Neil and Tom's Arizona Adventure...part two!

any problems adapting for the super six? - nice to hear the seller is very cool to let yous do all the work there - oo3

Yes! Problems!

The throttle cable was too short, so we bent the throttle bracket up into a weird pretzel to make it work.

We had to drop the gas tank last night, that was a pain in the butt! The sending unit was plugged solid. Got that all back together, and things are looking up. A few wiring problems which I think I've got sorted out now.

Hopefully we'll be rolling by this afternoon or tonight. We got some new/used tires we just have to go get mounted...it's a crazy adventure!

You guys want to detour up to idaho and get mine together real quick. Please.... Wish i could join the adventure

Okay, so I'm home.

I'm not really sure where to start with the continuation of this story. I don't want to flood this forum with photos, so I'll make up a site with the photos...but a few won't hurt!

On our first night we got the motor out of the van...

Then we got tired and started up again the next day.

We pulled the motor from the Volare (that's me in the photo) and put it in the van.

As I said, we had to bend the throttle bracket and our fan was too close to the rad. We found a smaller van spacer, but it was still too big...so we moved the radiator forward a little with some spacers!

I had brought a pilot bushing with me, it was the right size (thank God) and we had a hard time getting the motor plugged in, but eventually it went and everything was good.

We dropped the old seized motor (minus a few parts) into the Volare and sold it for scrap for $50 to some guy I found on Craigslist. Apparently metal prices are down? Or maybe we just burned...either way it doesn't matter because the Volare served its purpose. I would have loved to rob the Volare of its disc brakes, 8 1/4" rear, radiator and perfect interior, but it wasn't in the cards this time.

By 6pm on the second day (Thursday) we were rolling down the road. We stopped at a Pep Boys to top up the rear end (which howled the whole way home...I guess it's wearing) and a grease job. They were so slow, we finally did it ourselves and they only billed us for the jug of rear end fluid.

Around Cottonwood, Arizona, (incidentally this is where we were pulled over in June by the cop because our plate lights didn't work) we stopped in a Burger King parking lot to reorganize our stuff and figure out our bed. After about an hour in the parking lot, the FUZZ arrived! I think there are Camp Verde Marshalls.

Sheriff and two other cruisers. Uh oh.....

Apparently they have a bad crystal meth drug problem in this town and the Burger King called the cops on us. We proceeded to tell them our story...and they weren't really buying it until I pulled out my camera and showed them the photos. By the end, the woman officer was telling us about her Dad's old A100 she remembered as a kid and the Sheriff was telling us about a GTO or something he owned. Needless to say, they let us go....although being arrested by the woman cop could have been fun! :-)

In Moriarty, we found this guy named Archie with about 1000 cars and trucks. They're just his collection, like a museum. In the barn, he's got about 20 perfect condition cars including Model A's, '55 T-birds, trucks...you name it. Incredible!

There was an old Greenbrier and a Dodge StreetVan in there too.

I'll tell you, in the middle of the desert it gets really cold at night!

We were so cold, we decided to get the heater working. That wasn't even good enough so we figured out a rear heater! A $12 bathroom fan, a $28 Chevy heater core, some duct tape and heater hose and we had a really hot blowing rear heater! (with help from Tom's power converter). We ran the hoses through a rust hole in the front floor pan...

In Tulsa, OK, we decided to paint the van (if read about our excellent adventure part one -> https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/vintage-vans-general-discussion-f1/neil-and-tom-s-arizona-adventure-t413.htm you'll remember we stopped here and painted the first van.

Lowe's supplied a roller and brush and about $20 later the van looks like new!

Here's the van before...and after.

The van ran like a dream. No problems at all...just the cold! We added weatherstripping everywhere too.

Eventually we made it home, but hit a bad snow storm around Detroit. The first snow this van has ever seen....and its first salt too. Darn...oh well, we'll have to give the van a good washing throughout to get that salt out.

Finally we made it home. 2600 miles there, 2600 miles back. The motor now has 45,000 miles on her.

It's sub zero temperatures here, the van (and my blue one) will soon be put away for winter and in spring we'll continue where we left off.

It was a rough trip, lots of stress, unknowns, a few big arguments and not enough sleep...but it was absolutely one of the best trips of my life! I want to one day do the trip again, in an early van, but leisurely and take in the sights a little more.

In fact, Tom and I have vowed to do just that with our two A100's one day.

Ya, I wish we weren't in such a rush...but the trip was mainly just to get the van. We arrived home at 1am and Tom was working today.

Next time I will do it leisurely and visit early owners all along the way, I swear!

Congrats on completing one hell of a trip and scoring two nice vans. Your last name must be MacGYVER (from the TV show)the rear heater looked like something he would do. When you go again give me a shout, you had to be somewhere close to western Ky. on your way. If the timing is right we could caravan out to see Vanish. Great story and pic's.

wideload

That is awesome!! I imagine McDonald's, Krispy Kreme and pretty cop chicks relieved some of the stress along the way!

Later,
Rip

Great story and acquisition! Way to go guys!!! We need more ppl like you for this "Awesome" hobby of ours! That being VANS!!!
B.W.

glad you guys made it home safely. great parking lot paint job,couldnt do any better myself . you didnt get ripped on the valorie scraps in the crapper im lucky to get 90$ for a car that size. i do agree with you on some day doing it over again only at your leisure and take in the sights.

That's awesome Neil! Congrats to both you guys... takes some big brass ones to do what you did TWICE!

Very cool story. Glad you made it back successfully!!!

Great story,and good to hear you both made it home safe. And hopefully you finally got warm.

No, it's absolutely freezing here in Canada!

Now I'm looking at my blue van and wishing I had a heater. Anyone got a heater for sale?

You looking for a heater for your 65 van??/ Or your garage so you can work on your van?? Have any trouble getting across the border this time??

Heater for the van! Mine's missing...

No problems at the border, the US officials are only too happy to kiss their old iron goodbye.

Thanks for all the positive encouragement, it helps me realize we did the right thing saving these two vans.