lol
LOL thanks Ruff ! I'm glad you enjoyed it .
Found this today on YouTube, maybe you need to get him to sell it to you?
LINKY 2 Video I wish buddy but i have to chop it .
Looks great Joe. How bout a shot with the door on and open?
an door closed pic
Lookin good man!
Waitin on some new rims an rubber on rear so I can run further,then I can get over your way some day and looke
Thanks Heavy , I'm not putting the doors bck on till i get most of the welding done . I do have to configure the latches so they will have to go bck on soon .
Well everyone around me is sick and i have a bit of a bug my self i'm fighting off .
But i managed to get some work done .
I started to prep the area for the drivers side Hinge kit . I tried to heat up the factory sticker and pull it off and i got a big surprise .
LOl i saw some one was making these i took photos and i have to spend some time to try and locate this guy again .
Anyway the driver side suicide hinge in place after much time spent on cutting and fitting .
Bob lent me a hand and held the door while i maked the cut outs then also when i tacked the hinge boxes in .
Then i started to do some welding and filling of the line cut in the back of the door . This was the cut line i made to pull the door tops in .
Areas to wide where trimmed and sheet metal was fitted .
The end result is pretty decent . I didn't have to make it pretty just good enough to be soild .
from there i went on and started filling the inner cuts of the door jamb .
This had to be sliced and fitted beter .
well that took all day 8 hours my friends just to fill the door gaps in and i'm not done yet .!!!
The Hinge i did Saturday ..... LOL
enjoy
Looks great and a whole lotta work!
lookin real good. i like the suicide doors.
Great looking work as usual......
.......Wookee
Great work.....this is going to be a SWEEEEET radical when finished. Keep up the great work!
Lookin good, ur gettin there
Wow...looking good !
A whole lotta work....a whole lotta love, my friend. Awesome results!
Lookin good Joe!!!
I likes the little sliver of metal ta fill in area of weld on back do!!
Them front doors are like wutt 75lbs or more,I remember takin mine off man they were some heavy freekin doors!!
Can't wait for the next episode of 77 Dodge Street Van.
Thanks Everyone!
You have no idea how much i really enjoy working on this project .
Today i found some time , i really should have done some yard work but i wanted to tinker around a bit .
So i started to fill in the door jamb gaps ..
I'm working on the front parts then i'll hit the back sections .
It's just grass,Yard work can wait
Looking Great
It's just grass,Yard work can wait
Looking Great
Thanks again guys !
well here is a shot of the door open .
Looks pretty cool ! to bad i have to take it off agian .... LOL .
And Bob stopped over and we made filler panels for the tail lights . We used a gallon can of bondo as the slip roll to make the bend .. haha
I cut out the raised area out of where the tail light molding went .
Then i started to prep the driver's door to fill in the cuts on the back of it .
Stay tuned for more chopped street van adventures !!!
looks amazing my friend..
That's sweet
Lookin Good Joe!
tell me your using poppers and shavin handles.......
All I can say is.....frickin' AWESOME!!!!
Fantastic work Joe! Those suicide doors are going to look killer!
Y'know...I set early VW bus tail lights would look good on that van.
Yuor van is cmning anlog ncliey. I rllaey lkie the siuicde droos. I wndoer how hrad or how esay it wlil be to get in and out of.
Ntae has a geart ieda wtih toshe tilalhgtis. I tnhik tehy wluod be bset uesd in piars on ecah sdie of the van, mybae fnechred in. Lkoniog frarwod to sieneg mroe pcterius as the van pgreessos.
Fantastic work Joe! Those suicide doors are going to look killer!
Y'know...I set early VW bus tail lights would look good on that van.
:
would look cool
Looking good Joe! I still gotta get up there one of these days.
Love those suicide doors on that Dodge,they are some
Fantastic work Joe! Those suicide doors are going to look killer!
Y'know...I set early VW bus tail lights would look good on that van.
Verry Nice nate , how ever i have lights picked out all ready if i change my mind i'll let you know . Thanks for looking out tho..
that is seriously cool, i cant wait to see it finished
Hey John, I hate to nitpick but you misspelled cmning you forgot the .... o but that's ok because you consistently spelled VAN correctly and that's all that matters.
This thing is looking awesome Joe!!
Suicide doors, now that is one way to pick up women on the go. Just aim, open, and, scoop! How cool!!!
This van gets better and better with every pic update.
Richard
Nice job Joe. Tail light fillers look really sweet too Bob.
Yuor van is cmning anlog ncliey. I rllaey lkie the siuicde droos. I wndoer how hrad or how esay it wlil be to get in and out of.
Ntae has a geart ieda wtih toshe tilalhgtis. I tnhik tehy wluod be bset uesd in piars on ecah sdie of the van, mybae fnechred in. Lkoniog frarwod to sieneg mroe pcterius as the van pgreessos.
Hey John, I hate to nitpick but you misspelled cmning you forgot the .... o but that's ok because you consistently spelled VAN correctly and that's all that matters.
This thing is looking awesome Joe!!
dang... I hate when that happens...
I was just thinking how everything within this van is moving around as metal
work continues. It reminded me that the brain still put things together.
My words contain a correct start and end letter with mixed middle letters.
The brain does not care about the order,
it needs the first and last letter then
it just puts it together letting us read it as usual.
I really dig these chops... Cant wait to start mine... mid ford.
Yuor van is cmning anlog ncliey. I rllaey lkie the siuicde droos. I wndoer how hrad or how esay it wlil be to get in and out of.
Ntae has a geart ieda wtih toshe tilalhgtis. I tnhik tehy wluod be bset uesd in piars on ecah sdie of the van, mybae fnechred in. Lkoniog frarwod to sieneg mroe pcterius as the van pgreessos.
Hey John, I hate to nitpick but you misspelled cmning you forgot the .... o but that's ok because you consistently spelled VAN correctly and that's all that matters.
This thing is looking awesome Joe!!
dang... I hate when that happens...
I was just thinking how everything within this van is moving around as metal
work continues. It reminded me that the brain still put things together.
My words contain a correct start and end letter with mixed middle letters.
The brain does not care about the order,
it needs the first and last letter then
it just puts it together letting us read it as usual.
I really dig these chops... Cant wait to start mine... mid ford.
Thanks quite1 i just thought you had to much to drink that day i didn't care .
i don't think i'll be getting to much done today it's crapy out and i have a few othr things to button up . I hope i have something good to report by monday night.
Well guys i worked from 10:00 AM till 6:10 PM till i ran out of gas .
I was getting tired anyway so it was a good thing .
I spent just about all day welding up the inside and door jams of the driver's side door .
Here's all that i was able to get done ..
Soo much more work to do yet ... But every step brings me closer .
Joe, what will you use for latches? When I have done the conversion I used the original latch systems but transferred them from side to side. I have even swapped the position of the latch and post so that the latch was installed on the body and not the door. I see where you have welded the holes shut so you must have another plan.
Looking good!
Joe, what will you use for latches? When I have done the conversion I used the original latch systems but transferred them from side to side. I have even swapped the position of the latch and post so that the latch was installed on the body and not the door. I see where you have welded the holes shut so you must have another plan.
Looking good!
Hey Randy ,
Yes i know , you have to use the right latch for the left door ect , and yes i have a plan . I have extra doors : ) I plan on using those for parts .
