New Addition, Things Get Complicated (update at bottom)

"Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness" (long-voyager-2nd-edition) 02/15/2019 at 07:10 • Filed to: unnecessary car shopping with Long-Voyager, Voyager, Mopar

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Found this little beauty last week:

It’s a 92 Caravan, 3.0 3-speed, 69k miles.

Has a broken rear spring, otherwise everything works and it looks to be in good shape. Checked it out on Sunday, owner said he’d cut me a deal if I left the brand new trailer hitch with him.

Ended up picking it up last night. $225. It does need a new rear axle, but a local yard has one, so I’ll be getting one this week.

Otherwise it’s in great shape, only 2 small spots of rust, clean inside, clean under hood, clean underneath.

Got a couple quick pics last night after clearing snow. It was getting dark so they didn’t turn out great.

You can get the gist of it, clean overall, one small rust bubble on the slider ( where they all rust ), back wheel tipped in from the broken axle.

Replacement axle is getting pulled next week, so hopefully next weekend I can go get everything in and get her on the road!

Things Get Complicated

So a good friend messages me yesterday about a clean 1st gen sitting in a nearby shop’s holding area. I happened to be in that area last night, so I stopped to look ( because how could I resist ). Turns out the van is spotless, ZERO rust, ZERO peel, wood panel, NEW inside. The issue, blown motor. Just so happens to be a 3.0, like the one I just picked up. The van looks just like this:

The shop was going to get a hold of the owner and see if she wanted to sell it as they know she couldn’t afford to replace the engine, so I’m waiting to hear on it. If I can get it cheap I’ll probably snag it up, then dump the new van’s motor/trans in it. It’ll save me a lot of work and it’ll get me a 1st gen van!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:07

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

FIFY.

Ssfancyfresh > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 02/06/2019 at 13:12

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Not gonna lie, I read the original title as “addiction”. W eird.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:12

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my mom had a grand caravan in that color. If its still running at this point it is probably closing in on its 100th transmission.

fintail > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:14

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Didn’t get the red one?

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:16

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huh... im beginning to think you kinda like voyagers

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Ssfancyfresh 02/06/2019 at 13:17

2

I also.

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:18

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Whaaaaaaaaa.....

punkgoose17 > Ssfancyfresh 02/06/2019 at 13:19

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Same

Just Jeepin' > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:23

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Was thinking of you when I found this site.

https://overland.kinja.com/building-your-dream-van-1832395636

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 02/06/2019 at 13:24

2

Dammit you b eat  m e to it.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 02/06/2019 at 13:25

4

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:25

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I found your next voyager.

Future Heap Owner > Ssfancyfresh 02/06/2019 at 13:31

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Me too

Mercedes Streeter > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 02/06/2019 at 13:40

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But not the shorty kind..

Mercedes Streeter > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 13:41

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How many Voyagers do you have now? I have to make sure I have more smarts than that number. lol

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Mercedes Streeter 02/06/2019 at 13:49

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hahahahah... thats almost endearing

Kiltedpadre > Mercedes Streeter 02/06/2019 at 15:05

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I think he needs one of the shrunk Voyagers someone else posted, and you need a stretched smart.

Mercedes Streeter > Kiltedpadre 02/06/2019 at 15:19

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I was one of the people who posted a shorty Voyager. I can totally rock a stretch smart!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Mercedes Streeter 02/06/2019 at 16:03

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Currently? One.

If I get this? Still one, and one Caravan ;)

I did have 4 at one point though.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > random001 02/06/2019 at 16:05

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Dude said $400, I’m betting I can get it for $300 though as he said it’s going to the JY if no one buys it and they’ll only give $200 tops.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 02/06/2019 at 16:06

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What gave it away?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > fintail 02/06/2019 at 16:06

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Still haven’t been able to get a hold of the owner.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 16:07

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hmmmmmm

dunno to be honest

just a hunch

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/06/2019 at 16:08

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She should have changed the trans fluid more often.

Mine all make about 200k before the trans starts having issues and I beat the hell out of mine . Changing the fluid/filter every 15-30k using only ATF+4 keeps them happy. Joys of a roughly 4 qt capacity.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 02/06/2019 at 16:09

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You say that like it’s a bad thing.....

