White Wench '02

[WoodButcher]

So, I found this heap while driving home with a for sale sign $1,000, offered $800 cash and brought it home. P.O. told me about the blower not working, SES intermittently and the ABS light. No surprises. Dexfool, yep. Back door handle broke, all stories we've heard before.





No, the bull bar was not a factory option. The P.O. installed it as the guy before him rear ended someone.
It was almost a dead square hit but with rust on the core support broke them both.
I'll weld that and I have the grill, hood, bumper and cover from my '97 to swap on.
I'll use other goodies like the ladder rack and interior walls and ceiling. (1/4" ply with FRP laminate) I'll grab some other parts before I call the wreckers.

My first day wrenching on the Wench.
I'm starting with the front end and that core support. I just moved into this house and can't find a thing I need. It took me all day to get 2, 1/8" plates welded under the core support.





I haven't gotten to the "face" inverted t shape yet, just the plate that is on the bottom. I loosened the middle and jacked the body from the top of the core support. The pass side capture nut was toast so I made a new one. I had a couple new body mounts handy so those got used. I needed juice for the plasma to cut the 1/8" steel so I had to make a 220v extension cord.
I'm amazed I found those body-mounts and 220v plug in amongst the piles of unpacked boxes...
While that was going on I gave my wife some lessons on the riding mower so she could cut the lawn, moved the gutter drains, edged with the push mower and after she finished I spent a 1/2 hour cleaning what she missed.

2, 4" x 18" pieces of steel and I'm exhausted,,, getting old I guess.

While I have the grill off I'm thinking to replace the condenser, I think it has been holed. Is there a way to test other than putting in the stuff with dye? there is a leak. P.O. put in 2 cans and there is no pressure at the Schrader valve.

[1lowcab]

Good score, can't beat it for 800 bucks!!

Wonder what it is about the pass side front capture nut, mine would just spin too. All the metal was really solid but the nut sure wasn't.

[MI_Ghost]

Now I am officially jealous!

[WoodButcher]

She's a little beat up Ghost, neglected. The rust on the core and inside the driver's step were all I found so far. Dents and dings and torn seats. The plan is to keep her for work and put my own bit of abuse on it, I'll tidy her up but no paint job, no reason to cream the sheets,,, lol.

[chevymaher]

She's a little beat up Ghost, neglected. The rust on the core and inside the driver's step were all I found so far. Dents and dings and torn seats. The plan is to keep her for work and put my own bit of abuse on it, I'll tidy her up but no paint job, no reason to cream the sheets,,, lol.

I have heard the abuse you heap on your work van over the years. So for your purposes it is perfect the way it is. Couple band aids and she ready to roll for a long long time.

[MI_Ghost]

You can keep the wench. I want the no window barn doors.
You won't believe how hard it is to find a good pair.

Found a good no window slider but it is green.
Will have to repaint it before it can be put on.

[WoodButcher]

Have you thought about re skinning windowed doors Ghost? I had a new skin put on my '97 but that was 16 years ago.

Yeah Chevy, couple band aids would be a close description. I'm a little nicer to my vehicles than I have been in the past though, I don't work quite as hard myself.

[MI_Ghost]

Have you thought about re skinning windowed doors Ghost? I had a new skin put on my '97 but that was 16 years ago.

I have not been able to find a top or full skin for the doors. Only the lower half.
The next option would be to weld in some flat sheet where the window is but then you lose the styling line and instant oil can effect unless it gets braced some how.

I know the slider gets an additional vertical brace in the window area on the no window sliders.
Is there any additional bracing on the no window barn doors?
Pic Please?

[Rockridge]

That looks pretty good for the money.

[The Drummer]

I was looking for this tread but could not find it after i saw your pics ,monsieur woodbutcher , i am not sure wich measurment you are/were looking for , in my case i used the part on the right with the bar code , just draw a streight line from the bottom of where the sticker is ,and when i put the bumper back on it fitted like pa into ma , i am sorry , i shoulda pm ed you this before .

