Getting ready to travel

For those who didnt read my hello post I plan on using my van to travel around the country. To be able to do this reliably and comfortably I know I will need to do some things to my van. I will put what I plan on doing down. Anything that you guys can add to or give advice on would be much appreciated.

I need to re-weatherstrip at the least the rear doors. Possibly others. Using the search I found that I could get that at restoration specialties.

There is an electrical issue I need to track down. Perhaps someone could help. The brake light is always on and when I hit the brakes the right side parking light comes on. (I havnt looked into this at all. Havnt even checked brake fluid but did drive it home with no problems)

I want to insulate it. Looking through old posts I found many different opinions on this. I would like to do it but dont want the van to rust which is the main reason I found not to do it. I read that not putting the insulation against the metal will prevent this from happening. If thats true then thats what I will do.

My van has the 250 L6 with the powerglide. For cruising on the highway I at least want to swap the powerglide. I havent decided if I want to pull the engine. I found a lot of info on tranny swaps from the three speed manual to an auto but not much on a powerglide to newer auto swap. Is it just a bolt in swap? I was also reading that the best mileage can be had out of a V8. Because I have a friend with a TBI 4.3L V6 I was thinking I might put that in with a 700R4 behind it. What are opinions on that?

I will also have to fix a spring shackle on the drivers side. I have never done anything like that before so any info would be helpfull. Also along with that I was thinking I might want to replace some of the steering components in the front. Its a bit more loosey-goosey than I would like if I am going to be driving for long periods at a time.

I also have bought the... I think its M1D1? Disc brake bracket set. So that I can convert to discs on the front.

Most of this stuff I have not done before but I am always into learning more. I have already done an engine swap before so I know I have at least some skills. As I said I am very open to suggestions as to what to do. I dont have a specific destination so I dont plan on going anywhere fast but I want decent mileage out of it and the ability to drive on the freeway. Thanks in advance.

Lawton, MI? Been 25 years since I've passed through there. Still just one stop sign at 3rd and Main or has that booming metropolis got it's first stop light? lol

Nope no stop light yet. Although everyone complains about wanting one.

Lets talk roof,,,,,,,I threw a rope over the roof on my 1st Gen and marked it with tape at the front end and rear drip rail,,,,,,And then I measured between the marks,,,,,and it says 139 inches,,,,,,so what does a 2nd Gen say?????

I will check that measurement you want. By front end what do you mean? Just like where the roofline ends? Or you talkin front of the drip rail?

Yes its a 108.

The brake light on the dash.

Haha I know that its a warning light. I understand the concept of basically everything in / on a car. The practice of my knowledge is where I dont have much experience.

Anyways. I was simply stating that I didnt know why it was on since I havnt done anything but drive it home from where I got it. I planned on checking the fluid level before anything else. Thanks for the info about the junction box though. Now I know what to do if its not the fluid level.

Ok Just measured the roof. I got approximately 159" give or take a few.

lawton-were practically neighbors.come out for a beer sometime,im in south haven-sonny

I would be up to that. I refuse to drive on our salt infested michigan roads with the van though. So thats not coming out of storage until the snow is gone for good.

Oh and you do realize Im not of drinking age right?

Michigan has a drinking age?

Just Kidding, just kidding.

JC it's good to see a young man make plans with an early. I'd like to help a little with the 40 year old electrical side with a colorized wiring diagram.

You may want to print it out and cover it with clear self adhesive plastic to help keep it around.

I also print this drawing of the front of the fuse box on the back of the sheet to the far right so it can be flipped over.
I've indicated on here how to upgrade your ignition to HEI and the tap for additional gauge lighting.
As for the brake light on the dash staying on, follow Donivan's sugestion (which is always a good idea, he is our on board Guru) by first removing the Tan 18 gauge wire from the Brake Fliud Warning Switch. This lamp needs the switch for it's ground to come on. The next step is at the ignition switch where it, like the other warning lamps, gets grounded for a lamp test in the momentary start position. This maybe the problem and it would be a good idea to replace the ignition switch anyway before a road trip. It's removal is done by inserting a paper clip in the hole beside the key to turn the key further counter clock wise.

