So I FINALLY found a new mistress! She hasn't told me her name yet, so I named the thread best I could. She's a little hesitant to leave her current home and come live with me, but she's warming up to the idea more each day.
I've been going through withdrawals ever since I sold the 76 long box Chevy (was called "the Rum Cutter", now appropriately named "Ramblin' Van") to Mr. LaGrange in Kentucky. I bought a 1968 Chevy K10, which I love, but just wasn't the same not Vannin' anymore. So the 68 K10 will be up for sale in a week or two. Out riding around Monday and decided to check on a local 1983 G10 shorty (looks like an 82 grill to me, but he said it's an 83) I checked on two years ago. The van has some history hauling a Ford Pinto mini-modified dirt track car to and from the local racetrack back in the 80's and 90's. I remember seeing it sitting in the infield when I would watch my uncle race dirt track as a kid back then. There was a long wheelbase G10 painted to match it. Apparently the owner worked for Federated Auto Parts back then and had worked out some sort of sponsorship with them, so he painted her up in the Federated Auto Parts colors complete with stripes.
She is amazingly solid for her age with the only bad cancer in the rear of the slide and in front of the rear wheels. There is a little creeping through on the windshield channel, but I'll take care of all of that very soon. The previous owner said she started overheating one night in 2016 on the way home from a job, so he took out the thermostat to see if that would help. Soon after he noticed some water from the tailpipe and got scared that it might be a head gasket issue, so it's been parked since then. When I stopped the first time two years ago, he was super hesitant to let her go, but gave me a ballpark price in case he changed his mind as he knew he wouldn't get to the head gaskets anytime soon and hated seeing her sit like that. When I stopped by this time, he was willing to let her go and said since I had seemed to fall in love with her, he knocked $2,500 off the price! My jaw hit the floor and I literally ran for the bank as quick as I could get there.
So the past couple days I've just been getting to know her. I gave him half down until he finds the title. He is SUPER busy running a vending machine business and doing vinyl wraps with his son in the evenings, so I'm not sweating it. I put two decent used tires on the front yesterday, and grabbed a top post battery from NAPA since the cables were beyond trash. I figured as long as I'm changing the cables might as well change to top post since I prefer that style anyway. But when I hopped in and turned the key I got nothing but crickets. No clicks, no buzzing, nothing. Dome lights worked, headlights and dash lights, but nothing from the starter or otherwise. She did not want to cooperate. I was tired and sweaty anyway, so I packed up my pride and went home to rest. I did get to meet Mr. Howard Lickliter of the "Lickliter Bros Comp Coupe" fame (1961 National Champions in their '31 Austin bodied Hemi powered comp coupe). He and his brother Pete ran a speed shop in my hometown called "Staunton Speed & Sport from the 50's through the 60's. Super great guy, one of my drag racing heroes. So freaking cool to meet him and shoot the breeze for a minute.
This morning I slept in a little, got up to a fresh pot of coffee and a fresh outlook on the ignition deal. It had to either be the lock and tumbler, or the ignition switch electrical switch part halfway down the column. So I headed over to give her a look. First thing I did was try to turn the lock tumbler in my hand without the key to see how much slop it had and to my surprise it turned all the way and she tried cranking over. So apparently she just doesn't like the key at all. Patted the gas a few times and she fired right up like she was running all this time without sitting. Gotta love a good tuned Quadrajet man. So I patted her on the dash and let her know she was in good hands, took some pictures to share, and went about my business for the rest of the day.
Stopped by a local-ish junkyard where I've found a sweet stash of vans a few years ago hidden from most prying eyes. I'll be pulling all sorts of parts soon, to include a 71-77 front clip, bumpers, port windows, all sorts of goodies. The plan is to paint her with a solid paint scheme, satin deep blue pearl for now until all the bodywork is completed so at least folks don't think I'm out delivering parts for Federated Auto. Blue interior. Slots or Cragar S/S rims 15x10 rear and 15x8 fronts. I can't wait to get to work and turn her around for the better. She supposedly has a 350 from an old dirt track street stock Monte Carlo and a th350 at the moment. I will run the numbers later down the road to see what it all is.
Damn it feels good to be a Vanner again!
How I found her on Monday
Meeting Mr. Howard Lickliter for the first time
After the two used tires on the front
Lots of dirt and grime from years of hauling a race car and sitting a lot between races, but otherwise pretty darn solid!
Someone cut some of the bracing out of the passenger rear corner at some point. Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Also there was a vent or something in the roof. Sheet metal patch has been welded in.
Its going to be quite a ride when done ... congrats on the save ....
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Its going to be quite a ride when done ... congrats on the save ....
Possibly. I've been throwing around names in my head for three days, and just too tired to think straight. Getting over fighting off a monster head and chest cold that seems to be going around, now that I'm getting over it my wife has gotten it.
I thought about naming her "Computer Blue" after my favorite Prince song, but it just doesn't sound quite right.
Thanks for the positive feedback. Hope to get her into at least a respectable condition very soon.
No not the van name .... the name of this thread ...lol
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
No not the van name .... the name of this thread ...lol
That too LOL
My buds in the hot rod club (the Frankensteins) call me "Stinky". Not that I smell bad, I actually get compliments from the lady folk on my cologne quite often, I guess it's more so a nickname they gave me because they're a bunch of buttholes and think it's funny as hell introducing me as Stinky. There's also a Leaky Paul, Johnny Fullbush, Grail (that's his real name), Coyote (he's Italian, but everyone picks on him and says he looks Mexican. Coyote is a term given to people that smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border), Graybeard Steven, and a couple more we haven't given shitty nicknames to yet. LMAO
Apparently the owner worked for Federated Auto Parts back then and had worked out some sort of sponsorship with them, so he painted her up in the Federated Auto Parts colors complete with stripes.
The plan is to paint her with a solid paint scheme, satin deep blue pearl for now until all the bodywork is completed so at least folks don't think I'm out delivering parts for Federated Auto. Blue interior. Slots or Cragar S/S rims 15x10 rear and 15x8 fronts. I can't wait to get to work and turn her around for the better. She supposedly has a 350 from an old dirt track street stock Monte Carlo and a th350 at the moment. I will run the numbers later down the road to see what it all is.
OK, I was originally in the "save the stripe paint job" camp. Nothing against Federated, but yeah...I'm onboard with the color change now!
Arianrhod:2003 Chevy Astro Black Magic: 1985 Dodge B-250 Serenity:1985 Chevy G-20 The Outcast:1983 Ford club wagon Luna 1974 VW bay window transporter Freedom:1990 Ford E-150(parts van) Outcast Vanners van club Support your local 2%
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Thanks guys. I'm getting so anxious to bring her home. Found a ton of great parts in my local junkyard, going Monday to start pulling some and having them pull others.