Joe, what will you use for latches? When I have done the conversion I used the original latch systems but transferred them from side to side. I have even swapped the position of the latch and post so that the latch was installed on the body and not the door. I see where you have welded the holes shut so you must have another plan.
Looking good!
Hey Randy ,
Yes i know , you have to use the right latch for the left door ect , and yes i have a plan . I have extra doors : ) I plan on using those for parts .
That's what I was thinking but I thought that I would ask. Good progress!
I have been closely watching this and HomeBrews hinge installations
This is something I want to do to one of my vans a little farther down the road.
.......Wookee
Door is looking awesome Joe!
Hey Guys ,
I'm Planning an east coast meet up maybe in August on an open weekend .
I was thinking the 2nd weekend ? Any ideas or imput is welcome .
I'm not looking to have a wild party it's a gathering maybe you guys can plan a road trip seeing radical vans around NJ again?.
Thanks
I'm hoping to make a trip to the US in August so keep me in the loop.
That is the same weekend as Super Somer so if anybody headed south on Sunday has a little extra time this could work.
Whew! Just got caught up on this thread...van is looking incredible!
yeah, i freakin love the chop. so many people over-do it. this ones perfect...
Hey Guys ,
I'm Planning an east coast meet up maybe in August on an open weekend .
I was thinking the 2nd weekend ? Any ideas or imput is welcome .
I'm not looking to have a wild party it's a gathering maybe you guys can plan a road trip seeing radical vans around NJ again?.
Thanks
Looks like this may have to wait till near the end of the month. ..
And as for the Van thanks for asking but i took a few weeks off and i'm looking for parts . So i have to get to a junk yard or buy a cheap van ..
Just keeps getting better.. awesome.. amazing work ..
Hey Guys ,
I'm Planning an east coast meet up maybe in August on an open weekend .
I was thinking the 2nd weekend ? Any ideas or imput is welcome .
I'm not looking to have a wild party it's a gathering maybe you guys can plan a road trip seeing radical vans around NJ again?.
Thanks
Looks like this may have to wait till near the end of the month. ..
And as for the Van thanks for asking but i took a few weeks off and i'm looking for parts . So i have to get to a junk yard or buy a cheap van ..
Sounds like fun to me. As long as it's not a vannin' weekend, I'll be there!
Alright guys i'm brain storming here . I have the 300 lights and a 1/4 door on the back and set up jack stands and a platform to get an idea how the lights will look .
while the idea is still good i'm just not feeling it . I was thinking of building a housing that fits in the door and drops down even if it extends past the door to the van body it would be all in one . So if i need to get to it i can open the door and have accsess to the back of the lights .
Here is a litte mock up a bit low but is kinda shows what it might look like .
i'm almost thinking of 3- 59 caddy lights stagered in a row above the body line on the back corners . .
How many bulbs are there in each side ?
Joe, not fully understanding the explanation. Are you saying that you would build the light into a frame located where the light is sitting. In that position the frame would obviously extend into the body panels. The thing that I am not understanding is the access. You mean that if you need to service it you can access it by opening the door above it?
Personally I like the Caddy light idea. What are your plans for the area below where the light is now? Are you installing a bumper? Rolled pan?
Alright guys i'm brain storming here . I have the 300 lights and a 1/4 door on the back and set up jack stands and a platform to get an idea how the lights will look .
while the idea is still good i'm just not feeling it . I was thinking of building a housing that fits in the door and drops down even if it extends past the door to the van body it would be all in one . So if i need to get to it i can open the door and have accsess to the back of the lights .
Here is a litte mock up a bit low but is kinda shows what it might look like .
i'm almost thinking of 3- 59 caddy lights stagered in a row above the body line on the back corners . .
I think that will LOOK very nice JOE.Keep the WORK coming man!!!!!!!!
i think some flush mount LED tail lights would look great in there.
For what its worth.
Joe, not fully understanding the explanation. Are you saying that you would build the light into a frame located where the light is sitting. In that position the frame would obviously extend into the body panels. The thing that I am not understanding is the access. You mean that if you need to service it you can access it by opening the door above it?
Personally I like the Caddy light idea. What are your plans for the area below where the light is now? Are you installing a bumper? Rolled pan?
Hello Randy ,
The blue section is a small custom door i took off of Nebula .
I was considring biulding a light hosing with in that door . it folds down .
as for the back yes a roll pan and hopefully something for protection like a bumper that can bechanged .
i think some flush mount LED tail lights would look great in there.
True ! but i was trying to keep it appearance wise pre 1977 So any item on the exterior would be a part that a vanner found in the junk yard back in the day .
I just saw about the caddy light ideas...that would be sweet!
Yeah but everyone uses the Caddy lights. Joe..the Chrysler 300 light would look pretty awesome and definitely different!
Go for it!
Everyone uses these:
But how about these:
These are the '59 caddy lights.
The earlier Caddy lights would be nice.
Here's an old picture of the Dodge "Damnation". It had the caddy lights with small pieces of mirrors around the openings.
Keep up your awesome work! Brad
Well what ever you decide to do I'm sure it will look really
Yeah but everyone uses the Caddy lights. Joe..the Chrysler 300 light would look pretty awesome and definitely different!
Go for it!
Nate while this is true the back of the dodge curves a little where these 300 lights are staight. i'm still milling it around .
well i started to get the side panels lined up by cutting up the donor side door till it fit in the hole , then i spent much time lining it all up . I still have to build the frames and pull the side door in but i wanted to get started . I have to fit the door and re check everthing then go from there .
It's almost there just a hair off but i have to go to a club meeting in a bit .
Sorry nothing to exciting ..
The 1/4 door i had or the back , i think i like it ....
Yeah but everyone uses the Caddy lights. Joe..the Chrysler 300 light would look pretty awesome and definitely different!
Go for it!
Nate while this is true the back of the dodge curves a little where these 300 lights are staight. i'm still milling it around .
You could set it in a little.
I love the 1/4 door!!!! The van is looking AWESOME!!!
The thing about custom work sometimes is if it is easy to do it gets done allot.
While they do look nice caddy tail lights are pretty easy to do.
The Mopar tail lights shortened and frenched into the lower panel of the rear door will look pretty sweet.
.....Wookee
Wookee, I agree. I think much depends upon what Joe has planned for this area of the van. If there will be a bumper I am not sure about the 300 light. If the plan calls for a smooth flow down to a rolled pan then I agree 100% with the 300 plan. Even after the install there are other factors such as paint that can have an affect on the outcome. Joe has made some cool choices during the build so I look forward to seeing what he decides to do.
So far every thing he has done looks great.
Considering this is his first time doing this type of work.It makes every thing he is doing all that much better.....
........Wookee
When i finish smooth my g20 I'll be using the taillights from a 2011 Audi a-8 difficult but not a bellybutton van
What is a bellybutton van?
What is a bellybutton van?
LOL
He's saying it looks like everyone elses .
Joe, any updates on your chop? It's truckin season so maybe no time to work but curious none the less.
Holy cow, how did I forget about this thread? Looking good Joe!
It's been a crazy summer . Since spring we have been hosting family After we where able to send my sister off my mother inlaw broke her arm so now she is here as well .
I was very busy as well with a small side job that took a few weekends of time , but i mangaged to collect some parts while all this was going on .
I really don't like working in the heavy Humidity either and it's been bad here for weeks on end .
I did have some issuse with lining the body lines up on the filler panel and side door , so i took it all apart again to re-do it .