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 16:12

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i think she was getting a new trans like once a year so i’m guessing there was new trans fluid in there pretty much all the time

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 16:15

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What would the plans be for this one?  Swapping in a built 2.5L turbo with the 16V head and the matching 5 speed manual?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 02/06/2019 at 16:43

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Fix it up and drive it?

Possibly boost the 3.0 and build the 3-speed later down the road. No reason to swap out the 3.0, it’s capable of more power/torque than the 2.5L on stock internals/fuel/ecm, and the 3-speed can easily be built to handle 500+hp.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/06/2019 at 16:44

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Guessing the shop doing the work was using the wrong fluid. It was a big problem when these vans were “popular”, and many shops even today still don’t use the correct fluid.

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 16:55

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Make sure it's good to go, sell it to me for a 100% profit?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > random001 02/06/2019 at 17:03

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Doubtful, but I’ll keep you in mind if selling it comes up.

It’s a clean van with all working options, we’ll likely run it 100k or more, then I’ll do something stupid with it. The wife would be extremely happy to have something with AC.

Mercedes Streeter > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 17:06

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Nooooo you need to get three more Voya-vans (Voyager + Caravan?)  then! :)

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Mercedes Streeter 02/06/2019 at 17:08

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I just can’t bring myself to like those. Properly executed truck conversions I’m ok with though:

Clean, functional, and has a higher payload capacity than most 1/2 ton pickups.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Mercedes Streeter 02/06/2019 at 17:10

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Once we pay our house off and move into the country I’ll probably start building a collection again, getting out of town is TOP priority right now . They’re getting hard to find in good shape around here though, can’t imagine it’ll be any easier in another 5-7 yrs.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Kiltedpadre 02/06/2019 at 17:17

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I think a shrunk Voyager kinda defeats the purpose...

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 17:21

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“Fix it up and drive it?”

“Possibly boost the 3.0 and build the 3-speed later down the road”

And convert it to Mid-engine/RWD and integrate paddle shifters from the LH cars, right?  RIGHT?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 02/06/2019 at 17:23

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I’m mellowing out in my old age (33), 5 yrs ago I’d have been looking for a 5-speed donor, building a monster 3.0 to mate to it, and slamming it.

Now I just want another easy family cruiser.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 17:25

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A 31TH handling 500 horsepower? If it was anybody else making that claim I’d dismiss it. Doesn’t the case just explode when fed that much torque?   

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > I Will Always Be The Honey Badger 02/06/2019 at 17:35

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Not at all, they’re actually quite stout in stock form. Upgrade the clutches, re-work the valve body, and do something with the diff and you have yourself a near indestructible trans. My last built one was stout enough to shear off CV axles.

The biggest downfalls of them were the diff pin ( same as most chrysler fwd transmissions ), and being setup to shift “smooth”. To get them to shift smoothly, they basically just made them slip into gears, which made them fail early if driven nicely. Reworking the valve body solves the slip shifting, which equates to a much more durable trans.

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 17:47

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Spoil sport...heh

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 18:09

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I was done by a Dodge dealer. The thing ate transmissions so often they were all under warranty

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/06/2019 at 18:36

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Old age of... 33? Get outta here... you’re not old.

I was 33 twelve years ago. Hmmm... what was I doing 12 years ago...

My kids were still small.

It was 1 year after moving from my condo into a detached house.

I was driving a 1995 Ford Escort Wagon that I bought off of a mechanic for around $1200 (who had done a bunch of little things to mask the issues that car had) that turned out to be a POS. I paid about $600 too much for it.

It was also right before my now-Ex was about to have stalker and not tell me about it until things got bad and I noticed weird shit like coming home one day and finding a bunch of half-eaten apples placed all around my house and I thought it was just a prank local school kids played on my ex (she had a job where she interacted with the local school kids daily) as it seemed silly and harmless.

And it was 1 year before my marriage ended and I went into hell and back... which transformed me into the meaty goodness I am today!!!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 02/07/2019 at 07:08

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People seem to think I’m in my 50s around here and the FP.

