So the seller claims it was his grandfathers pride and Joy, has 60000miles on it, 300 inline 6 with 3 on the tree baby, interior is pretty fkd, but it looks fixable.....im a huge 70's van fan and im digging this. It would get the turbine wheels cleaned up, new rubber, a major lowering (i know, not 70's apprpriate but i gotta be me) and paint over the baby blue center section with candy blue lace.....seller was asking 5k....i threw an ignorant $1500 offer and he bit. I have zero need for it, but my Comet will get sold in the spring and the Meteor needs a stablemate lol. oh and my wife thinks im an idiot.....(nothing new there ;)
Way cool. Your paint idea sounds good. Just gut the interior if you don't wanna finish it and flip it. A gutted interior that is ready for restoration looks better than a tired interior.
It's a cool ride. Vans are back. They are always in style now.
You could finish the interior pretty cheap now too.
Yah the drivers compartment portion looks fine, and from the pics he sent the back is ratty but mostly because he took it half apart and left it half done. If its real bad I will gut it and start over as cheap as I can, or fix what's there if its doable. As much as I love flipping stuff if its in decent shape I may hang onto it, I friggen love vans and if I keep a bed in the back I can use it for camping. We camp a lot and my wife has decided sleeping in a tent is getting old, so at least this has practical use.....and really, how cool is it going to be to roll into a camping spot in the "FUN BUS" 70's style lol....
I'm going to sell the Comet come spring time anyways so I still have something to flip lol
Dave
You can always pick up one of those conversion bench seat power beds that they have in the newer conversions. There are companies that pick up the end run stock from Elkhart Indiana and sell them pretty cheap. There are lotsa things you can do.
Love that van!! and I like your plans too... would be awesome for camping and cruising for sure! I also love the fact it has a 300/6 and 3 on the tree, now you're speaking my language!! lol
Entirely to cool,'' diggin'' the tubines and port holes. A set of side pipes would be ''far out'' !!!!!!! Don't want to let this out but always wanted a '' shaggen waggen'' ! Lace paint, friggen ''eh'' go all the way. Liking the inline also, sticking one in the 32 rat I'm building. Seems the old vans are starting to make a come back. Are you going to do the 70s name thing and mural on it, you know, Vanessa, Vantastick, Vantasy, what ever? Would be cool looking. Gee, I'm stuck in another galaxie.
Entirely to cool,'' diggin'' the tubines and port holes. A set of side pipes would be ''far out'' !!!!!!! Don't want to let this out but always wanted a '' shaggen waggen'' ! Lace paint, friggen ''eh'' go all the way. Liking the inline also, sticking one in the 32 rat I'm building. Seems the old vans are starting to make a come back. Are you going to do the 70s name thing and mural on it, you know, Vanessa, Vantastick, Vantasy, what ever? Would be cool looking. Gee, I'm stuck in another galaxie.
Looks like its goimg to get a mural on the spare tire cover, and the kids have decided "FUNBUS" in weird paimt down the sides on the upper dark blue section would be perfect......so think thats what it will be!
So, I blindly went for it, sent my buddy Steve (redpath) out with cash in hand to pick up the van. I had seen exactly 5 pictures of it, and only talked over email with the owner. And even that had a french/english language barrier lol. So to say I "gambled" is a huge understatement.Slam dunk...! It showed up, the undercarriage and rockers back up the "never seen snow" claim. With a boost it fired right up, ran quiet and smoke free. Paint is very very presentable and where it isn't is minor surface stuff and easily fixable. Wheels are actually in much better shape then i thought, and the rears look to be a 15 by 10! Has rear window louvers that are mint, a bitchin hard covered spare hanging off the rear door. Has new front tires, white lettered cooper's ....Then the interior! Diamond pleated blue vinyl everywhere, done very well, perfect wood paneling on the walls, still clean and intact. The absolute best blue FUR headliner....complete with a multi colored stained glass light fixture in place of the rear dome light. Needs some stuff put back together inside, but fairly minor. It had a TV etc and other lights at some point so there are multitude of switches etc that need to be removed. The headlight switch panel is hanging so I'm sure there's something wrong there as well. But on the whole, the thing is cool as hell and for very little money I can get this thing looking incredible and on the road....going to see how cool I can make it for as little money as possible.....started with $1500.00 buy in and $50 for the tow.....gonna head out to my buddies body shop where I'm storing on Ramysville for now and grab some pics on Saterday, but the pics make it look alot rougher then it actually is, the thing is niiiiiiice.....
Pretty happy.
If the wife's only comment is your an idiot that's a green light. If she said you bring it home you sleep in it that's a red light.
