Trials and Tribulations!
Well, I'm not too sure where to start with this one, it seems the more
we look at the van, the more things it looks like we have to do to it! The first
thing we did was remove all the racks and antennas on the top of the van, this made an
immediate improvement. Although, it looked like the racks had been on the vehicle
for some time, and there was a bit of rust... Next to go was all the
"custom" things that were inside the van. Things like the CB radio, the
home made bench / sleeping area / storage cabinet, the groovy curtains and all the
numerous hooks and hangers. Since we got the van home at around 11:00 at night,
there wasn't a whole lot we could do to it right away. Once we got all the little
things out of the way, I decided to start removing all the screws the were holding the
wood paneling on, behind the wood was fiberglass insulation, behind that, foam glued to
the body. So I decided it wasn't too good of an idea to mess with that at home.
We also decided the carpet needed to be removed, since the brown shag look just
wasn't doing it for us. Most of the work couldn't be done at home, it would have
created quite a mess, giving my wife all the reason she needed to put a quick halt to our
project. So off we went to the dumps! Once at the dumps the fun began!
We were having the time of our lives (it's not every day you get to gut out a van),
tearing out carpet, ripping down paneling, tossing out cabinets....until, I realized, we
didn't remove all the screws on the headliner! Big Oops! We managed to pull
down two of the three supports for the roof, not all the way down, just enough so they are
not very effective anymore! Add that to the list of restoration ideas.... As I was
putting my foot down from kicking myself, I looked at all the aftermarket gauges attached
to the engine cover and thought, those have to go! So I pull out my handy wire
snippers and start going to work, it didn't really click in my mind what would
happen if I cut the lines to an oil pressure gauge and a voltage meter....but I shortly
found out! We had oil coming out of the tube going to the oil pressure gauge and
sparks coming from the wires cut off the voltage meter! Big Oops #2!
Thankfully in my tool box, I had some wire nuts, so we were able to reconnect the
power. The oil tube I tied in a knot, and that seems to be working fine.
Whew! After spending a good two and a half hours at the dumps, we got on the road
heading for home. The noise difference is almost intolerable! It was at that
point that I was wishing that I hadn't remove all the foam, insulation and
carpeting! Once we got the van home, we really got to see what we had in store for
ourselves, there was a few good spots of rust on the floor near the rear doors. Time
to break out the grinder!!
5/4/99
We have taken out the grinder!! and that is about all we have done so far...there looks to be alot more rust that I had noticed before...oh well, nothing that some 60 grit spinning at 2500 rpms cant handle! If you think your good at sanding sheetmetal, you haven't sanded anything until you have sanded the floor of a 1967 Ford Econoline, all those quarter inch tall ribs...whew!! Gary and I have about six (or so) hours into sanding the back, and we have probably gotten one quarter of it done...This may be a bit of overkill, but i dont want to take a chance of the floor rusting out after we install the hardwood floor. But thank goodness the floor of the van is thick, there are very large rust spots that probably would have eaten through a newer car!
5/8/99
Whew! What fun we are having with this van! Well, we found out why the van is so hard to start when it's cold...the carb was rigged with the choke plate wide open! It looks like the choke plate had been taken out at one time, and then put back upside down! Hmmm... We turned the choke plate over, adjusted the air/fuel mix a bit, and we are back in business! We replaced the spark plugs with "Split Fire" plugs, i'm not too sure if those will really make a difference, but we will see. And lately, I have been hearing a sort of pinging sound coming from the engine area, I really had no idea as to what it could be! I thought since we replace the exhaust flange gaskets (that were totaly rotted and blown out) it was just the mufflers getting hotter than usual...nope! It turns out, the bearings in the water pump are shot, and the fan is knicking the fan shroud! not a good thing! So, right now, the radiator is out, the water pump is off, and we are having a good old time!! All we need to do now is replace the uppper and lower radiator hoses and water pump (which came with the van!). Oh, and you should have seen the brown coolant that came from the radiator...I should probably get that thing flushed out...