Maybe not old, just more mature than most my age...

I was driving a 1995 Ford Escort Wagon that I bought off of a mechanic for around $1200

Oh man, never buy a mechanic’s car, ever. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/07/2019 at 07:19

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I was done by a Dodge dealer.

Explains the disdain for Dodge.......

Jokes aside, dealerships were, and still are, notorious for using Dexron fluid instead of the ATF+4, or using a “compatible” fluid ( which aren’t actually compatible, they will destroy a Chrysler trans ), or using ATF+3 without the antifoam additive. Any of these will lead to a destroyed transmission in very short order.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/07/2019 at 07:44

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thats pretty bad. you would think the dealers could get it right. The last time the transmission went we were on our way back from a vacation in Virginia beach. the transmission got stuck in second in Connecticut and we had to drive back to Massachusetts like that.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/07/2019 at 07:52

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Yup... you do *sound* like you’re in you’re late 40s or early 50s to me.

And yeah, that Escort caused me to be Extra wary when a machanic was/is the seller.

Since then, I haven’t bought any cars sold by mechanics.

But I did look at some... such as a Mazda 3 that was in “great condition” that was clearly a flood car with  SERIOUS issues. “Don’t worry... everything will be fixed as part of the cert and etest”... suuuuure it will...

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/07/2019 at 10:04

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Sounds more like an electronic issue than the actual trans to me. Very likely she had a wiring/solenoid issue.

The A604 drops into 2nd as a “limp” mode when there’s an electronic fault. Usually caused by a bad solenoid pack or other electronic issue. I’ve bought many A604 vehicles with “bad” transmissions that I’ve just swapped a solenoid pack or changed fluid/filter on and ran them trouble free for years after.

The problem was dealers/shops had never dealt with a trans like that before, so they’d just assume an internal issue, swap the trans, reuse the existing electronics, then the same issue would arise not long after.

Finding a “good” shop that actually knows these transmissions is next to impossible, even today.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 02/07/2019 at 10:07

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The sounding older likely comes from experiencing many cars spanning many decades. It leads me to not believe a lot of what most people consider “facts”.

I’ve found mechanics generally don’t take care of their own vehicles, they work on cars all day, they don’t want to go home and work on their own.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/07/2019 at 14:41

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Hmmm. I do have an abandoned ‘93 caravan with a a 3.3 / 3 speed combination if i remember correctly. I’ve thought about using the power-train rear-mounted in a dune buggy. Maybe it’s time revisit the plan with a turbocharger or two.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > I Will Always Be The Honey Badger 02/08/2019 at 06:57

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The 3.3L can handle mild boost, it’s not as proven as the 3.0, but 6-8 lbs should be no issue.

Dodge was actually designing a Turbo 3.3L for “Police use”: https://www.allpar.com/history/interviews/marc-rozman/6-exploding-turbo-33.html

They ended up blowing it up, but more research says they ran a lot of hours at low rpm/max load/max boost, which is god damn hard on any engine.

CalzoneGolem > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 12:38

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It’s like the 5 star chef eating pop tarts for dinner.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 12:39

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Congrats! I wanna a ride in one of yous Chryslers.

random001 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 12:44

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What a steal.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 12:57

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That van for only $225???

Nice Price!!!

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 13:33

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Dont’ say that. I am a “ mechanic” and I would have no regrets or concerns selling one of my cars to anybody. As long as you aren’t family. Or a friend. Or someone that keeps my number. Or knows were I live or work. Um, yeah, might be some truth to that statement...

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 02/12/2019 at 16:05

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Hit me up anytime you’re in the area.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 21:06

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Sweet! I will be going to the UP sometime in the summer, I'll pass by you then.

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/12/2019 at 22:28

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Good deal!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 02/13/2019 at 06:57

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Just let me know.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/13/2019 at 07:03

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Willco

Khalbali > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 08:04

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Hah as a former mechanic, definitely this. I love when I see ads that say “ mechanic owned." Mechanic owned means did exactly the bare minimum to keep it on the road and not die, and I'm guilty too. Mechanic owned means "there's still 1mm of pad left I can hold off till summer....." Or "I'll just keep topping that off for now......"

i86hotdogs > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 08:16

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Did I read that right? $225?!