I had to do some back filling welding behind the hinges witch no one will ever see but it needed to be done for structural
suport . .
Other then That i'm sorry to say not much to report .
Sometimes it's best to take a break and I agree that working in the heat/humidity is not good. Might be the best strategy to gather up parts and hit it hard in the fall. Good luck with the family!
I must say what you have done so far looks great.
Thanks Luke , Thanks Randy
Saw this again in person a few weeks ago. It's coming along very nicely Joe. Keep up the great work.
Can't wait til it's finished
Can't wait til it's finished
no doubt!
Can't wait til it's finished
no doubt!
.......
Ok guys Vacation is over .. i'm back on track now . Alright so i obtained a filler panel for the back of the van , So right as i was looking everything over i notice many years of abuse and wear and tear on the back door jamb , scuffs scratches scrapes you get the iead some had a little rust in them so i prepped the entire door jamb and epoxy primered it . Thats for when i incase it forever with the panel it will be rust free .
Now moving over to the side door there was some odd rust starting on the rocker so upon investigation i found it had been filled with bondo .
I cut a rocker out of a junk van and started to fit the new one . while keeping with the idea of doing every thing right i coated the inside of the rocker both parts with por-15 the rocker form the doner van was media blasted and treated with a metal prep then Por-15
How ever i coated the por 15 today and it is taking all day to set up due to the fact it's chilly out .
so i can't do my final fit and tack in tonight so i'll show you whats going on .
this is funny .. I'm in a fog , or is my mask just dirty ? LOL
Looking good Joe! Buying another one inspires one doesn't it?
I see a DW402....Nice, that's my grinder of choice!
Smart to have two.
One for a hard disk and one for a soft pad.
.......Wookee
[quote=OldReadingGus62] OOOOOYEA thats what i been looking for..fester u where rite. there she is rebuilt her i want her....no shit
Sorry my friend , she's not for sale ! you should read the entire thread and you will find out why .
I see a DW402....Nice, that's my grinder of choice!
yeah it is i have three of them ..
Smart to have two.
One for a hard disk and one for a soft pad.
.......Wookee
True, and another one witht he wire wheel ... hehe
Looking good Joe! Buying another one inspires one doesn't it?
Not really Paul i had alot of other things going on plus comming home from work totaly burnned out don't help either ...
[quote=OldReadingGus62] OOOOOYEA thats what i been looking for..fester u where rite. there she is rebuilt her i want her....no shit
Sorry my friend , she's not for sale ! you should read the entire thread and you will find out why .
i know i went for the end posts on last page thinking oooshit he found one and is rebuilding it, to beginning and did'nt realize you where killing her till i got too the middle point when you started chopping her up into little pcs and murdering her,i could'nt watch anymore..the horror....i don't want to see how it ends..ooooh god u killed her my dream van.. i hear there rare and hard to find,.and u had one all along... you murder ....lol
[quote=OldReadingGus62] OOOOOYEA thats what i been looking for..fester u where rite. there she is rebuilt her i want her....no shit
Sorry my friend , she's not for sale ! you should read the entire thread and you will find out why .
i know i went for the end posts on last page thinking oooshit he found one and is rebuilding it, to beginning and did'nt realize you where killing her till i got too the middle point when you started chopping her up into little pcs and murdering her,i could'nt watch anymore..the horror....i don't want to see how it ends..ooooh god u killed her my dream van.. i hear there rare and hard to find,.and u had one all along... you murder ....lol
No i didn't murder her , i just made her better...
That's "cosmetic surgery"......lol.......looks a LOT better now!!!!
That's "cosmetic surgery"......lol.......looks a LOT better now!!!!
Again no bondo sculpting being done here.
All very well done metal work that will make this van last way longer than the factory sheet metal ever will.
.....Wookee
Nice job on the rocker Joe. I hate that about them damned face shields. My welding helmet kept fogging last night too. I hate working when it's cold!
Still enjoying the progress reports, Joe!
And just so everybody's clear on whether or not it's OK to "murder" this van (which I don't expect too much disagreement with on this site....), let me remind any nay-sayers that this van is a Street Van and thus is EXPECTED to be customized. That was the whole idea when Dodge designed and built these vans. Go back and check the factory literature and advertisements! They sold these vans with the explicit understanding, encouragement and admonishment to customize them to your heart's content. If there is any van in the world that should be chopped, it's a Street Van! The factory and dealers even added various ideas and templates with the sale of these vans to help the buyers customize them.
So there!
........IT WAS A JOKE ... althought i would of kept it orginal....but that just my opinion
I kind of figured your use of the term "murder" was tongue in cheek... ;) No problem Gus!
This van keeps looking better and better, KEEP IT UP MAN !
I been Zombied ! , Thats right they artist took my crapy drawlings and put them in a better prospective and rendering .
Thanks Zombie !!
This makes me want to head out to the shop right now !!
Still enjoying the progress reports, Joe!
And just so everybody's clear on whether or not it's OK to "murder" this van (which I don't expect too much disagreement with on this site....), let me remind any nay-sayers that this van is a Street Van and thus is EXPECTED to be customized. That was the whole idea when Dodge designed and built these vans. Go back and check the factory literature and advertisements! They sold these vans with the explicit understanding, encouragement and admonishment to customize them to your heart's content. If there is any van in the world that should be chopped, it's a Street Van! The factory and dealers even added various ideas and templates with the sale of these vans to help the buyers customize them.
So there!
Thanks Mike !
Nice job on the rocker Joe. I hate that about them damned face shields. My welding helmet kept fogging last night too. I hate working when it's cold!
Thanks Ken
This van keeps looking better and better, KEEP IT UP MAN !
thanks Fester : )
I been Zombied ! , Thats right they artist took my crapy drawlings and put them in a better prospective and rendering .
Thanks Zombie !!
This makes me want to head out to the shop right now !!
____________
Saw that on Facebook this morning! Looks AWESOME!
love that rendering......
Now comes the fun part of forming it into steel.....
......Wookee
That's going to be Bad A$$ for sure
Alrighty ! here we go i was working o a few other things but I made time for the street van today since it was so nice out .
I spent the morning prepping parts cleaning trimming , priming and using Weld through primer paint .
fitting the parts in working on the upper lip and lower one ..
The center bows are just sitting there i have to run angle iron accross the back to line them up so they can be welded in place .
Looking over the van today i relaized i still have a ton of work left and i need to get back on it .
Looking awesome!!!! I love this van!
Looking good Joe! So much for the nice day though. It's gone now!
Looking awesome!!!! I love this van!
Thanks Lee !
Looking good Joe! So much for the nice day though. It's gone now!
Thanks Ken !
Thanks for the update Joe!
Looks like you are not going to gull wing the big window rear door........
........Wookee
almost ready for the Nats
man thats going to be nice .body work is lookimg.
Hey Thanks Markdh ,
Anyway i woke her up from a long winters slumber today and pulled her out to clean up a bit .
And the other day my buddy Ted Walters stopped over and i was showing him a few things about the van and he couldn't help but to jump in and set up my latches for the front doors . Thanks Buddy !!
Tomorrow i'm going to start my back filler panel for the back of the van .
almost ready for the Nats
Long way off for that but thank you
Hey Joe, glad to see the fruit of your spring cleaning... ha!
During my builds it was always like a shot of "inspiration" to put away something that I was working on and then pull it outside. You stand back and gain a new perspective. Looking good!