Should be some fun updates right around the corner.
New plugs and wires in yesterday, definitely has bad head gaskets. Billowing huge clouds of white smoke from the tailpipe. I'm tossed up on reconditioning a set of heads I've had stashed in the basement or yanking the 350 out of my Chevelle for now so I can rebuild the 350 in the van. I'll make up my mind in a day or so hopefully.
I did get the title squared away and tags ordered though.
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Found a set of Cragar S/S rims on Craigslist the other day. Guy hadn't posted pics, but he called me back and we talked a bit. He said they were pretty nice 15x10 and 15x7 rims with some good tires for $500. He wasn't sure what they would fit, but said they were unilug. So I took a chance on them and drove 3.5 hours to Maryland today to look at them.
Turns out they are 15x10 unilug to fit 4.5", 4.75", and 5" patterns, about 4.5" backspacing. Almost new 295/50-15 Goodyears on those. The 15x7 have almost new 235/60-15 Goodyears on them. SCORE!
So I gave the gentleman the cash, threw them in the back seat of our 2014 Honda Civic (yep, they fit great back there), and brought them home. Can't wait to get them on the van to see what they look like.
NICE ! ! in the right place at the right time with the right amount of cash ...
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
The tires give me pause. Hard to read in a blown up picture, but is the date code on those 0801 (8th week of 2001)? If so, those are old old old. I'm not one to start losing sleep when tires get older, but 18 years is pretty darned old. They warrant keeping an extra close eye on as you use them, if that is the date code. Be careful out there.
Will do. I doubt these things would be in this good of condition from 2001, but I suppose anything is possible. I'll still take it easy on them regardless.
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Will do. I doubt these things would be in this good of condition from 2001, but I suppose anything is possible. I'll still take it easy on them regardless.
Yeah, it's funny. For a DOT required standard, those markings come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. My brother just bought a Corvette that has this moulded oval spot FOR a date code, but nothing moulded into it! We suspect they are the original tires (2002) and the law dosen't require the code on tires the car is built with, as they can be assumed to be the age of the car. But 17 years later, that doesn't necessarily make sense, and you are left to guess.
Here's what I'm seeing, but you are there...I may be reading it wrong. Or this may not be it.
Either way, a good deal, and a great looking set of wheels.
Yeah, I'm seeing the same thing you are in the pictures. I'll have to check the tires when I go back down to the garage where I have them stored at the moment. And even if the tires end up being no good, yes I'm still super stoked about the rims. I thought even if they don't look quite right on the van, they will probably work great on my 1972 Chevelle I'm building as well.
Our '95 G20 had been stored and had the original tires on it when we bought it in May 2014! It had a little better than 29K miles at the time. The spare had never been on the ground and was covered by the rear tire cover. Still had the blue stuff on the whitewall. I drove with those tires at <35 mph about 8 or 9 miles home holding a steady pucker factor of about 9.5 on the rectum scale. I got them stored out in the shed. Uniroyals IIRC......
Last edited by CatFish; April 28th 2019 3:19 pm. Reason: wrong date
Our '95 G20 had been stored and had the original tires on it when we bought it in May 2014! It had a little better than 29K miles at the time. The spare had never been on the ground and was covered by the rear tire cover. Still had the blue stuff on the whitewall. I drove with those tires at <35 mph about 8 or 9 miles home holding a steady pucker factor of about 9.5 on the rectum scale. I got them stored out in the shed. Uniroyals IIRC......
Wow, that's crazy man! I've seen old tires do fine, and seen new tires fall apart well before they should. Ive sold tires back in the late 90's and seen all kinds of crazy stuff come through the shop, but that has to be one of the oldest sets I've heard of.
A close friend is currently fighting with the local dealership where he bought a car 3 years ago and the tires started to separate on the sidewall after 1 year of light use on the vehicle. All four are Bridgestones, and all four have the same symptoms. He has been fighting both the dealer and Bridgestone to get them replaced, but both want to keep sending him back to the other to fix the problem. 1 year of driving on tires that are all separating and still no resolution. It's crazy man. If I were in his shoes I would have already gone to the courthouse over that crap.
Brother-in-law called me last night, says a good friend of his (guy I played baseball with as a kid many moons ago) has a good running 305 in a squarebody Chevy pickup that he will sell me for $100. He might even install it for me at his shop. So I'm going to talk to him today to get the scoop.
Another friend and neighbor who is a fellow drag racer at the local track scoured around and found me a cherry picker (engine hoist) and an engine stand for $50 each. So I'm going to grab those as I will need them for my 72 Chevelle project as well.
Then yesterday I found a 1974 GMC RV/camper for $700. It has a gorgeous condition front clip, 350 engine with 45,000 miles, and th400. I could probably cut the front clip off, yank the motor, then recoup most of my money by selling the trans and salvageable parts on Craigslist and selling the leftover camper mess and frame to the crusher. The camper part had a lot of water damage, but the cab looks to be in great shape so probably a good dash and doghouse at least.
Yeah, I feel like either I suddenly have a horseshoe up my ass (could just be the wife's boot though, not sure ) OR the van Gods are happy about my decision to become a born again vanner and have smiled on me for a change. Either way, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth, so I'm just rolling with it.
Got the tags in the mail. I very rarely drink anymore due to my gastro issues, seriously I MIGHT have about 5 to 6 drinks per year, but when I do they are usually some form of fruity tropical rum mixed drink like Mai Tai or Malibu Bay Breeze. So I thought the rum tags were a funny way to pirate her up a little.
Also feel like the good luck streak is still rolling, we picked up a 2000 Astro LS for a great deal yesterday. I'll start a "build" thread on it.
Definitely use the 350 over the dog poo 305. Put a nice RV cam (or slightly more aggressive), performer intake and a Q-jet and you'll have a nice streetable engine!
Definitely use the 350 over the dog poo 305. Put a nice RV cam (or slightly more aggressive), performer intake and a Q-jet and you'll have a nice streetable engine!
I've had great luck out of 305 in the past, ran one in a 67 C10. Mid 10s in the 8th with a Holley 600. Dogged the heck out of that little engine and she wouldn't quit. Tough little motors.
But yes, I will rework the 350 and do her up proper. I've thought about keeping the Q-Jet as I have rebuild several and had good runners, but I've also got another Holley 600 sitting under the bench begging for a rebuild and I'm fairly partial to them.
Sitting in the passenger seat waiting on the rollback. "We'll be there in an hour to an hour and a half".... 2.5 hours later...
Finally got there
And home unloading
All tucked in her spot for now
Just got my mag lug nuts and locking lug nuts in the mail. Also got the last of the parts to fix the Astro. Having a heck of a time getting one of my mowers to start, and my plate is WAY overloaded with to-do items around both houses (we inherited a house from my dad that needs to be remodeled so we can move in and sell the current house). Hopefully she will make some decent progress soon.
