Vannin' Home Forums General Discussion Readers Rides 1990 G30 Extended

Well after owning my new van for about 2 months I've decided to start a build thread for it..l it's still sitting in an outdoor storage spot until I sort out and sell my wife's old (07) beetle...

But, that doesn't mean that I can't still work on the van...!!

So, a little history on the van... It used to haul a 5,000# generator for a company in Chicago that did power and lighting for film crews - and, I was told that the van was in a couple movies and several TV shows as a background vehicle with the generator running... I found her on CL, and had to have her... Drove from Buffalo with my wife and kids, checked it out, and drove home - all in a nice weekend... It has a 350, turbo 400, semi-float 14 bolt - but I'm not sure it has the original 3.73 gears, though... And lots of springs in the back...

I'm going to pull an OD trans, computer, wiring, driveshaft yoke out of something in the junkyard - '94/95 4L60e or 4L80e depending on what I can find... No 700r4/or early 4l60 because of the TV cable - just don't want to deal with that...

I have patch panels, front and rear 5 lug suspension from my buddy John (he owns 'Nightmoves' blue Chevy van), and I have side doors and front windshield from my buddy Stan (he has HiEnough gray 4x4 Chevy)... I also have a complete front end from a '79 G20 and pre-85 tail lights/housings to make her look older... Planning on going full '70's inside... The barrel chairs are going in the front, I'm building a long u-shaped seat/bed for my kids, then a partitioned off bed for me in the back...

No pics, but I've got a 14" superior wood wheel, cal custom door handle/window cranks... This weekend I picked up a set of 8.5 & 10" slot mags - from 2 different places...


The body is in very good shape, with some minor areas:


So hopefully over memorial day weekend, I plan to bring it home and weld up the patches, and put the 'new' windshield in...

Good luck with it and looking forward to see the progress you do on it

Cool, I needed a late model G van build thread to follow.
It would be cool to see the scenes from the movies it's in.

Looking forward to seeing more updates. I really dig those seats.They are hard to find .

Love those barrel chairs!

Thanks everyone, the barrel chairs are great, and they're comfortable, too...!

I had a good weekend with the Van, drove her home Friday night after work, then spent some of Saturday (before it rained here) pulling the windshield out to repair the rust... I made a couple tools at work to help with pulling the windshield - both from old screwdrivers... Finished that Sunday morning, then got a full view of the rust... Cleaned off all the old rubber gasket/urethane adhesive with a knotty wire wheel, then ground down all the gnarly rust and cut out the bad cancerous rust...

I made my patch panels from an old metal drawer, put in pie cuts to help it bend, then welded everything in... Pics to follow...

After all of these pics were taken I put down a coat of POR-15 on the whole frame, and after that dried I shot a coat of rustoleum red on the frame... This Van won't get a rustoleum paint job, but I figured for the time being until I get the new windshield installed, it will be ok...

And when it started to rain, or got dark, I moved inside the garage and started measuring, cutting, and welding some angle iron to make the rear benches for seating - I've decided to build an L shaped bench (ok, 2 benches put together) and have some rear cabinet across from the seat as part of the entrance way to the rear bed...

I also made a "L" shaped chase lounge couch & bed pedestal behind the couch in the rear, so much room in these long boys to about what ever we want. Congrats on finding one of these rare vans... Be watching you build your dream.

Wouldn't the old car/truck/van hobby be so much more fun if there was no rust?

Nice project. I wish I had the skills to do bodyworks! If I check a vehicle that has rust holes or extended areas to fix, I just step back.