1967 Panel getting the 4x4 treatment - with pictures!

Thinking more about it, I'm probably gonna sell my '79 K5 to get some $$ going for this project. Anyone innthe MD area who wants one, message me for details.

Swapped the wheels and tires from the K5 to the van today.  The K5 will be for sale soon and I wanted to save the better set for the van.  Problem is I think they might look too small!  They're only 1 inch shorter but about 2 inches narrower (BFG 35x12.50 R15) What do y'all think?  

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Here's the K5 with the old tires on it, they are flat spotted from sitting and dry-cracked but should be fine for offroad.  If anyone is interested I'm asking $3000, but I'll take 2500 if someone on here wants it.

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Looking real good, how much travel do you have without rubbing?

Hey everyone I'm back.  Had to get through some other projects and put the van on the back burner for awhile but progress has begun again.  I ordered most of the stuff necessary to convert the 350 back to carb and I've been searching around for some gas tank and radiator ideas that will be able to fit in this 2-vehicle frankenstein.  

Went down today and pulled off the old TBI intake and got the carb one ready to go on.  Got a brand new HEI distributor, electric fuel pump, ignition switch, long tube headers, and a bunch of gaskets and misc. stuff ready to go but I ran out of daylight.  

Also figured out what i'm gonna do for steering.  This has been a big obstacle in my mind - but the solution is turning out to be pretty straightforward.  Gonna take a reverse rotation power steering box out of a '77 Dodge Ram (or similar) and bolt it to a plate that'll be welded onto the van's frame channel.  Part of the frame channel will have to be removed but I'll make sure it's still strong by adding some additional bracing for the floorboards up front.  The pickup frame is now the true "structural" frame so I'm not too worried about it as long as the steering box has a strong mount.  

The Dodge reverse rotation box has the pitman arm hanging off the side like our factory Chevy/GMC units and it pushes/pulls appropriately for the direction of the turn.  I will have to take some pictures of this arrangement when it's done - might be applicable for adding power steering to a 2WD van as well.  

No pictures for today and they're saying we might get about 8-10" of snow tomorrow, but updates will be coming as weather and funds permit!

(Rip I havent measured the travel yet but I'm thinking it will be pretty decent. I'm not planning on any real off roading anyway just some occasional snow, mud and beach sand)

Cool! This is gonna be slick!

So after what felt like about 15 straight weeks of snow, rain, and cold nastyness here in MD I  took advantage of a nice Sunday (and a rainy Monday) and put my engine back together.  After a little effort getting it to turn over (one cylinder with a little rust on the rings from sitting    ) I put on new intake, carb, HEI distributor, spark plugs, wires, fuel pump, battery, cables, and long tube headers.  After that I stuck my fuel line down into a gas can, let the electric pump fill up the carb bowls then gave it a few squirts with the accelerator pump.  Two or three revolutions on the key and she jumped to life!  Dumped a huge cloud of smoke too from all the oil I'd fed into the cylinders getting her un-stuck.  I didn't set the timing with a light yet but it sounded good by ear. Overall a good step in the right direction, but there's still lots to do.  Next on my list is rebuilding the brake system and finishing up the engine accessories like the belts, bracket and radiator.  I also have a guy coming down to estimate the job of making me a mount for the new steering box and replacing the doghouse and all the other rust I've cut out. Hopefully he takes it easy on me, I'm pretty tapped for now after this round of new parts!  Here's a few pictures of the motor, nothing too exciting though:  

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I know it's a shame to put all that nice new stuff on such a crusty looking motor, but I was just trying to establish that it will run being switched back to carb. Mission accomplished, putting "clean up and paint engine" on the very long list now...

Nice work. Once you get it running and driving, I'd like to hear a report on how you like those summit carburetors

So far the summit carb seems pretty nice. It came in a very sturdy box with nice packaging to keep it safe and the tag on it said it was "wet flow tested" before shipping. I don't know what they use for this test but it smelled kinda solvent-y out of the box. There's a sight glass in the side of the bowl so I could tell when the fuel pump had filled it and the accelerator pump squirted right away. So far so good, I'm not looking for a high performance application so maybe this 600cfm carb will give me nice low-RPM drivability. Fingers crossed!

Well no cruising yet, but I did get the brake system all plumbed and went through the rear brakes over the last 2 days.  Decided to go with the factory van M/C feeding the truck's proportioning valve then run new lines to the calipers/drums.  Got lucky that the truck's front lines were in good shape but I had to replace the main line running to the back and the line across the rear axle. I borrowed a hydraulic flaring tool from the mechanic at work and it worked like a charm once I got it figured out.  Bleeder screw was broken off on one of the rear brakes, meaning I needed a new wheel cylinder anyway so I went ahead and replaced both sides and did new shoes, springs, and a cleanup/coat of paint while I was in there.  One of the front bleeder screws is broken off too so the front brakes will be next.  Nothing too exciting but here's a few pictures anyway:

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That freshened up real nice!!! Looking Good OD!  

Quick update:  Got the front brakes gone through with new pads and one caliper (the other one was pretty new anyway). Also did new front wheel bearings and cleaned up/greased the 4x4 locking hubs. Brake pedal feels good using the van master cylinder feeding the brakes that came with the truck frame.  One fitting that I made is a little leaky, creating one hanging drip of brake fluid after me standing on the pedal. Not terrible but I still have to re-do it before she's roadworthy. Wired up the alternator and its charging good. Set the timing with an actual light not just by ear and came up with a plan for a gas tank.  Radiator and electric fan are on the way so that'll be next.  Once that's done I'm giving her to a welder again to get the steering box mounted, trans crossmember made, and doghouse reconstructed along with patching in a few random pieces where I cut out rusty floor sections up front. Pictures to come...

lovin this build!!

Me too! back2thewoods your van in your picture has been one that I've looked at for inspiration several times on here. Lifted with some hot rod flames? BAD ASS if you ask me. I haven't figured out my paint yet but I'm thinking matte white with gunmetal accents (grille, bumpers, etc..) I just hope it come out looking as cool as yours does... Going to do a rowdy interior too, all in due time.

thanks dirty, sold that one kickin myself in the ass, got another build in the works.