Picked up a Reese hitch receiver for the Astro first thing yesterday morning, junkyard score for $40.
Grabbed the $100 305 from the local friend, forgot to grab a pic of that.
Mowed a bunch of grass out in the mid-day sun.
I was so cooked from all of that, I ran out of steam after only getting the driver side rims on, but boy did they make a heck of a difference. I'll make certain to get the backspacing today in case anyone is curious. No fit issues with the brake drums or anything else.
Not my camper in the background, that's the neighbor's.
They look like they stick out a lot further than they actually do, I guess that's due to the wheel gap.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Thanks for the compliments on the rim/tire combo guys. Hard to go wrong with a shiney set of Cragars.
So I just finished putting the passenger side on, and verified sizes and backspacing, so here goes:
FRONT
15x7 - 0" backspacing - 235/60-15 Goodyear rubber Bolt pattern is uni-lug 5 on 4.5/4.75/5
REAR
15x10 - 4.75" backspacing - 295/50-15 Goodyear rubber Bolt pattern is uni-lug 5 on 4.5/4.75/5
I want to drop the nose a tiny bit to close up that fender gap a little. Going to measure now so I can order springs. I'm guessing 2". My only complaint so far is I wish someone made a 295/60-15 street tire (unless I'm overlooking them) as I couldn't find any from Cooper or BFG. They look like they could use a tad more sidewall. Overall I'm very pleased with they way they turned out. I picked up some mag lugs from Amazon or eBay, and a set of four "Thunder Bolts" locking mag lugs from eBay to help deter the sticky finger scum.
Why not just do dropped spindles? C10's use them all day long and you can keep stock spring rate/length, etc. Wheels look awesome! Do the tires have white letters on them on the inside?
Why not just do dropped spindles? C10's use them all day long and you can keep stock spring rate/length, etc. Wheels look awesome! Do the tires have white letters on them on the inside?
I've thought about that too. 2" off spring won't be too drastic if I do go that route though. I've done spindles only, springs only, spindles and spring combos, heated springs, and cut spring in the past. Even done some torsion bar Nissan and Toyota pickups.
Heck, I might even heat the springs in the G10, if you take your time and gradually hit a few spots in very small amounts, it does fairly decent. I've heard people raise heck about heated springs over the years, but they ride fine.
Not planning going with a visor or flares. I might do a chin spoiler, and heck might change my mind on the visor and flares, but at this point I just want to get her running good and sprayed one solid color.
Hopefully get a chance to unload the 305 off the trailer and into the garage today. I want to start cleaning it for paint and I'm getting super anxious to get the darn thing in and drive her.
Picked up a Speedway Motors engine hoist and a cheap piece of frustration engine stand, but at $50 each, I couldn't be picky. Wife and I got the 305 unloaded and placed on the stand in the garage yesterday. I started the cleaning process today. Of course the day started off right when one of the C clips holding a wheel on the engine stand went light speed through the garage and a wheel fell off. Luckily no big crash.
I was so tired after cleaning this thing, painting the hitch receiver for the Astro, and doing a ton of tree trimming around the property that I forgot after pics. I'll get them next time. Going to scrub it down a little more, slap some gaskets on, and paint it orange. Then it will be ready to haul.
I cleaned out the spare parts stash from the back. Hope to get the seats, carpet, and plywood out soon.
reading comprehension isn't my strong suit... so the 305 isnt original to the van was it something you owned previously or is this a fingers crossed i hope it works type motor? should look nice all cleaned up and painted
The van originally had an inline 6, but it currently has a 350 with blown head gaskets.
I'm planning on rebuilding the 350, or at least freshening it up some. In the meantime, I found this 305 from a local friend for $100, so at least I can get her on the road.
Got the 305 primed and painted. Not the best rattle bomb job ever, but it's good enough to get her going. I will clean all the gasket surfaces that I didn't tape next and start putting it together for the swap. The spray can of orange paint went into cruise control and wouldn't stop spraying. Flikr is down, so when it comes back online I'll upload that video for a chuckle.
Seriously? LOL! I've been drooling over yours non-stop for a couple years now on IG. Thank you!
She has been put on hold the past couple weeks while we sorted a hitch receiver on the Astro and began tearing things out of our second house for the big remodel. Hopefully back to work on her soon as the rain goes away.
Took a little time with the kiddos today and took the bench seat out. No idea what it came out of, but it doesn't recline, so it's going away.
Pulled the rotten greasy carpet out, half million stripped flat head screws and rivets out of the rotten plywood floor, trashed the plywood. Vacuumed all the crud and piles of dead stink bugs out with help from the Goose.
Got a pic of the sheetmetal patch that was poorly welded into the roof vent hole at some point. There is also a large bolt and rubber washer in the front roof section. I want to put another vent in the rear section eventually and undecided on a sunvisor for the front. Might put one in if I can find the old style that lifts really high.
Hopefully we will have time tomorrow to pill the front seats and vacuum up there. Then we can pressure wash all the funk out of the floor and start prepping it for new paneling and flooring.
Cant get the pics to load from my phone, so I will throw them in when I get the kids home from bible school.
Good help is hard to find but you found a winner there !
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Looks like you got yourself a good helper there. The engine looks pretty good too.
Arianrhod:2003 Chevy Astro Black Magic: 1985 Dodge B-250 Serenity:1985 Chevy G-20 The Outcast:1983 Ford club wagon Luna 1974 VW bay window transporter Freedom:1990 Ford E-150(parts van) Outcast Vanners van club Support your local 2%
Found evidence that the sheet-metal patch one of the previous owners placed in the roof where the roof vent was not working when we arrived this morning. Nice puddle of water in the back floor from yesterday's rain. The windshield seal is leaking as well and there is rot in the windshield channel, so future plans are to pull the glass and repair the channel, then have the windshield reinstalled by the glass shop when it's all fixed and painted.
Girls helped me yank the front seats out and scrape up the scaly rust, then we took the drill to it with a wire wheel. Goose helped with vacuum duty again. Got it all scrubbed down, then we used our little electric pressure washer and some Purple Power degreaser to spray all the funk out the back doors. Tomorrow we will clean the rusted front floors with some Windex and spray them down with some rust converter spray paint. Apparently where the windshield has been leaking for some time, the front rubber mat with carpet insulation under it had been holding all that water on the floor and rusting it out.
The left side floor pad where the doghouse bolts down had rotted away at some point and the previous owner had patched that with a giant glob of orange RTV. So we will eventually patch that up proper with some new sheet-metal and a bolt. I also found out tonight that the seatbelt bolts where the seatbelt mounts to the seat base is the same thread as the seat hold down bolts on a 1996 Harley Springer when I was in a pinch for two bolts that were locked in the garage and I had left the keys across town.
