Cost of stepvan & Cummins repairs?

[KarlH]

Does anyone have a rough idea of what it would cost to replace the radiator or engine mounts on a Cummins B series engine like the 4BT or 6BT?  Asking because of some bad news from the shop that inspected a really nice-looking P30 that I found recently.

 

[highdesertranger]

"replace the radiator or engine mounts"

that "or" has me confused. i really don't see the link between the two either they are bad or they are not and they have nothing to do with each other.

highdesertranger

 

[KarlH]

"replace the radiator or engine mounts"

that "or" has me confused.  i really don't see the link between the two either they are bad or they are not and they have nothing to do with each other.

highdesertranger

They are both bad. As are the front upper control arms and some other things. The body and chassis (GM P30) are fine, and the engine (a 4BT), transmission and differential apparently are also.

(Didn't intend to confuse things. I said "or" because I didn't know if anyone on the forum had experience with both. A rough price for either one would help a lot.)

 

[highdesertranger]

ok, also you didn't tell us whose chassis we are talking about. are you sure they said control arm, most step vans i have seen have a I-beam front axle.

there are a couple of forum member with step vans with BT engines. I know 66788 has a 4BT in a GM chassis.

highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

When the shops give you an estimate they are generally taking the estimate from a set of information regarding how many hours that particular job takes as well as the approximate price of parts. It might be useful for you to ask the inspection shop which set of data they used.

While I am sure there are some shops that approach it with pure guess work based on experience that would not typically be the case for a shop that is doing inspections. They will instead be literally "going by the guide book". Which is an equalizer for pricing as most shops are going by that same information when they make an estimate. Many of the shops also use it to do their standard billing at the end of the job rather than using a stop watch for how much time it actually took. But if the cost of parts exceeded that estimate then you will get charged the real cost for those, plus of course their overhead percentage they add to the cost of the parts they ordered.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I got a 292 six cylinder in mine I bought a brand new rad for it for less then 150.00. At first I was thinking of having mine reconditioned but the rad guy suggested new, the new one had more plastic on it but fit perfectly. It has been in there for almost ten years. Usually motor mounts are not expensive and are easy to get at on a kurbmaster. Google Mills Supply they have all the prices on line for kurbmaster parts. They also have a lot of body parts. I found that I can go into any parts shop and order parts for a one ton GM and they have always been right. Yours looks heavier then mine. Not sure what hdr means by I beam but if that is what I call a straight axle then mine does not have that. It has a big v shaped arm that goes up and down for a suspension. I suspect the front end work will be a bit more expensive and likely need a truck shop to do the work no idea on the cost check out the cost of the part at Mills Supply.

 

[KarlH]

Thanks Guy Yeah, I talked to the shop. They said that it would take a lot of time to do an estimate because they don't work on old vans much and don't know off-hand what the parts will cost. They didn't say 'no,' and I'm sure they'd do it if I said "I'm going to buy the van and I want it fixed professionally."

@HDR, thanks. I didn't remember that 66788's van was on a GM chassis. The mention of control arms seemed weird to me also. It's a Chevy P30, and some of them actually had independent front suspensions. JD GUMBEE said those were really expensive to fix.

@ maki2 - Hmm... maybe that shop just didn't want the job for some reason. The guy I talked to was a mechanic, but the owner of the shop did the inspection. Apparently he said "I have no idea" when asked if they could give me a really rough estimate. Overall they were pretty organized, didn't charge too much and seem to have been pretty thorough.

 

[KarlH]

I got a 292 six cylinder in mine I bought a brand new rad for it for less then 150.00. At first I was thinking of having mine reconditioned but the rad guy suggested new, the new one had more plastic on it but fit perfectly. It has been in there for almost ten years. Usually motor mounts are not expensive and are easy to get at on a kurbmaster. Google Mills Supply they have all the prices on line for kurbmaster parts. They also have a lot of body parts. I found that I can go into any parts shop and order parts for a one ton GM and they have always been right. Yours looks heavier then mine. Not sure what hdr means by I beam but if that is what I call a straight axle then mine does not have that. It has a big v shaped arm that goes up and down for a suspension. I suspect the front end work will be a bit more expensive and likely need a truck shop to do the work no idea on the cost check out the cost of the part at Mills Supply.

