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Posted By: 66NODOOR chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 12:50 am
I have been trying to buy this van for over ten years. It is getting put on the work schedule, as soon as I get a few other builds finished. Looking for drive line now maybe,late model Hemi or v10. Here are a few pics. [Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image]
Posted By: OVANNER Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 1:23 am
That is awesome and what a deal. Keep us updated.
Posted By: Lee7673 Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 1:53 am
Nice score. Keep the pics coming....it will be a fun build to watch.
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 2:27 am
cool! At least the dog cant jump out the window lol!
Posted By: Munz Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 2:28 am
Real Nice!! Looks like a pretty good job and its holding up well. How about some more pics? back, interior
Posted By: Starlord Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 3:11 am
Drool......................You know, I kinda like it (kinda, yep, right, excuse me while I wipe the drool off my computer table).
Posted By: newkirkinc1 Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 9:27 am
Great deal can't wait to see it done.
Posted By: River_Rat Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 9:33 am
Is that the one that sold for 500?
Posted By: Superbeast Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 1:18 pm
Wow, looks pretty damned good. The craiglist post looked like it was trashed. Congrats on the score!
Posted By: XTReME_LiMiTzZ Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 1:30 pm
Originally Posted by Superbeast
Wow, looks pretty damned good. The craiglist post looked like it was trashed. Congrats on the score!


yeah cheers
Posted By: HomeBrew Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 7:41 pm
OMG dude! That is in a AWESOME shape! Great Score!
And SOOO clean withtou those gnarly hindges too!!!

Yeah!!!!!! slap a new Hemi Crate motor in it lol

shift
Posted By: heavy389 Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 7:49 pm
yeah lol yeah
Posted By: LostSheep Re: chop top early dodge - September 02nd 2011 9:00 pm
cheers
Posted By: c1run1 Re: chop top early dodge - September 03rd 2011 12:28 am
wow thats a great find good Luck with it !!
Posted By: lukester Re: chop top early dodge - September 03rd 2011 1:13 am
SWEET!!! more pics please....
Posted By: Galaxy Re: chop top early dodge - September 06th 2011 9:05 pm
Congratulations bud! Sharp looking van, good luck with it.
Posted By: I_am_new Re: chop top early dodge - September 06th 2011 9:10 pm
looks good yay
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - September 07th 2011 4:22 pm
Here are a few more pics of the early chop. I had to get some rollers on to move it around. I just talked to Gary the guy that build it. He is coming out to the shop to check it out, has not seen van in a long time. He thought it had been crushed years ago.
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
Posted By: River_Rat Re: chop top early dodge - September 07th 2011 4:28 pm
Sure didnt want it to twist. A lot of roll bars in there.
Posted By: FinallyaVanner Re: chop top early dodge - September 07th 2011 5:45 pm
Man what a find and a deal. Now a nice viper V10 coupled to a 6 speed and you'll have one hellof a machine.
The old meets the new!!!! Congrats again on such a great find.



Richard
Posted By: Lee7673 Re: chop top early dodge - September 07th 2011 6:14 pm
Very SWEEEEEET!
Posted By: Galaxy Re: chop top early dodge - September 07th 2011 6:27 pm
Oh, I didn't realize it was setup for Pro Street. Even cooler!
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - November 11th 2011 5:04 pm
I got a little time to work on the chop. I had been looking for a good late model motor and trans, with no luck. I figured I just go with a traditional small block with 727. Oh yea and dual qauds.[Linked Image]
Posted By: VanPLan Re: chop top early dodge - November 11th 2011 7:28 pm
That'll get ya where you want to go... bow

I forgot about this thread...first I saw it when it was sitting along a fence with weeds growing up around it. Nice save. shocked

cheers
coffee
Posted By: newkirkinc1 Re: chop top early dodge - November 11th 2011 9:44 pm
OH yea shift
Posted By: FinallyaVanner Re: chop top early dodge - November 11th 2011 10:06 pm
Deuce quads together make for beautiful music. Got to hear this motor sing.