Hey Joe, glad to see the fruit of your spring cleaning... ha!
During my builds it was always like a shot of "inspiration" to put away something that I was working on and then pull it outside. You stand back and gain a new perspective. Looking good!
Thanks Randy , i was feeling the same way to with the new perspective and making a mental note on what i want to get done this year .
Hey Joe, glad to see the fruit of your spring cleaning... ha!
During my builds it was always like a shot of "inspiration" to put away something that I was working on and then pull it outside. You stand back and gain a new perspective. Looking good!
Thanks Randy , i was feeling the same way to with the new perspective and making a mental note on what i want to get done this year .
Lookin Good Joe! an well said about the mental note on wut 2 do this "year" Its like it will never get done!
I really need to get back to"work" on mine......
Can't wait to see it done
Can't wait to see it done
________
looking forward to following this build also....
Keep the photos coming Joe!
Well i spent the day working on a bracket for inside the van for the top of the back panel to afix to , then i spent more time getting rid of some serface rust that was on the back of the filler panel along the bottom .
I punch a ton of little holes and cleaned off the back side where they will be welded on .
Once i had that done i put up the panel to see how it looks . A few sheet metal screws hold it up right now .
I still have to come up a hair on the drivers side but putting it on the van alone made it for a very interesting moment holding the screw gun and the panel att he same time with out pushing it in to hard as not to dent it .
So once i got it this far i called it day .
oh thats rust stains that runs down from the donor van roof line not the panel itself .
Thanks Erveryone for stopping by and checking out my project .
[/quote]
Lookin Good Joe! an well said about the mental note on wut 2 do this "year" Its like it will never get done!
I really need to get back to"work" on mine......
[/quote]
yeah you do get to work !! LOL
The smoothed out look is going to be very cool.
I did like the big window back door you had going the last time I was up there......
.....Wookee
Nice!!!! This van is looking sweet. I love watching the progress on this one!
Looks great buddy! I had the same issue hanging the one on the chop by myself. Even the big ass magnets wouldn't hold it up.
Looks great buddy! I had the same issue hanging the one on the chop by myself. Even the big ass magnets wouldn't hold it up.
I almost bought some of those magnets lol
Nate save me any Moon shine ?
Nice!!!! This van is looking sweet. I love watching the progress on this one!
Thanks Lee : )
The smoothed out look is going to be very cool.
I did like the big window back door you had going the last time I was up there......
.....Wookee
I liked it alot to Joe but i didn't want to be bothered with locating good seals for both the window and door .
I can waiting for it to be done it's going to be killer!!! I know, I am impatient!!!
I did at first question you about your madness to do this to a street van, but now I see the direction you are taking it and I really dig it.
Nate save me any Moon shine ?
Finished it off last night!
On a chop the smoother the better.
Straight sheet metal need nothing to draw attention away from it....
.....Wookee
Looks great buddy! I had the same issue hanging the one on the chop by myself. Even the big ass magnets wouldn't hold it up.
I almost bought some of those magnets lol
They do come in handy, but didn't work for the big panel. Maybe if I had more than two.
The smoothed out look is going to be very cool.
I did like the big window back door you had going the last time I was up there......
.....Wookee
I liked it alot to Joe but i didn't want to be bothered with locating good seals for both the window and door .
Not to change your thinking again, but the seals are available for the door now, as far as I know, and I coulda got you a new seal for the glass.
Happy Easter !
While i planed on working on the dodge this weekend i ran out of Argon and didn't noticed till it was to late to get a refill But i managed to fill in the cuts of the passengers door and boxed the back Hinge in .
That Back Panel was sent out for Media blasting so i;l have a nice clean part to work with when it comes back .
that thing is looking good. also, how can you tell a real dodge street van? what numbers am I looking for? and if anyone is interested, I have an extra set of those wagon wheels with new tires that came with my 77. Im keeping the mags
that thing is looking good. also, how can you tell a real dodge street van? what numbers am I looking for? and if anyone is interested, I have an extra set of those wagon wheels with new tires that came with my 77. Im keeping the mags
There's an equipment plate mounted on the firewall behind the battery.
There will be a YH3 code somewhere on it. You may also find that code on the equipment sticker under the hood if still intact.
that thing is looking good. also, how can you tell a real dodge street van? what numbers am I looking for? and if anyone is interested, I have an extra set of those wagon wheels with new tires that came with my 77. Im keeping the mags
There's an equipment plate mounted on the firewall behind the battery.
There will be a YH3 code somewhere on it. You may also find that code on the equipment sticker under the hood if still intact.
Thanks on page two of this thread you can see that trim plate as i show it when i found it .
Well, i pulled the battery this morning and I dont see a tag. I did notice the ignition module on the firewall behind the battery had melted all the solid state gel out of it, so I replaced that. Still cant find the tag. Looked under the hood, no sign of it
Well i lost a few pics because of the new Photo Bucket , i can not edit that postng anymore so i'll have to see about reposting them .
Anyway today i went to town on the back panel I clean a few eges up and set a few more screws .
I get my self ready for a long day of welding tap ,tap tap ...
Almost done doing some finish work and grinding ...
And other then the bottom lip not being done yet the rest prety much is i still have to fill in the bolt holes from the back door hinge .
my Easter weekend pics ..
Awesome-ness in the making Joe.......
One of the coolest vans on the planet man
awesome stuff...are you dipping a rag in ice water and cooling as you go?
professional lookin for sure
Looks great Joe!
What made you decide against a rear door?
Lookin good! keep the updates coming, love following this build.
That's a huge step completed Joe. Looks great!
Nice work Joe, its going to be sweet.
Nice job you're doing. I've seen a lot of shopped vans, but I don't like the sharp edge on the back side. There are some more members who shopped the roof at the same way. A lot of complex sheet-metal work and nice ideas.
I hope that whe can see the results of the rear lights soon. Are you mounting those lights straight up or horizontal? I've seen a lot of different wheels on the pics, Which rims are put on the van finaly?
Keep up the good work! takes a lot of time
Al the best.
Ronnie
fantastic craftsmanship,I see you are a friend of Ted Walters,I met Ted in 1979 when we were showing our vans with ISCA .Our summer vacation was in Point Pleasant beach with Ted and Sharon,that all changed after Sharon passed, enough of that, what are your plans for taillights and paint ??
One of the coolest vans on the planet man
awesome stuff...are you dipping a rag in ice water and cooling as you go?
professional lookin for sure
Nope didn't need it , if i did i would have used a spay bottle , It was still cool enough in the shop where the metal cooled enough if i waited a few minutes .
Nice job you're doing. I've seen a lot of shopped vans, but I don't like the sharp edge on the back side. There are some more members who shopped the roof at the same way. A lot of complex sheet-metal work and nice ideas.
I hope that whe can see the results of the rear lights soon. Are you mounting those lights straight up or horizontal? I've seen a lot of different wheels on the pics, Which rims are put on the van finaly?
Keep up the good work! takes a lot of time
Al the best.
