OH YEAH!

Well, the new parts finally came.
A couple weeks later I finally got the time to put them on.
Van runs great!
Need to fine tune the carb & timing, & all will be perfect...

On a side note: Over Xmas break I went over & put a new radiator in the flatbed, and also got the q-jet mounted. Took a little adaptation, as the radiator was from a 66 international, not a chevy. The carb was from a pontiac, so a couple minor things there, too. Now the 2-speed actuator cable is siezed, I'll see if I can get one some where.

Ebay has been good to me...

New Carb - $142

New ignition - $112.50

The way the van is going to run when they get here - Priceless!

Oh Oh, he's lookin at ebay again

Just saw this on ebay

Only $2,250, a steal!

Here we go again

So, I'm thinkin the carb needs rebuilt or replaced.
So, I call around, $48 for the kit, $185 for a reman.

I decides to check ebay.

I fnd a super 6 2bbl manifold with carb & a spare carb.

I figure it's gonna go for $200-300, but just for giggles, I bid on it.

I won the frikken' thing! For $67.25!
WOW!
$30 shipping, not bad for such a heavy beast...

Ok, so I wait for it to come.
old Van used to get 22 mpg, this one's getting 11, ouch!
And I wait.
3 weeks, what's up?
And I call the post office.
They have a record of it being dropped off, but it's apparently not left the building.
They'll look in to it...
I wait...
6 weeks, got a note from the seller, he's filed a claim with the post office, in a month or so, they'll re-imburse him. Then he'll send $$ to me.
CRAP!CRAP!CRAP!CRAP!CRAP!
Got my Harbor Freight catalog today. It was in a post office envelope with an apology written on the front. It's missing the first 6 pages.
Why does the post office hate me?

A new life begins

I called a really handy friend of mine, Ian, to look at the van.
He sez "Ain't nothin wrong with the timing or carb, you got a stuck caliper, stealing all your HP"
I'm like DOH!
New caliper & rotor, WOAH!

Well, kind of.
Still some random carb/choke issues, but the caliper thing did make a 100% difference.

Runs like crap when it's cold. When it warmed up, has a tendency to die at lights & not want to re-start, unless ether is used (damn I hate that stuff)

The biggie though is that on hills at about 33% throttle, it acts like it's running out of gas.

And Thpppt! she was gone

It sat there like that for 3 years.
finally, during christmas of '05, I went back over to get all my stuff from storage.
I rented a 28' uhaul & a flatbed car trailer.
I called one of those tow trucks with the tilting flat bed.
He backed up to my flat bed & winched it onto his flat bed.
Then he backed up to the trailer & tilted his bed, so it rolled on to the trailer.
Pretty neat, only cost $50.

After I got it back up here, it sat until Oct '06
Then I burned up my Subaru.
Crap!Crap!Crap!

I'd have no luck at all

Crap, lost my job.
I'm moving back home.
I put the van on the back of my 2 1/2T flatbed with some home built ramps.

About 6" from having it on & the ramps exploded.

Got it the rest of the way with several jacks & a come-along.
I went to get gas & decided The truck's gonna need a four barrel.
(66 C60/ 327/ 2bbl/ 4 & a 2)
Picked up a Q-jet & manifold for $25
In the process of taking the old 2bbl off I put a large whole in the radiator.
Crap!Crap!Crap!
So now the van is sitting on a non-running truck with no way to get it off.
I leave it sitting there in storage & move home anyway.

If it weren't for bad luck

Can't get the thing to run right at all.
Did the rings not seat?
It only wants to run in about a 5-6 degree timing range & it's gutless as hell.
Rebuild the carb.
Nada!
Different brand of plugs.
Nada!
Different wires?
Nada!
Put a couple hundred miles on it, just totally gutless.
Had a couple other people try to help me adjust the timing & carb
Nada!

The new van

Up the road is one of those dirt lots every body parks their car at, with a for sale sign in the window.
I notice an '82 shorty window van (/6 & 904) up there, body is better shape than mine.
He wants $1200 for it, too rich for me.
Next week it's $1000.
Then $750.
Then $500.
I call him up.
Somebody stoled the battery & the speakers. I bring a battery, it runs OK.
He takes $300!
I drive it for a few months (couldn't just take a perfectly good /6 out could I)
I finally get some time off & start swapping all the parts from my '81 on to it, including the stick. Looks like the rears have the same ratio, cool.

Beginnings of trouble

So I get it running & go to take it down to get a title for my new state of residence. OOOPS! I can't find the freakin' title!
I call the old state about mailing me a replacement.
Not gonna happen (bastards!)
They want me to drive all the way back there & get it.
I workin' LOTS of overtime & there is just no way that's going to happen.
So it sits for a few months.

The History

I bought van #1 from my buddy Duane for $100 in 1996.
It was an '81 "heavy half" (5 lug 3/4 ton diameter bearings).
225 slant six with A833 4 speed overdrive (Duane put an 8 ball on it for a shifter).
Had about 350,000 miles on it.
All I did to it at the time was put a water pump on it.
Over the next 4 years, I put another 60,000 on it.

In '99 I moved about 500 miles away. I decided I'd take a month & just make trips with the van. 23 trips, 2 head gaskets, 3 pushrods & a brake rotor later, The van & I were both VERY tired.

I started a pretty decent paying job & decided to take my time & really rebuild it right.

So, it got a new short block (20/20 over)
Rebuilt head
New rocker shaft assembly
New cam, lifters & push rods
High volume oil pump
New water pump
New fuel pump
New starter, alternator & battery
New clutch, flywheel & pressure plate
Platinum plugs, premium cap, rotor & wires
An Accel super coil
New tires, shocks & brakes
New muffler & freshly "lightened" cat
New belts & hoses