My PC is acting goofy and won't let me remove the pics from my phone, so I will upload them as soon as I can.
Excellent progress! Treating this van right and I’m excited to see it take shape. This is a great project! Love seeing the whole family get after it too. Those are forever memories especially for the young ones.
this is a great experience with the kids! awesome! i may have missed this if it wasn't covered, but do you have a set of twins?
They are "Irish Twins" LOL Jasmine is oldest on left at 14, Miakota (Mia for short) on right is 13. They are 13 months apart. We've been asked if they were twins everywhere we go since they were about 2 and 3.
Thanks for the compliments guys. I'm super stoked that I have 3 amazing kiddos that love to get in and work on any project with me no matter what it is. Joe (aka: the Goose) is probably going to be the Vanner when he gets older. The girls are like their mom, way more practical and asking for help getting something like a Toyota Camry for their first ride, but Goose is all about vans and Harleys. LOL
Yardwork, BLEH! Got a bunch of mowing and weed eating done today. Took a few minutes and sprayed some satin black rust converter spray on the rust/bare floor section. Plan is to give it a much better sanding, patch anything that needs patching, and a proper coat of paint at some point before the flooring goes in. This is just to hold us over until that point.
Anyone know what this doohickey is? It looks a lot like the mechanical speed controls of yesteryear when I was into building Tamiya Midnight Pumpkin and Clodbuster RC trucks (late 80's). I'm pretty sure that's not what this one does but honestly I haven't the slightest clue what it's for.
That's a resistor, usually used on older points/condenser ignition systems to reduce from 12 volts down to 8 to 9 volts running. I don't believe that's an original part.
That's a resistor, usually used on older points/condenser ignition systems to reduce from 12 volts down to 8 to 9 volts running. I don't believe that's an original part.
Ah, that would make sense since it was originally an inline six, maybe 82 had points distributor on the L6? Not sure, but it will come off now that I know I'm not going to use it for something else. Thanks Catfish!
That's a Mopar ballast resistor. Not just for points. It was used with the factory electronic ignition starting in '73 I think it was, and continuing on for many years. Also part of the Direct Connection and Mopar Performance replacement electronic ignition kits.
You can see it pictured here. Sorry I cannot add a hyperlink at this time using "quick reply", which is the only way I can post currently.
That's a Mopar ballast resistor. Not just for points. It was used with the factory electronic ignition starting in '73 I think it was, and continuing on for many years. Also part of the Direct Connection and Mopar Performance replacement electronic ignition kits.
You can see it pictured here. Sorry I cannot add a hyperlink at this time using "quick reply", which is the only way I can post currently.
They are "Irish Twins" LOL Jasmine is oldest on left at 14, Miakota (Mia for short) on right is 13. They are 13 months apart. We've been asked if they were twins everywhere we go since they were about 2 and 3.
My sister and I were 15 months apart, I have my 2 oldest are 15 months apart, and my kids from my wife's previous marriage are 16 months apart, so I understand that completely!
That's a Mopar ballast resistor. Not just for points. It was used with the factory electronic ignition starting in '73 I think it was, and continuing on for many years. Also part of the Direct Connection and Mopar Performance replacement electronic ignition kits.
You can see it pictured here. Sorry I cannot add a hyperlink at this time using "quick reply", which is the only way I can post currently.
That's a Mopar ballast resistor. Not just for points. It was used with the factory electronic ignition starting in '73 I think it was, and continuing on for many years. Also part of the Direct Connection and Mopar Performance replacement electronic ignition kits.
You can see it pictured here. Sorry I cannot add a hyperlink at this time using "quick reply", which is the only way I can post currently.
I haven't had a ton of time to work on her lately, but I've managed a few little things here and there. Picked up some parts today that should help get things moving along soon. We are trying to remodel a house, and that is where my current garage is located. The garage (as well as the house) was in horrible shape, so we've spent quite a bit of time cleaning and reorganizing it lately. Hopefully have it sorted soon and I can pull the van in for the engine/front clip swap.
I gifted the exhaust manifolds off the 305 to a local fellow in need.
Some of the garage progress we've been making.
Picked up a Superior 500 wooden steering wheel off of the "Vanners Inc.." Facebook group. I ALWAYS prefer buying used off of fellow vanners if I can. I actually grabbed two steering wheels, for cheaper shipped than one would have cost used on eBay, the second one will go in my 72 Chevelle. The one I'm using on the van was in really nice shape. Sanded down and ready for stain. Hit it with some Minwax "Red Mahogany" stain and 3 coats of poly. Let the poly cook for a few days, sanded again today, and hit it with a couple more coats of poly. Will do the same again after vacation, we are heading to the beach tomorrow for a few days.
Picked up a front clip at the scrap yard today. I'm not 100% sure I'm going to need the whole thing, but figured I might as well grab it when I found it. Also grabbed 2 captain seats with arm rests for my new front seats. The seats are loaded in the back of "Clean Francine" for now, so I'll grab better pics when we toss them in the garage tonight.
And a teaser shot of the Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe. My grandpa bought it new, my pop bought it from grandpa when he graduated highschool. Pop put a 71 Z28 350 in it, I got it as a highschool graduation gift. As soon as the van is on the road and somewhat clean, I'll be starting on the Chevelle.
Seats I picked up. No idea what they were from originally. When I found them they were in the rear of the same van the front clip came out of. It had a horrible spray bomb two tone paint job and some bitchin' Chevy bowtie port windows that had already been robbed. Can't wait to get them recovered and in the van. I plan on having a local upholstery guy do the seats, and I will do the easier stuff like door panels and such.
And of course I had to take them for a cruise around the garage! SUPER comfy!
Garage and steering wheel came out great! Malibu is also a great looking car, so cool to have something in the family like that.
Thanks man! I also have my grandpa's 70 C10, but I'm debating selling it to keep my focus on the Chevelle when the time comes. Having a hard time letting the C10 go though.
I think I'm going with a distressed medium brown vinyl "faux leather". Since I will be doing some hand tooled leather inside to accent and some fake hardwood, thought it might all fit together nicely.
Seats I picked up. No idea what they were from originally. When I found them they were in the rear of the same van the front clip came out of. It had a horrible spray bomb two tone paint job and some bitchin' Chevy bowtie port windows that had already been robbed. Can't wait to get them recovered and in the van. I plan on having a local upholstery guy do the seats, and I will do the easier stuff like door panels and such.
And of course I had to take them for a cruise around the garage! SUPER comfy!