5/13/99
Not too much has changed since the last update. We are looking for an upper radiator shroud, but cannot seem to find one....but we will keep looking. Also, a word to the wise: If you can help it, try to stay away from the chain auto parts stores...it seems they only hire people that (1) dont know a thing about parts and (2) dont know a thing about parts!! Not to talk bad about parts guys or anything (I was one myself for about six years), but.... Anyway, back to the van, after we get the radiator, hoses and fan back on, it looks like we can start on the really fun stuff: Cleaning and restoring!!
5/17/99
hmmm, judging by my last entry....i'm getting just a bit ahead of myself!! well, i took the radiator to get flushed out, turns out (and i cant believe i didnt notice this myself) half the fins on the front of the radiator were rotten! looks like time for a new radiator! and guess what, they dont make a radiator for a 1967 Econoline anymore! oh boy! so we had to get the existing radiator recored...no problem...$250.00 later! But the good news is....everything is back on the van!! the radiator, water pump, hoses....it's all back on! well, everything except the fan shroud that is. i just took the van out tonight at around eleven o'clock (to pick Gary up from work), and it dies on me!! and i'm not talking your typical sputter, stall, restart...this sucker was dead as dead can be! a problem with the carburator, the choke plate closed shut. and it closed shut hard, more or less cutting the air supply off one hundred percent!! i'm not too sure if we should just get a new carb or try to repair the one we have.... maybe we should give it a couple more trys...
5/21/99
we have found what the problem is with the carb, the clip that attaches to the choke plate has broken, so every time it backfires (which is more times that i would like to admit), the choke plate gets a little bit more loose. i was looking at it the other day with the air filter off, and witnessed this first hand...except, when i saw it, it was the last backfire the clip could stand! we went to the parts store and got a new choke plate rod (you cant get the clip seperately), the new rod was about 3/8" bigger than the one we had on the carb...so some modification was in order! well, i took out the drill and got to work....and i broke the carb! oops! but it's not that bad, it can be fixed. oh, we also had to buy a new choke plate, since the new rod didnt have holes to screw on the old choke plate. but with all that in mind, we headed out to the Goodguys car show...whew! what a sight to see! but we picked up the same carb in our van for fourty bucks at the swap meet, which saves me some headache (not to mention face!) but there wasnt a single Econoline at the show...so when we get this thing looking good...that's where we are going (should i have that last comment in the "Dreams" section?)
5/24/99
Well, call me a glutton for punishment...but i keep going back to the auto parts store. I got a braided hose kit and a steering wheel puller. the upper radiator hose looks nice with the braiding around it, but it was a big pain getting it on. i cant wait to try and put it onto the heater hoses, that should look nice! we got the wheel puller because we got a new (but old) steering wheel from the junk yard, we also got a pair of front seats. the steering wheel looks like it was brown at one time, but the paint is halfway worn off. black looks better anyway! the seats are another story, one is green and the other blue! we have plans to reupholster the seats. we just had to get original seats to replace the high-back seats that were in there. we plan on using the mounting brackets from the high-backs on the new seats (the new seats dont have any kind of adjustment), so we can slide them back and forth. we have the passanger seat in now, it looks much better. i have noticed a few new drips of oil coming from around the transmission area, hopefully it's just oil coming from the oil pan gasket...i dont really want to have to reseal the transmission! but the drips look more like oil than trans fluid. so i think we will be ok. on a bad news tip: the junk yard we are using for some parts seems to have gotten rid of two of the econolines they had, so parts are even harder to find now! oh boy! but on a good news tip: we found a place that can supply us with weather strips for just about the whole van! they have a web site too! Weatherstrip Special, they dont have a listing for any econolines, but if you email them, they will send you prices and stuff!
