In reply to RedGT:
Think Stephen and Rich would let one of these run? 
In reply to RedGT:
Think Stephen and Rich would let one of these run?
In reply to Ian F:
Ha. Idunno about that but if you want to buy one you could manage to run it in a few other regions for sure.
Guess what Vigo just dug out of the weeds and got running.
Already put it on 245/60/15s. Need to measure for wheel spacers (it already has flares after all!). Lowering methods have been researched..
The tentative plan is to tow my Challenge car to Florida with it. 
In reply to Vigo:
Is your van growing???
Dodgey-van.
In reply to Vigo:
Two entries? Brilliant! Has anyone entered their tow vehicle before? 
RedGT wrote: In reply to Ian F: Ha. Idunno about that but if you want to buy one you could manage to run it in a few other regions for sure.
I bet I could talk the PHA guys into letting one run. I happen to know one of the tech inspectors pretty well. Someday... when I figure out my "lack of space" problem... 
Vigo - that is awesome. Hopefully you plan to leave as much of the "growth" as possible? The "Swamp Thing"... 
There's a Chryco 413 for sale on Detroit Craigslist if one of you guys wants t build a quick Dajiban.
Minus the mold my friends dad used the same white van to tow a stock car trailer for years. Hopefully yours isnt as gutless.
dropstep wrote: Minus the mold my friends dad used the same white van to tow a stock car trailer for years. Hopefully yours isnt as gutless.
And if it is, out comes the 3.9 V6 that can probably be found in there and in goes a 5.2 or 5.9 out of a junked pickup. Some of the vans came with V8s to start with, so the swap can be done with all stock parts.
Vans are cool. With that out of the way, WTF is up with the stupid little cuts in these videos? I see it all the time and it is awful. Are these people that bad at speaking that they have to clip out stutters and silence or whatever the hell they're doing? They're so jarring and disorienting that after two or three of them, I need to turn the video off.
Knurled wrote: Way back in the SCC days, they did some article about some Japanese culture thing and said that Chevy Astros were insanely popular for some reason. I am guessing that it's a combo of having walk-through design at a time when Japanese vans didn't, plus not being freaking huge. All the same, I felt a pang of guilt over all those poor Japanese people who were inflicted with those nasty, sloppy things.
I helped deliver a Ford Aerostar up to Alert, NWT* years ago. I still feel bad about that. So much effort and expense to get it there, and it's an Aerostar.
*yes, it's Nunavut now. But it was NWT then.
I feel kinda bad letting yall guys down. I wasn't actually planning to enter it in the challenge... and i already washed it. What a fool!! 
It's a 3.9L. It moves surprisingly well considering that! I know the Magnum 3.9/5.2/5.9 pretty well. My dad and I have put at least 300k on them not counting all the repair work i've done on other peoples'. Right now i'm planning to leave it in there. That doesn't mean i'm planning to leave it alone, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself yapping about it. The first time i drove it after getting it running was in the dark, and i tried really hard to find the OD off button. It wasn't until the sun came up that i realized it's a THREE SPEED. In 1994. I know dodge used 3spds in FWDs and Wranglers until like 2000 but it still shocked me. I think the extra highway rpm does a lot to make the 3.9 feel adequate, though.
Right now my main priorities are normal repairs (ac, cooling system, wipers all have issues) and then making it look right. I already put 245/60/15s on the stock wheels (which i like surprisingly much) and now i need to measure to see how much wheel spacer i need. The rear can be lowered pretty easily with longer leaf shackles. The front i'm still trying to make decisions about. I'm not planning to lower it much more than 2". I already got a little lowering from the tires.
Honestly, I can see why people race/modify these things. It's so much better than i expected just the way it is! It's a big simple unibody box you can empty out and it's powered by a conventional old longitudinal v8 (optional anyway) drivetrain that all the usual hot-rodding applies to, including copious opportunities for parts swappage from other models. At this point i'm just surprised how little i feel like i have to change before it fits my definition of 'cool'. I know i'm weird, but still.
Back in another life......... I drove a Dodge van delivering tuxedos throughout NJ, and NY... 3 on the tree..... broken clutch linkage in Brooklyn @ 4pm on a Friday.... managed to find a welding shop to get it repaired... but I quit that night........
great fun....... NOT.... so....???
In reply to Vigo:
Damn you... I was kinda set on another Ford, but now I'll keep an eye out for a Dodge.
They made V6 vans? Ick.
In reply to Knurled:
Ford made them too. A high school friend had a '92 E150 with a V6 equipped for his wheel chair. He chose it under the false assumption it would get better gas mileage, but in reality, the engine was so over-worked due to the extra weight, a V8 might have done better.
Ian F wrote: In reply to Knurled: Ford made them too. A high school friend had a '92 E150 with a V6 equipped for his wheel chair. He chose it under the false assumption it would get better gas mileage, but in reality, the engine was so over-worked due to the extra weight, a V8 might have done better.
What did those get for mileage? My '87 E150 has the 302 and my city mileage is around 11. Highway all the way up to an earth-friendly 16 if I'm really careful.
Swb full size chevy vans also had v6 (the wonderful 4.3l)
A+ motor, would drive again
In reply to Vigo:
Nice. There's a swb version near my cousins house that I keep resisting the urge to ask if it's for sale because I know dragging it home will result in my death.
checks phone: hmm, why is this thread showing up again?
clicks on link: HOLY BERKELEYING E36 M3! This is amazing!
Ian F wrote: In reply to Knurled: Ford made them too. A high school friend had a '92 E150 with a V6 equipped for his wheel chair. He chose it under the false assumption it would get better gas mileage, but in reality, the engine was so over-worked due to the extra weight, a V8 might have done better.
Ford did not put V6s in the vans until much later, that van would have had the 300 if it were a six. I worked on a fleet of 300/C6 vans operated by a private school bus company. The 300 was a much better truck engine than the 302 ever was. I don't think Ford ever trusted the AOD behind a 300, every one I've ever seen was a manual trans or a C6.
I think Ford killed the 300 at the start of the OBD-II era, and that is when the vans got the 4.2l V6 (long stroke split port 3.8, so it blew through timing cover gaskets AND intake manifold gaskets, when it wasn't misfiring heavily on EGR because the passages would plug). Interesting trivia: The highest GVWR E250 is a 4.2l. I think it is some special option package made for telcos since every single AT&T van I have worked on was a 4.2. I think the GVWR was 8800lb and I doubt any of them were ever loaded that low.
They made V6 vans? Ick.
It's not as bad as you might think. It's probably faster than pretty much any stock v8 full size pickup truck or van from 5 years earlier. Early obd1 Magnum motors were pretty punchy. I remember driving a 1995 318 van that flat hauled butt, and it was bone stock. Same thing with a 1995 5.9 Ram i almost bought. Someone put 4.56s in it for some strange reason and it was a shocker. They actually detuned the Magnum motors over the years. My dad's 'death tuned' 2001 5.9 Ram 1500 would probably run dead even with this 3.9 van.
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