How come you find the gems for the right price, but when I come across my dream stick van, they want no less than $2,500?!?!

boredalways > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 08:25

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You’re a little tyke! I’m 46 with high blood pressure!

...damn kids these days!

WilliamsSW > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 08:58

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$ 225 Plus the axle and your labor and you have a good running van? Sheesh. Can’t beat that. Nice!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > WilliamsSW 02/14/2019 at 10:06

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Figure I can swap the axle/related parts in an afternoon and it’ll be good to go. I’ll put new shocks and rear brakes on while it’s all apart, so I’ll have about $400 total in it when I’m done.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > boredalways 02/14/2019 at 10:07

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Eh, having 3 kids, a wife, and a house to worry about tends to make one think more long term use than fun right now.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > i86hotdogs 02/14/2019 at 10:09

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You read that right.

I just seem to always be in the right place at the right time. I’ve found quite a few decent vehicles for under $300, generally a simple repair and they’re good to go.

Finding a decent stick van is a tough chore, I’ve been looking for a while, $2500 gets you one that will need some work, $4k+ will buy you one that’s ready to rock.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Khalbali 02/14/2019 at 10:12

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Unless I’m the mechanic, then it means “well it needs pads, might as well do rotors, calipers, lines, hoses, shoes, drums, etc while it’s apart”.

I usually just replace anything involved while it’s apart, it saves me a lot of hassle down the road. But most mechanics do exactly what you said, the bare minimum to keep it on the road.

Khalbali > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 12:18

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But you don’t work on cars for a living do you? (Or maybe you do, I dunno)

I was a Mazda tech and loved my mx5 and I could still barely motivate myself to stay after work and work on my own car after a full day of working on other people's  shit. After the first year or so when the honeymoon wore off I pretty much stopped completely.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Khalbali 02/14/2019 at 12:25

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I don’t.

That’s the main reason I got away from w orking on vehicles as a job, I enjoy it too much as a hobby to ruin it by doing it everyday.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 15:51

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Much want! I still miss our ‘93 Caravan! :(

Khalbali > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/14/2019 at 18:01

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Maybe someday I’ll enjoy it again then, I was only a tech for 2 years and it totally crushed my love of cars, these days I stick to online reviews and fantasies over actual driving or wrenching.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:24

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buy them all

XD

WilliamsSW > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:32

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Do you have a source for another 3.0?

Sounds like both of these vans belong on the road, and you could flip van 1 for enough profit to make van 2 free to you?

CalzoneGolem > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:32

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It’s raining vans!

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:33

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Yeah, it’s also worth saying that you pulled off an engine swap in your driveway in a day and drove it to work the next day, so I maintain that “simple repair” means something ekse entirely to you than jt does the rest of us.

I hope everything turns out perfect here!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/15/2019 at 07:36

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One needed the engine reassembled ( literally in pieces in the trunk ) , one needed an ECM, one needed a new owner, one needed rear shocks. Those are all simple repairs right?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > WilliamsSW 02/15/2019 at 07:39

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Realistically I could pick one up at a local yard without issue. Mostly not sure I want to do the work on 2, but fixing the one I have and selling it to “finance” the red one is a good idea.

Either way I have to hear back from the shop or the owner before I can make any decisions, but it’s definitely on the table.

WilliamsSW > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:44

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  Yeah, I’m just thinking that they’re both good vans with a lot of life in them, and you’re the perfect person to get them back to being useful, but I can’t imagine you keeping both.

Plus you basically end up with a free, rust free, first gen. Good luck!

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:44

1

I mean, a new owner is an easy fix, and I guess shocks are easy (dunno how involved that is on whatever car that was), but reassemble an engine? What? Why was it even apart? Who just takes an engine apart and gives up? Who takes the bits of engine and sells them? WHO BUYS A DISASSEMBLED ENGINE THAT’S IN THE TRUNK OF A CAR?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > WilliamsSW 02/15/2019 at 07:44

1

Thanks.

boredalways > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 07:47

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(reads update)

Long_Voyager_3rd Edition

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/15/2019 at 08:01

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It was a 3.0 Spirit, so I knew the motor inside and out. The guy tore it apart to find an antifreeze loss, then couldn’t get it back together and gave up. Gave him $180 for the car, put it back together using the HG set he had in the back seat, and drove it for like 25k before selling it for $2200...