For your other brake light problem I need more information.
There are some common problems, like the fuse for the brake lights also feeds the dome lights which often gets damaged. The brake switch being in the weather will go bad.
The Neutral Safety/Back-up switch will get too much slop at the shaft. (obsolete part?)
The fuse box connections and like most of the others need cleaning and grease.
If the connection under the driver's seat is still there, it definitely needs some TLC.

Remember there is no such thing as a dumb question.

I didnt realize the ignition switch effected the dashlights so much. That might very well be the problem (if its not something with the fluid/drums). The ignition has already been upgraded but the guy did it seperate from the ignition switch. It has a wire with an alligator clip on it that you have to connect to another wire going into a fuse block under the dash. So you can run the electrical with that disconnected but if you crank it it doesnt start. I dont know how it works since I dont know too much about electrical and havnt looked at it, so that might very well be causing a problem if it wasnt done right.

The van is about to go to a storage place so I have not really looked into much. Once it is moved I will have access to it and will be working on it since at that point it will not be moved again until the end of winter.

G-Man they are a challenge to put together. Here are 5 seperate pages that might help.

I print them on card stock paper. If you or anyone else don't feel like bothering I could mail you one for $10.
earlyvans@gmail.com

JC I don't like the sound of that setup for your ignition. So to kill the motor you have to remove the clip and leave a bare hot wire sticking out. If you leave this connected with the motor off you can start to cook the coil in the HEI (that goes for leaving the ignition switch in the run postion instead of accessory too when wired with the switch).
But that shouldn't leave the brake light on the dash on.

Another upgrade would be to remove the seperate voltage regulator and replace it with a 3 wire internal set-up.
Converting an Externally Regulated to an Internally Regulated Alternator

Its not that bad... The wire isnt fully bare. Just the end of it before it hits the fuse box. I actually thought it would make for pretty good security against theives. I was thinking I would want to put a switch on it if I left it like that though.

Well that Ignition thing came back and bit me in the rear. Went to move it to the storage place a few days ago and apparantly the key got left in the 'on' position. It was completly dead, no lights or anything. Put it on the battery charger for awhile and went to start it. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The lights work, but the starter doesnt even try to turn. So going through the electrical is the first thing Im doing now.

I just found a deal on a transmission for the 4.3L V6 / 700R4 I was thinking of putting in. Still wanted a little feed back on that if anyone has any. You know, would it be a good driveline or would a V8 just be better?

Hey JC,

If your planning on doing some major long hauling, you might want to think about your ride quality, unless your into having your van ride beat you up everyday of your trip. I've already done exactly what your thinking about and noticed how much improved the handling and the better general overall behavior of the van on the highway when I upgraded the shocks, springs and added sway bars F&R. The steering was nice, tight & controlled, the ride quality was so good that I didn't have a sore back or sore butt from being banged around. Also since vans are not really world famous for their aerodynamics, the sway bars & shocks were a great help, especially when those big rigs & buses blew by you, they'll save from accidently ending up in the weeds (premature trip killer). I hope the TRAVEL GODS smile on you!!! If you have doubts about your van making the entire trip, you may want to invest into AAA Auto Club membership, this will see you thru to the end of your trek. Happy Trails to You

Thanks for the advice I will definetly look into that stuff. Do the second gens have sway bars? As I have stated previously since the van wasnt in a spot that I could really get into repairing it I didnt look at much.

Also just to let anyone looking into this know. I found the problem with the electrical. When I hooked up the battery charger I managed to knock a wire loose.

Well no one ever gave any opinions on my driveline combo, but I figure if it can get 25mpg in an Astro van it should do alright in mine. Plus it was easily available for me. So anyways I now have the 4.3l V6 and have started the tear down on it. I plan on giving it a little more pep but I dont plan on doing anything too radical.