The Dawgvan: 64 Dodge "Bug out Van"

[Anlushac11]

That MOPAR slant six is a very good motor. You can also get all kind of power parts such as a reproduction of the Hyperpack slant six 4bbl intake. Clifford Performance makes cams, headers, and other parts.

Very nice find, would love to have a old Dodge van like that.

[DRoCk]

I can't believe that I missed this thread when it started. I'd love a van like this! I'm excited to see what you'll do with it, although I think its pretty cool just as it is.

[Dawgboy]

Made some progress this past week amongst beating the weeds into submission. My shocks arrived and I will install those after work today.

My tail lights arrived but have not installed as I am waiting on the gasket sets.

I got that ugly ladder rack off and it looks way better without.

Got the Steel shelf partially out, but it is being a real PITA as every piece of hardware is frozen...

Ordered a repro factory service manual

Started troubleshooting the electrical and got 1 blinker to work... Also got the temp gauge working.

Pics tonight.

[Dawgboy]

As promised, more pics.

Spent yesterday eve trying to get the Damn Ma Bell rack out of the back, More than 30 rivets and a bunch of stripped screws later, it's still there, mocking me... Tonight I get a sawzall out for the last 3 frozen 1/2" bolts and a couple of stripped screws. Found all the Fuse contacts to be corroded so I will be cleaning up the fuse panel very soon too. Note the Fuel line hanging out the window? Waiting to fab some fuel tank parts and have a gas can attached now...

[dukman]

Instead of just replacing the tail light lenses, did you look into getting aftermarket LED lights for it? The tail lights on old vehicles tend to be quite dull so upgrading to the LED can really help improve visibility at night so you don't get rear ended.

[Dawgboy]

I thought about it, but one of the cool things about these old Dodges is those neat old lights. I am going to stick LED bulbs in though...

Also going to be LEDizing the interior, but more on that later...

[xLionx]

Lookin good, what color will you be painting it?

[Dawgboy]

Finally got the rest of the Ma Bell cage out last night. Had to use an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel to get the last 3 bolts as they were the most corroded thing I found. Amazingly, the steel under it and in all the corners is fine, it was just the bolts sticking through the floorboards that were so badly damaged...

Getting that out opened the space up a lot, and now I can get to work on insulating it and getting all the wiring in.

About the exterior color? Not really sure yet, but other than the roof, Which is getting primed and a fresh coat of Rattle Can white, it won't get painted until after Burning Man and Wasteland Weekend, which will be in October this year. I kind of like the faded tan over green look it has going now though...

[porkyhollow]

Nice catch...one thing to keep in the back of your mind is a small ceramic block called a balance resistor. My dad was a MOPAR man and always kept an extra one in the glove box. When it goes T#@ts up on you, and it will, the engine dies and wont restart. Not sure if your van has one though because of the age.

And plus 1 to the slant 6....they are a good solid and simple engine

Keep us updated with pics as you go along

[Icemancometh]

Congrats. A slant-6 is hard to beat for durability. I had a 68' Dart GT convertible with a slant 6. Loved it. Not a powerhouse but I loved it when it would chirp the tires shifting into 2nd.

[punisher454]

Cool Van with loads of possibilities. My favorite thing about it is the engine location. You can access the engine easily from all directions, unlike most vans which are a major bitch to serious engine work on. The engine is also a little more protected from bullets in that central location.

The advice about the ballast resistor is spot on. Slant six can run forever, but the dodge ignition is crap. We used to always carry an extra ballast resistor and electronic ignition box on our dodge trucks. They were very reliable in their frequency of failures. Always carry backup ignition parts with a dodge.

[Dawgboy]

Look what came in the mail! Brand new reprint of the FSM, A must for any restore project...

[Dawgboy]

So I lost some of this thread in the crash but have been making steady progress. I put a set of Monroe shocks that were stock but seem to have lifted it an inch or two.

Also finished the fuel system issues at the tank where a piece of unubtanium rubber 1 3/4' hose in a tight elbow used to live. I spent 44 bucks on a piece that was straight and for an Auxiliary tank, and another 20 bucks on a Stainless Elbow for a Turbo kit, cut the pipe down and Voila!








At this point the entire fuel system is using new rubber and clamps and I am happy with it.

Found the source of my electrical woes:



Those 2 bare pieces of 10Ga. copper are the lines to the full power Ammeter in the Dash. The ammeter fried, and that caused these to really get hot and melt together, causing a short between them and to ground. The design is flawed, having the entire charge circuit run through the dash, so I modified the system with fresh 12Ga. wire for dash power, and a new 10Ga. wire direct from the starter relay to the alternator and now the headlights, tail lights, and dome light are working. Next is the blinkers and stop lights. I am fortunate that the melting did not compromise the entire harness, but I am going to run it as is for now instead of a complete new harness.

Diagram of the rewire courtesy of Madelectrical.com, which has a great tutorial on how to fix this issue on old Dodges.


Since those power lines were fully compromised I ran all new with the Fusible links.

[Dawgboy]

Some more pics of the electrical carnage:





The Slant six, in all it's greasy glory:

[CRags99]

That's such a cool old van I can't wait to see what you end up doing to it!

[mough]

Do you have any scraps of that rubber fuel line? I'm having a similar issue with the fuel line in my pickup.

[Dawgboy]

about 2 feet of it. expensive stuff too.

[TacAir]

THanks for the update.

As my dear old dad would say, a little gunk, a little paint and fixing up.... and now you have transportation!

[ZombieSoldier01]

i love this van, and i am glad you not only posted an update, but also are making headway on its repairs. I always wanted an old van like this, and you got the one I envisioned. Only difference is the one I dream of is a deep deep charcoal grey color with tinted windows and the stereo-typical half moon window out back, with colormatched steel wheels with chrome baby moons.

keep this project going, and dont forget the old girl. she needs as much love and attention as you can give her.

oh and one last thing. don't forget about a bed and shag carpet

[Paladin1]

Aarrgg! I hate old wiring. Those pic's bring back memories of having to rewire a whole car becuase the wiring was such a mess.

Glad your making progress.

I may have missed it, but did you have any specific plans for the engine? A T4 turbo perhaps?

[FrANkNstEin]

Aarrgg! I hate old wiring. Those pic's bring back memories of having to rewire a whole car becuase the wiring was such a mess.

lol. I can relate. I had a car once where you could switch on the hazard lights, and after you did so you could pull out the keys and the car would still run....

I wouldn´t paint the van if it was mine. If at all, i´d hit it with a coat of clear matte paint. I love the patina on it and i´d preserve it.

[Dawgboy]

I have a 400 sqft roll of reflectix that's going inside, then I am building in a bed frame for a queen sized futon. I have tan carpet for it too, but want to finish the tech work first. Still have to change out the fluids before the big trip a the end of the month. The engine was rebuilt 10k ago and just runs great. Leaving it in for now. If I ever do swap it out, it will be for a Mercedes TD with the auto tranny. Not going to do any windows or cosmetics until after October. I need to land a new job to do that, so it may be longer. in the mean time all the little stuff gets done right.

[Dawgboy]

The new shocks, taillights, and fuel sending unit


Sending unit only came with one gasket, so I made another





The underparts are very clean on the beast

[Dawgboy]

Here is the 1/2" thick Double bubble Mylarized Foil insulation I purchased for all interior panels. This is going in very soon.