Thanks a lot   I will check prices there.  It's a pretty long list of parts that need replacing :-/

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

If libraries were open I'd say check the 'Flat Rate Manual'.  That is what most shops will base an estimate on.
It give the average number of hours for a given job; multiply by shop rate, add in parts and markup = estimate.

Anyone know if there is an online equivalent?
Or you could ask a shop for the number of hours a job takes (they all have the books).

 

[bullfrog]

If you are in a metro area that has a company that has a fleet ask where they get their maintenance done. Most likely they have their own fleet mechanic, offer to buy him dinner if you can ask some questions. Maybe a bakery, plumbing supply company or chip supplier?

 

[KarlH]

It looks like the parts would cost about $700-800 new.

(It's a pretty long list. In addition to the radiator and motor mounts, it needs new left upper and lower control arms, right upper and lower ball joints, idler and pitman arms, serpentine belt and tensioner, pinion seal, three U-joints, a transmission side cover, a pinion seal and a new tail pipe section where there's a leak.)

[Edit: What's kinda weird is that most of the problems are rust related, yet the chassis had very little rust.]

 

[KarlH]

If libraries were open I'd say check the 'Flat Rate Manual'.  That is what most shops will base an estimate on.
It give the average number of hours for a given job; multiply by shop rate, add in parts and markup = estimate.

Anyone know if there is an online equivalent?
Or you could ask a shop for the number of hours a job takes (they all have the books).

I think insurers use something like that when deciding whether to write off a vehicle, so maybe if I ask really nicely...

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I am not sure if this is any consolation but when I bought mine the seller told me it was well maintained, turns out it needed a full exhaust, a rad, all the U joints, front and rear brakes, one disc, break lines gas lines sending unit in fuel tank, some lights were not working, alternator adjuster was stripped, windshield was cracked, Some things needed to be taken care of right a way, like rear brakes, brake lines, radiator, U joints.However a lot could wait, ten years on the windshield is still cracked, the fuel tank sending unit still needs replacing, Things got done eventually, as I look back the van has cost me less then a thousand a year with all the repairs including the purchase price and the buildout, and the longer I keep it the less that could be. I think I can get almost that much on resale today maybe more.

 

[KarlH]

I think we're on the same page   I mean, a similarly sized bedroom in a shared apartment costs $400 per month in a lot of cities, so the van doesn't have to be a total steal to be better.

Mostly it would be nice to get started with the build.

(Looking at Mill Supply was kind of encouraging too.  The parts aren't crazy cheap, but they're not crazy expensive either. Event the shipping wasn't bad.)

 

[user 423]

What year is this panel van?

 

[KarlH]

What year is this panel van?

 
It's a '95.

 

[highdesertranger]

if it has A-arms it's a light duty and it's a 1 ton. I was stupid I missed the P30 part that also tells you it's a 1ton. which means it has the same running gear as any chevy 1ton van, which in turn makes parts and labor cheaper. highdesertranger

 

[KarlH]

For whatever it's worth, the shop didn't want the job.  They had some concern that there could be more rot around the mounts that would require welding, and they wouldn't know until they begin the job.

And the seller seems unlikely to lower the price by the amount the work would add on.  So I can make an offer and that's about it.

The configuration of the van is pretty decent for an RV conversion (16' bay, more than 6' of headroom with factory insulation, swing doors in back).  I'm not sure if I believe the odometer reading anymore, but it's probably under 150000 miles.  Plus a 4BT that might be in pretty good shape.

And opinions on what it might be worth?

 

[KarlH]

 
It's a '95.

Oops, I meant '85.

 

[KarlH]

Ended up making a low-ish bid, and the seller accepted.  So all fingers are crossed right now, and hoping to have some photos soon.