The Candy Van - 1982 Econoline E100

Mr_Asa said:

In reply to logdog (Forum Supporter) :

Powernation is starting a build with a 300.  Theyve done two episodes on youtube so far.  I'd urge you to check them out to see what some basic mods can achieve.

Here is the most recent vid

logdog (Forum Supporter) said:

Currently I am following the "It aint broke, dont mess with it" philosophy.  

 

An excellent philosophy to have.

BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

logdog (Forum Supporter) said:

Currently I am following the "It aint broke, dont mess with it" philosophy.  

 

An excellent philosophy to have.

This!

The 300 is really quite an engine.

In reply to logdog (Forum Supporter) :

I kinda remembered that LS from a few pages back..... Whatever you decide on, make it simple enough to get it back up and running in time to enjoy next spring, so your "if it ain't broke don't fix it" works too. 

Before I bought my blue van that came from the factory much like yours, my buddy had swapped the 300 6 for a 302. Considering how similar some aspects are, the non similar stuff turned out to be a lot of hassle. He said he would not do it again. Go big power, or fix the 300, would be his advice!

logdog (Forum Supporter) said:

Awhile ago I read about adding a Steering stabilizer on a newer Econoline.  You can get the brackets off a Ambulance or chassis cab.  I was in the junkyard today and snagged a set.  They had a bunch of fleet vans with them.    At first glance it looks like it will be a pretty easy retrofit on my 3rd generation van.  I wont get around to it for awhile, but here are the glamorous brackets!  

 

Welp.... It won't work on my van "as-is".  I bolted the bracket to the steering linkage and the shock would not have enough clearance.  I think I could extend the mount out 1/2 inch or so by knocking out the current bolt and replace it with a longer one and small spacer to get the room, but thats a problem for Future Logdog to worry about.  

In reply to Mr_Asa :

To really help my current engine I would need to do at least a minor rebuild.  Its starting to get a little blowby and burning oil.  Nothing major but enough I wouldn't plan on performance upgrades without addressing it too. 

BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

logdog (Forum Supporter) said:

Currently I am following the "It aint broke, dont mess with it" philosophy.  

 

An excellent philosophy to have.

Remember that along with "If Mama aint happy, Aint nobody happy" and you will go far in life.

Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:

BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) said:

logdog (Forum Supporter) said:

Currently I am following the "It aint broke, dont mess with it" philosophy.  

 

An excellent philosophy to have.

This!

 

The 300 is really quite an engine.

It would be my number 1 choice for a stationary engine driving a well pump!

Indy "Nub" Guy said:

In reply to logdog (Forum Supporter) :

I kinda remembered that LS from a few pages back..... Whatever you decide on, make it simple enough to get it back up and running in time to enjoy next spring, so your "if it ain't broke don't fix it" works too. 

The 5.3 is still in the garage waiting to go in SOMETHING.  If I decide to attempt that swap it won't happen until after the body is fixed and the interior is done.  

03Panther said:

Before I bought my blue van that came from the factory much like yours, my buddy has swapped air the 300 6 for a 302. Considering how similar some aspects are, the non similar stuff turned out to be a lot of hassle. He said he would not do it again. Go big power, or fix the 300, would be his advice!

I was warned one of the biggest pains is getting the frame mounts.  The guy that suggested a 351 to me said he bought a donor van to make it easier.  If I go through the pain of any swap, I want to be able to do easy burnouts

In reply to logdog (Forum Supporter) :

I get that.  I'm just a 300 fan boy.

I wonder if part of the blow by might be the fact that it wasn't driven for a while before you got it.  It had 116k when you got it?  How many miles have you guys put on it since?  I can't imagine its more than 10k.  No way a 300 with that few miles should need a rebuild.

Might try an old timer trick

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/smokey-flathead-advice.149874/page-2#post-1671055

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/borax-and-blow-by.154650/

In reply to logdog (Forum Supporter) :

Lol.

Like Mr_Asa I'm a 300 fanboy. I would like it to be in nearly every vehicle I own. 

In reply to Mr_Asa :

We have put 17k on it.  A large chunk of that is from the 3 Lemons Rallies its been on.  That first 116k was putting around the York School district and Im sure lots of idling so we have treated it to its first experiences of long days at highway speeds.  One of my to-do items is to perform a compression and leak down test on it to get a better idea of its health   

Thanks to a birthday gift, Im now represented in 1/64 scale!

logdog (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Mr_Asa :

We have put 17k on it.  A large chunk of that is from the 3 Lemons Rallies its been on.  That first 116k was putting around the York School district and Im sure lots of idling so we have treated it to its first experiences of long days at highway speeds.  One of my to-do items is to perform a compression and leak down test on it to get a better idea of its health   

I'd be interested to see the results.  

The Logdog DIY bodywork school has kicked off.  Making and welding in patch panels is a whole new game for me.  Luckily my goal is a "10 footer" and most of the panels have some dents and dings.  I just dont want rust holes.  I  have started with the front fender because I figured worst case scenario I destroy it and just have to find a replacement.  I watched a few Youtube videos and dived in.  

This is what I started with.

Here is the work in progress.  I didn't really take pictures while I was working.  I made 5 or 6 patches before I got one I was happy (good enough!) with it.

Before primer.  If you run your hand over it, it isnt perfect, but its good enough for driver quality so I am happy.  

Waiting on the primer to dry.  

Its better than I can do, so looks good to me!

In reply to 03Panther :

Thanks!  

Its sounds wierd but I had to have an honest conversation with myself before I began.  Ive always wanted to take on a project like this but was always afraid I would go down the "It MUST be perfect!!!!!" rabbit hole. This thing wasnt perfect when it left the factory and it spent its life as a work vehicle so a little wave here and paint flaw there is part of its character!

Gonna call the fender done for now.  Its just hanging in place but Im pretty happy with how it looks. 

Not too shabby!

In reply to BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) :

Certainly better looking than when we rolled the paint on the Integra chumpcar, dents, rust and all! 

That looks great, good work!

Look at me!  Im a Jeep!

Outstanding!  

The "must be perfect" rabbit hole can really kill a project (it has done that many times for me).  Since I realistically don't have the skills, tools, etc for perfect...it really isn't a reasonable expectation.  Not to mention that If, in some alternate reality, I could make it perfect...then I wouldn't want to drive it and have fun with it.

[and, since you said jeep...I love your jeep too and will be happy to see more updates at whatever point it sees progress again.  I know it was sidelined purposefully]