Would a 383 or 440 fit?





Richard
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - November 14th 2011 3:16 pm
nice motor for it! Sure would look pretty in my 87 lol!
Posted By: Lee7673 Re: chop top early dodge - November 14th 2011 3:23 pm
Sweet engine....just what that chop needs.
Posted By: Wizard78 Re: chop top early dodge - November 14th 2011 8:34 pm
Very Sweet shift
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - November 15th 2011 4:08 pm
I was going to comment that long tail automatic was going to be a problem.These vans came with a hard to find short tail trans.
looking closer at the pictures it might not be.As long as the pan clears the front axel you are good to go.

.......Wookee
Posted By: NateB Re: chop top early dodge - November 15th 2011 5:20 pm
Because the long tailshaft trans does not have the "top hanger" type mount that a factory A-100 transmission does have, you can adapt a B series van mount and bracket to work. You'll have an extremely short driveshaft though.
Posted By: Superbeast Re: chop top early dodge - November 15th 2011 5:56 pm
shift I like it! grin
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - November 15th 2011 6:34 pm
For whar ever reason making up a crossmeber stupms early owner......
both dodge and chevy......
I am sure this is not going to be an issue with this owener though......

.....Wookee
Posted By: Galaxy Re: chop top early dodge - November 15th 2011 7:22 pm
I'll tell ya, I learn so much on these boards. Thanks for posting all this information guy's. I know so much about early vans and I don't even own one...yet!
Glad to see you found a powerplant, be sure to keep us posted on what it takes to wrestle it in there.
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - November 17th 2011 3:52 pm
I already have the trans mount worked out, I have a mounting bracket out of a 77 b van. Now I have to get the customer jobs done and out of the way, then get chop in the shop and set the motor & trans in.
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - January 12th 2012 11:19 pm
Plans have changed. Just got this today. 5.7 HEMI!!!! Now I have to figure out FI or carb.[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Posted By: newkirkinc1 Re: chop top early dodge - January 13th 2012 12:37 am
That looks awesome shift
Posted By: markdh Re: chop top early dodge - January 13th 2012 2:30 am
sweet .just needs some vanners love to bring her back to life.
Posted By: XTReME_LiMiTzZ Re: chop top early dodge - January 13th 2012 3:30 am
Nice
Posted By: 86ed Re: chop top early dodge - January 13th 2012 4:31 am
i like that change of plans, nice!
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - January 13th 2012 11:12 pm
Yeah buddy! That will be cool as hell. Measure twice, cut once...
Posted By: c1run1 Re: chop top early dodge - January 14th 2012 3:15 am
Originally Posted by 66NODOOR
Plans have changed. Just got this today. 5.7 HEMI!!!! Now I have to figure out FI or carb.[Linked Image][Linked Image]


EFI , you need a ECM/ fuel pump /baffled gas tank to start then some wiring .
Posted By: VanPLan Re: chop top early dodge - January 14th 2012 3:25 am
Cool...I was waiting to see somebody drop something New,Big and Bad in an older van...let the pictures fly.
coffee


Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - January 14th 2012 7:26 pm
FI all the way! Painless wiring can hook up the wiring harness to work with the van. Then a vortech supercharger and side pipes!
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - March 19th 2012 11:37 pm
Just got my hands on the last big part for the chop. A small block 727 with 8 inch tail shaft. The weirdest thing is, I had to get it out of 64 econo pickup. Someone installed a 318 and a 727 in it.
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - July 20th 2012 12:07 am
Wild Thing is officially in the shop. The 200+ lbs of interior is just about out of the van, I still have to get the fuel cell and wiring out.
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - July 20th 2012 1:01 am
I'll bet that feels good. Look forward to seeing the progress.
Posted By: lukester Re: chop top early dodge - July 20th 2012 1:38 am
Cant wait to see more.
Posted By: Wizard78 Re: chop top early dodge - July 20th 2012 2:25 am
Me too can't wait to see more
Posted By: vanatic05 Re: chop top early dodge - July 20th 2012 12:51 pm
Guess I'm going to have to make a road trip... shift
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - July 20th 2012 4:01 pm
Sounds like it DH.
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - August 01st 2012 3:50 pm
I took a trip to Gary and Nancys house to talk about Wild Thing. While there I seen some broken parts hung on the wall from the van. I think weight may have played a factor for the broken parts. Here are a few pics from there for your enjoyment. The other pics are the van as of this morning. You can see by the very last pic it is going to be on a strict diet.
[Linked Image]
This was a 440 crank.[Linked Image]
WOW!!!
[Linked Image]
All cleaned out.
[Linked Image][Linked Image][Linked Image]
I am sure this is more than 200 lbs.
[Linked Image]
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - August 01st 2012 4:10 pm
holy crap on that flywheel! ive never seen that happen, or a crank bust smooth off like that! Is this thing gonna be street driven when your done? how badass would a modern 6.1 hemi be in there?!
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - August 01st 2012 7:19 pm
Something has to bust when you launch 4,120 lbs with the front wheels in the air. I would like to have a 6.1 or 6.4. I already have the 5.7 hemi and 727, going to fit motor and trans in about three weeks. I don't think I will need more that that. Maybe later down the road I will get another late hemi and build it. I do plan to drive it on the street, I will not build something that I can't drive.
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - August 01st 2012 7:44 pm
I knew it would be street "driveable" my question was were you planning on making it nasty 100 octane drag van again or something mild enough to reliably drive on the street often.
Posted By: HomeBrew Re: chop top early dodge - August 01st 2012 8:14 pm
drool

I've read about this van in a magazine! I'm glad you saved it.



[Linked Image]

yeah

shift
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - August 02nd 2012 12:49 am
Drive it on the street and whip up on Mustangs with it.
The full cage does make it look like you will have to come up from the bottom with the engine though.....

.......Wookee
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - August 02nd 2012 2:00 am
I have not been on a drag strip since 94. lots of things have changed since then. I plan to build it for both reliability, and maybe race; if I feel the need. It will have all the goodies to go fast. Might have to get a tear drop trailer for going to truck'ins, would be hard to sleep in it with the wheel tubs and roll bars.
----------------------------------------------------------
Drive it on the street and whip up on Mustangs with it.
The full cage does make it look like you will have to come up from the bottom with the engine though.....

.......Wookee

Joe I used to do that with my astro all the time, pissed the mustang guys off good, you are correct on the motor install is going to be a little tricky.
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - August 02nd 2012 2:06 am
They really do not expect to get left/caught sleeping at a light by a VAN of all things.....

.........Wookee
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - August 03rd 2012 9:01 pm
I had a fun working on Wild Thing last night, took the windshield out and vinyl top off. It was like opening a gift you never know what your going to get. I was surprised the roof is in great shape. It needs a little bit of work. I was sure it would be trashed, from the way the vinyl looked. the top had been on there since 1986. I also checked the amount of chop at the windshield, it is an unreal 12 inch chop. I checked the stock windshield opening on my A-108 it is about 24 inches. The chop opening is 12 inches[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - August 03rd 2012 11:00 pm
Great news. I too am surprised with the condition given the years that the VT was on it. Is it straight? Are the seams at thee edge? Cool!
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - August 07th 2012 10:13 am
The roof sheet metal looks pretty good in the picture you posted.
I have all way felt a vinyl top on a chop was a way of cutting a few corners and hiding a few unrepairable sins.....