[WoodButcher]

The difference in height between the wings and the center. The core was bent and required a bit of pushing and pulling to get it but I got them done without the number.
Having that measurement would have given a mark to aim for, my old eyeball says I'm pretty close. We'll see for sure when I put it all together.

[WoodButcher]

Got the front end sorted, grill and bumper just set in place,



I'm waiting for the AC condenser and I need to wire the fogs to button it up. The core support needed a little TLC w/ the BFH so the hood latches but it works better on the '02 than the '97 ever did. I still need to bend the hood up a little where the latch is but that can wait till I have a helper around with a little better understanding of the task than my bride. I'll put a block in the center to hold it open and press gently on both sides, I can see my wife pressing down and folding the hood in half.

[1lowcab]

100% improvement, looks great!

[Big_kid]

NICE! Quick turnaround too- you're making me look bad!

[WoodButcher]

Thanks guys, I need her for work so I need to get after it.
I have no time to do what I would like. The wife and I just bought a house and moved in. My honey-do list is a novella. Most of that list was written by me, things that need to be done ASAP if not faster, roof is done but I need to insulate, rework plumbing that was done poorly in the crawlspace, build the storage shed twice larger, replace elec service from the panel to the weather head adding a 3' mast. Those a goodies from my list, the wife would say she needs kitchen cabinet doors or hall closet doors. I took them off for sanding and paint but they are tucked away until such time as I can't find something more pressing. Now it becomes one of those things, happy wife, happy life.
Right now the list on this van is overwhelming but I'll get it. Little bites every night after work and hit it on the weekend.

[Leeann_93]

Looks great!

[markmitch]

great score!

[Rinny]

Nice find. Good luck in the new house.

[WoodButcher]

Thanks all, owning my home again feels pretty good. I love the small town, a little tough for getting parts and materials. I have a Napa store within a 1/4 mile but they close early, 5 PM Sat and 1 on Sunday. Same for the hardware store. I'm used to much later hours than that but for the peace at night, I'll take it.
Back to business,,,

candy?
cotton candy little girl?



It dries red,
that's the stuff I used for bedliner in the jeep, Red Guard, used to waterproof cement-board in showers under the tile. Worked well in the jeep, it's pretty resilient and deadens sound. I sold the jeep so this is going to be the long term test.
I'm using the seats from WW I and the jute under the rubber was wet so that I'm replacing that with a sheet poly foam like from packing used in flat screen TV boxes. Won't hold water, I'll use a rubber mat on that.

And the rack is set,



I cleaned it up and painted, welded on permanent feet as the last van had the universal foot for a simple pipe style on it when I bought the van. It needs to be bolted on proper yet but I put two in kitty corner so I can move the van around.
Most of the tune up parts have arrived so I'll get into that tomorrow.

[WoodButcher]

OK, update time.
It's been a couple weeks and I have made progress.
Thursday the 14th I had knee surgery, doc said I'd be out of work at least a week but he won't pay my mortgage. I figured a long weekend and spent it working on the van. Thursday afternoon I did the tune-up, plugs, wires and Skip White dizzy and finished the rack.
Friday was wheel and tire day, I had four old American Racing chrome rims I cleaned with the wire wheel and hit with rust converter and wiped off. I used a scotch brite pad to clean off all the excess converter and scuff the chrome then sprayed a clear on top. They look antiqued sort of but I like it.
Saturday morning She passed emissions testing and since then I've been working on getting the interior swapped into her. The walls and ceiling I made for the '97 are 1/4' ply with FRP laminated on it and it has held up well for 17 years so it gets re-used. I was thinking to build new cabinets but decided to just modify slightly what I had so they all get a sanding and fresh poly.

Got rid of most of the dexfool while I was at it too but that has been a 3 week process.

Some pics.

old van before I pulled the furring strips to install in the '02


dirty panel


cleaned and installed


new tires and cleaned up wheels.


255/70R-15 KUMHO CRUGEN HT51 rear and 225/70 front. Tire Rack had them for $475 shipped to my door w/ a $70 rebate so I gave them a shot. So far so good. I don't plan any heavy loading and will keep the tools I carry to a minimum but they feel pretty stout and the price couldn't be beat.