My home is in trouble...

[Starlight]

My brother is a master mechanic and has worked on machines as big as construction equipment --
without seeing the van -- and just giving me a quickie answer -- he thinks you can get what you need at a salvage yard and just replace the rusted struts. He's thinking it's a part, rather than a welding job.

Might be worth taking specs of the chassis -- to see what speficially needs to be done. Where are you located...?

 

[Patrick46]

sounds like the strut towers to me

 

[Reno]

Seriously...were you out here in my neck of the woods, I could do a complete rebuild on this for half that estimate...and I tend to 'overbuild' my stuff. (I build hot-rods and choppers for a living)

Patrick,

I see ,like many of us, you don't have a home port. I'm with my brother now, out side of Boston. Lots of places say they repair rust, so I'm going to check around.

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do a little shopping and fix what you have

That about sums it up!

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the upper shock bolt on my 90 chevy G25 is replacable--NOT welded..
get under there & look

Although the welders refer to it as a "shock tower", it's really called a "shock perch". The upper part of the shock bolts into the shock perch, but the perch itself is welded to the (rustled) frame.

My main concern is with the not-yet-broken-off leaf spring perch on the passenger side.

I think I'll get an estimate on that and forget about the shock perches for now.

I can afford $500 or so, but not 2 grand.

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aren't those unibodies? if it is and if there is extensive rust/rotting on the frame portion of the body there is really nothing you can do. sorry to be the bearer of bad news but some mechanics will tell you something can be done just to get your money. I wouldn't trust some guy off craigs list who says he can "fix you right up". take it to a reputable frame shop and ask them to give you a honest opinion. highdesertranger

No unibody here. And I know what you mean about "some mechanics". Everyone has been very forthcoming: They say "Get rid of it", "trade it in", not worth the money to fix.

They don't understand my situation, so I'll take the advise I receive from my fellow vandwellers and do enough repairs to carry on safely for a year or two more.

---

My brother is a master mechanic and has worked on machines as big as construction equipment --
without seeing the van -- and just giving me a quickie answer -- he thinks you can get what you need at a salvage yard and just replace the rusted struts. He's thinking it's a part, rather than a welding job.

Might be worth taking specs of the chassis -- to see what speficially needs to be done. Where are you located...?

A new shock perch is available, but must be welded to the frame.
No struts or strut towers involved on this van.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Reno....Patrick lives and has a shop in Coos Bay, Or. Kinda far from Boston tho.
We're tryin' to tempt him into retirement and get out on the road fulltime

 

[Lucky mike]

if you head north across the line and inland a bit or toward the white mountains (Rt. 16 side) you can save alot of money!!!!!......and its legal to weld the frame in NH.

 

[Reno]

if you head north across the line and inland a bit or toward the white mountains (Rt. 16 side) you can save alot of money!!!!!......and its legal to weld the frame in NH.

I'm Very close to the NH line and, in fact, will be going to a shop there called "Rust-O-Rama". I kid you not!

 

[Lucky mike]

good deal!! Im right across the line in Exeter just up from Hampton beach on 27. give me a shout if I can help

 

[Reno]

good deal!! Im right across the line in Exeter just up from Hampton beach on 27. give me a shout if I can help

Thanks so much!

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Hey Reno....be careful there, I saw Mikes poster at the post office the other day
Seriously, I think the old boy would be a good guy to meet. Hope to one day myself.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes I did read the thread. I asked if it was a unibody, so after doing further research I see that gm changed from a unibody on their vans in 1996. so you have got a standard frame which can be repaired. so I see you have another problem with a leaf spring hanger. so your frame is rusting this bad that you have multiple problems? I think you need to ask yourself if this is going to be an ongoing problem? I mean are you going to be chasing these problems around the van one at a time? could get costly. imho if your frame is badly rusted with multiple problems and you want to keep the van the logical thing to do is replace the frame. I understand you might not have the place to do it but in my view this would be the best option if you could find a rust free frame in your area. people get all scared when they hear this but it's not really that hard. you don't have to be a master mechanic to do this there is nothing real technical you just gotta make sure you get a good fame and get a wheel alignment after. I know allot of you are going to say I am crazy but I have done this many times, believe me it's not that hard the hardest part is have a place to do it. highdesertranger

 

[Lucky mike]

he has a set amount of money to get it done with....500 to 1k and its gonna set him back when he does it.

so yes a little patch here and one over there will buy him some time......or he could just get rid of it and have no where to put his head at nite....

he is also in boston...so getting any type of frame is a night mare.......Im hoping he does the 60 mile journey north over the state line where things are cheaper

 

[Patrick46]

We're tryin' to tempt him into retirement and get out on the road fulltime

HA!! You don't need to tempt me...not in the least!!! I've been wanting to go full timing for a LONG TIME!! You guys know that I could easily set-up and work the national motorcycle rally circuit and make very good money doing it too.

my wife is the one who doesn't wanna live on the road...at least not full time.
She loves traveling, but she also loves coming home, and she also loves her 1/2 acre of antique English roses.

I guess I'm gonna hafta settle for road trips when I can...which will still be pretty often.

hey....I'm not on this ride alone ya know.


Sorry....hyjack over.

 

[SoulRaven]

he has a set amount of money to get it done with....500 to 1k and its gonna set him back when he does it.

so yes a little patch here and one over there will buy him some time......or he could just get rid of it and have no where to put his head at nite....

he is also in boston...so getting any type of frame is a night mare.......Im hoping he does the 60 mile journey north over the state line where things are cheaper

The question that crosses my mind is whether it can be driven for that distance safely. Something to consider.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

. . . you don't have to be a master mechanic to do this there is nothing real technical you just gotta make sure you get a good fame and get a wheel alignment after. I know allot of you are going to say I am crazy but I have done this many times, believe me it's not that hard the hardest part is have a place to do it. highdesertranger

Ok, slight thread hijack here.

I used to be an armored car guard, back in the day. It was fairly common for the companies to have a whole new frame put under one of the armored bodies when the old frame wore out. I always assumed that the shops that did that kind of specialty work used a crane to lift the bodies on and off the frames.

How exactly does that work as a DIY project? Did you rent a crane, somewhere? Put a HiLift jack under each corner of the body? You've got me curious.

Regards
John

 

[Patrick46]

You could rent 4 house jacks fron a tool rental place...(that's what they're called), which are these 3-4 foot tall heavy-duty jacks.

put one under each corner of the body, jack it up, and roll the old chassis out and roll the new one under, lower the body, and you're good to go!

(and YES...it's darn near that easy...but there IS a fair bit of work involved.) don't kid yourself.

It does help to know which end of a wrench you've gotta hold too!!

 

[GotSmart]

You hold da wrench in da middle!

 

[Zil]

If the frame rusted to breakage, what about the running gear such as wheel bearings or the sheet metal of the body? Maybe time for another van to swap the camper parts into?

 

[Trekking]

Look on the net for a local fabrication shop, they weld manufacture, build things.

 

[highdesertranger]

the more I thought about this if the frame is rusting out, what about the sheet metal? I feel bad for you guys that have to put up with salted roads. if you look around at wrecking yards you should be able to pick a frame up for 3 to 5 hundred bucks. not a big in demand item. highdesertranger

 

[Lucky mike]

he is in boston.........to give you an idea of cost , I just scrapped a 1997 mercury villager van..they paid 450 and included picking it up.

they pull them apart up here and crush them pretty quickly, no such thing as a wrecking yard in metro areas up here!!!