# My conversion van



## Kursac

I tripped over this conversion van last month that was in exceptional condition for short money. The economy has given way to some real good deals out there. I haven't had a camper in a while and this seems to fit my interest & budget right now.










I have it in the shop right now, we pulled the transmission just to go through it to clean it up replace anything worn and put a new seal kit in it. It is an 86 so I am pretty sure it only needs a safety inspection so I am sending it out for a custom exhaust system next week.










It has a low mileage 302 bolted to an AOD transmission so it should be easy to work on & get parts. I think the mileage should be reasonable considering what it is.










There is a little rust hear and there but no rot, It is completely intact right down to the last curtain. It has 1 small dent behind the slider but its not a big deal.



















The interior isn't bad, a little 80's but I'm ok with that. The cabinets will be replace. I don't care for the configuration or the material they are made of. Everything works and the fridge face is changeable. I think with will go with a permanent bed compartment and dump the fold down unit.


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## NaeKid

Looks like an awesome little unit - do I see the price-tag on the windshield reading that it was only $900.00????


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## The_Blob

:2thumb: VERY NICE! :2thumb: 

around here a van that cheap... usually is parked right next to the UNICORNS... 

as long as the 302 doesn't have any head warping or gasket issues now (newer 5L/302 have aluminum heads  ), it should last a LONG time (I have 2 with > 400k miles)

you might want to insert a few extra leaf-springs, also see if you can get them (the springs) mounted upside down for a 'quick & dirty ******* lift-kit'

if the air conditioner doesn't work, you can make an evaporator-type AC that runs off the juice of one of those small solar car battery chargers (don't forget a separate battery)

if you put a 'permanent' bed in the back I would place it higher so that you can build storage drawers into the bedframe (front & back)

:congrat:


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## Kursac

You are correct, it was $900- I figured I couldn't go wrong with the body so clean. The it was a runner driver on top of it. Desperate people do desperate things. We had to junk the exhaust system & my buddy is a transmission guy anyway so we decided to drop it out and clean, reseal & replace any worn parts before they ever became a problem. It has 76,000 original miles on it. It is an E150 so I think I'll be putting 3/4 ton springs on it. for now it rides fine. New Springs & tires & a Differential lock and a winch should take care what ever terrain I might need to cover. My goal is to use it the rest of the summer and I'll keep it in my warehouse over the winter and work on the inside in my spare time. It is all ready set up with a duel battery with an on board deep cell isolated with a regulator for 12 volt power. All the ACs need to recharge. The roof unit is also park heat. The AC works but is not going to make anyone's nipples hard. All and all I pretty pleased


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## ajsmith

Looks to be a nice set up :2thumb:


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## TimB

Nice buy. :2thumb: I saw a 4wd chevy conversion van the other day. I haven't seen one of those (4wd vans) in quite a while. IMHO, it would make a great BOV. :beercheer:

Tim


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## ajsmith

Hey Kursac, if you ever want to go wild on that van here's a cool idea...


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## Kursac

ajsmith said:


> Hey Kursac, if you ever want to go wild on that van here's a cool idea...


That's a lot of rubber stuffed under that van. My van is probably not a great candidate for that kind of conversion. I know it can be done and their is a kit to make the conversion but it is pretty invasive to the truck. Raising the center of gravity higher :dunno: probably not a great idea. I would go with a 1 ton sportmobile for that. I'm going a bit of a different route & enjoy it while I'm still young.


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## The_Blob

Kursac said:


> That's a lot of rubber stuffed under that van. My van is probably not a great candidate for that kind of conversion. I know it can be done and their is a kit to make the conversion but it is pretty invasive to the truck. Raising the center of gravity higher :dunno: probably not a great idea. I would go with a 1 ton sportmobile for that. I'm going a bit of a different route & enjoy it while I'm still young.


that's why I like to flip the springs; it gives a couple inches, but not as much as a lift-kit and the price is right (FREE!)


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## Kursac

I think I'll just go with new 3/4 ton springs on all 4 corners. I don't plan on any heavy off roading with this rig. Tires & springs will give me all the lift I want on this truck. I think a differential lock and winch will get me out of any tricky situations I go to the beach & camping basically, aggressive off roading would only tear up. It will work great for evacuation because I will need to accommodate 2 large Dobermans. I'm sure they won't go over well in a shelter. I am looking forward to building this into a machine tailored to my personality & lifestyle. Considering what I paid for it and the condition it is in I have a lot of room to invest with. I am very fortunate I poses a heated warehouse I can keep it in during the winter. My warehouse is actually my BOL depending on the event. I think if a really had to get out of Dodge over any distance I would probably back the Van into a semi trailer and blast with a rig but to be honest I don't ever see that happening.