Ronnie
Ronnie i keep changing my Mind i keep going back to the idea or round lights , maybe Gallaxie tail lights ? She's going to run the Cragars reverse rims
And thank you
Just wanted to thank everyone for stopping by :
Highway .. I want your chevy !! LOL
Lee
Mutt
Mace
Nate
Keystonekid
Al55
Randy
Jim
Ronnie
Wizard
67 Econoguy
Again thanks
Joe
fantastic craftsmanship,I see you are a friend of Ted Walters,I met Ted in 1979 when we were showing our vans with ISCA .Our summer vacation was in Point Pleasant beach with Ted and Sharon,that all changed after Sharon passed, enough of that, what are your plans for taillights and paint ??
For some reason I keep leaning towrd the Galaxie lights , i have a elcamino bumper with lights i can run for temp if i need to .
Ted's doing well he just went into a bigger shop i'm sure he love to hear from you . !
Looks great Joe. Keep up on the updates.
Looks great Joe. Keep up on the updates.
Thanks Buddy : )
well to day i finishd welding up the back of the van and made a small filler panel for the right corner i welded up all the drill holes and welded the rest up . I'l fiber fill it in tonight or tomorrow . I have a little grinding to do as well but not much .
Thanks Randy , Al55
done and filled with fiber filler fine cut .
looks pretty good i'm happy with it :
Looks great Joe...just saw your older comment.. Thanks !
Aw man! Did I miss another Jersey Van Cave cruise?
Just wanted to thank everyone for stopping by :
Highway .. I want your chevy !! LOL
Lee
Mutt
Mace
Nate
Keystonekid
Al55
Randy
Jim
Ronnie
Wizard
67 Econoguy
Again thanks
Joe
I just love following this thread, some killer work buddy. . . . Keep it up !
Lookin' cool
MORE FINE WORK!!!!!!!
Thanks Jim
Fester
Al55
Josh , no one stopped over I did a thank you for those who took time to read the thread .. LOL
you didn't miss anything buddy .
Anyway plugging away at some details ...
Nice! Suicide doors are awesome. Can't wait to see this van in person some day!
Details is what its all about Joe,love it.
I really dig those suicide doors!! All I can say, as said a 100 times before. This is going to be one BAD A$$ Van. Great job!!
Man oh man every time I stop and read this thread I get more and more amazed with what you are doing with this Dodge.
Gotta love those Dodges
Alrighty , well I started on my head lights on Friday I thought I would be done by now on Sunday .
As it turns out according to my drawling I had the lights above the normal light bucket area .. So with that I shot my self in the foot ! I had to cut out above the old light buckets just to move them up . And in doing so I had to cut in to both the inner fender and the header or radiator panel .
this meant I had to box all that in to keep out as much water as possible .
Fist I cut out some buckets from an 86 dodge van that uses the big square lights . I cleaned them up and rounded them out better .
I start to find there happy place :
Now it gets very Ugly :
I make little boxes and start to fill in the inner fender .
It starts to look better now :
Before that I dropped a little box down in side the fender so now it's time to go fishing and 15 minutes later out comes the catch of the day .
Now here is the light bucket in place with the inner fender sealed up , I do have a bit more work to do on the other side but i'm now ready to start welding the bucket in . All this just to move the lights up 3/4 of an inch .
Why are you relocating them Joe?
Why are you relocating them Joe?
Hey Randy ,
Because in my art work they look better closer to the corner then in the middle of the grill .
I'm using a biger square head light .
It's looking better with each new set of photos Joe!
Awesome work
Those should look great Joe,nice work.
Amazing work Joe
Nice work!
Will the headlights be hidden behind a grill, or set in bezels? Either one would look cool!
this thing is looking sooo rad...
Why are you relocating them Joe?
Hey Randy ,
Because in my art work they look better closer to the corner then in the middle of the grill .
I'm using a biger square head light .
I see. Square is a good choice since you decided on the Camaro tail lights. I was just curious. If I had looked back you probably told us why. Looking good!
Ok a little up date I been jumping back and forth because I find I get bored in one spot for to long .
The HD buckets are done a little finish body work and i'm good .
I spent an hour last night contemplating how im doing the front end .
today I made a wheel well buck that will hold my outer ring to the frame of the wheel well flare . I then cut out and inch and 1/4 off the back on both sides inner and outer .
I was going to start to weld it up I used round bar and I ended up cutting it out as it was not going in the direction I wanted . I really need to get my self a shrinker -stretcher tool,to make lips with . So I cut the round bar out before I went to far .
It was really hot and Humid I took a brake and I came back out to the garage and started to move stuff around . I had this J&J door that was cut for a chop that was never used . I been looking for and idea for it just to use it and I may have found it ...
I think it would be cool to have a clam shell door here ? It will be a little shorter I was just seeing how it looks . The top will be metal and the bottom fiberglass .
Looks like a day when the creative juices were flowing... Nice stuff Joe!
I too would like a stretcher/shrinker...
Sweet looking! Nice work Joe!
Thanks Randy Tahnks Jim
Nice!!!!! The clam shell will look awesome!!!
thanks Lee ,
well the old carb needle or float stuck and was pouring gas out the top and inside after it was shut down . SO I didn't want to do this yet but i'm not rebuilding the old ross two barrel either . So I yanked the manifold off today and i'm prepping everything for a new set up ..
The motor is very clean and does look like it was rebuilt as the last owner told me it was .
Now no skimpin'. You need to make that engine as badass as the van. Your talent ceases to amaze. The suicide doors, the clam shell side and all the other tricks done to this van will definitely bring home mega trophies!!!!!!
Now no skimpin'. You need to make that engine as badass as the van. Your talent ceases to amaze. The suicide doors, the clam shell side and all the other tricks done to this van will definitely bring home mega trophies!!!!!!
Thanks Finally yeah there's a little skimping going on now i'm not ready to do the engine just yet . I'm just making repairs and a slight upgrade . The Manifold was bought at the flee market for 25.00 then i sent it out to get media blasted to clean it up . I cleared it with cheap paint to hold it over and the carb came off a donor van from the back 40 i'm not even sure if its any good . I finished tonight and buttoned it all up and called it a day . I'll try and start in tomorrow and see how is goes . .
Hopefully it works good, looks really nice anyhow.
Hopefully it works good, looks really nice anyhow.
Thanks for the props 86ed , how ever it was beat , the accelerator pump was not working right . So off to pep boys where they had a new 600 CFM Holley on the self with a gasket for only 350.00 .
I came home and switched it out and she's running again . I just have to set up the electric choke to a 12 volt source that's only on while the key is in the on position and I'm good .
Here's a 360 walk around video :
http://youtu.be/bscNvUFGLcU nice , you need to get that thing street legal and cruise it around town just like it is. lol
Nice video Joe! The van looks great!
Man... I had to back up a few pages Joe. Things are really coming together and looking really nice.I can't wait to see what you do on the wheel wells
That's a great video for sure,can't wait to see it Joe!
nice , you need to get that thing street legal and cruise it around town just like it is. lol
Trust me I been thinking about that : ) and thank you
Thanks Jim , big air , wizard
The Humidity for the last three weeks has been killer . It has permeated the garage big time . I wanted to clean up some welds before Carlisle and prime the windshield channel so it will not rust any more with the humidity I spent the day cleaning it up and I epoxy primed it with PPG primer .
The after I was done I was fooling around with some ground effects/ flares an old vanner buddy gave me years ago . I really had no intention of running these flares but I may just do that for Carlisle show i'll have to see I wanted to see how they fit and like most fiberglass stuff it will need tons of work to look show worthy but I can make them look decent for the project exhibition that its displayed for .
I just wanted to see how they looked ..
