Hello! Newbie Here - 1967 G10 90

Hello! My name is Aubrey I wanted to introduce myself and say hi. I just rescued my new van and she's been named Boots (because she needs a new set of boots). She was rescued from a junkyard here in Idaho and from what we can tell she was parked sometime in the early to mid-'80s. The interior is emerald metallic green but the outside almost looks like a dark forest service green. I checked inside the wheel wells and underneath and it doesn't seem that this was repainted on the outside, but we are going to do some light sanding to see how many layers she has. Currently, it looks like someone used white house paint with a brush to add some white to it that is coming off so it has a fun patina on her. There was a roof vent added in the back that I need to figure out what to do with. Crazy enough, it looks like a wooden bed platform was put in, that saved it from rain damage all these years. There is no rust on this van anywhere. I expected a little but she's solid. The headliner is actually in decent shape, but I don't think I can reuse it, so I will use it as a template.

We got her home and started cleaning it all out then tried to start it. We ended up having to pull the motor. Looks like this one died a valiant death as there is a giant hole in the block. We did get her to start off the starter and it sounded like she wanted to stay dead. So we are weighing our options now.

I want to keep the 3 on the tree but I am having a hard time identifying the shifter linkage to determine what is missing and what I need to get it all back. The one linkage I do have is broken, so what I do have left won't work, from my limited knowledge. This is my biggest hurdle and would be humbled to have some help here.

I have been stalking this site until I got her home so I could say hi and in the meantime, I haven't quite got a good grasp on what parts are interchangeable for the different chevy makes for the second gens. e.g. Chevy c10 or nova parts that fit.

Also, it looks like mine has a battery box behind the driver's seat. Is the normal? I haven't seen that on other vans. The compartment behind the passenger in the floor... what is that? It seems as if this is where a battery is supposed to go, but I'm not positive.

Other than that she only needs a few other cosmetic parts (so far) but is pretty complete. If any of you have any of these or an idea where I could get these items, I would be forever grateful.

Driver vent window with channel
2 dash knobs
window and door levers 1 set

Thanks! I am so excited she is home and I can't wait to drive her around!

Here is a link to my build pics and what she looks like. We got her on Saturday and most of the time has been spent on the engine and trans research. I plan on taking my camera to the van here shortly, so I will add to these pics as I get them.

Build Pics

Welcome to the site! We like lots of pictures, can’t wait to see more of Boots

Welcome to VV!

sandyvan wrote:Welcome to the site!  We like lots of pictures, can’t wait to see more of Boots

jrdunn96 wrote:Welcome to VV

Thank you both! I can't wait to get her on the road!!

Those SportVans came in 3 versions, SportVan, SportVan custom and SportVan Deluxe,,,,,the 1st Gen SportVans have the battery under the passenger seat because the side doors have a step under the rocker panel that slides out when you open the door,,,,I guess with that doghouse made for V8 engines, there is no room for the battery so they moved it to the drivers side,,,,,

donivan65 wrote:Those SportVans came in 3 versions, SportVan, SportVan custom and SportVan Deluxe,,,,,the 1st Gen SportVans have the battery under the passenger seat because the side doors have a step under the rocker panel that slides out when you open the door,,,,I guess with that doghouse made for V8 engines, there is no room for the battery so they moved it to the drivers side,,,,,

I have the regular 'ol sportvan second gen. I have been researching so much! I didn't know the first gens had the slide out rocker, that would be fun to experience.

The battery box looks like it was relocated but still have the regular battery hole for the 67, it just looks like they never opened it up. Not that it bothers me, just wondering if there was a solid reason for bringing the battery in the cab vs keeping it below in the designated compartment.

Here is a picture of the back side opened up, you can see the battery box behind the driver seat.



This is the original access panel that I am still debating using or not.



This is the secret panel (as I now call it) that is next to the original battery location. Is there a practical reason for this access panel? I opened it up in hopes of finding a million bucks, but no such luck.