Those are Ford seats
Everyday above ground is a Good Day!!! Never Stop Vannin'
Member of Break Away Vanners Host of Spring Break At Shenandoah Acres Family Campground
Owner & Creator of Wizard's Van-In Videos Member of Riding High Truckers from 1982 to 1996 2nd Member of The Toopa Sinner Tribe Member of Free Bird Vanners 1996 to Present Member of Cape Atlantic Truckers South Jersey Host Club of Freeze Out Certified Nats Judge Member of Shenandoah Valley Vans
Sooooo... I just FINALLY realized I could edit the title of the thread and changed it to reflect the name of the van. Wish I would have noticed that months ago.
Yes sir! I was able to get the bases off this morning. One of the track bolts kept spinning due to a loose press nut, so I hacksawed the bolt off as well as a large slice in my thumb.
Got a couple of pics of the stickers I found on them. I'm assuming they are from the 3rd Gen Ford vans? Hopefully they will work fine in a 3rd Gen Chevy too. We shall see.
Dropped the captain seats off with the upholstery shop this morning. He will be going on vacation, so I told him I would prefer to wait for him to return and do them as opposed to his apprentice. So they should be done around the end of July or first of August. Can't freaking wait to see them all done up.
since your naming the van Queen Annes Revenge, once it is finished you need to take it to Beaufort, NC (where blackbeard supposedly stayed, and QAR was run aground) and to Ocracoke Island, NC (where Blackbeard was captured and killed) for a little tour.
since your naming the van Queen Annes Revenge, once it is finished you need to take it to Beaufort, NC (where blackbeard supposedly stayed, and QAR was run aground) and to Ocracoke Island, NC (where Blackbeard was captured and killed) for a little tour.
Already planning on it. I rode my Harley down to OBX 2 years ago and camped with my wife (she went down with her father and brother and a big huge camper for a family wedding) and I fell madly in love with the whole area. I have a feeling my wife and I will move there some day after retirement.
Already planning on it. I rode my Harley down to OBX 2 years ago and camped with my wife (she went down with her father and brother and a big huge camper for a family wedding) and I fell madly in love with the whole area. I have a feeling my wife and I will move there some day after retirement.
We go to Ocracoke every year and camp in the van. love it there. We moved to SC from Elizabeth City, NC and My wife wants to move back to the OBX after she finishes nursing school, but I refuse to live ON the OBX.
Yes sir! I was able to get the bases off this morning. One of the track bolts kept spinning due to a loose press nut, so I hacksawed the bolt off as well as a large slice in my thumb.
Got a couple of pics of the stickers I found on them. I'm assuming they are from the 3rd Gen Ford vans? Hopefully they will work fine in a 3rd Gen Chevy too. We shall see.
Yep they are 3rd Gen , I remember well when they were in the Vans
Everyday above ground is a Good Day!!! Never Stop Vannin'
Member of Break Away Vanners Host of Spring Break At Shenandoah Acres Family Campground
Owner & Creator of Wizard's Van-In Videos Member of Riding High Truckers from 1982 to 1996 2nd Member of The Toopa Sinner Tribe Member of Free Bird Vanners 1996 to Present Member of Cape Atlantic Truckers South Jersey Host Club of Freeze Out Certified Nats Judge Member of Shenandoah Valley Vans
Sure hope so. Shuey's Upholstery in Staunton VA is doing them for me. Chris the owner has been highly recommended by several friends, so they should turn out bitchin'. The wait is killing me though.
Didn't grab any pics today, but the ladies and I got one of the seat bases disassembled and ready for sand blasting. Left one assembled for reference in case I pull a smooth one and try putting stuff back the wrong way. Also got the steering wheel sanded and laid down 3 more coats of polyurethane. Let that cook for a few days and see where we are at with 9 coats of poly on it so far. It's definitely getting shiney.
Me neither, the freakin suspense is killing me. I eventually want to get my own industrial sewing machine and learn to do my own upholstery, but I'm sure they will turn out nice. I told him I didn't have any specific requests just to do his thing. He said he wanted to avoid the welt or piping (he called it something different that I can't remember) as he said it wouldn't hold up very well to years and years of sliding in and out of the seat over it which was evident by where it had split some originally. But other than that, it'll be a surprise.
Calling the steering wheel done. Superior 500 wheel came to me pre sanded and someone had roughed up the chrome at some point trying to remove rust, but it's okay. She's going to be a driver, not a show queen. So I sanded it a bit more, stained it with Minwax "Red Mahogany" and top coated with Minwax spray on gloss polyurethane. 9 coats of poly total, lay down 3 coats, let it cook for a few days, sand and repeat. I'm super happy with how she turned out.
I've got a new lock cylinder and ignition switch to go in as well when I mount it, but I'm wanting to make a custom horn knob by encasing something neat in epoxy over the horn cap. Just haven't decided what yet. I'm thinking of maybe some sand, shells, and a gold coin. It might all go flop, but I want to give it a go anyway.
Sure hope so. Shuey's Upholstery in Staunton VA is doing them for me. Chris the owner has been highly recommended by several friends, so they should turn out bitchin'. The wait is killing me though.
They do Great work
Everyday above ground is a Good Day!!! Never Stop Vannin'
Member of Break Away Vanners Host of Spring Break At Shenandoah Acres Family Campground
Owner & Creator of Wizard's Van-In Videos Member of Riding High Truckers from 1982 to 1996 2nd Member of The Toopa Sinner Tribe Member of Free Bird Vanners 1996 to Present Member of Cape Atlantic Truckers South Jersey Host Club of Freeze Out Certified Nats Judge Member of Shenandoah Valley Vans
Snagged a Northern Breeze by Ventline off eBay. Matches the dimensions of the old vent that was poorly patched at some point in the past. Missing the corner piece that covers the circuit board and the handle for manual crank. Maybe I'll find something somewhere to fix it up, not sure, but it should work fine.
SEATS ARE DONE! I love them, super soft, and super comfy. Now to get the bases blasted and repainted so I can mount these guys in the van. I've been slacking on the van lately, but getting a lot done with the house remodel.
Take care and hope to see more pics when you get back to it.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Still trudging along on the never ending house renovation, so I haven't had any time to work on the van sadly. I did sneak a little spray bomb in today. Used Krylon Fusion "Oil Rubbed Bronze" satin paint to spray the one seat base we have sandblasted so far. I went with the fusion thinking it would work well on the plastic base cover, but after painting I decided to opt out of putting the plastic bits back on. I will instead cover the base with something that's more easily removed at some point, or leave it exposed. Happy with the color. Not perfect, but she won't be a show winner, just a driver, and I'm pleased with the outcome.
I started to install the slider tracks, but couldn't find the darn nuts. We (kids and I) put them in zip lock baggies when we disassembled the seats for recovering, but my garage is an absolute wreck at the moment. I picked up some more nuts at the hardware store today, so hopefully get the first seat installed in a day or two. Supposed to be cold and rainy tomorrow, so I will be grumpy and hiding inside as much as I can until the rain goes away.