They are really not that bad how ever I wanted to save them to make molds from some day .. on top of everything else I have to do ..lol
They look nice Joe! Are you going to trailer the van to Carlisle? Have fun!
Awesome work
Those look cool....what are they off of?
Are you going to bring it to Carlisle? I can't wait to see this van in person.
They look nice Joe! Are you going to trailer the van to Carlisle? Have fun!
Yes i have to see how it fits in the inclosed trailer and thank you Randy
Those look cool....what are they off of?
they where made for a mid dodge van
Are you going to bring it to Carlisle? I can't wait to see this van in person.
Yes Lee,
And thanks for stopping in ,
Tron
Luke
Apo
Lee
Man oh man I think they look cool there.
Joe, I see from the pictures you got a bigger garage built.
congrats on that.
Hope fully I will see you at Carlisle.....
.......Wookee
Joe, I see from the pictures you got a bigger garage built.
congrats on that.
Hope fully I will see you at Carlisle.....
.......Wookee
It would be nice if you can make it but don't push your self . And yes Thank you Joe
Ok Moving forward .. I borrowed Bob's little Bender to make box covers for the hinges . Wow if I had know they be this trouble .. lol I may have never done them .
Cardboard patterns where made first to get the bends and size right the first time from that I laid it out over the metal and scribe where they bend then the cut lines .
Out comes this :
I start to fit it in :
Then I move to the front and do some finish work on the gaps where the hinges where places :
It don't look like it but I put a good 8 hours in today in this heat ..
I bet Joe and its looking great.They take a lot of work!
More fine work there brother.
Hey Joe. I haven't checked in on the progress in a while... but DAMN! It looks great! I can't wait to see it @ Carlisle!!!
Thanks Mutt
Newkirkinc1
Al55
WizZard
For stopping in to check out my progress .
with the coolest day we had in 6 or 7 weeks I took advantage of it . I spent the entire day in the garage working on The driver's side B pillar with the same treatment of boxing in the back and finishing filling in all the gaps . Now both B pillars are finished off front and back ...
Before ..you can see the big gap behind the hinge ..
After ..
Then the back of the hinge cleaned boxed in .
Very nice. Its all in the details! I can't wait to see this van at Carlisle.
All i can say is wow Joe.........
Thanks Lee, Randy ,Highway.
Well I been hitting it as much as humanly possible And today was not exception . I started to make a "C" pillar on the driver side since i'm making a slightly smaller door .Just because I can and it's different . LOL
I had to replicate the bottom of the step well with the curved area so the door will fit nice when it's made . Once I had the parts fitted I welded it all up .
from there I went and made the "C" pillar . Cutting and adjusting it took a lot of time .
The I refit the door to make sure it was still all good ..
wow looks awesome!!!!!!!! very skilled!
Man, this thing is gonna be WILD! Great workmanship as always Joe. Wish I was going to Carlisle so I could check it out in person.
Thanks Apo234 , Keystonekid .
Today i set out to finish welding that "C" Pillar in and Notice that the back looked pulled in, while the front pinch weld seal lined up well it didn't set right with me .
The last thing i wanted to hear is hey it's not straight in the back ? So i made some cuts and reajusted it . How ever now it was an half inch out in the front . It appears that this pillar is either a back to side door pillar and is a bit different .
So i kinda made a little Mistake some how but hey it can be fixed .
I ran out of argon shortly after weldng the pillar in so i decided to make the little filler panel , I only had screws and clecos to see how it will look.
This is another set back on my push to have something more interesting for Carlisle . I'm not sure how far i'll get we will have to see ...
I was curious about what you would do to coverup the hinge pockets. Awesome!
Thanks Randy ,
Well on top of everything I'm trying to do I keep getting set backs , but this one is the craziest !! I went to fix my power steering line and found out I had a much bigger problem .
Have you ever seen anything like this !!!
And Then This !!
How on earth does this happen all before i'm trying to get ready to go to Carlisle All I want to do is clean and make a few adjustments on the Van and this crap pops up . Some one used some sort of sealer to hold it together before and well it didn't last .
Wow! This baby has come a long way!
Sorry I have not posted in a while , I took the Van over to Ted Walters shop so he could make some parts for me in the sheet metal brake . Its been sitting there till he go some work cleared up . How ever I was able to watch him make some door parts for me . I brought over some van doors and he wouldn't even touch them . I was going to use them for the frames and extend them open with the parts he made but he insisted on building it from scratch .
Here is the start of the floor piece with the rubber channel on the bottom .
And now these don't look like much but they are the top and bottom of one clam shell door .
I have to bring some square tubing for the frame work and he's going to be making more parts later then it all goes together pretty quick .
Hi Joe, I finaly called Ted today ,he was telling me your van was there, Ted had visitors ,so we didnt talk long, will get caught up later this week, merry christmas to you and family HO HO HO !!!!!
A lot of work there,time well spent and it will look awesome when you're done,Thanks for all the pics,it helps others to see how its done.
Thanks Guys !!
I stopped over Ted's shop to day and he made some progress with the door .
Here is a little mock up with the frame of the door and the location on where its going to live . .
Noticed the curved center frames ? Hand Made ..
Man now that metal work is something else!
Joe, this looks interesting but yet a lot of work. Please keep the photos coming. How did he obtain the vertical curves? I know, if you tell me you'll have to kill me...
..........
That's some impressive metal work. Looking great.
Hand Built Quality,Very Nice!!!!!
Joe, this looks interesting but yet a lot of work. Please keep the photos coming. How did he obtain the vertical curves? I know, if you tell me you'll have to kill me...
would you believe a shirker / stretcher ? same tool you use to make wheel well arches and such .
Thanks Eagle
Highway
Randy
Lee
Al55
Luke
grey
I'll post photos as i get them !!
Hey guys ,
Here is a little more progress Ted Did with the side door of the van . You can see where the bottom of the door will fold out and the top goes up with the lower body line and the top of the door inside structure will look like now the out side panel and hinges need to be installed .
Joe, you may have mentioned it in the thread so if I'm asking a dumb question so be it. Why did you fabricate the new door rather than use a slider? Is the opening different between the barn doors and the slider? I think that its looking awesome but its a lot of work and curiosity got the better of me.
Joe, you may have mentioned it in the thread so if I'm asking a dumb question so be it. Why did you fabricate the new door rather than use a slider? Is the opening different between the barn doors and the slider? I think that its looking awesome but its a lot of work and curiosity got the better of me.
Randy ,
I put the 8 inch filler panel in behind the door to make the opening smaller . Its just to make people look a it a bit longer to figure it out what's different . Plus the new door will be twice as thick on the bottom to support weight so I can sit on it if I wanted to .
The top part will open way above the roof line to help with the Low Bridge effect on peoples far heads when they walk up to see the van ,lol
that's comin along nicely man, can't wait to see it with the outter skin on
Joe, you may have mentioned it in the thread so if I'm asking a dumb question so be it. Why did you fabricate the new door rather than use a slider? Is the opening different between the barn doors and the slider? I think that its looking awesome but its a lot of work and curiosity got the better of me.
Randy ,
I put the 8 inch filler panel in behind the door to make the opening smaller . Its just to make people look a it a bit longer to figure it out what's different . Plus the new door will be twice as thick on the bottom to support weight so I can sit on it if I wanted to .