Bring on the Stoner Rock bring the Fuzzzzzzzzz
yah, when i got home tonight and regaled her with my tales of getting the van she kinda stopped, and said "um,you bought it without talkimg to me first?" i informed her that the last week of me constantly babbling about that 70's van WAS me talking about it.......evidently im still an idiot......but now im an idiot with a bichen van so its coooool.
Sweet!! Congrats Dave, you got yourself one hell-of-a find... and the interior sounds perfect too! Sometimes you never know when you 'gamble' but you just won the jackpot... hey I know you've already got a name, but what about "The Gambler"... airbrushed 70's style with Ace of Diamonds playing cards fanned out behind it (to match the diamond pleated interior) just thinking out loud lol.... Aww man now you've got me wanting one, would be a great family hauler... post more pics I wanna see more! lol
Sweet!! Congrats Dave, you got yourself one hell-of-a find... and the interior sounds perfect too! Sometimes you never know when you 'gamble' but you just won the jackpot... hey I know you've already got a name, but what about "The Gambler"... airbrushed 70's style with Ace of Diamonds playing cards fanned out behind it (to match the diamond pleated interior) just thinking out loud lol.... Aww man now you've got me wanting one, would be a great family hauler... post more pics I wanna see more! lol
i have a guy tht does airbrushing, i opened this and imdediatly msgd him with your idea lol.......waitimg for his respmse now!
Yah, i think its gonna make a cool stablemate to the Meteor and be perfect for roadtrips where i need more space. (never thought i would need more space then the Meteor offers) My son loves the thing and cant wait to roadtrip in it to Rigault this summer. Will likley have my buddy follow in the Meteo to that one.
Why oh why do I reeeaally like that Van.....what the **** is wrong with me?!?!? Lol
Because you LOVE it! Thats a good deal! One of the car mags did a Ford van up ,the Denim Machine? approx. the same year / body style.Neat,enjoy,and make it "rock".
My buddy used to have one of those hot rod magazine denim machines. There were a few awarded in the U.S. and a couple in Canada. There is still one in the Sault that a guy from here actually won. He wont sell it though, cause he said it is bad luck to sell stuff you have won. Too bad it is rusting away in his yard.
Well kids, went to actually look at the thing in daylight. Daylight reveals much lol, so first, the good
1. Hit the key, it starts right up, runs quiet and smooth, choke works, and it feels good.
2. The frame and floors and rockers are virtually perfect and rust free.
3. All brake lines, fuel lines etc look clean and in excellent shape.
4. All the hanging toggle switches actually control inside lighting
5. All the inside lighting are stained glass fixtures cotroled by previous mentioned toggle switches,
6. All the center dash trim I thought was missing was simply removed to remove the cup older covering the doghouse
7. The dash cluster surround is all done in the same diamond pleats as the rest, its amazing.
8. Every light , interior and exterior work perfect.
9. It moves under its own power.
10. It came with a free rocking chair. i42.tinypic.com/mlm3kp.jpg"> i44.tinypic.com/15nm6g0.jpg"> i41.tinypic.com/mvowg1.jpg">
The bad
1. It needs a clutch, pretty much right now
2. It needs a wheel cyl
3. It needs tires, and has a flat currently
4. Rust....not terrible, but one section of the drip rail is bad, and caused rust on the side the size of a twoonie,
5. Its currently raining in my van as I haven't covered it yet
6. Paint is thrashed pretty bad in several spots.
7. The roof vent at the rear is smashed, leaking, and generally screwed.
8. The sunroof up front is leaking due to dried up and split caulking
9. The rear section of the headliner is soaked, and will need replacing.
10. Its filthy in every capacity right down to moss growing on the running boards and rear window louvers
Sooo, plans have changed slightly, clutch and wheel cyld as well as shoes are ordered, I'm going to remove the rear vent, cut a patch, butcher it into place with speed screws and a sealer, replace small rear section of headliner with blue fur. Major interior cleaning, steam cleaning of floors and velvet walls in the rear. Reassembly of trim and install tunes....
Outside is getting some grinding, some ghetto repairs to minor rust involving bondo, fiberglass and anything else I can do cheap and dirty. The wheels are getting painted gold with new chrome nuts and center caps, sidepipes will be chrome with the stainless heat shield powder coated gold. New BFG 275/60/15 and 235/60/15's. Mask off van, then its getting Blitz Blacked, letters done in gold across side with self proclaimed non exsistant rod shop "Bygddy Kustoms" (this is on an iron cross on all my cars currently lol)
Drive the snot out of it far and often. I have given myself a $1000.00 budget to completion putting me at $2500 total investment.