Took a few hours to work on the seat this morning. Wheeled it into the hardware store on a buggy, no one even cared. At the check out line the man and woman running the register asked what the seats came out of. I told them they were out of a 70's Ford van and going into a 70's style Chevy Boogie van. They looked like deer in headlights, lost and confused. LMAO!
The base was a beast to mount to the seat. Pretty sure it weighs about 3000 lbs, LOL. Finally got it all mounted up though. Just have one bolt holding it to the floor for now. Still have to go back to the hardware store to grab some new bolts for that.
I'm super happy with how it looks and feels though. SO much better than the old ones. I love having the built in arm rests too. Plan on removing the factory arm rests off the doors, and replacing them with some tooled leather pull straps. Now on to the next base, then I need to source some brown or beige seatbelts that will work.
Playing around with some photoshop. Trying to decide on what direction I want to go with some rattle bomb in the spring as it's going to be a good long while before I can afford the good paint.
Not much progress, but every little bit helps toward the end goal. Scrubbed the paint off the gasket surfaces on the 305 with some acetone and steel wool. Couple of my buddies gave me slack over not taping it off, but it cleaned off super quick. I'm dying to take her for darn ride.
I've thought about that, but still undecided. Heck, I'm wavering on paint color/colors every day. I was pretty set on black basecoat with blue candy topcoat. But I've seen about 6 or 7 recent builds in darker blues, so now my mind is thinking maybe switch it up.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
The girls and I started on the engine swap today. It'll go a little slower than normal, as I'm letting them get in on the action as much as they can, but I'm really enjoying being able to do this with them while we can. Basically just spent today stripping the front clip in preperation, and hopefully get the rest of the lines, hoses, and carb off tomorrow. Then we can yank it out and get ready to put the 305 temp motor in place of the 350. We're going to go ahead and pull the trans with the motor. She's leaking a bit of fluid out of the tail shaft, so we can get a good look at the bearing and seal while it's all out as well as clean it all up before we re-install. Of course it wouldn't be working if I didn't slam my hand into the bumper and say some no-no words while we were at it.
And a few more pics. Threw the grill on Facebook marketplace for $20 hoping a fellow vanner could use them. Have someone coming to look at them tomorrow.
So the girls and I got back to work on the engine removal. For those that don't remember, we are swapping out a 350 with blown head gaskets for a 305 which will be a temp powerplant to hopefully get us on the road quicker. A lot of extra work, but I won't be able to rebuild the 350 for a while, and I want to do it right and take my time.
We got everything loose from the engine and pulled out of the way. While dropping the driver side exhaust manifold from the head, the exhaust fell completely off. The muffler is rotten where the tail pipe connects to it, so there's one more thing on the "buy when we have money" list. I scraped up my side on a sharp corner of the radiator support, DOH! Popped the spark plugs out number 7 cylinder spewed water/coolant out, so apparently that's where the head gasket is blown. Also got a ton of milky oil on the distributor and my driveway where I dropped the oil filter by accident and said F@#$ really loud as I banged my head while trying to grab it. Needless to say I left the oil filter lying.
We almost have the old mill out, we are just hung up on the flywheel behind the driver side engine mount perch. We were running out of daylight and energy, so we called it quits until tomorrow. Can't wait to get this think yanked. Think I should have dropped the trans and pulled it separate, but you live and learn. Mia also did me a favor and removed the seat belts. Want to go with some brown or beige ones eventually.
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
I would love to go with a big block in either the van or my chevelle, unfortunately in my area they bring top dollar, at least when I come across them. My brother-in-law came across a $200 RV with a 454 for his square body Chevy pickup build. I haven't found any below $800 needing a total rebuild though.
Last edited by kursed; December 28th 2019 12:21 pm.
It's O U T DONE! Ladies and I went by the garage today and finished pulling. Had to drop the transmission and flywheel, then everything came out much easier. Lesson learned, drop the trans first. I am so proud of these two young ladies. They have done the bulk of the work and have not complained one bit. They have even both told me they have had a great time over the past few days learning and working. The garage floor looked like a murder scene when we were done, but now we can get on to installing the 305 and buttoning it all back up.
SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS '93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB '92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Ain't nothing to joke about kursed, I got my son into vanning he works at a shop but I end up working on his van while he sits and plays on his phone. You are blessed man.
I had to sit back and laugh at all the people that ask "why would you buy a van? They're so hard to work on!" ... Yeah, so hard to work on that my 14 and 15 year old daughters can pull a motor. LMAO. I guess the one benefit to people thinking vans are super hard to work on is it saves more vans for the rest of us to buy and customize.
So cool to get the younger generation into all of this. I wish I had a dad that was like you when I was that age. It’s really going to impact them on a positive way for the rest of their lives.
Thankfully my pop was always willing to teach me anything he could. I wish I would have been more interested in the house renovation side of things when I was younger, I could have learned a lot more. He passed three years ago, but I did get to learn a ton from him.
Most importantly though, and what I'm trying to teach my kids, is that you can teach yourself how to fix almost anything without YouTube and Google, if you're willing to try. I'm trying to show them that if you just get the motivation to jump in head first, even if you fail, you will learn from the failures and next time you will get it right.
I grew up around the local drag strip and dirt track, and my pop always let me get in on the work that was being done. Even though I was too young to even really know what was going on, that has helped with my kiddos a lot. Now if I can just get them to keep their room clean. LMAO.
Amen to that brother, engine is a death sentence to most non vanners they sell them cheap or scrap them. There loss our gain.
That's the truth. There's an 80's G10 near me with a blown head gasket the seller is trying to get $500 for. I already know they'll junk it because they can get $500 at Pick N Pull.
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers This town ain't big enough for the both of us And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Trying to decode this engine and parts that came out of the van. Back story was the original owner replaced the original L6 engine with a 350 from a local dirt track car. No further info aside from that is known. So if I'm decoding these numbers correctly, it looks like I have the following as a base to build down the road:
1973 Chevy Nova L65 145HP 350 block 3970010 casting number / 13W179585 & V1221CKW stamped in the block pad in front of the passenger head
1980-86 Chevy 305 53cc heads 14022601 casting number and what appears to be a C/3 cast underneath. March 1983?
1971 350 cast iron Rochester 4bbl intake Casting number 3973469 GM2
If these numbers are correct, we will probably be replacing the heads with 350 heads, as I'm not a fan of 305 heads on a 350. They are usually a fine motor for a short dirt track as they will produce more low end torque, but they tend to fall off in the upper RPM horsepower. I have a few sets of heads to dig through and see what would be best if any.
Amen to that brother, engine is a death sentence to most non vanners they sell them cheap or scrap them. There loss our gain.
That's the truth. There's an 80's G10 near me with a blown head gasket the seller is trying to get $500 for. I already know they'll junk it because they can get $500 at Pick N Pull.