The top part will open way above the roof line to help with the Low Bridge effect on peoples far heads when they walk up to see the van ,lol
That's great Joe. One of my dislikes for gull wings is the head banging effect. I hope that you don;t mind but if/when I get back on my project my rear doors will take on a similar look except the lower portion will be fixed. Keep on building...!
Randy ,
No I wouldn't mind at all, so much has been done to Vans over the years that there will always be similar builds some where else .
Besides what ever you do t o my new van is fine by me . lOl
I am blown away by this van! Amazing work! I wish I had the skills and guts to do this to my old Dodge but this is far beyond my backyard shade tree mechanic skill set.
WOW ! That is looking awesome !
Thanks Outskirts, street van ,
well since it warmed up a bit i have been choppin at the bit to get out and do something .
SInce the Street van is at Ted Walters shop Having the door made and due to the many years i know him he let me come in to work on my Van . Plus i had to hold my door up so we could test fit it .
The first shot the door mounts right in to place , he drilled and taped some flat stock 1/4 20 for the hinge and welded the flat stock up for the door hinge .
Here i make Ted hold the door up to show how it lifts .
while he was making the strut hinge plates i prepared the 68 camamro buckets and the chevy van License plate holder .
Then i started to measure everything out and find my center .
once that was done i made my frist cut , smaller not to go to big just enough to sink the plate holder in to find out where everything else is going .
Thats all that i was able to do today .I was going to mount the lights higher but i think they look better centered to the plate holder .
Some serious metal work going on there.
Great work!!
I agree Joe, the centered location is best. The door looks awesome. Great work there by Ted. When you get both sections on please take a photo from the inside with them closed. It looks like you'll be flush with the walls which will enhance the interior work activities. Very cool stuff!!
Looks awesome! Can't wait to see more.
Just a little Progress on the parts being made here you see the door is cut to make it shorter . The New bottom filler part is made for both sides .
Here you see the step well panels are made . This fills in the area where you would have normaly stepped in tot he front of the van cab . There is weather strip gutter line as well . These parts where made by Ted Walters .
That's some REALLY nice metal work!!!
Metal porn! Great job Ted Walters!
Nice update and craftsmanship.
That looks great. Nice work!
Wow...your metal work blows me away....
Wow...your metal work blows me away....
I do it all the time and his work is as good as the best I have seen..
That's some heavy duty fab'n! Great work man!
Thanks everyone !!
Well the door is almost done , I have to latch it now . My one idea was to use tail gate parts for one half and bear claw latches for the other . I have to see what will be best for it .
Here is the Door complete
Will the bottom part hold the weight of someone climbing in ????
Outragous van. Great work.
Great stinking job. I can't wait to see the end product.
lookin good Joe!!! wut size tires & rims ya runnin on back ????
Joe, can you do something with linear actuation which would allow you to open/close the doors automatically? This option may allow you to do away with latches, not sure. The trunk latches on Cadillac's and other luxury cars may offer options too. Looking very cool!
Looks great. Love the side door.
Thanks everyone !! much appreciated comments and suggestions
Man this van is too gooooood to be on the second page. It should be made a sticky!!! There is so much we all could learn from this and his other builds!!!!
You know I don't have to say anything, you know how much at first I hated this thread when I heard you were going to chop a Dodge Street van!! The wholly grail of vans, but you have won me over with this bad Ass custom. As usual Great job and keep the pics comin' don't be stingy with them!!!!
This van just keeps getting better and better!!!! The side door looks great!!!!
Lord knows I don't have this kind of patience. Heck I think I have probably gone through 6 Vans since you started this project. I would just prime it as is, go to walmart get a large area rug and call it good!! bwhahahahaahhaaha
Thanks I'll Tell Ted he made the door .
Latch system looks good Joe!
Ok well when i was at the Nats i found this Californa stile wing and i bought it . For safe keeping i tosed it up on the street Van .
Now the more it sits up there im kinda liking it .
I figured i post something since i havent in a while . I been working on other Projects and such and investing in some new tooling .
It does look cool sitting up there, kind of adds to the angle
Those flares are awesome. I was contemplating how I could ever make some flares, that worked with the bodylines just like that. You should make molds of those. I could even see offering as an option, rear flares that are even a little bigger.
Awesome project, that is really taking shape nicely.
Any further info on those flares would be greatly appreciated. I looked back, and saw reference to having gotten them from a friend years ago. Any plans or chances you'll make some copies? Those are about perfect flares to my tastes of working with the existing lines.
Yeh the wing really looks good!
A few gallons of mud away from paint. Time to rock...!
Your van already looks great! I can't wait to see this one in paint too!
Those flares are awesome. I was contemplating how I could ever make some flares, that worked with the bodylines just like that. You should make molds of those. I could even see offering as an option, rear flares that are even a little bigger.
Awesome project, that is really taking shape nicely.
Any further info on those flares would be greatly appreciated. I looked back, and saw reference to having gotten them from a friend years ago. Any plans or chances you'll make some copies? Those are about perfect flares to my tastes of working with the existing lines.
I would imagine to re-pop them woruld be expensive then to re-sell them would be insane prices . I have considered it . But the only good glass shop near me it very very expensive .
Thank you
A few gallons of mud away from paint. Time to rock...!
almost a bit more welding to do Randy like 40 to 60 hours worth lol
Brother that wing does look nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was wondering how this van was coming along.
Brother that wing does look nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was wondering how this van was coming along.
I kinda put it on the back burner for a few weeks im trying to get the other dodge sorted out . And thank you !
This van has came a long way from the last time isaw it......
Wow Joe, she's come a long way great work. man that door is gonna be awesome!
Wow Joe, she's come a long way great work. man that door is gonna be awesome!
Thank you Jess , I'm glad to see your enjoying your Van its come a long way in a short time .
Looking killer man!!! Would have been cool to make the bottom half of the door roll under like the clam shell tailgate of the 70's Chevy Caprice wagons. Going to look bad ass when done!!!!
Looking killer man!!! Would have been cool to make the bottom half of the door roll under like the clam shell tailgate of the 70's Chevy Caprice wagons. Going to look bad ass when done!!!!
Yes it would but it would still be an issue with the ground effects And thank you .
You've got some cool vans and skills, how is the work progressing?
You've got some cool vans and skills, how is the work progressing?
It's going pretty well actually , Thanks for asking i was a bit reluctant for posting progress any more as every one looks at the post but so few make a comment
. I started back up on her again . I took some time off to try to start a business building custom bikes.
Anyway i fixed the door Hinge , i was not looking forward to cutting everything apart but i pulled my self out there are did it .
The next day i recessed the hinged farther back even tho it really didn't make sense . Bob mentioned it to me to try it since i did everything else and i was like in disbelief of the entire idea but had nothing to lose so i tried it .
So other then i don't like the hinge frenched in so much it works.
I just installed the catch latch by drilling and taping the steel from the upper door strut and it all worked out like it was meant to be . So now i'm doing all the finish welding and then i have to seal the door frame to the skin .
I also beefed up the outer metal where the rubber will go .
Looks awesome! Great metal working and fabrication skills. Can't wait to see this van up close.
Keep on posting with the progress. This can give others thinking about doing this something to go by. Plus it's cool to watch something different being done.
Nice to see you're still working on the Van, you're thread is very inspiring and well explained.
How is the custom bike business working out, would be nice to see some of those creations...
Nice to see you're still working on the Van, you're thread is very inspiring and well explained.