.......Wookee
Posted By: HomeBrew Re: chop top early dodge - August 07th 2012 1:50 pm


They chopped it 12"!? NEAT!
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - August 07th 2012 10:49 pm
It does have a nice roof, I will have to ask why it was covered. I like to see chopped vans with a clean strait roof, it takes a lot of time but looks so good. I do plan to paint the roof, no vinyl top is going back on it. The metal work was done good, just have to get the body blasted, weld up a few holes and redo some old filler work. The main work is on the back of the van. It will have to be driven in primer for a while to find the weak spots in the body.
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - August 08th 2012 9:26 pm
You're comment about weak spots is interesting to me. What exactly would you expect to see? If the welds are decent and your filler work done correctly, there should not be any weak spots. I am not real familiar with the primers offered in the market place today but years ago one of the worse things that a person could do was to drive a vehicle in primer because primer was porous and absorbed moister that then caused surface rust. I'd give some thought to paint but the van is yours and I look forward to seeing the progress.

Randy
Posted By: quiet1 Re: chop top early dodge - August 09th 2012 2:26 am
yea... and any body filler that got wet would crumble with the moisture...
Even worse with primer not being a sealant was that the oils on the road would get on there and this ends up under the paint...

Whenever it rains for the first time in a long time, all those oils come to the surface of the road and make the road slicker than whale snot.
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - August 09th 2012 2:38 am
Im sure it will stay out of the rain, what i think he means is if the body work is going to crack, better to crack primer than thousands of dollars worth of paint. better on something like this that was chopped many years ago and subjected to the abuse of drag racing to give it a few miles to shake it all down before painting it.
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - August 10th 2012 1:06 pm
Actually the newer 2k primers have a sealer built into them.
I ran this type of primer for close to 5 years on my Early.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

With no ill effects.The van NEVER saw the inside of a garage.

I am hearing the feds are getting ready to make ALL professional shops go to water born paints with in the year.

........Wookee
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - August 10th 2012 6:28 pm
Ive used that primer before, and a few other similar brands. Good stuff.
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - August 10th 2012 10:19 pm
Technology has certainly changed the rules of the game. For me it has been way too many years of being away from the trade so I have lost touch with the products that are available. I read somewhere on here where a vanner planned to remove the filler that he had applied so he could prime the metal first, then do the filler work. Back in the day people would have excused this idea but maybe with the materials available today this is an acceptable practice. Live and learn.

Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - August 11th 2012 1:23 am
Not really sure why any one would remove filler then apply primer.???????
Most fillers still need good bare metal to adhere well to the steel....
There might be some thing out there I have not stumbled across yet

........Wookee
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - August 11th 2012 5:58 am
That was the way that I was taught. The cleaner the metal better your chances of a permanent repair. I'll see if I can find where I read it.
Posted By: scruloos Re: chop top early dodge - August 11th 2012 2:39 pm
you can put filler right over dry epoxy primer...alot of the hotrod shops do it because when old sheetmetal is acid-dipped or media blasted,it turns rusty very fast.i've done this myself and have had excellent results because epoxy primer is the only primer thats waterproof....
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - August 14th 2012 7:48 pm
I should have said it would be done in slick sand, just like 2k, and then epoxy primer. I want to do the body work and let it stand before i put the paint down. I don't plan to let it sit outside it has a place in the shop now, and a spot in the garage at home, when done.
Posted By: radicalran Re: chop top early dodge - August 14th 2012 9:49 pm
Denny, I was just curious. Can't wait to see the van finished. Enjoy!
Posted By: 66NODOOR Re: chop top early dodge - September 04th 2012 4:00 pm
I got a little time to start setting up for the rear axle. I had found a set of 33 19.5 M/T sportsman's on weld pro star rims, just for fitting the axle. Should be just right. [Linked Image]
Posted By: wookee Re: chop top early dodge - September 05th 2012 5:38 pm
Chopped and Pro Street. I like the direction you are going here.

........Wookee
Posted By: draggnastro Re: chop top early dodge - September 05th 2012 8:16 pm
cool!
Posted By: Superbeast Re: chop top early dodge - September 13th 2012 4:51 pm
Nice to see you working on this again.

Nice meeting you in person at the Nats too!
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