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 08:18

1

Damn, not bad. You probably even made money on the whole thing, even with gas and oil.

DutchieDC2R > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 08:53

2

The bottom one, with the wood-like panels, looks a lot better than what you bought before that  (the blue one). 

fintail > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 09:37

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If the oldie is really that nice, do it and preserve it.  Although not a rare car, they are still a milestone vehicle, and really nice originals are thin on the ground even out here where rust is rare.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > fintail 02/15/2019 at 10:03

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Strangely enough, I see a fair amount of nice 1st/2nd gen vans up here in the rust belt.

But yes, the 88 is mint other than needing an engine.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > DutchieDC2R 02/15/2019 at 10:04

2

It’s the lack of hubcaps that makes the blue one look worse than it is. It’s very weird how much simple hubcaps make them.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/15/2019 at 10:08

1

I made roughly $2k on the deal. The car was spotless other than the motor issue, so it was well worth sticking a few hours into putting it back together, it had 87k miles. Turns out the antifreeze leak was just a small hole in the water pump to lower intake hose. Had just over 100k when we sold it.

DutchieDC2R > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 10:20

2

I think youre completely right about the hubcaps. That was actually the first thing I noticed on the blue one, the missing hubcaps. Maybe you should put some 24 inch wheels on there, make it a donkwagon!! 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > DutchieDC2R 02/15/2019 at 10:22

1

Ya, how about no. ;)

My van also looked like complete shit on the stock steelies, throw on my nice wheels and it looks bad ass again.

DutchieDC2R > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 10:34

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Your van does look badass, but thats not just because of the wheels, lol. Its a battlevan! (or nearing one in looks anyway!)

fintail > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 10:56

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Must have been an owner dem ographic (careful older people) there who maintained them and kept them away from winter driving . Seems most here were for families who used them up and threw them away. Every now and then I’ll see a 1st gen, but it seems I see more 70s Japanese cars than pre-91 Mopar vans .  A real minter sounds like a keeper - keep it dry and clean, no mods other than for driving.

My dad had a 2nd gen and 3rd gen, drove them a bit, I would be surprised if either are still around.

shop-teacher > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 10:58

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Wow. that is one seriously clean woodie!

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > fintail 02/15/2019 at 13:31

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Funny you say that, seeing any foreign car pre-2000s is a very rare occurrence in this area, meanwhile pre-2000s domestics are all over.

I think people buy stuff to keep around here, which leads to vehicles being taken better care of. My van has 240k currently and was driven year round since new, I finally had to fix a couple rust spots this fall.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > DutchieDC2R 02/15/2019 at 13:32

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I use it off road more than I’ve used any of my 4WD vehicles....

Sammyno55 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 14:43

1

I haven’t cashed a check as a car mechanic since the early ‘90's, but me being my own mechanic, I totally agree with this. I just helped a friend of my grandmother’s by putting on a spare tire. It ended by me following her to the tire store, talking to the tire guys, buying us lunch , listening to the tire guy tell me it needed front pads, taking it home and doing front pads, calipers, rotors, fluid, oh and while I’m here and the car is on stands... rear pads, e-brake cable, windshield wiper blades & washer fluid , brake light bulb and, oh, might as well do the air filter...

I always treat my cars or the cars of family the exact same way.

So it goes.

fintail > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 02/15/2019 at 16:03

0

Yeah, coastal markets are different. In my area , late model domestics ( cars) are either rentals or frugal people. For new cars, most seem to buy a Honyota, or lease a premium brand.

Rust generally isn’t an issue here unless a car is decades old, but other neglect can set in - I suspect the often grinding traffic doesn’t help either. The worst decay I saw was in Michigan - shocking to a best coaster, mid 2000s vehicles appearing beyond redemption.