Will finish collecting parts and paint for another month and a half then get it home and get working on it!
Well kids, went to actually look at the thing in daylight. Daylight reveals much lol, so first, the good 1. Hit the key, it starts right up, runs quiet and smooth, choke works, and it feels good. 2. The frame and floors and rockers are virtually perfect and rust free. 3. All brake lines, fuel lines etc look clean and in excellent shape. 4. All the hanging toggle switches actually control inside lighting 5. All the inside lighting are stained glass fixtures cotroled by previous mentioned toggle switches, 6. All the center dash trim I thought was missing was simply removed to remove the cup older covering the doghouse 7. The dash cluster surround is all done in the same diamond pleats as the rest, its amazing. 8. Every light , interior and exterior work perfect. 9. It moves under its own power. 10. It came with a free rocking chair.
The bad
1. It needs a clutch, pretty much right now 2. It needs a wheel cyl 3. It needs tires, and has a flat currently 4. Rust....not terrible, but one section of the drip rail is bad, and caused rust on the side the size of a twoonie, 5. Its currently raining in my van as I haven't covered it yet 6. Paint is thrashed pretty bad in several spots. 7. The roof vent at the rear is smashed, leaking, and generally screwed. 8. The sunroof up front is leaking due to dried up and split caulking 9. The rear section of the headliner is soaked, and will need replacing. 10. Its filthy in every capacity right down to moss growing on the running boards and rear window louvers
Sooo, plans have changed slightly, clutch and wheel cyld as well as shoes are ordered, I'm going to remove the rear vent, cut a patch, butcher it into place with speed screws and a sealer, replace small rear section of headliner with blue fur. Major interior cleaning, steam cleaning of floors and velvet walls in the rear. Reassembly of trim and install tunes.... Outside is getting some grinding, some ghetto repairs to minor rust involving bondo, fiberglass and anything else I can do cheap and dirty. The wheels are getting painted gold with new chrome nuts and center caps, sidepipes will be chrome with the stainless heat shield powder coated gold. New BFG 275/60/15 and 235/60/15's. Mask off van, then its getting Blitz Blacked, letters done in gold across side with self proclaimed non exsistant rod shop "Bygddy Kustoms" (this is on an iron cross on all my cars currently lol) Drive the snot out of it far and often. I have given myself a $1000.00 budget to completion putting me at $2500 total investment. Will finish collecting parts and paint for another month and a half then get it home and get working on it!
COOL... thanks for the update... well sounds like the bad list isn't major stuff and can be fixed/repaired/replaced fairly easily! I like your plans... and I think the black/gold combo will be sweet on that thing (and side pipes too!!) I agree... stay with your "Bygddy Kustoms" theme that runs with your other rides, then its unique to you! If everything stays within budget you'll have a wicked van to cruise in for minimal investment!! That's what its all about ;) Keep us posted on your progress!
Thanks for the support.....the people I deal with on a day to day basis just don't get it lol.....so its nice to hear from like minded individuals....or at least ones that may not share my taste, but at least "get it"
I will update soon, going to get a heater for the garage in a couple weeks so I can get the intake gaskets changed on the Meteor, then try and find a home for it indoors for the rest of the winter so I can get the Van home and start getting somewhere.
Lol, I can tie the chair to the roof of the Meteor and bring it down. Yah, I went over to the shop today to cover the leaking roof vent. Was feeling kinda shtty about it last time I saw it due to the bodywork and paint needed, something I haven't a clue how to do, and haven't the dollars to pay someone else to do....but its decent enough thati shouldn't be able to screw it up to badly and maybe I will learn something doing it.
Try fixing as much as you can. Put a vinyl roof on my chevelle a few years ago. Lotsa people said I was crazy. Turned out perfect. It was tough but very satisfying. Now they all come and ask me how to do it, or if I can put their vinyl roof on. Hahahahahaha. Very satisfying if you do it yourself.
I'm gonna give it a shot, my buddy owns a body shop and will keep an eye on my progress as i go, once the thing is painted and lettered up and if it turns out good I will be pretty happy having done it myself. There's really not that much to do on it so hopefully it will go smooth. Its going to come home on the car show weekend if the Meteor lands there. Then the big coupe can live outside for the rest of the season while the van gets underway. First and foremost I need some stuff finished on the Meteor, intake needs to come off for oil leak, going to convert from points to elec ignition, and run glass packs and bell flowers. Once that's done it can sit out under a cover till it spring and I can get the mechanical sorted on the Van.....should be fun. I miss playing with something in the garage.
One of the car mags did a Ford van up ,the Denim Machine? approx. the same year / body style.Neat,enjoy,and make it "rock".