5/29/99
It looks like we are getting the "one thing after another" syndrom. Right after i replaced all the gaskets in/on the new (but old) carb, the throttle cable decides to start sticking. Right after i installed a stronger throttle return spring, i hear a hissing sound coming from the upper radiator hose after a test drive. then to top it all off...i knock over a whole container of (new...thank all that is holy) motor oil, inside the van! Needless to say, we now have an oil covered floor, from the passanger seat all the way back to the middle of the van. not a very good thing, but those things happen i guess. well, i tried to install a spring at the gas pedal (under the floor, on the pedal shaft), and that didnt work. so i installed a stronger spring at the throttle return plate. it doesnt seem to be completely fixing the problem...i might have to rig a spring directly to the gas pedal...that might not look too pretty! what the problem is, when you press the gas, the throttle cable doesnt return all the way, and causes the engine to race! i could only imagine what would happen if the cable decided to act up! can you say: "bye, bye engine"? the hissing sound was in fact coming from the upper rad hose, it had worked it's way off of the radiatior. i must not have tightened the clap enough! oops. the seats and steering wheel are in, they look o.k. they just need some tlc! other than that, not too much has happened...the carb gaskets turned out to be much easier than i had expected (thankfully). i just posted some new pictures on the site too...please check them out! oh...and my wife and i have been married for two years today! what an acomplishment!
6/8/99
We havent done too much to the van over the past week. I have been just about ready to pull my hair out over a stupid throttle return spring! We were having problems getting the throttle return spring to stop sticking, it was rubbing on the mount plate. I had to do a bit of creative spring bending! We have the van filled with junk to go to the dumps, but i cant really bring myself to throw away all the extra parts that came with the van. We have two valve covers, a differental, an oil pan and the exhaust and intake manifolds. oh, i couldnt forget the air filter and 1bbl carb! i dont know if anyone would buy that stuff from me...i dont even know what people would pay for that! i guess i could post it on a news group or something! anyone interested? email me!
6/16/99
well, the van is still filled with junk to go to the dumps...and i still havent sold (or otherwise) those extra parts. but the latest find on the van: a coolant leak, and an oil leak! the coolant leak is coming from the nipple on the water pump. that shouldnt be too much of a problem, nothing a little teflon tape couldnt take care of (or should i have done that from the start?). the oil leak is going to pose more of a problem. it looks to be leaking from the front area of the engine, but i cant be too sure. since there is thirty years of dirt and grime caked on there its hard to really be positive. my guess is the oil pan, it only leaks when the motor is running. i wonder about the front engine seals though... oh, and i have notice something odd, there is white smoke that comes from the oil filler cap. not too much, just enough to notice. i'm wondering if i have a burnt valve or what... if you know what is going on, please let me know! other than that, nothing new to report!
6/24/99
it has been a really long time since i have done anything to the van, and this site... i have good reason for both! well, my previous isp decided to cancel me...right as i was in the process of getting a cable modem, so that's ok. and we just got back from a week of camping a Lake Tahoe. the only things that i have to report is more problems, unfortunatly. it seems that the linkage (hopefully that's all it is) is causing the transmission to stay in first gear. the vent on the roof has been ripped off by a "low bridge" (which is really the garage door when Gary and his friend backed the van out. grrr...) other than that...nothing new. the good part about the linkage is it gives me all the inspiration i need to get a shifter on the floor. shocks and tires are still coming up...money and time are the only things holding us back now..(right, how many times have you heard that one?)