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## Calebra

Great looking truck dude. Too bad it's a ford--it's against my religion to touch one lol.


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## Kursac

Calebra said:


> Great looking truck dude. Too bad it's a ford--it's against my religion to touch one lol.


LOL this is the very 1st Ford I have ever owned. I have been a diehard Chevy & VW guy my whole life. My pickup is a Z71 extended cab & I have a New Beetle Convertible. I was a big air cooled VW guy for years Baja's and Dune buggies. My Dad was the Ford guy. I have nothing bad to say about Fords just always liked GM. Now Mopar I have no use for


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## Turtle

Calebra said:


> Great looking truck dude. Too bad it's a ford--it's against my religion to touch one lol.


I used to be a die-hard Ford fan... Then I bought a '69 Charger, and I decided that Mopar is okay, too. Then I bought a '91 Camaro and decided that GM has it's good points, too. Now I have a Jeep, a Mini, and a '70 Olds Cutlass.

They all have good and bad points. Look at most hot rods... Chevy 350 backed up by a 727, turning a 9 inch rear.


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## Turtle

Okay, I've got an idea for you. I've been watching the 1979 Captain America movies on SyFy all night....

Is this groovy, or what? And no one would ever suspect that it conceals a well-armed prepper!


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## Calebra

Well to be fair I make an exemption for older ford trucks with an international diesels. They are made almost as tough as a 1st gen dodge. Almost. But then again everyone knows that if it doesn't have a cummins in it it's not really a truck lol.

Sorry--didn't mean to start a ford/gm/mopar pissing contest --just having fun.


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## Kursac

Calebra said:


> Well to be fair I make an exemption for older ford trucks with an international diesels. They are made almost as tough as a 1st gen dodge. Almost. But then again everyone knows that if it doesn't have a cummins in it it's not really a truck lol.
> 
> Sorry--didn't mean to start a ford/gm/mopar pissing contest --just having fun.


LOL where is my little guy peeing on a ram picture. You have to have a little fun now & then


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## SpaceGhost

Turtle said:


> Okay, I've got an idea for you. I've been watching the 1979 Captain America movies on SyFy all night....
> 
> Is this groovy, or what? And no one would ever suspect that it conceals a well-armed prepper!


I saw them too, takes you back... Love the idea of the dirt bike on the back. After you do the heavy duty springs.


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## Tirediron

Kursac said:


> You are correct, it was $900- I figured I couldn't go wrong with the body so clean. The it was a runner driver on top of it. Desperate people do desperate things. We had to junk the exhaust system & my buddy is a transmission guy anyway so we decided to drop it out and clean, reseal & replace any worn parts before they ever became a problem. It has 76,000 original miles on it. It is an E150 so I think I'll be putting 3/4 ton springs on it. for now it rides fine. New Springs & tires & a Differential lock and a winch should take care what ever terrain I might need to cover. My goal is to use it the rest of the summer and I'll keep it in my warehouse over the winter and work on the inside in my spare time. It is all ready set up with a duel battery with an on board deep cell isolated with a regulator for 12 volt power. All the ACs need to recharge. The roof unit is also park heat. The AC works but is not going to make anyone's nipples hard. All and all I pretty pleased


It looks like it has hardly been used, and I like your modification list, for the most part you can get where you need to with what you listed, Great find and a sound plan, Just remember a couple of spare Duraspark modules, they fail at the worst possible times.


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## Kursac

Tirediron said:


> It looks like it has hardly been used, and I like your modification list, for the most part you can get where you need to with what you listed, Great find and a sound plan, Just remember a couple of spare Duraspark modules, they fail at the worst possible times.


Yes it was a great find, It is nice to find it at such a good price & in such good condition. Since it is 25 years old it only has to pas a safety inspection so that opens the door for some great modifications. My demands that the on board and park environmental controls be completely functional. I don't mind putting money into this truck at all since it doesn't need any kind of body restoration. I will be making some changes to the interior & isolating the sleeping compartment. I have a lot of food for thought.


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