Amen to that brother, engine is a death sentence to most non vanners they sell them cheap or scrap them. There loss our gain.
That's the truth. There's an 80's G10 near me with a blown head gasket the seller is trying to get $500 for. I already know they'll junk it because they can get $500 at Pick N Pull.
Sounds like you need to grab that!
I already have one junkie van, I don’t need a second 😂😉
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers This town ain't big enough for the both of us And it ain't me who's gonna leave
We took a few minutes to clean up the garage a little and I grabbed some numbers off the 305 that should be going in soon. It's an equally underpowered mill, apparently it's originally out of the 1984 Chevy K10 my friend pulled it out of, which I figured, but I wanted to verify. No pics since I've already posted a bunch of this engine before. I was really hoping the warm weather would hold out today so we could paint the engine bay, but we may end up just putting the 305 in without painting the engine bay if we don't get another warm spell before spring. I took the motor mounts, crank and water pump pulleys off and handed them over to the wife. She can run them through the parts cleaner at work then sand blast them. At least we can paint a few parts.
1984 Chevy K10 Pickup 305 block 14010203 casting number / K1203FCH& CE1147833 stamped in the block pad in front of the passenger head
1980-86 Chevy 305 53cc heads 14022601 casting number and what appears to be a C/3 cast underneath. March 1983? (Exact same heads that I found on the 350)
78-85 cast iron Rochester 4bbl intake Casting number 14057055
Got a little spray painting knocked out this morning. Sprayed the motor mounts with sosomsosome gloss black and hit the pulleys with Chevy orange. Then took a break to do some window shopping in a couple junkyards. Snagged a set of vintage Stewart Warner gauges for $10. Also found a set of chrome steel rims for the Astro van. I'll post them in the Clean Francine thread when they get pulled and picked up.
Got a little spray painting knocked out this morning. Sprayed the motor mounts with sosomsosome gloss black and hit the pulleys with Chevy orange. Then took a break to do some window shopping in a couple junkyards. Snagged a set of vintage Stewart Warner gauges for $10. Also found a set of chrome steel rims for the Astro van. I'll post them in the Clean Francine thread when they get pulled and picked up.
Nice find. I gotta paint my engine bay before I fully button up the front, but when it isn't so cold in the shade.
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers This town ain't big enough for the both of us And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Nice find. I gotta paint my engine bay before I fully button up the front, but when it isn't so cold in the shade.
I was hoping to do the same while we had the engine out, but I'm not sure if the weather will cooperate or not. 32 degrees and snowing it's butt off here today, then supposed to be in the 60s by Saturday, but raining. Not sure if we will try to push the van into the shop and paint the engine bay, or just wait until we swap the 350 back in some time down the road. At least for now I can spray some of the small parts in the garage.
I'm posting a few dash and doghouse shots, as I realized I haven't posted that mess yet. Notice the old aftermarket "Making Waves" brand gauges (GEEZ that name brand doesn't instill a feeling of quality LOL!) are literally falling apart, hence why I grabbed the Stewart Warner gauges in the scrapyard the other day. Also there's a big random hole in the bottom left side of the dash, and the doghouse is absolute garbage. So I'm still on the fence about which direction to go with the dash and doghouse.
We got the motor mounts on, found some old chrome Moroso valve covers I had hoarded away in the parts pile. Not sure if we'll use them as money is tight and I don't have any valve cover breathers to plop in the holes. We also found a chrome transmission pan, and a chrome alternator bracket, so we will be throwing those on. Got the old 350 sitting on an old furniture dolly, and grabbed two small $10 dollys from Harbor Freight for the transmissions.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Going through the parts stash today, thought I had at least one push in valve cover breather, but I couldn't find it so I may have sold it at some point. Then I tried bolting the valve covers down, but the darn gasket set I got from Speedway Motors (complete engine gasket set for a 305) came with double thick valve cover gaskets. By the time you put them on with the valve cover clamps in place, there wasn't enough thread left on the studs to thread the nuts on. I did find some valve cover breather grommets though, so that saved a few bucks.
So I stopped by Autozone and grabbed one cheap Spectre chrome push in valve cover breather, one PCV valve, some stock thickness cork valve cover gaskets for the 305, and something else small that I'm forgetting right now. You should have seen the look of bewilderment on the parts counter kids face when I asked for some SBC Chevy valve cover gaskets. He throws out the typical "What year and model" To which I replied "Take your pick bud, all the early model Chevy small block 305 and 350 motors used the same valve cover gaskets through the 70s and 80s" to which his manager started chuckling. I finally had to break down and give him a year and make when he still didn't get it.
I also came across an old spinner style air cleaner nut in my parts pile made by the same "Make Waves" company that made the old crusty dash gauges with the MW wave logo. It came off my old 67 C10 SWB hot rodded pickup I had back in my early 20s. Always had a soft spot for that air cleaner nut, so I'm glad I hung onto that. Also found a set of Cal Customs window cranks and door handles with the chrome and faux woodgrain I had bought back when I had the old 90s model white LWB van about 5 years ago or so. Glad I kept those.
I entered a giveaway contest on Instagram from a user named "@junyard_chevy". He was giving away a pair of used stainless vent visors which I have been dying to get my hands on, and a new barefoot pedal pad. I WON! They arrived in the mail, and although I'm nowhere close to being able to mount them yet, I couldn't resist a good mockup shot. That's about all for today.
Baby steps as usual. Got the valve covers bolted on, one valve cover breather on, and a PCV valve on. She's ready to install when the weather permits. Also noticed the little 305 that could came all the way from the great north Eh!
It was super rainy and dreary all day here, so I spent the day cleaning (aka: making a bigger mess than I began with) the garage today. Going through totes of spare parts for everything, trying to consolidate things to free up more room on the shelves. Hopefully get that finished up tomorrow.
I did come across these west coast mirrors I got with the 68 K10 when I bought it. Never had any mounting brackets, so I stashed them away for another day. I'm thinking of using them on the van. My original plan was for Chevelle or C10 style sport mirrors, but I'm really liking the idea of a big set of mirrors to see more, plus I've always been fond of a nice set of spot mirrors as well. I guess my days as a truck driver in the Army are to blame for that.
I just need to find a bottom bracket that mounts to the door in stainless. I've looked around on the net, and not coming up with anything yet. I am seeing a lot of early Chevy vans with this style mirror though. My friend that I bought the K10 from said he thought they were Ford mirrors. My guess is they were either a factory option for those Chevys, or they were just a common universal mirror back then.
I had 3 sets of the bottom brackets custom made in stainless and buffed. Have one set left. Taking them to Orlando next week to sell. $125.00 plus shipping. I also have 2 sets of the steel ones also.
