New paint on my 68

Maaco does decent work for the price. Considering I spent 230 on paint and really screwed it up. Primer went on good but it was a disaster after that. Took it to maaco and had it back in 2 days. I did all of the body work myself and missed a lot but it was a great learning experience. The van was solid just a lot of dings and surface rust on the top. Now I get to put it together. I knew going in that on a budget I wouldn't be able to have a show truck, I just wanted something to have fun with. Now the interior.

Also if anyone knows any magic tricks to make it run cooler??? Gets up to about 220 after a half hour or so, doesnt go much above. 318 rebuilt with a good radiator.

That's Maaco? Looks great from my seat!

Yes it does look nice!!!!

The color is stellar blue pearl and looks really cool in the sun. I will probably catch a lot of crap though because it is a toyota color. I picked it out at oriellys, it was the darkest metallic blue I could find. I figured I would get a color that is easily available in a rattle can and touch up bottle.

Thanks for the compliments.

Looks good!
Cooling is a matter of having a radiator big enough and in good shape, a water pump that circulates the coolant, and enough air flow to drop the temp in the radiator.
You also need the engine tuned so it doesn't run hot, no leaks and a thermostat that opens fully. At 190, the radiator cap doesn't matter, but if it runs at much more than 200, the pressure cap comes into play.

great job! i'm also in the process to do the body and the paint myself, how did you do the big panels? special tools?...and keep the pîcts coming...

Good looking color. As for cooling, do you have the belly pan installed?

RodStRace wrote:Looks good!
Cooling is a matter of having a radiator big enough and in good shape, a water pump that circulates the coolant, and enough air flow to drop the temp in the radiator.
You also need the engine tuned so it doesn't run hot, no leaks and a thermostat that opens fully. At 190, the radiator cap doesn't matter, but if it runs at much more than 200, the pressure cap comes into play.

what he said.

And you may not have this problem but my carb will boil off at about 230. If you arent having any carb percing issues then it's just a matter of what Rod said and I would do the following:
~add an electric fan in front
~change the mechanical fan to a "high flow" mechanical fan
~make sure the belly pan is on
~high flow water pump if you can afford it
~heavy duty radiator if you an afford it
~use a coolant recovery tank so you don't lose fluid

Down in here in the Deep South my problem is keeping it cool, not hot, to help my percing problem I changed my thermostat to a 160. Some folks wont agree with it but it made my van much more manageable during the months when the temps are over 85 (we are steady in the mid 90's now). I can see my temps swing from 160'ish to 190'ish when I'm in traffic on hot days, 220+ is the death zone for mine. When I can afford a custom radiator and water pump I'll go back to a 180.

Oh, and nice paint job

Looks pretty nice, more pics please!!!.. Im interested in your maaco job and costs? Ive been working on my body on my magic bus and was planning on painting it myself... but I did get a quote from maaco..they quoted around $600.. I saw my neighbors truck they did and it was two tone and looked very good! Im with you Im not building a show truck but I want it to look good.

Thanks for the tips on cooling. I have a belly pan, new water pump, good stock radiator. I may try the electric fan and a better mechanical fan. Autozone has a recovery tank but I am not sure where to mount it.

As far as the paint, it cost 450 at the Maaco in crystal lake Illinois. I had a 50 off coupon. I did the body work myself and missed a few dents which are noticeable but. I thought I could paint it myself and I was dead wrong. I tried to go cheap but in the end what I spent on paint and prep supplies would have equaled what maaco charged. My main problems were the gun I used and really not knowing what I was doing. Mechanically I can fix anything but when it comes to something like painting which seems to be a art or at least something that takes a lot of skill forget it.

Maaco charges 299 for the paint, +100 for a van and +100 because it needed extra sanding. The paint I used and also Maaco used was Dupont Nason single stage code 8L7. They charge 300 or 400 more for a clear coat paint. This Nason has a nice shine to it and in 1 month when I wax it I am sure it will add more of a gloss. I will post more pix when it is assembled. I will say I got more than what I had expected but it is still only a good paint job nothing more and it could have been better on both things I did and what Maaco did but I am happy.

Walker now you need to drive it next year to Baker's and show her off

G-Man wrote:Walker now you need to drive it next year to Baker's and show her off

You betcha!

Nice looking Blue, who cares what make it is supposed to be on, it looks good on a van too.

I agree, its a nice looking color, who cares what vehicle it was originally designed for.
As long as you are happy with it, that is all that matters!

also with the cooling i find that water wetter works great... in the summer i run without anti freeze, just the wetter, water and a little anti-corrosion/waterpump lube... water wetter just breaks the surface tension of the h2o so it does it's job better... you can use it with antifreeze but you won't run quite as cool... paint looks great btw...

is it a trick of the light or do you have a one piece windshield in that thing? yowsa!

mrfoochie wrote:is it a trick of the light or do you have a one piece windshield in that thing? yowsa!

It is a 2 piece custom. The guy who had it before me was a glass installer and custom made the windshield, it has a seam in the middle but it is hard to see. He also sealed it in like a new car would have without the stock seal.

nice to see your van all painted . what interrior ideas do you have..????

dix wrote:nice to see your van all painted . what interrior ideas do you have..????

Interior is a project for next year. I know what I want but not sure how to go about getting it. I need 2 seats in the back with buckles and would like a small bed which needs to have room for my amps, subs and tools under it. The tool box I carry now has enough in it to just about rebuild the van completely. I will be going to look at some shows for ideas. Oh and I still want to be able to got to menards and haul stuff in it.

This is the first picture with wheel trim on and door emblem, you can also see the grill and hl trim rings.

yes!! way cool!! I dig it!

I'm diggin the side pipes!
Looks to be a nice 10 footer at least. Not bad considering its Maaco.

Walker wrote: I need 2 seats in the back with buckles and would like a small bed which needs to have room for my amps, subs and tools under it. The tool box I carry now has enough in it to just about rebuild the van completely. I will be going to look at some shows for ideas. Oh and I still want to be able to got to menards and haul stuff in it.

I don't know about your area, but around here the conversion vans are pretty common in the yards and there seems to be a couch/bed in the CL listings at least once a month. Take a look at the modern vans that have removable seats with integral belts. It may take some work to get the mounting right, but they can be used or just a creative spark for your own design.
You may want to split the tools into a couple smaller boxes or bags to make them easier to carry and store.

I have tons of interior ideas on my site www.vangraveyard.blogspot.com

Love the color. Looks great to me. Should be easy to keep clean!

Just curious, is there much trash/orange peel in the paint? In my past experience with repair/bodywork from local shops, I always got a car back with trash in the paint (dust, I assume or lack of proper prep work.) Just wondered what you can get for the price from Maaco? What faults do you have with it, regardless of what you paid?.

Great looking paint job

On the cooling...before trying anything else, I would give the engine and radiator a serious flush out. Then start with thermostat, water pump & coolant etc.