7/28/99
once again, it has been quite some time since i have updated this area...but i do have a very good reason. my computer decided to become a very large paperweight...again...and since i was the one who put it together, i was under the impression it was something i did (my wife reassured me, it was something i did...). but now i'm back and better than ever! well, we have done quite a bit of work to the van since the last update...we moved the shifter to the floor, this operation went very well, and seems to be working just fine. the only snag that we ran into was getting the linkage just right. at first we were trying to bend the stock linkage straight then re-bend to fit. but that didnt work out too well. i then decided that we would be better off if we started with a fresh piece of metal. if you have ever looked for an eight foot long, half inch diameter length of steel rod, i salute you! it was rough finding just the right rod, but i came across something that works perfect, grounding rods...yes, you read correctly electrical grounding rods. the kind you hammer into the ground ten feet down. these work like a charm! two of those and a pipe bender and i was well on my way! and the coolest thing about it...the super-custom copper shift linkage! i can bet that no other Econoline in my town has copper shift linkage! the shifter is a Daytona Three Speed Truck Shifter by Mr. Gasket, in case anyone is interested, and you can get the shift linkage (a.k.a grounding rods), at Home Depot. You also have to find a way to mount the reverse light switch (if your van is equipped) on the shiter, i just modified the existing bracket and bolted it onto the body of the shifter, it doesnt hit the switch all the time, but i figure, nine times out of ten isnt too bad! the next thing on the list was to repair the left front turn signal (the one the insurance company has been hounding me about for six months now). for some reason, it didnt work. i unscrewed the light assembly and found it really crusty inside...like the gasket has never done it's job correctly! i tried to bring it back to life with some WD-40, but that didnt seem to work. all i really did was rewire the socket with a socket replacement kit i got from "the lamest parts store in the world", who will remain nameless (but it starts with a K, and ends with a RAIGEN...you figure it out!). we also ordered a boat-load of parts from Mac's. engine gasket kits, trans gasket kit, tail light lenses, turn signal lenses, etc. we really should get to work re-sealing that engine...the oil leak seems to be getting worse, but i'm really the only one who knows what to do...so i wont be getting too much help in that area, and i know what is in store for me! i almost forgot to say, we replaced the shocks too, we used KYB Gas-a-matics. the front shocks had been replaced before, but the rears look like they have never been touched! not to mention the fact that the van would jiggle for ten minutes if you jumped on the rear bumper! the front shocks came off very easily, and the KYBs fit like a charm! the rears were another story all together...the right rear shock was so rusted and rotted onto it's mounting, that i had to cut it in half with a Sawzall...and if you have ever cut into a shock...you know the smell! whew! it stinks bad! but after about an hour of cutting (and two more of swearing!) the shock finally gave in. those shocks are a gift from the heavans, they feel so nice! we also had some new tires put on it: BF Goodrich Radial T/A 225/65/15. with the white on the outside, of course! they look great and do wonders for the ride! we also replaced the coil with an Accel. i dont really remember off hand which one it is, but you should hear the crack from the sparks! it sounds awesome! that's about it, i think... Gary keeps telling me he wants to take it to a body shop, he wants to strip off all the paint and get it primered. i keep telling him it's probably best to get it all done at once, but he wants to have it primered, and paint it later. what can i do, it's his van! we picked up a huge can of bondo too...that should be fun once we decide to crack that puppy open! i think the next thing on our list is exhaust...it would look really nice to have two pipes coming from below the bumper at the rear, rather than two pipes coming from the side behind the rear tire. and of course we have to get glasspacks! i think that's about it for now...there sure is alot of reading up there now! i really should redo this section...
10/10/99
boy, i sure am lagging on the updating here...but what can i do. anyway, here is the latest with the van: i have resealed the transmission, this is something i will never do again. the smell of 90wt and those gosh darn roller bearings were just about to make me go insane! if you have ever cracked open a manual transmission, i'm sure you know what i mean! i am also in the process of replacing the oil pan gasket, this is a job all unto itself. you have to lift the engine about two inches above the motor mounts, place wooden blocks between the motor mounts and mount plate, then remove the oil pan! i just about hit the floor when i read that in the repair manual! and of course i had already removed all the bolts, and removed some of the old gasket...but i have the engine up on wooden blocks right now, but unfortunatly (or is it fortunatly) the bulb on my drop light burnt out...so i have to wait until tomorrow. oh yeah...we obviously got our parts from mac's! i am planning on replacing the rear main seal, head gasket (maybe), intake/exhaust gasket, oil pan gasket (duh!)...and i think that's it...i would really like to get rid of the one oil leak this thing has, and i think the rear main seal is the problem, we will see! i wish i had a digital camera to take pictures of the work in progress...but oh well, maybe christmas! and here is another scarry thought for you...Gary is going for his license in a few days! but there is no pressure to button up the job! only a driving starved teenager breathing down my neck to get it done before he gets his license! that's all, no pressure!
10/30/99
nothing new on the van...just wanted to say: CONGRATULATIONS GARY!!! he got his license today...now i have my work cut out for me!