Welcome aboard!      

The bolts to adjust the door hinge is behind that panel,,,,,,the worst part on a 67 is the 16 gallon fuel tank,,,,,,depending on gear ratio, you could end up with about 3 hours of driving time with that tank, they sell the bigger 68-70 tanks but you have to move the rear crossmember forward a little.....

donivan65 wrote:The bolts to adjust the door hinge is behind that panel,,,,,,the worst part on a 67 is the 16 gallon fuel tank,,,,,,depending on gear ratio, you could end up with about 3 hours of driving time with that tank, they sell the bigger 68-70 tanks but you have to move the rear crossmember forward a little.....

Oh, Thank you so much!! We are looking to get a donor van this weekend, which is a 68, so perhaps it will have a usable tank

Thank you for the info on the secret room door!

WELCOME !!!!

Just a tip, when posting pic's use the 640 px setting and the pic's won't get chopped off .

Hi and Welcome!
As stated previously, Sportvans with the sliding step option had their battery moved inside, but I'm unsure if those vans had the original battery door (?).... What they did have was a lever sticking up through the floor with a linkage rod that attached to the door that operated the sliding step.....
The "secret panel" in your pictures gives you access to the entire hollow rocker panel clear back to the rear wheel well.....My 66 HandiVan (back in the day) had one of those access panels on the left side, as well (but my 69 does not)....
As for your missing linkage, those pieces look like a snake that was run over by 16 cars before rigor-mortise set in..... Best to acquire that stuff from somebody that converted to auto trans OR put in the engineering and fab work to convert to a pair of 43c marine cables to shift the three speed.....
Swapping a small-block chevy is easy-peasy and you can use the same flywheel, bellhousing, clutch, etc..... Even the same motor mounts!......
Somebody doing a v8 swap might sell a good six fairly cheap and they run good, but the v8s run better....
P.S. I believe I still have those linkages and don't need them and would give them to you for free, but they would be impossible to ship and I'm in Arizona....

AzDon wrote:Hi and Welcome!
As stated previously, Sportvans with the sliding step option had their battery moved inside, but I'm unsure if those vans had the original battery door (?).... What they did have was a lever sticking up through the floor with a linkage rod that attached to the door that operated the sliding step.....
The "secret panel" in your pictures gives you access to the entire hollow rocker panel clear back to the rear wheel well.....My 66 HandiVan (back in the day) had one of those access panels on the left side, as well (but my 69 does not)....
As for your missing linkage, those pieces look like a snake that was run over by 16 cars before rigor-mortise set in..... Best to acquire that stuff from somebody that converted to auto trans OR put in the engineering and fab work to convert to a pair of 43c marine cables to shift the three speed.....
Swapping a small-block chevy is easy-peasy and you can use the same flywheel, bellhousing, clutch, etc..... Even the same motor mounts!......
Somebody doing a v8 swap might sell a good six fairly cheap and they run good, but the v8s run better....
P.S. I believe I still have those linkages and don't need them and would give them to you for free, but they would be impossible to ship and I'm in Arizona....

Wow! Thank you so much for all this information. I think we have a donor van narrowed down that I should be able to pick up soon. If I did a motor swap, how could I retain the 3 on the tree? That was my biggest push to keep the original trans. I have no experience with column shift transmissions.

I appreciate the offer about the linkage, I will let you now if I need to take you up on your offer. I am just up in Idaho and travel often, so I would be happy to come get them if I need them.

amorris wrote:
Here is a link to my build pics and what she looks like. We got her on Saturday and most of the time has been spent on the engine and trans research. I plan on taking my camera to the van here shortly, so I will add to these pics as I get them.

Build Pics

Updated build pics

Updated Build Pics

What do you think you are missing......

[quote="donivan65"]What do you think you are missing....../quote]
Mostly D and C but I pick up a donor van this weekend and I'm 98% sure it'll all there.