Gothy's new 68 High top NOW WITH PICS! :)

So I think I finally found the van. Its the right deal, the right price, and the right state (thank god). Lol. I havent seen it yet, but I'll be going todn to SD today to check it out. 68 with a V8 auto. Needs engine work, tags, probably tires and maybe a door (bad rust in only the door i hear). I talked to the guy last night, he seems really cool. Body's supposed to be good, glass and the rest of the mechanics are supposed to be viable. I havent driven one in almost two decades, the Ouroboros has nearly cycled again haha.

I'll post more when I know more, but Im SUPER stoked.

Congrats!
Sure hope it isn't a bucket o' rust.

Bought it. It's a 68 travco family wagon. 90% gutted but that's ok. Got a couple bad wires but it starts. Brakes work and the bodies really really really straight. Original paint, in fair shape, and has 2 rust spots one is in a janky door which needs to be replaced, and the other is a small section of the drip rail. Easy fix. $500 all the glass is good, and it looks to be an easy runner! I think I won one here I wish I knew how to do pics from my phone, I'd post them up. Maybe I can figure it out from the work computer tomorrow. I'd like to c what you guys think!

It's a Christmas miracle! Sounds like your patience paid off. Congrats. Lookin fwd to the pics

I took all the pics pretty much before the guy arrived to open the van for me. At that point I already knew I was going to buy it so no big deal, lol. By the time he got there based on what we had talked about on the phone, and what I saw there was pretty much nothing he could say to dissuede me from buying the van. So I was too excited to think about taking more pics then.
I think Ive got this all figured out... Here goes some outside pics.

And here's some other pics. Does anyone know of a link to a VIN decoder? Im curious as to what it might tell me.









Odom shows 88k miles, and from the looks of the gas and brake pedal it seems right, so thats a plus. the underbelly seems to be in great shape save for the missing belly pan (anyone have one for sale?) and the shackles. I noticed that the rear shackles seem to be upside down. Is that normal on this vehicle? Or did that just happen somewhere along the way do you think? Doesnt seem normal to any vehicle Im aware of.

Oh, I have the complete doghouse and engine parts, it had rats so the guy took apart and cleaned everything. Seemed to be a guy with a clue too, so he saved all of what seems important. The gas tank loks fine outwardly, but we'll see from the inside soon.

Oh, and the funniest thing. The step by the middle doors on the passenger side has an unusual modification. Im not sure if it was supposed to be electric at one time or what, but it has been fitted with a manual actuator handle up through the floor right by the jamb. Its a three foot pipe cranked over to kick out the step. I feel like im disengaging a freakin guillotine catch or lowering a drawbridge or something. pretty funny.

Looks good!
So you need - front bumper, antenna, wiper refills, driver side pop out window, rear bumper, a set of tires, a battery and a better crash pad. Oh, and a Blue steering wheel wrap!
Does the key work all the locks, did you get a gas cap key?
Did you get a battery box top? Is the bottom all rotted or is it okay? I'd also get the right radiator hoses soon.
Take it to a car wash and have a friend stay inside when you hose it down to check for leaks.

I noticed that the rear shackles seem to be upside down. Is that normal on this vehicle? Or did that just happen somewhere along the way do you think? Doesnt seem normal to any vehicle Im aware of.

They are supposed to bolt to the body and go UP to the spring. This is the normal position, and judging from where the wheel is in the body, it's correct.

it had rats so the guy took apart and cleaned everything.

Check over the wiring very carefully. They are usually bad after 50 years, and rats tend to chew the insulation off! Do this before putting in the battery.

The step by the middle doors on the passenger side has an unusual modification. Im not sure if it was supposed to be electric at one time or what, but it has been fitted with a manual actuator handle up through the floor right by the jamb.

When the fancy step with all the pivots gets a few years of grime and rust on it, they tend to be hard to operate. The stock setup is a link to the door under the small cover. You can lube the step at each pivot point and make sure it operates freely. Then try to find or make a link rod to the door.
Since the forum design chops off the side of the pic, just save a copy to your computer to see it all.

Gothboy wrote:And here's some other pics. Does anyone know of a link to a VIN decoder? Im curious as to what it might tell me.

Yeah, it's half a parsec from this site, across the interwebs!
http://www.vintage-vans.com/dodge_vin.html

RodStRace wrote:Looks good!
So you need - front bumper, antenna, wiper refills, driver side pop out window, rear bumper, a set of tires, a battery and a better crash pad. Oh, and a Blue steering wheel wrap!
Does the key work all the locks, did you get a gas cap key?
Did you get a battery box top? Is the bottom all rotted or is it okay? I'd also get the right radiator hoses soon.
Take it to a car wash and have a friend stay inside when you hose it down to check for leaks.

