by Lazarusvan Thu Jan 01, 2015 9:02 pmI finally bit the bullet yesterday and had my van towed off from my house. After searching for nearly a year via this forum, I paid top dollar and purchased a van from VCVC moderator and VV's member (GregW98), Greg Worley. It was marketed as a ready to go, rust free van with a rebuilt motor that he wouldn't dream of taking a dollar less for because it was so nice, but it was anything but that.
It had plenty of hidden rust, shortcuts galore, lamp cord for wiring, COMPLETELY rusted out exhaust which I have since replaced (it was extremely loud as a result and nearly killed me with fumes since it had a hole at the manifold and rear) dry rotted/old tires, worn out wheels in need of total restoration, silicone glued wheel caps, rusted through barn doors, rust bubbled drivers doors, was missing most door seals, de-laminated vent windows, old, cracked windshield glass, disconnected E-Brake, leaking windshield, a tranny that wouldn't go into drive without warming up, non-working heater core and every place that oil or transmission fluid could leak, it did. It arrived with obvious signs of an oil leak as oil was slung up on the barn doors.
Those are just some of the issues. If you learn any lesson from me, NEVER purchase a vintage vehicle based upon photos or anyone's supposed reputation. Look at it yourself and if you can't verify they have rebuilt anything, don't believe them. It was clear that he was selling it because it was riddled with problems I am now correcting. When I mentioned these things to him, he told me he considered them minor annoyances. I considered them expenses I couldn't afford and justify, especially after paying all the money for a tip top van he told me would "give me years of trouble free service."
I have been plagued with running issues from Day One, spent thousands on repairs and finally decided to stop chasing problems and start from scratch. I have never gotten to enjoy the van I dreamed of and I doubt I've put more than 500-800 miles on it because it never ran correctly. It has sat for the last 6 months after dumping a ton of fluid on my driveway.
The 26 year old mechanic that will likely do all aspects of my restoration already yanked it from the van and tore it apart. We explored doing a compression test first, but a quick look inside with his camera indicated the motor was anything but recently rebuilt and showed many miles of wear and tear. He said, without question, that I was running with one cylinder down, and it was certainly that way when Greg Worley sold it to me because it's run like crap from the start and that was never able to be corrected, even after tossing many $$$ at it.
The first project is rebuilding and restoring the engine to like new condition. As for the tranny, I plan to purchase a rebuilt 700r4 or, at the very least, rebuild my 350 if the gear ratios don't make sense. I am keeping the engine stock other than the addition of headers.
I've posted in the showcase before, but nothing ever happened. I nearly gave up and threw in the towel. This time, it's happening and I am confident I will have a van that actually runs well when I get it back. I will have lots of questions and appreciate the help. I also promise to not mention this con artist again, but I wanted it to be preserved here for anyone that might have any dealings with him in terms of purchasing a van in the future. He may be helpful to you in terms of fixing your van, but don't trust him if you are purchasing one or want one done right. I will never be able to come close to getting my money back in terms of what I will have invested but it's my duty to preserve this van for the next guy.
Here are a few photos of what I can show you in terms of rust (again, after two years) and the supposedly rebuilt motor.)
This started peeling immediately. Both sides of the van look similar condition wise. Obviously not rust but a paint adherence issue.
Lots of play:
This is the lifter of the cylinder that likely wasn't firing:
Note the nearly flat cam shaft lobe:
I am curious whether or not all of our vans have galvanized steel around the wheel wells? This is clearly a place that the paint didn't adhere well and it started cracking off as soon as I made an friction with it getting in and out.
It had plenty of hidden rust, shortcuts galore, lamp cord for wiring, COMPLETELY rusted out exhaust which I have since replaced (it was extremely loud as a result and nearly killed me with fumes since it had a hole at the manifold and rear) dry rotted/old tires, worn out wheels in need of total restoration, silicone glued wheel caps, rusted through barn doors, rust bubbled drivers doors, was missing most door seals, de-laminated vent windows, old, cracked windshield glass, disconnected E-Brake, leaking windshield, a tranny that wouldn't go into drive without warming up, non-working heater core and every place that oil or transmission fluid could leak, it did. It arrived with obvious signs of an oil leak as oil was slung up on the barn doors.
Those are just some of the issues. If you learn any lesson from me, NEVER purchase a vintage vehicle based upon photos or anyone's supposed reputation. Look at it yourself and if you can't verify they have rebuilt anything, don't believe them. It was clear that he was selling it because it was riddled with problems I am now correcting. When I mentioned these things to him, he told me he considered them minor annoyances. I considered them expenses I couldn't afford and justify, especially after paying all the money for a tip top van he told me would "give me years of trouble free service."
I have been plagued with running issues from Day One, spent thousands on repairs and finally decided to stop chasing problems and start from scratch. I have never gotten to enjoy the van I dreamed of and I doubt I've put more than 500-800 miles on it because it never ran correctly. It has sat for the last 6 months after dumping a ton of fluid on my driveway.
The 26 year old mechanic that will likely do all aspects of my restoration already yanked it from the van and tore it apart. We explored doing a compression test first, but a quick look inside with his camera indicated the motor was anything but recently rebuilt and showed many miles of wear and tear. He said, without question, that I was running with one cylinder down, and it was certainly that way when Greg Worley sold it to me because it's run like crap from the start and that was never able to be corrected, even after tossing many $$$ at it.
The first project is rebuilding and restoring the engine to like new condition. As for the tranny, I plan to purchase a rebuilt 700r4 or, at the very least, rebuild my 350 if the gear ratios don't make sense. I am keeping the engine stock other than the addition of headers.
I've posted in the showcase before, but nothing ever happened. I nearly gave up and threw in the towel. This time, it's happening and I am confident I will have a van that actually runs well when I get it back. I will have lots of questions and appreciate the help. I also promise to not mention this con artist again, but I wanted it to be preserved here for anyone that might have any dealings with him in terms of purchasing a van in the future. He may be helpful to you in terms of fixing your van, but don't trust him if you are purchasing one or want one done right. I will never be able to come close to getting my money back in terms of what I will have invested but it's my duty to preserve this van for the next guy.
Here are a few photos of what I can show you in terms of rust (again, after two years) and the supposedly rebuilt motor.)
This started peeling immediately. Both sides of the van look similar condition wise. Obviously not rust but a paint adherence issue.
Lots of play:
This is the lifter of the cylinder that likely wasn't firing:
Note the nearly flat cam shaft lobe:
I am curious whether or not all of our vans have galvanized steel around the wheel wells? This is clearly a place that the paint didn't adhere well and it started cracking off as soon as I made an friction with it getting in and out.
Well u have a better start @ what u want now - knowing what u have !! Hope revenge comes from our GOD to the seller!! Just sadly it seems to be slow coming!! 
