Automatic Transmission Swap and More...

YES very, very nice indeed!

Looks great Bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still one of my favorite vans !!!!!!!!!!!

good lookin van

Thanks everyone! Too much tread G-Man? I'll take care of that but not until I break in the trans. Mechanic said take it easy for a few hundred miles. But I'll make up for lost time eventually - especially during the Woodward Cruise!

That is one clean machine!

B

Thanks B and everyone else for the nice comments. I am so thrilled with the van - moreso than ever. I have a few more things to do before the Baker's show this coming Sunday. And several more things to do before it's finished. HA HA HA! It will never be FINISHED! I will post some more pics soon of the shifter with the boot installed and, hopefully, with the surfboard installed inside the van.

Billski that is one nice van, I like that shifter. I was checking them oout on line and I figure thats the most sensable way to go. It has part revers lock out and a nutral safty switch.

What length cable did you get? Did the cable come from lockar as well? What length is that shifter handle?

M1D

Looks great.. and I hate widow vans. What size tires are you using on the 17 inch rims?????? Are those polished or chrome? Sweeeeet!

m1, we used an 8 foot cable but it wasn't from Lokar. I think the mechanic got it from Summit. The shifter is the 16 inch size and works nicely. I don't have to reach or lean too far to shift. So far very happy with everything.

wdaguy, I never was a fan of window vans either until I bought this one. Now I love them! Although I'd like to add a cargo van to my collection of one. But with the economy that may never happen. The tires are all the same size and are 275/50R/17. The wheels are polished.

I love it...but being a window van guy my view is biased...heh.

A few more pics of my van, shifter boot, and the surfboard I mounted to the inside of the van. Surfboard painted to match the van. Looks cool. Didn't have to make any cuts, holes, etc., to the interior to mount it. Can be easily removed it I so choose.[img]https://i.servimg.com/u/f86/13/9[url=https://servimg.com/view/13965106/41]6/51/06/102_0124.jpg[/img][/url]

The Silver Surfer, dude! Great job. Makes me want to bury mine in the backyard! Thanks! Really, they don't get much nicer.

B

nice job mr. bill...

Thanks guys. I appreciate the nice comments.

I really like the back seat. I hope to have mine redone soon and I was thinking of a diamond pattern like that.

So you can surf in Michigan?

Of course you can! I surf (the internet) everyday! As far as real surfing is concerned I have sticker with a guy in a wheelchair on a surfboard that reads..."SURFING IMPAIRED - TOO OLD - TOO FAT - DON'T CARE"

Bill, you could always wait for winter and head to Boyne Mtn........

Nice.. looks great.

I really like the board too. Nice touch.

Well if you read my posts from last year regarding the trans swap, I had a few issues that needed to be resolved. Had the van back to the mechanic and trans guys...after adjustments, tweaks, seals, gaskets...got the van back and it's great! Shifts perfectly. No leaks. I'm a happy camper, or more appropriately, a happy vanner. Time to detail, wax, etc., and get ready for cruising season and, of course, Baker's!

Not to but into your busienss but what did it cost to go from the 6 to the V8? I want to do the same. BTW< great color on your van. I'm going to do the same color on my panel van.

hey Bill do you still have the wheels and tires that you had in the Member Gallery?How much would a set cost now?

The wheels and tires I have on the van are not the same ones in the gallery. I now have 17 inch wheels and tires. Current cost? Not sure. When I bought my current set I got 2 of the wheels for $100 for the pair since someone else ordered them through Discount Tire and they didn't fit their vehicle. Then I got additional discounts on my additional wheels and tires because I have been doing business with the same store for many years and have bought countless wheels and tires over the years. Bill