I'll probably pull the front bumper off just until I find a new one so the van doesnt look so horrid. It has a big step rear bumper that looks ok so I can live with that for abit. Antenna, wipers dirt cheap. Pop out will wait till I come across one, Im not going to search for one...yet. I have a set of tires at home, theyre good rollers atleast. Crash pad...That makes me sad, but I dont NEED it yet. Soon. That steering wheel wrap is gross right? trash. I'll pick up a cheap used battery for testing this week. I have the battery box top, the bottom looks rusty, but not TOOOO bad. Clean and repaint should do. Keys: I have the gas cap key AND spare. brand new came with van when HE bought it. Door keys work front two doors, middle door is trash never tried it. Middle door NEEDS to be replaced ASAP. Too jacked to shut properly. Rear door tire blocks key lock. Will try soon.

As far as car wash... I have ALOT of sealing to do before I go there. The top needs to be re sealed onto the van, and the top windows and front windshield have HUUUUUGGGEEE gaps in the rubber. I'll seal them for now and pick up new rubber when I get paid.

RodStRace wrote:Check over the wiring very carefully. They are usually bad after 50 years, and rats tend to chew the insulation off! Do this before putting in the battery.

Yeah... The wiring looks pretty bad in some places. Needs battery cables yesterday, and I'll inspect each systems wiring before I turn anything on. First order of busniess, make it move itself reliably. It already stops ok. The rats ate ALL of the doghouse insulation. No sweat theres a few threads on here about that. I can do it.

RodStRace wrote:When the fancy step with all the pivots gets a few years of grime and rust on it, they tend to be hard to operate. The stock setup is a link to the door under the small cover. You can lube the step at each pivot point and make sure it operates freely. Then try to find or make a link rod to the door.

I'll lube it all and try it again. That upper rod and bracket that are under the cover inside the van are whats welded to the "headsmans handle" that protrudes up from the floor three feet. Its retarded and silly, and I kind of like it for now. As long as I can discern that it wont cause further damage to the step system I'll leave it for a while. Its ugly but it works right?

All in all I think it was a killer deal for $500. I'll head back down to the San Marcos area and get it towed home saturday.

***Immediate shopping list!
Not in any order but needed REALLY BAD!

Belly pan
locking door
rad hoses
re-seal hightop edges and plug holes for now.
battery cables
windshield seal rubber
high top window rubber seals
roof vent cover (got a hole in it)
remove rear rack and weather tape holes temporarily(I already have Tires, vaccuum hose, fuel hose, oil press, air filter, fluids etc)

This is already fun! I cant wait til saturday! Anyone around san marcos have a belly pan and a locking door they want to sell me? I'll be in your neighborhood for a little bit saturday waiting for the tow truck.

5 bills is a good deal.
I'd suggest getting a couple cans of PB Plaster or similar penetrating oil and start spraying everything that is supposed to move. Door hinges and latches, throttle linkage, pedal pivots, lock mechanisms, etc. Also hit every bolt you expect to put a wrench on in the next two months!
If you have a grease gun, hit every zerk you can find. Expect to have to repeat this after it's run a few miles, since it probably has been ignored and a few places will need to be freed up to accept grease. Expect to replace every fluid too.
http://www.sweptline.com/tech/maintain.html

Here's hoping that the gas tank and radiator won't have to be pulled and repaired, but it will probably be something down the road if not now.
And for a small item, the spark plug wire looms for that style valve cover are available.
http://www.classicindustries.com/mopar/parts/md2401.html

Oh heck yea man. It's going to be dripping penetrant for a few days haha! Everything that moves, should move, or I want it to move like bolts. And yea the front susp has a little play in it. I was able to turn the steering wheel two inches before seeing the tire start to move, so I'll be lubing, tightening and adjusting anything I can.

Concerning the gas tank I'll pull the sender and look inside while its still attached to the van. That'll tell me whether Im going to drop the tank or not. Dont worry though, If its dark inside the gas tank I'll use a lighter to see better.

And thanks for the links rod! I didnt know they reproduced that loom separator! Oh, and that side step diagram is going to come in handy too! thank you!

RodStRace wrote:When the fancy step with all the pivots...
...The stock setup is a link to the door... You can lube the step at each pivot point and make sure it operates freely.

