And now for something completely different.....

[falconvan]

Surprise, surprise!! LOL

The van is looking great! Keep up the good work! [cl [cl

I guess you get what you pay for after all; at least the distributor housing itself is good. Thanks! I'm glad it's getting close to the finish.

 

[falconvan]

I got the last of the outside panels painted; doors, hood, bumpers, plus some inside trim for the windows. I have to get some more paint to finish the inside panels but it's just about there.

 

[falconvan]

Got my decals on tonight!

 

[bob w]

You have such a cool project there. And, an award for perserverance is due. That van has so much surface area to deal with. I'm in awe.

 

[Gastrick]

Super Job falconvan. I like the way you are seeing this project through.

 

[falconvan]

Thanks, guys; much appreciated! I hope to make some good progress this weekend; the bumpers and hood are ready to go back on and I have a new windshield gasket sitting here. It always seems like wrapping up those last jobs seem to take the longest to get done; my wife and I are just so busy lately. I still need to paint the inside panels and put the interior together but hopefully I can wrap it all up by the end of August.

 

[falconvan]

Got a pretty good amount of work done today. I got both bumpers put back on, put the hood on, built a hood prop, mounted the hood hold downs, made some plate to go on the sides of the radiator to keep air from flowing around the radiator instead of through it, and started cleaning up the windshield for re installation.

 

[Shea Laking]

Man, but I just get all "giggley" inside every time I see an update on this thing....

I've gotta admit, I just wasn't "feelin' it" when you first started, but just "WOW" now that you're almost done! This truck (VAN?!) is super cool! I really like the quad lights on there, they just make the appearance.

Regards,
Shea

 

[falconvan]

Thanks, buddy. I see you're a school bus mechanic; this should give you all kinds of bizzare ideas. Hopefully not too many updates left on this before I can call it done. I've got a 48 Plymouth I'm ready to get back to.

 

[bob w]

You have done a great job on your van. Lots of metal to deal with. ANd, the engine swap is doubly cool. Are you going to use it as a utility vehicle?

 

[hflhfl]

I just read through your build ! Very nicely done ! Looks awesom$e and probably sounds even cooler coming down the road[ddd

 

[falconvan]

You have done a great job on your van. Lots of metal to deal with. ANd, the engine swap is doubly cool. Are you going to use it as a utility vehicle?

Thanks, Bob. It's been a lot of fun to put together; much different from anything else I've done. Actually I plan on tooling around some car shows this fall and putting it up for sale next spring. I think it would make a great shop truck.

 

[falconvan]

I just read through your build ! Very nicely done ! Looks awesom$e and probably sounds even cooler coming down the road[ddd

I'm glad you liked it! I really enjoyed putting it together. How's the weather up there in Canada? It's brutal here; 101 right now and it's only noon.

 

[falconvan]

Bad night; I had my trusty glass guy come look at the windshield and he warned me that it was going to be a really tough one to install and that he wasnt responsible if it broke. He had me help him and of course, it broke. If it was anyone else I'd have been pis*ed but I've been using him for years and trust him. It's flat glass so hopefully it wont cost too much to get a new one cut. I did get all my inside panels wet sanded so we'll be painting and installing them this weekend.

 

[rat-rod chick]

slam it to the ground

 

[clamor]

Since you have to get new glass anyway, you might think about tinted...just for fun.
I got a tan one for my Jeep (one of the many I had to put in). They're designed for tractors & not DOT approved, but it's the same saftey glass as DOT approved windshields are made of. The tinting comes from the plastic between the glass plys.

The place I got mine from had 3 colors. I had to take the windshield frame in so they'd have plausable deniability, "It's an off-road only vehicle." ;-)

-Chaz

 

[falconvan]

That was a good idea, Clamor. I wish I had read it before I ordered the glass. I might have to call and see if it's too late to change it.
OK, I got a new windshield on order; should be done Wednesday. I had them cut it all in one piece instead of using two pieces with a divider. Yesterday I got the final inside panels painted. Then I started putting some generic Dynamat insulation on the inside. I got the spring window mechanisms cleaned and greased up; then put the door back together with new window channel; and finally installed the door and the inner panels. I just got one side done, we'll work on the other today. Also, here's the roll of coin grip rubber flooring I bought. I'm doing the whole floor, front to back, with it.

 

[falconvan]

Finished up side the other side today. The doors seem to work nice and slide easy. I'm going to be making a headliner covered in black ozite carpet with some inset lights and speakers. I also need to cut new panels for the roll up door; that will probably be the last item on the list.

 

[falconvan]

Over the last few dyas I've put some soundproofing on the ceiling, finished cleaning up the rear wiring harness and installed the inside corner panels and some upper pieces that will hold the headliner, and cleaned up, painted, and installed the door hardware. I needed to chrome the headlight rings and grille but just couldnt spring for the cost so I'm trying this two part chrome finish that Eastwood sells. You have to paint it over gloss black and then put a clear on it. I saw it on My Classic Car on TV and it looked pretty slick so I'm going to give it a shot. Here Ive got them painted black but the directions say you have to paint it in 50% or less humidity so today was out.

 

[clamor]

Were you able to stop the order & get colored windshield glass?
-Chaz