I've procrastinated long enough, it's time to move this vehicle on. Complete build thread can be found here. But for those who don't want to read 23 pages here's a quick summary:
- Body of a 1996 Chevrolet Lumina APV minivan
- Complete chassis of a wrecked 2006 Pontiac G6 GTP
- 3900 V6 engine (240 hp, 240 lb-ft)
- F40 6-speed manual transmission
- "Race Spec" interior (no headliner, majority of rear interior gone)
- Nearly new Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires on the stock 18" wheels
- G6 Convertible rear springs (stiffer to keep the rear from scraping)
- Stevenson Motorsports flying eagle paint scheme done with farm and implement paint. Complete process here.
- It drives surprisingly well. Much like a Pontiac G6 with a higher center of gravity. It could do with stiffer sway bars and/or springs.
And some pictures of the above:
The van is nominally "street legal" and has been registered and insured as a 1996 Chevy APV with a clean title.
Now I have to be honest about the compromises built into this van:
- It is noisy and drafty. Likely due to the large gaps that are left between the van body and car chassis.
- It has a 2,000 rpm idle. This is probably because of the junky "cold air intake" put in by the previous owner. It's probably sucking in air after the airflow sensor.
- Engine maintenance is going to be a pain due to the body shoved over the top
- Putting fuel in is an adventure due to the filler being in the rear wheel well behind a removable panel
- Power steering leaks and groans
- Slow battery drain
- Headlights aren't aimed and one low beam doesn't work
Now that I've said all that, the price. I'm asking $2,000.
I'm open to parting the car out as well. About the only things of value left are the engine, transmission, wheels, tires, and maybe the leather GTP seats. If you are interested in one of these feel free to contact me with an offer. If the van fails to sell whole I'll part it out. I'm located near Bay City, MI. The van does fit on a standard U-haul trailer (after removing the front bumper and rocker panels).
-Sean
Is it wrong that I want to buy this and move the engine to the back. No other changes. Just MR conversion. Alas I am 45 projects deep and at least 3 of those are very cool, and 1 of which I may finish.
GLWS this has been one of my favorites to watch be birthed.
nocones said:
Is it wrong that I want to buy this and add a whole 'nother engine to the back.
Fixed to reflect my sentiments. Seeing this beast drag panels on the ground at the challenge was definitely a highlight.
Always wanted to do a supercharged 3800 II into one; I believe you have my plan beat!
and a second engine in the rear would be a sight to see!!!
I wonder how much work it would take to make this into a car hauler...
Because this seems like the real right answer.
I love this thing. A thought: How do you think the design of this unique vehicle would lend itself to a roll cage? It seems like something that would be at home on a Lemons grid.
A roll cage should be pretty straight forward. The full floor structure of the car is still there to weld to. And the van body leaves plenty of headroom for anyone with helmets on.
I've always loved this one, I hope it gets to live on forever. So I'm curious - does the rear hatch still open? And then I'm assuming the insides look pretty much like what we can see in the above picture where the body shell is being lowered down, right?
And I just checked and no, my trip to the Detroit area this weekend will not take me anywhere near Bay City. Otherwise, this is a pretty amazing attraction to go see
The rear hatch still opens without issue. The sliding door even still opens, but it's missing the lower slider so you have to be careful and handle the door differently.
Here's what the back looks like now:
The front and back seats are in along with the dashboard, front door panels, and the carpet from the G6. But that's about it for the interior.
That thing needs a rear facing 3rd row seat.
In reply to ShawneeCreek (Forum Supporter) :
...I think my wife can already *feel* me trying to justify this in my mind. She's going to get snippy with me for no discernable reason tonight but you and I will know it's because she's felt a disturbance in the force
Sonic
UltraDork
6/26/20 8:52 p.m.
I shared this with a friend who works for Lemons, it is on their social media now.
I wondered who tipped lemons off to it.. but yeah.. total budget exemption granted for all Lemons competition..
Sonic said:
I shared this with a friend who works for Lemons, it is on their social media now.
Oh, this could get interesting. Thanks for the referral Sonic! 
In reply to ShawneeCreek (Forum Supporter) :
I would also be willing to bet that a buying Lemons team could also gain a whole race weekends worth of tech assistance from the builder for only the price of an airline ticket
Well, I know I'm showing a total lack of knowledge of racing rules, again, but...
If a person pays $2000 for this van, lemons rule committee will allow it to be raced in a an event that only allows a car with a total budget of $500, including the purchase price of the car? For a starting budget of $0, leaving $500 to spend on getting it ready to race?
In reply to 03Panther :
I don’t think it’s unprecedented for a budget exemption to be granted for terrible/awesome ideas, aka things they think would be especially interesting to see racing.
And I think a roll cage and safety stuff needed to get it race ready isn’t included in the budget limit anyway.
Suddenly a really sweet deal for a lemons team. Nice!
BlueInGreen - Jon (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to 03Panther :
I don’t think it’s unprecedented for a budget exemption to be granted for terrible/awesome ideas, aka things they think would be especially interesting to see racing.
And I think a roll cage and safety stuff needed to get it race ready isn’t included in the budget limit anyway.
That’s cool. I think the van is worthy !