11/05/99
ok...here is the latest: I FIXED THE OIL LEAK!!! a major acomplishment if i do say so myself! it was the oil pan gasket that was the problem. i didnt get around to replacing the rear main seal, i had a hunch the oil pan gasket would fix the oil leak, so i left it at that. i replaced the intake/exhaust manifold gasket, cracked the intake manifold in the process, and also cross threaded one of the header bolts really bad...oh well. other than that, everything went back into place rather well. the van sounds better, a bit quieter. and seems to run a whole lot better. i dont know if it's just me or what, but it does feel like it has a bit more power, and it doesnt die as easy as it used to. i also just realized, i never mentioned the fact that our throttle cable broke! it broke about a month ago, right in the middle of all the major work! well, that was the beginning of the major work really...but i got the cable from a local "new old stock" dealer here, he had to get it from somewhere on the east coast, it took like two weeks for me to get the part, but when it came it fit like a glove! that's what you get for getting real Ford parts i guess! so, i am just about done with the really dirty work on the van, just little things here and there. i need to get a new turn signal switch, reverse light lenses, fix the huge hole in the roof (please refer to 7/28/99!), and whatever else comes up. and if you have an old Econoline, you know sooner or later, something will come up! my wife is constantly reminding me of this! she doesnt seem to think this van is a good idea for Gary now...it couldnt be all that bad, he has a live-in Econoline expert (self proclamed)! anyway, i'll try to get some pictures as we do the body work and other things...i'm still looking for a-arm suspension and disk brakes!
11/21/99
the saga continues....we are now having problems with the charging system. we have replaced the battery, alternator and voltage regulator and nothing seems to help. I have looked at the wiring extensively and cant see anything that looks out of the ordinary. I thought i had the problem solved after replacing the voltage regulator the other day, but i get a call from Gary telling me the van has once again drained the battery. This is starting to get very frustrating!!! I'm up for suggestions from anyone, i am really starting to get frazzled. Electrical is not really my strong point...we have also noticed the left rear tire likes to lock up when you are coming to a stop. so there are a bunch of three foot long skid marks all through our housing development...kinda funny really. it's fairly obvious i need to replace the wheel cylinder...it's just a good thing it's not on the front, i have had people tell me about the steering wheel being jerked from your hands when one of the front wheels lock up. i patched the crack on the intake manifold with some JB Weld, it seems to be holding up nicely...looks like crap, but at this point, i just want to get the van on the road and keep Gary out of my Volkswagen! Yes you read that right...i drive a volkswagen! a 1990 Jetta GLI to be exact...somewhat rare car with special interior, so you could imagine how ticked i was when i get into my car and it smells like a cigarette...it's even worse since i dont smoke! well, i have to be honest, the volkswagen is really my wife's, but it was a package deal you see. the car came with the wife! but dont tell her i said that! If anyone can help me with my electrical problem, please email me!
12/10/99
Today is my baby boy's second birthday!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER!! he's not driving just yet...i wonder if he will want an Econoline? hehe.
12/11/99
lets see, more problems! My custom shift linkage has failed, the linkage came apart at the shifter. it's an easy fix, i just have to find someone who can weld it together. My uncle John told me that if the van is missing a grounding strap to the frame, that's probably my problem with the battery going dead...I thought that over and came to the conclusion that it made some sence, so I installed a grounding strap to the frame of the van, didnt help. I am taking the van to a friend of mine that has been working on cars for forever, hopefully he can get the darn charging system to work properly. I replaced yet another blown out exhaust flange gasket, this time i replaced it with a "special" (or so i'm told) gasket. it's a soft metal compound that smashes around the flange and makes for a better seal. we will see how it works out. and a word to the wise, dont ever let your newly licensed seventeen year old son park on your neighbour's lawn...he left a burn out across the lawn over the sidewalk and into the street...it's a bit embarassing, to say the least...
