Hello - Long time lurker, new member
Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 1:34 pm
Hi,
My name is Scott. I have read most of both boards and have found it very helpful. I acquired my van in partial trade for some work I did on a customer's 84 Corvette. He was an administrater of a rehab place where they trained mentally challanged people for different vocations to enable them to support themselves. My van was one of many they had to transport their clients from the rehab out to their jobs. Mine went out to the nearest I5 rest area and back several times a day seven days a week.
I got it a year ago with 367,000 miles on it and a death rattle in the engine. I got my smog check with the engine knocking so badly I thought it was going to throw a rod. It survived the dyno test and passed smog. I drove it over to a friend's shop and up onto a drive-on lift. I pulled the driveline, transmission, exhaust system and the oil pan so I could make repairs to the engine.
Number 6 rod journal on the crank was wiped out, so I put in a reground crank and new bearings. While I had the engine opened up, I replaced the timing set and all the seals and gaskets on the lower end. I'm here to tell you that it was quite a challange to position all 6 rods just right to get that new crank in. With help, I managed. After reassembly, the van ran pretty good. I had to do a complete tuneup and pull the upper and lower intake and clean it up thorougly inside. Before I pulled the intake, I had trouble with chunks of carbon hanging my EGR valve open, so I installed a screened EGR gasket. I changed all the vacuum hoses (most were split or collapsed.) The next thing I had to take care of was the rear axle. With that many miles on it, it was completely trashed inside. I got the axle and rear springs from a wrecked low miles 2000 Astro cargo van. I flushed out all fluids which made a noticable difference in the way the van drove and sounded.
The only modification I've made to my van is to take the back seats out and install plywood and carpet in the back. I've been to Michigan with it this last July and it ran flawlessly all the way there and back. I would like to do a V8 swap eventually for more passing power on the freeway.
My name is Scott. I have read most of both boards and have found it very helpful. I acquired my van in partial trade for some work I did on a customer's 84 Corvette. He was an administrater of a rehab place where they trained mentally challanged people for different vocations to enable them to support themselves. My van was one of many they had to transport their clients from the rehab out to their jobs. Mine went out to the nearest I5 rest area and back several times a day seven days a week.
I got it a year ago with 367,000 miles on it and a death rattle in the engine. I got my smog check with the engine knocking so badly I thought it was going to throw a rod. It survived the dyno test and passed smog. I drove it over to a friend's shop and up onto a drive-on lift. I pulled the driveline, transmission, exhaust system and the oil pan so I could make repairs to the engine.
Number 6 rod journal on the crank was wiped out, so I put in a reground crank and new bearings. While I had the engine opened up, I replaced the timing set and all the seals and gaskets on the lower end. I'm here to tell you that it was quite a challange to position all 6 rods just right to get that new crank in. With help, I managed. After reassembly, the van ran pretty good. I had to do a complete tuneup and pull the upper and lower intake and clean it up thorougly inside. Before I pulled the intake, I had trouble with chunks of carbon hanging my EGR valve open, so I installed a screened EGR gasket. I changed all the vacuum hoses (most were split or collapsed.) The next thing I had to take care of was the rear axle. With that many miles on it, it was completely trashed inside. I got the axle and rear springs from a wrecked low miles 2000 Astro cargo van. I flushed out all fluids which made a noticable difference in the way the van drove and sounded.
The only modification I've made to my van is to take the back seats out and install plywood and carpet in the back. I've been to Michigan with it this last July and it ran flawlessly all the way there and back. I would like to do a V8 swap eventually for more passing power on the freeway.