by dirtbag69 Sat Jul 18, 2015 7:41 amHi Everyone, great site you have here.
I just got a 1969 A108 with a /6 engine. I've been a vanner for a decade and a half, but have always been a Chevy Shorty (71-77) guy. This is my first early! And my first three on the tree! And my first Dodge!
My buddy picked it up for me in Tuscon (we got the price down, thankfully). And he's working on it with his mechanic, having all that greasy fun without me. Argh! I'll be down there soon enough (we have some issues coordinating dates) to join in the van madness.
Here's the rundown: the engine is tops, but as soon as my buddy got it home we found some issues: a crack in the bellhousing and we are rebuilding the clutch with a kit. Also, previous owner put the front spindles on the wrong sides of the van. The fun has begun! When everything is done, we'll know exactly where the van is mechanically.
After the trans and clutch are all gone through and rebuilt and sorted, my next move is to convert the front brakes to discs. I have been reading up as much as possible on this. Expect me to ask you a few questions as we go along.
After all that's done, I will be driving her home with a nice leisurely stop over in Las Vegas for an overdue vacation. I should say, Vancation. If only I were there right now ...
Here's a pic. Van came with all the trim pieces and bezels (not in the pics, may have been purchased towards the previous owners build) and has an extra set of doors with windows (not pop outs). The current set up is a no (rear) window van. Which is nice and unique, but damn it is gonna get hot in there driving through the desert.
Current tires and wheels look good. But I am itching to get slotted mags on there. I'd like to give the truck a nice stance. Do people run larger size tires/wheels in the back to get a nice stance or do they do the leaf springs? What kinds of wheel/tire combos do people run on these earlies for a good van stance?
This will not be a city van or daily driver. This will be a van for trips up and down the Cali coast, some tooling around (I live out at the beach), hauling motos and mopeds, going to bike and moped rallies, etc.
After I get the truck mechanically sorted and the disc brakes on, I'll also want to find someone to paint it. I'm actually looking around the NV area to see if I can find someone to paint it there (I heard you'll get a better paint job for the money due to how NV and CA regulate auto paint). If anyone has any recommendations for paint shops, I'm all ears. My budget is not show room quality. It's a budget to protect and keep the van alive.
Welp, hopefully I asked enough questions for a noob. Nice to meet you all. Looking forward to seeing more of you on the forum.
I just got a 1969 A108 with a /6 engine. I've been a vanner for a decade and a half, but have always been a Chevy Shorty (71-77) guy. This is my first early! And my first three on the tree! And my first Dodge!
My buddy picked it up for me in Tuscon (we got the price down, thankfully). And he's working on it with his mechanic, having all that greasy fun without me. Argh! I'll be down there soon enough (we have some issues coordinating dates) to join in the van madness.
Here's the rundown: the engine is tops, but as soon as my buddy got it home we found some issues: a crack in the bellhousing and we are rebuilding the clutch with a kit. Also, previous owner put the front spindles on the wrong sides of the van. The fun has begun! When everything is done, we'll know exactly where the van is mechanically.
After the trans and clutch are all gone through and rebuilt and sorted, my next move is to convert the front brakes to discs. I have been reading up as much as possible on this. Expect me to ask you a few questions as we go along.
After all that's done, I will be driving her home with a nice leisurely stop over in Las Vegas for an overdue vacation. I should say, Vancation. If only I were there right now ...
Here's a pic. Van came with all the trim pieces and bezels (not in the pics, may have been purchased towards the previous owners build) and has an extra set of doors with windows (not pop outs). The current set up is a no (rear) window van. Which is nice and unique, but damn it is gonna get hot in there driving through the desert.
Current tires and wheels look good. But I am itching to get slotted mags on there. I'd like to give the truck a nice stance. Do people run larger size tires/wheels in the back to get a nice stance or do they do the leaf springs? What kinds of wheel/tire combos do people run on these earlies for a good van stance?
This will not be a city van or daily driver. This will be a van for trips up and down the Cali coast, some tooling around (I live out at the beach), hauling motos and mopeds, going to bike and moped rallies, etc.
After I get the truck mechanically sorted and the disc brakes on, I'll also want to find someone to paint it. I'm actually looking around the NV area to see if I can find someone to paint it there (I heard you'll get a better paint job for the money due to how NV and CA regulate auto paint). If anyone has any recommendations for paint shops, I'm all ears. My budget is not show room quality. It's a budget to protect and keep the van alive.
Welp, hopefully I asked enough questions for a noob. Nice to meet you all. Looking forward to seeing more of you on the forum.