12/16/99
Happy new year!
quite a bit of time has passed since my last update, but here goes. I finally got fed up with the charging problem and brought the van to a friend, Tony Fisher. His uncle owns a gas station/repair shop in Sunnyvale and Tony works there on the weekend (usually Tony is a Master Tech at a Lexus Dealership!). With only second and third gear, i made my way down to Sunnyvale, which is about twenty miles away from my home. Tony looked it over, hooked up all the diagnostic machines, and found out what the problem was...it seems i had not installed the wires properly on the altenator! even though i had switched the wires before myself...it looks like it just took the touch of a professional! Tony also welded the shift linkage to the shifter for me! and the linkage is solid as a rock! that's the most solid part of the van i think! I have run into a few more problems with the van in the electrical department...the right rear tail light will not come on when the headlights are on, but it will come on with the blinker. the brake lights dont come on at all, due to a coroded brake light switch and connectors. I really dont like electrical, but i guess i have to see if i can figure it out on my own before i take it somewhere. The latest thing wrong with the van (and this just happened yesterday), there is a problem with the clutch. Gary says the rod that connects the pedal to the clutch fork has broke. I believe it, when we bought the van, the guy selling it (Steve), had given us a broken clutch rod and said that he had to replace it. I wonder if there is something we can do to get a stronger rod in there?? Well, looks like i need to get to work on the van now! and since it is raining here...looks like i need to replace the missing pop top!!
1/12/00
well, the rainy season is upon us! and the van leaks like nobodys business!! i have finally replaced the vent pop top on the roof, that install went very easily, the new top was just a bit smaller, so i had to redrill all the screw holes, no problem. I used some aluminum silicone to seal the top all the way around, and some dumdum tape under the screws...it hasnt rained since i installed it...lets hope it doesnt leak!! Gary reported to me also, that there is a gap in the windshiled weather strip that lets water pour right onto your lap!! that's a big problem! i used the left over silicone to seal all the gaps in the weatherstrip. i plan on replacing all the rubber stripping on every door and window...but that is very expensive, about $500 for all of em! i also sealed the holes in the roof, there were strange things mounted to the top of the van...i dont really know why this was, but...whatever! The sunroof is also leaking...the previous owner had warned me about that...not much i can do about it until we can find someone to weld a plate up there and get rid of the dang sunroof!! the pop top is a temporary fix until we can get that welded too. I am thinking about upholstering the inside of the van my self, i think if i can get the material, i can glue it to some thin plywood and just screw it into the side rails...we have decided to put some plywood down for the floor and carpet it until we get serious about the hardwood. I'm also wondering if seats from an older VW bus will fit into the back of that van...i have to find some i guess, but i know they are very simple. much like the front seats that are in there now..hehe. some other bad news to report: Gary is starting to get fed up with the van. he has mentioned a few times that he wants to sell it. I'm hoping he wants to get rid of it so i can take over the restoration and do it all for myself...is that a bad thing to say? Gary's ideas of restoration and my ideas of restoration seem to be two totaly different things sometimes...but we will see.
1/21/00
It has been a while since my last update (again). Not too much new has been going on with the van...but i have become quite the resourcefull mobil mechanic! You see, since Gary now drives that van all over the place, if something goes wrong or breaks, it's not usually at home, and of course it's far away so towing isnt an option. The van had broked down in San Jose...which is about thirty miles away from my house! Gary called me when i happend and was trying to explain what went wrong, telling me the clutch petal has fallen to the floor and wont stay up...needless to say, i couldnt really understand what the problem was. About five days go by...and i finally get down there to take a look at it, the long clutch petal rod had snaped right at the ninty degree bend...right where the rod attaches to the clutch petal assembly (up front). what a bummer. The guy that sold the van to us told us of the broken clutch petal rod that he had to replace...i didnt think much of it at the time. Well, since i know those kind of things are VERY hard to come by, i just figured that we could get someone to weld it. And, low and behold! we find a muffler shop right off of the main drag in San Jose, the guy welded the peice back on the rod, and sent me on my way...free of charge! what a guy! i only wish i could remember the name of the muffler shop...but i told him when it comes time to replace the exhaust on the van, i'll come to him, and i think i will! Well, we get back to the van, i put the rod back, and all is well...and keep in mind, the whole time i'm rolling around on the ground under the van, it's pouring down rain. but of course!! Then the REAL kicker is...before i went down to look at the van, Gary was telling his mother that the van was unfixable, he hated the van, and wants to sell it. hmmmm....maybe i'll be getting my hot little hands on that van sooner than i thought...hehe. Oh, also, Gary has gotten into one accident (pushed the right side of the rear bumper into the body, and broke the right reverse light lens, now both are broken), and has gotten one speeding ticket...oh well, i cant say that i didnt get my share of tickets and accidents...that's all for now!