Yes. And after that, if you forget one or two times that the step is there and activated by the opening of the door, you'll understand why it was one of the first things I got rid of when I got my van. A guy can take being kicked in the shins just so many times...

RodStRace wrote:And for a small item, the spark plug wire looms for that style valve cover are available.
http://www.classicindustries.com/mopar/parts/md2401.html

WOW. What a treat. Thank you Mr R. These have been on my "list of things to hunt down" for at least 15 years now. I scrounged my current ones from a wrecking yard and had to scrape the red paint off them.

Yes. And after that, if you forget one or two times that the step is there and activated by the opening of the door, you'll understand why it was one of the first things I got rid of when I got my van. A guy can take being kicked in the shins just so many times... [/quote]

Thats hilarious AND understandable. Also most likely explains why the step on mine has been converted to manually actuated.

Gothboy wrote:Also most likely explains why the step on mine has been converted to manually actuated.

Yes, that would be a clever way to solve the 'problem'.

I remember playing with the 67 parts van we had, I thought the step was fun and would open and close the door multiple times a day. This was when I was 7 or 8.

^^^ that's awesome!!! So I have an update for you all. I got it towed home today. Changed out a couple of the tires, put in a battery and a temp fuel tank.

IT RUNS!!! And! And it wants to move when you shift into gear!!! (Anyone know what ATF to use? i cant recall.) Wow!!! Tags have been on non for 10 years so its got super cheap tags. The glove go was full of new ignition parts! It'll be mobile soon and drivable after I insulate the doghouse. oh! All lights work too! I'm amazed! ill run the factory 15 inch wheels until I get my dodgeram 20" wheels ready to go on.

I think it likes me.

Congrats!!!
ATF is Dextron, not Ford.
Check while running in Neutral, NOT Park.
Flush out the old brake fluid too before that 'test drive' around the block.
Disconnect the battery when not working on it until it's got some run time on it. A bare wire or dead battery will slow your progress.

RodStRace wrote:Congrats!!!
Disconnect the battery when not working on it until it's got some run time on it. A bare wire or dead battery will slow your progress.

Good advice as usual Mr R. After watching a neighbor's rv go up in smoke from 'just sitting there', I mounted a knife-type battery cut-off switch on the doghouse under the seat.

Thank you BOTH for that intel. I will use both ideas! Ill pick up a blade style connector tomorrow.

You're welcome Mr Gb. The switch is in the negative lead. I mounted it out of the way but still conveniently accessible – while sitting in the seat I can pass my left hand down through the steering wheel and then between my legs and under the seat to flip it on or off. I turn it off whenever I shut the engine down and walk away. As a side benefit, not knowing about the switch would make it pretty challenging for the average thief to hot-wire the rig.

So Ive done a bit of work to the A last couple of days. I found the Travco top was barely hanging on because all the mounting screws were either gone or uselessly rusted. Ive replaced the screws and re fastened the entire top after rust convertering the drip rail area for good measure. I might be able to get it all sealed up tonight. I also found that the back doors were not in fact locked but the hinges were frozen. I managed to save al that mass. Lubed and worked all the "door pin" latches real good. got 3 out of 4 doors working great. I need two door locks. :/ Oh well, I'll go visit the Jyards and scout up something. realized the back doors actually are different than the side. The sides have a tangible internal door lock, where as the rear doors only have external. I didnt know that. Im sure they're interchangable other than that though, so thats a non issue. Got some round tires on it now instead of the flat bottomed ones. and I found that my glove box door is broke. But the upside is that in the glove box was old registration, 3 complete sets (minus caps and plug wires) of ignition parts, AND the OG owners manual! cool!

More to come in the coming days.

Round tires should help with mpg

Rear doors do not have the internal handle the side does (latch difference, not the door itself). The rear also does not have the internal lock and the door inner frame does not have the hole for the lock linkage.
Rear door has Dodge (or Fargo) letters and holes, side does not.
The locks are not easily re-keyed. The later stuff is something an average locksmith can do, the early stuff (like all the As) requires a superb locksmith. So if you go hunting, try to get a key!
Also, if you find a JY van, try to get the whole set if they are all the same.

Nice idea, rebar! Does the van die with the switch thrown (stops charging too?)
I put one of these in the rod, so I can add another measure of theft prevention to it, but it doesn't kill the car like is required by NHRA and other racing bodies, since I plan on using it on the positive side.