Chevy & GMC Vans

Here's the pics and video that I mentioned from earlier!

This is my new project- a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport. The driver saw an animal... Didn't wanna hit the animal... End of story. He survived, and apparently gave the car to his dad who sold the car to my dad who gave it to me. There's no inspection around here, so I think I can make this thing street legal. Here's the video of me driving it for the second time. (First time was from the place we had it parked to the place we started filming)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx3onz0VIws[/youtube]

Some pics-









And the famed Ford 4.0. I'm not sure why people worship this engine- our 4.3's are bigger, right?


THE PLAN
I intend to cut off that smashed roof, then take some square tubing and make my own frame up there. Once I get the frame built, I can cover it with sheet metal. For the windshield, my idea is to get a flip-up Jeep windshield because they're flat and should fit my flat construction. For the side windows, I can get the clear plastic stuff that they use in convertibles and sew a zipper onto it, then use silicon to seal the non-zipping part onto the door frames I'm planning to weld. For the back window I can use any kind of truck window and bolt that up there.

sell it for parts, get stuff on your van fixed.

justice wrote:sell it for parts, get stuff on your van fixed.

I second that

i intend to do something similar to that one day but my vans come first

You've been given some real world advise. Don't kid yourself into thinking that vehicle will ever be useful again. SELL IT FOR SCRAP and put the money into your van.

Times................how many was that??. Well I agree to sell it off for van money.

That truck is a unibody the strength in it is gone. Not even a autobody shop would try and fix that. Once the roof is gone so is the strength. The best use is to strip it for parts and put it on ebay and craigslist. You could make a fortune off that truck. Trying to drive it you will simply put all your money into it and never get it done or it will get pulled over by the cops and removed from the road by a tow truck.

Just because you don't have to do a safety inspection every year does not mean your state has no road safety standards for cars to meet. When was the last time you saw someone driving down the road with just a frame and a seat? It isn't street legal.
It would However be a great set of parts to make a custom tube frame rock crawler.

Actually, the Explorer just went unibody this year. That being said though, this project isn't worth pursuing. Part it out for cash as everyone else has suggested.

The Explorer thru 1995 was a station wagon (old school for SUV) built on the Ranger platform. There was a major design change starting in '96. Parting it takes a lot of work and time. Quick cash......."Scrap Yard". Here in central FL that Explorer would bring $300.00. And the scrappers would come get it.

I'm not thinking about sinking money into this thing. It's junk, and the only reason I intend to even try is because I have access to tons of free metal and it runs anyway.

As for the "getting pulled over" thing, I happen to know two people that have repaired and currently drive cars that have been rolled. One of them even has the same kind of car I'm working on, even the same body style. It's just a different color, and the damage wasn't quite as bad.

Smiliesafari wrote:The Explorer thru 1995 was a station wagon (old school for SUV) built on the Ranger platform. There was a major design change starting in '96. Parting it takes a lot of work and time. Quick cash......."Scrap Yard". Here in central FL that Explorer would bring $300.00. And the scrappers would come get it.

It picked up IFS in 96 but kept the frame until 2011 when it became 'car-based'.

mdmead wrote:

Smiliesafari wrote:The Explorer thru 1995 was a station wagon (old school for SUV) built on the Ranger platform. There was a major design change starting in '96. Parting it takes a lot of work and time. Quick cash......."Scrap Yard". Here in central FL that Explorer would bring $300.00. And the scrappers would come get it.

It picked up IFS in 96 but kept the frame until 2011 when it became 'car-based'.

(I should say it ditched the TTB for a torsion bar IFS.)

(Oops I guess the change came in 95 too.)

For a first time autobody project this is way too big. That truck is beyond repair. Stop ignoring people with experience we are trying to help you.

Just because you have some scrap metal doesn't mean you should build a car. Is the pipe you have even the right kind. If it is rolled pipe that is welded down one side it will crush in a accident and offer no protection. Roll cage tube is relatively expensive. I doubt people are going to just throw or give it away.

I think I speak for many of us here when I say I am concerned for your safety. You have no idea what your doing and you don't even have a welding ticket to know if your cage welds are good. Just scrap it you got it for free it's free money use it to fix your van.

I gotta agree...sell off the good drivetrain parts and put that money into your van. You can get $800 - $1000 for the parts and the scrap vehicle.

On a different note I thought that ford explorers were like our vans. With just a subframe under the front and the rear leafs bolted directly to body. I know if one of our vans was filled that hard it's done no amount of repairs would make it safe.

explorers were body on frame I believe. I think the explorer sits on an f150 frame (at least it used to).
no matter what frame its sitting on, that truck needs to get scrapped. that truck will NEVER be safe to drive. the entire body is mangled and all the strength in the body is gone. if you get in an accident or (heaven forbid) roll it over, you will be either dead or severely injured (likely the first one.)
Also, it will never be street legal. no insurance company will insure an obliterated truck with the roof cut off and a deathtrap made of subpar tubing and sheetmetal scraps for a roof.
sell the good headlight and whatever interior parts are salvageable and sell the parts (drivers door panel, electronics, etc). you might get a couple hundred for someone looking for a drivetrain with a crushed body attached. then take that money you make off that pile of parts and fix up your van.