Howdy everyone, figured I share some photos and progress on my van. I picked up sweet lady in early 2017 and decided to name her Vanity, assuming I'd be using her for looks and style rather than actual work haha. Anyway I was looking for any van with slant nose (no flat fronts), not too rusty and a standard shift which was left slim pickings. I found a 1982 B150, slant six with a 4 on the floor and under 40k miles, only 4 hours away from my house. Went to check it out and drove her home the next weekend with a new set of tires. [img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/40764035493/in/dateposted-public/[/img] Just an empty cargo van when I picked it up. I don't have to many photos of progress since they were lost on my old phone. I ended up replacing both rocker panels and have thankfully cured the cancer and haven't had any rust problems come back in 2 years (Knock on wood). After the bodywork was presentable I spray painted the van white to make it a bit more bearable in the summer with no AC and also get rid of the dirty stares it used to get LOL. Mechanically gave it a tune up, all sorts of small bits and an all new front end refresh, rear suspension refresh, brake lines and just about everything without opening the motor and trans up. I've gotten 15k miles of daily driving goodness out of (parked for the winter) and the only breakdown was a snapped clutch linkage which I had to make myself. [img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/40764035493/in/dateposted-public/[/img] [img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/40764031833/in/dateposted-public/[/img] Next up was the interior and amenities. Nothing crazy, just trying to make a comfy lounge on wheels with some 80s style that I love. [img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/47730611381/in/dateposted-public/[/img] [img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/40764033223/in/dateposted-public/[/img] [img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/47730610211/in/dateposted-public/[/img]
Anyways that about all there is to her! I don't have any major plans but to use and enjoy it for the most part. Someday I would love to do a 318 swap but I have a hard time ripping out the engine that's in when it works so well. I do want to finish the interior completely, get some more aggressive wheels and maybe make the bodywork a bit better. I'm at 52k miles now and hope to someday get it to 100k, then 200k...
Just in case those photo links don't work this is the link to the album. https://www.flickr.com/photos/148181798@N05/
Last edited by DontComeKnocken; April 29th 2019 4:14 am. Reason: photos
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%
that slant6 with the 833 tranny is super tuff.....over 300k on my dads van and still goin.....ruff runnin and could use a rebuild but still goin....
I can't believe how nice it runs with just a bit of a tune up. I adjusted/messed around with the choke on it, put new plugs in it and it just runs awesome. Fresh coolant and oil changes regularly and no issues knock on wood. Transmission is nice too, smooth shifts for a ~40 year old car, better than a lot of cars I've driven from the 90s and 00s too. Sure pulls like a turtle with a broken leg though LOL, takes about 30 seconds to get to 60 mph.
Funny story about how slow it is, I bought it from a guy living in the Catskills and drove it home through the mountains and I was a little hesitant matting in up hill for minutes at a time. I was afraid I was going to blow a head gasket stomping the pedal to the floor in 2nd gear. I never had a truck or van before so that kind of threw me for a surprise. Slowest and most fun vehicle I've had so far.
Today's project was to upgrade from 1 inch aluminum blocks in the rear to 2 inch "Tuff Country" solid iron blocks. I was hoping to get a little more of an aggressive rake . As I was torquing the Ubolts down I heard a pop and saw one of the blocks had cracked . Was relieved it happened in my driveway and not on the highway. Returned the blocks and decided to order new leaf springs with a bigger arch. A bit of a shame since it has leaves with only a few years on them and I accidentally ordered springs with a 4 inch arch last time. Now i will be replacing them with slightly stiffer springs with a 6.5 inch arch so I should get the look I really want without using blocks.
FWIW I'm sure blocks are safe as I believe Ford and Toyota use blocks from the factory on some of their trucks, and I figured just got a defective one. Will go out of my way to not buy Tuff Country in the future. For any who wonder if it was user error on the install, I had aluminum auto zone blocks for nearly two years and no issues. Was also torquing the Ubolts to 70 ft lbs when the failure occurred. The axle on my van is a Chrysler 8.25 which should be compatible with blocks I used. Thanking my lucky stars it cracked while torquing, because a failure like that on the highway would caused an accident in the best case scenario.
Very nice. Where did you get the visor? I have a '82 Dodge B150 as well and it needs one.
Thanks, I found one on ebay but had to pay a pretty penny for it. The one I have is a Lund 12025. Sometimes you can find them for a good deal, but you have to be fast. Seems like a visor is harder to find for a Dodge, compared to a Ford or Chevy. I follow a few pages on instagram who visit junkyards and pull van parts and they post visors fairly often. That'd probably be the quickest way to get one for a good price.
A little bit of progress to post. Re did my floor in the rear with vinyl tile and replaced the carpet. I'm a big fan of the carpet flooring but had my arm twisted when my girlfriend said she would help install it haha. Never had a girlfriend actually want to work a car with me, much less actually do some good work. happy with how it came out and its easy to clean too.
Also found a ladder to throw on the back. I had always been searching for a deal since I didn't want to pay for a new one, finally found a good deal and had to bite.
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%