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  1. steamjam1

    Ford E150 vs E250

    It'll depend on what you define as "fully built". If that means a class-b like set up, then yeah. Your gonna want heavier duty suspension if you want to be on dirt roads.
  2. steamjam1

    Dodge Ram Van Rust T/F Question

    No matter what year the Dodge van is, if its from a place that pours salt on anything.. .Even snails... Id have the frame horns inspected before I even started the engine, looked at the interior, or even considered what color it was...
  3. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    That Ford and Chevy are pretty much the same. Both are carbureted, 3 speed auto, small block engine. The only real difference is the Ford has a full frame. The Chevy is a uni chassis. The Ford will feel alot heavier on the road, and the Chevy will feel lighter. The Ford is prime for a 4x4...
  4. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    That Chevy is a very simple machine. You can basically rebuild that van using only hand tools and some grease rags. There is no computer to blink out, and no sensors to foul up. The most advanced piece of electronics in that van is likely the stereo. If you insist on fuel injection, you can...
  5. steamjam1

    Big Sur/Monterey

    I haven't been to Big Sur in years, and I live like 30 miles from it up in Santa Cruz... I should get down there soon..
  6. steamjam1

    How bad is this rust / Do I have the right plan?

    That is just the seam to join two floor panels. I wouldn't be cutting through that. Just clean as best you can, spray some rust converter on it, and seal it up.. I use 3M or Loctite construction glue from Home Depot. I've use that stuff to seal whole floor panels and its way better and stronger...
  7. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    Those look cool, but perhaps you aught to wait just a bit for the fall when prices to go down for anything that has to do with recreation. I dig that Ford.. :-D
  8. steamjam1

    How bad is this rust / Do I have the right plan?

    Using just bondo to fill in the rust isn't a great idea. Your gonna haveto seal the hole first with fiberglass... and most importantly you haveto treat the remaining rust with convertor...
  9. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    But better the old Ford 6.9L then the GM 5.7L diesel... Wow now THAT was a piece of garbage...
  10. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    The 6.9L IDI diesel. Great engines till they break.. Suddenly its $$$$ to repair. I don't know why Ford chose International Harvester to make these engines. They could have just as easily gone to Perkins, Volvo, Iveco, Isuzu or Cummins and had a motor with the same power at half the weight and...
  11. steamjam1

    How bad is this rust / Do I have the right plan?

    Thats not that bad at all. Grind off the flaky bits, spray rust convertor all over it, and use some fiberglass to patch the holes.
  12. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    Yes the 5.9L vans have plenty of power. My old '78 Surveyer class-B was equipped with one that I converted to Quadra-jet and it had plenty of power. I got 13mpg no matter how I drove that van, and it was a B300 1-ton extended body with a 24" hightop and fully equipped... Dodge vans never came...
  13. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    Buying an older Dodge van can be an adventure. You had better be atleast a decent mechanic to do the upkeep that they require. They can be finicky.... As for gas mileage a slant-6 4sp Dodge will get 18-19mpg. A 5.2L 2V equipped one will get 13-16mpg. A 5.9L 4V equipped van will get mo more then...
  14. steamjam1

    1970's tradesman possibility

    1978 was a transition year for the good 'ol Dodge B van... There are some parts that are unique to only that year van.. Such as the front markers, grill, heater control resister, and some little odds and ends. Its essentially a 1971-1977 body with side doors moved forward, '79-up tail lights...
  15. steamjam1

    Questions about my hightop

    If that is an old handicap van, the hightop actually has a steel frame between the outer skin and inner liner. Its best not to remove that. However you can remove the inner skin and redo the ceiling using the frame as anchor points...
  16. steamjam1

    2wd or 4x4?

    I converted a Dodge B150 van to 4x4 using a wrecked van charger as parts, and a Chevy G30 to 4x4 using modified factory Chevy truck parts for a buddy. My conclusion is: For Dodge... It looks cooler then it is useful as a 4x4. The articulation was so poor due to the frame horn design what I...
  17. steamjam1

    For Dodge van fans: Japanese van racing

    There are some factors that contribute to a van's rollover probability that you can control: In what condition is your suspension? If you have worn out shocks, or worse yet worn out bushings which contributes to misalignment of your front end, your chances of roll over increase by quite a bit...
  18. steamjam1

    For Dodge van fans: Japanese van racing

    There is an easier way to sightly widen the track of all vans out back.. Dodge vans use 16x6 wheels. Older Ford Econolines use 16x7 wheels. Slightly wider and if you use the wider wheels out back, it will improve the stability while using the same tire size. (225/75/16 I think..) I did this to...
  19. steamjam1

    All-terrain tires and gas mileage

    My experience: I didn't really hardly any gas mileage difference between road tires and A/T tires as long as you keep the tires inflated correctly. Mud tires are noisy... Street tires are quiet. Mud tires don't last as long as street tires. A/T tires are a good compromise. BF Goodrich KO tires...
  20. steamjam1

    I will be your slave ( for a day)

    Depends on the type of curry. I can make BRC... British Restaurant Curry... So Korma, Masala, etc... I can't do Tandoori only because I don't have a tandoori oven. Ill trade ya... Ill teach you how to make BRC if your a carpenter and can teach me how to cut wood straight!.. :-D
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