Last edited by newkirkinc1; January 12th 2020 8:19 am.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
I had 3 sets of the bottom brackets custom made in stainless and buffed. Have one set left. Taking them to Orlando next week to sell. $125.00 plus shipping. I also have 2 sets of the steel ones also.
I would love to grab them, but funds are so tight I won't be able to for a while. Thank you for the offer though. If I can't source something at a scrap yard, I'll try my hand and making some in the shop. I can probably make some from steel without too much issue, but stainless is a much stronger beast than many of my tools are up to the task for.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
After seeing what these mirrors are selling for on eBay, I'm thinking about cleaning them up and selling the darn things. I could buy new mirrors and some more parts with that kind of cash. Geez, I've seen them on so many trucks over the years, I never thought they would be so darn expensive.
They are selling good right now , you could probably do great.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Still haven't been able to get any work done on the van, but I did manage a little time out to get this done tonight. I've been hanging on to this shift knob for a long time and haven't done anything with it. Decided to bust out the airbrush and play a little. Still needs a little touch up and some matte clear coat.
Thanks guys. I still consider myself a rookie with the airbrush, but as soon as I can lay down a good mural I will feel better about it. I'm hoping to paint some large murals this spring/summer to get a feel for how that might go.
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Haven't worked on the van in a long while. Got to work on cleaning the garage yesterday and today some in preparation for finishing the engine swap. When we found out school was canceled for two weeks at least due to this stupid virus, the first thing out of my youngest daughter's mouth was "We should put the motor in the van while we're out". I think we have the makings of another vanner in the family, which is funny because she didn't care for them up until recently, she's always been a Harley girl. So she knocked the spray paint out on the water pump while we've been cleaning. Hopefully we'll get a chance to finish up the swap in the next few days.
Lucky dog.....my kids are 28 and 30, my son would say I broke my van when are you going to fix it..not much in father and son bonding.
I am, and I try to soak up every minute as humanly possible. They grow so fast.
Originally Posted by NEmery
she is painting it orange! Wasn't GM still painting engines Corporate Blue in 82? not that it really matters... LOL.
No clue, but nothing is going back to factory resto on this one, just a fun cruiser, and I prefer Chevy orange.
Originally Posted by Astrocreep66
My 73 g20 the engine is white..lol I am serious
I thought about painting this one something custom, but this 305 will eventually get sold when we get the 350 rebuilt. Might paint that one a different color.
The girls really knocked it out of the park this morning. We got some laundry done, cleaned up a huge pile of trash from the back porch roofing work, then knocked out the engine install. Got it bolted in place and ready to start re-installing all the small stuff. Hopefully we can start on that tomorrow morning.
DUDE! Love this! Great work, that motor looks amazing.
Thanks man! Just don't get too close to it, the polished turd reveals itself if you do.
There are quite a few spots where the paint is a little thin. Probably when I got distracted by the can that stuck in full throttle, HA! I'm so proud of the job my girls are doing I could care less though, they are amazing. Even the Goose is getting his 8 year old help on. He helps us moving the wheel check and pushing it in and put of the garage. He's also a killer garage sweeper and tool cleaner.
Stuff gets dirty and used even if it started out perfect. Like you said, the best part about it all is that you got to do it with your kids. I certainly could use a few extra little hands in the shop here. Keep chipping away at it
Been busy working on all sorts of other projects, but snuck in a little time with the ladies to work on the van today. They got the water pump, crank pulley, fan and fan clutch, heater hoses, fuel lines, and a few other little parts on today. The carb is just sitting in place for now as I thought I had another square bore to spread bore adapter, but I couldn't find it. Also couldn't find the water neck we sand blasted and painted, so I grabbed a cheap chrome one from the parts store and slapped that on. We scrubbed the grime off of the trans while we were at it, not perfect but a lot better. Of course I forgot the before pics, but trust me, it was filthy and could have passed as a black transmission before. We also replaced the tailshaft bushing and seals, so we shouldn't have anymore leaks back there. Hopefully get back on it again soon.
Got my 1977-ish Motorola Mocat 40 in the mail today. Thank you Charlie99909! I can't wait to get this thing cleaned up and installed. Going to need a mic for it, power cable, and antenna but shouldn't be too hard to find. It's the same one he recently found in the junkyard and posted over in the junkyard finds thread.
Got my 1977-ish Motorola Mocat 40 in the mail today. Thank you Charlie99909! I can't wait to get this thing cleaned up and installed. Going to need a mic for it, power cable, and antenna but shouldn't be too hard to find. It's the same one he recently found in the junkyard and posted over in the junkyard finds thread.
You're welcome! I was thinking about it today and wondered if it made it ok. I'm looking forward to see it all restored.
You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers This town ain't big enough for the both of us And it ain't me who's gonna leave
Jim & Lucy Newkirk 1965 Chevy Bad Influence 1981 Chevy-the Love Shack 2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van 2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet. Club Vannerz. vanninvanner@comcast.net
Baby steps, but progress is progress. Girls got the alt, power steering pump, and belts on today. We also mounted the carb and square bore to spread bore adapter for the Holley carb to Rochester intake on. Also mounted the flywheel and temp bolted up the starter. We noticed the two bottom bolts to the fuel pump plate had been forgotten, so we slapped those on and they both broke off in the block. We decided to call it quits for the day after that. Hopefully back on it in a couple days.
This van has come such a long way and looking great! Keep up the great work.
Thanks man. Some days I can see it, other days I get bummed because I've had it over a year and feel like I've hardly done anything to it so far.
A big part of that problem is trying to renovate an entire house we inherited by ourselves on a shoestring budget. Once we get the reno-house done, move into it, and sell our current house things will get much better. I'll then be at the house where the garage and tools are, and be able to knock more out when the budget permits. Not being limited to driving back and forth 20 miles just to work on it will make a big difference. Until then, I'll just keep knocking a little out here and there when I can.
Well we're all really freaking exhausted today, so we didn't get a bunch accomplished, but we did work on it a little. Yesterday we were installing a storm door on the renovation house, and the girls noticed three tiny kittens huddled up next to our chimney in the backyard. Momma cat never came back yesterday evening, so I didn't want to risk them staying out in the cold and decided to bring them home and nurse them. They're super small, but eating well so far. Been a while since I've nursed kittens, forgot how tiring it can be.
We got the fuel line on today. Tried removing the exhaust pipe, but the studs snapped off of the exhaust manifold. I tried the heating torch on them and some vice grips, but they kept snapping off even more. My welder isn't working or I would weld a nut on the end. For now I guess we'll throw some cheap block hugger headers on and be done. Not like the little 305 couldn't use a little help in the power department anyway.
Started to install the transmission, but the trans kept falling off the jack and we were all too darn tired to continue anyway, so we called it quits for the day. I'll rig up some way to hold the transmission to the jack better soon and get back at it.