How is the custom bike business working out, would be nice to see some of those creations...
Thanks for the kind words , The custom bike building is a bit slow here in New Jersey , California it seams to be popular , NY Has a small following . and so does a few other states . Over seas / Germany its popular .
The Problem here in NJ is the pricing . Since most of this stuff is hand made it drives up the coast . While that being said its hard for people to Justify the 1,500 to 2,000 dollar price tag when they can buy a car or motor bike for that price .
I'm hoping things pick up with in the year i know its not going to be a every day sell .
On the good side of things i all ready made a huge impression with the small companies who manufacture parts for these bikes and have been considered for a bike build off next year .
c1, the van is looking real good, those bikes are killer too, you are correct on the bikes, out here in the west they are very popular, love the mods on the side door, keep up the good work!
Great looking bikes, very cool
Bike build off.....very cool
Van is looking good. Keep it up. Those bikes look really sweet.
You build nice bikes also, did not expect otherwise after seeing you're extreme vans,indeed pricing is allways an issue, same story on this side of the ocean...
If you want exlusivity it costs money. good luck with your business.
So I came here today looking back for the info on your flares/ground effects and saw newer posts...
The van is looking good, and those bikes look like your excellent craftsmanship man...! Keep trying, someone out there will see your work and buy some up, and you'll get your break...
Joe your bikes are super cool!! Man I really like the style and colours they work well I soo want one..
Thanks Guys for checking in!
This little segment is my side door latch install .
My plan was to re use the toyota tail gate latches but they wouldn't fit in the gap . I would had to have frenched in 1/4 inch to the door to make it work So i went with the small bear claw style latches instead .
Here i installed a handle mount :
Finding a location for the latch pin was almost sending me back tot he drawing board . I had to make sure i cleared the lift shock but yet catch the door in an area it would be flush for the body line to meet up with the door .
wouldn't you know it falls right where there's some sort of dodge indentation ??!! in the pillar .
I made a template and opened the door a few times and check it on both sides and said a prayer .
I installed the latch and check for my adjustments . I noticed the door metal was to thin and with the pillar issue being indented i went on line and ordered a adjustable catch set .
Nice work man
Moving forward
I completed the other side and now i have three Latches installed .
the door opens and closes like butter : )
Then i started to fill in the old hinge holes
Nice work Joe. And anytime let me know with the chevy
Nice work Joe. And anytime let me know with the chevy
Thanks Jim ,
Umm well i don't know i think it will be a great casket ? Don't you ?
Lots of nice metalwork and fabrication.
Lots of nice metalwork and fabrication.
Thanks mean machine !
Just spent the last 2 days reading this entire thread and all I can say is WOW!! I wish I had the nerve to start a project like this much less the patience to finish it. Keep up the great work and please keep posting updates, it's great to see what it started out as and how far it's come.
Just spent the last 2 days reading this entire thread and all I can say is WOW!! I wish I had the nerve to start a project like this much less the patience to finish it. Keep up the great work and please keep posting updates, it's great to see what it started out as and how far it's come.
Oh , hey thank you very much ! Sorry i just saw this i have not done anything worth posting in a while here and i saw your reply . Again Thank you !
She looks good joe!! what size tires are ya runnin up front? I see it needing to B a little lower up front.....ya doing flairs and lower spoiler? that would make it look a little lower,i remember when I did my warp around I had to get heavier coils to put in front cause it was to low after spoiler! Any who she lookin good! I should B legal in next week maybe I could cruise on over an checker out! ;0)
Heavy those are 265/50/15's i'l have to make a change as they do not make that size anymore i'll most likely go with a 245/60/15 .
As for the coils it's an A/C van Originaly and i'm installing aftermarket A/C when the time comes so i hope it evens out with the weight i have to see .
Anywho give me a shout when you want to stop up .
Thanks and thank you Joe
Hankook Tires are making the 265/50r15 & 295/50r15 Tire discount has them for $122-$135 each my tire shop in St. Augustine quoted me $5 hire per tire mounted and balanced.
Good work Joe, you are a breath of inspiration and yea, I am reading every page... LOL I might not chop the "Rodco" but I am actively hunting a van for this type of build.
Dick
You are doing an amazing job. You're a very good metal worker.
There is just one thing that I don't like. The hinges of your wingdoor. I have hinges out of a big truck (an old one). If I sway my wingdoor open, then the top of the door is moving around the driprail and stops above it. He sort of swings around it. The hinges disssapear in my headliner inside when I close it. Looks pretty cool and when the door is closed, you can't see them.
In a week or two we start again after years to finish my van. I will shoot some pics so you can see what I mean. I think that you also like that better.
Great job.
You are doing an amazing job. You're a very good metal worker.
There is just one thing that I don't like. The hinges of your wingdoor. I have hinges out of a big truck (an old one). If I sway my wingdoor open, then the top of the door is moving around the driprail and stops above it. He sort of swings around it. The hinges disssapear in my headliner inside when I close it. Looks pretty cool and when the door is closed, you can't see them.
In a week or two we start again after years to finish my van. I will shoot some pics so you can see what I mean. I think that you also like that better.
Great job.
I have a van in the shop like that , what you can not see on this one is that the hinge is just not into the drip rail . There is steel in place under neath and its drilled and tapped for each hole in the hinge .
As it is i'm not changing it again i need to get a done stamp on this truck or move it along . I have two others waiting . And thanks for your Opinions and compliments .
Sorry you have to let it go. I enjoyed following your posts on this van. Really wanted to see it finished. Good luck
Can't believe you are selling it
Can't believe you are selling it
I hear ya but reality is i cant re do three custom trucks . So with that being said i offered up my truck .
Maybe some one will finish it much faster then i could at this time .
Yea, I understand. Its an awesome van and worth every dollar you are asking. Now....If you decide to sell your other Dodge chop.....call me!!!
I'm sorry you have to sell this dodge streetvan. I know your situation because i've been in the same. Too many projects at the same time. I liket this thread. Do you start another one about your other projects? It would be great to see the progress on those vans.
Good luck with the sale.
See you around.
If i sold the other vans it may cause some issues with friends and i dont want that so i put mine up .
If i sold the other vans it may cause some issues with friends and i dont want that so i put mine up .
Yea....definitely don't want issues with friends. You have done SOOOOO much on this van, it's a shame not to finish it. Definitely know the feeling....never enough time. I just have one project and it's taking me forever...you have 3 and now the bike shop!!!!
well i had no real interest in the street van for what i felt its worth . I'm not giving it away because if i had to pay for the metal work that's in it it would be well over 25k .
So i started working on it again I wanted to make the hood better so i separated the fiberglass panels and started to fit the top snorkel hood on a metal base .
cleaning up the inside :
trimming the inner panel :
wipe down to see whats next for fitment !
I had to make the hood 1/4 inch wider as it went to the bottom .
So i Cut and re welded it and ground it smooth .
test fitting the hood , I cut 4 inch round holes in the base for the air to travel through and now i have to paint it and rework the edges .
I really like this van and have enjoyed this build thread. Hood is "sweet" like everything else on it.
You did a very nice wedge-chop, made suïcide doors, made lot's of modifications. Not going for a flip front?
You did a very nice wedge-chop, made suïcide doors, made lot's of modifications. Not going for a flip front?
no lol after the wheel wells i'm done !
Nice to see you're still working on the van
Awesome glad to see you working on it.