2/17/00
Not too much new with the van, since it's hardly here for me to fix even if there is a problem...a few new dents and scratches on the body. I have come to the conclusion that while the van is under Gary's control, there is no reason whatsoever to put money into the body...BUT...that does not mean that i wont try to make the engine the best it can be. And, with this, i have also come to the conclusion that i need to drop another engine in there...hehe...i'm thinking 302, but if i can get a big V6 to fit in there i will. maybe something like a 3.0l or something...i'm not sure. I dont want it to be a "Road Mangling Hot Rod". although that sounds like alot of fun...i'm going for practical.
i got a question too...does anyone read the front page of this site? i always update the front page when i add something to the trials and tribulations area...just wondering...hehe
3/02/00
it seems like i (unintentionaly) am updating this page about once a month...but, what can i say, the work on the van is very very sllloooowwww! well...i would have to say it's my fault, i have been very lazy about the van lately...but i am working on geting my motivation up. the van is costing alot more than we had thought...but that's ok...it's becoming a labor of love. My wife doesnt agree...she says it's just a labor...but i can deal with that..hehe. since money is getting tighter and tighter, i figured i'll work with what i already have and make due. so i cracked open that big ole can of bondo! fun fun fun! there were four hols through the left rear door, i have no idea what they were there for...there were bolts and nuts attached to the door through the holes...not holding anything that i could see. and i did have the holes coverd up with duct tape (quite tacky). but now!! i filled the holes with bondo, a bit of sanding (ok..a lot of sanding), some primer...and it's (almost) as good as new! i got to looking at the rest of the body and am hapy to report that there arent too many dents and rot spots on it...well, that are obvious anyway. so the van will only be slightly spotted with primer. but i'm proud of my work so far...i just have to take my time and do it right...since the vas is almost for sure going to be mine in the near future! hehe...Gary has said many times that he wants a new car...i talked to my wife and she (of course, and who doesnt) has gotten attached to the van, so the future is very bright for that old van...haha. i have been thinking very seriously about an engine swap...i think i want to go with a v8...maybe the 302 that was available for it...i definatly need to get myself a better shifter...and make a better mounting bracket for it...i started to cut the carpet for floor, but ended up doing only half...hehe...then filled the van with it's old parts...my wife was on me about cleaning the garage, so i had to do something. well, i think i will have more to post in the near future...i will try to get some "before" and "after" shots of the body work...oh, and if anyone has any tips for body work, please email me. i need all the help i can get!
3/31/00
well, as i stated on the front page...i am unable to continue my restoration. It seems that there is less and less time that i can dedicate to the ole' girl. As everyone that is restoring one of these vans knows...lots and lots of time is required to do the job. But on a lighter note: the van is mine all mine!! and i have completely convinced myself that there WILL be a V8 in that van. although i seem to be getting a bit of oposition from the wife...speaking of: my wife finally took matters into her own hands and decided to get Gary a new reliable vehicle. he got a 1996 Volkswagen Jetta. A very nice looking car if i do say so myself! another tid bit of info: we have moved to a new town, it's only one town over, and about five miles away from the previous location...AND THERE IS NO HIGH SPEED INTERNET ACCESS!!! I have been pouting and whining for two weeks now, and the really sad part about it is, i will probably continue to pout and whine until i can get cable or DSL...ok ok, so i'm spoiled...it's one of the few endulgences i get, er...or should i say "got". whaaaaaa!! oh well. I will try and keep all the information updated, and post all the photos that have been sent to me. i also have a few pictures that i have taken of Econolines on the street that i plan to post...just as soon as i develop the film...and i got a great picture of our van getting towed...um...because now it just wont start. i guess sitting for six months (or more) didnt do it any good. another good reason to drop a new engine in... thanks everyone for all your kind words and support...i hopefully will be able to get back into the van restoration soon.
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Restoration Dreams
