1971 GMC Vandura

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
10/11/2016 at 14:41 • Filed to: None

Will be mine on Friday morning. Purchasing from the original owner. Fewer than 100k miles. Seller, a very nice older gentleman, thinks the clock may have as few as 70k miles on it. I’ve already been shopping the parts at Clifford Performance and Stove Bolt. ROADKILL! MINE!

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DISCUSSION (27)

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 14:51

Eggggggselent!

I take it he came down on the price?

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 14:52

Total win.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
10/11/2016 at 15:01

A little bit. This is too good of a find to do a lot of quibbling. He said they special-ordered it. It’s been sitting for 15 years. Nice old guy. Score! I’ll post photos. And no smog...

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 15:02

Are you shopping for new seats as well and a garbage bin to put all the crap that’s in it in?

The body looks nice and rust free.

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 15:16

Bwahahahaaaaaa! Igor fetch O.C. the brain. FrankenVan will soon be “ALIVE”!

sorry for getting dramatic .... its just so fun to alter vehicles I get caught up in the excitement. Whats amazing is this one doesn’t require voiding warranties.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 15:26

Very good!

vondon302 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 15:28

Score! Buddy of mine just picked this up. Got me itching for an old street van.

Kinja'd!!!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
10/11/2016 at 15:42

He’s supposed to empty it out, and he’s putting rollers on the back so I can roll it onto a AAA flatbed truck. It’s really the perfect project car for me. And Mrs. O.C.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
10/11/2016 at 15:44

I am totally stoked. This is the perfect project vehicle for me. And I will document it on Oppo, naturally.

Can you tell me what newer pickup or van would have aluminum stock rims that would interchange? An Astro van, even?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
10/11/2016 at 15:45

That’s how I’m feeling. I couldn’t be happier. I have to borrow the money for it, though...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > vondon302
10/11/2016 at 15:46

My project will be much more of a utility van and family vehicle than a street van, per se. Tow my pop-up trailer, see some country with Mrs. O.C.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 15:48

I think pretty much any GM truck 5-lug rim will fit. Certainly any fullsize truck 5-lug rim.

vondon302 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 15:48

Still cool and thats the perfect candidate for your build .

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
10/11/2016 at 15:49

One think I’m looking forward to doing later is fitting an air conditioner. The owner tells me it may be leaking some coolant from the head gasket. There’s a mod where you put a “hump” in the bottom of the intake ports to improve air flow. If I pull the head for a head gasket, and if the compression is good, I may do that. I’d say there’s also a strong possibility that the main oil seals will need replacing...

Everything mechanical on this beast will be 100% within my wheelhouse with regard to skill and experience. 100%.

And no smog...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
10/11/2016 at 15:51

Once I can be specific about the rim size, bolt pattern and offset, I want to ask the Oppos what stock GMC rims they’d suggest. Maybe something from the 80s.

Frank Grimes > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 16:21

Kinja'd!!!

one of these would be awesome in it.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/media/414838-jpg.414838/full

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 16:25

Its the old GM truck 5 x 5" pattern for Astro, 2wd fullsize pickups , Express, etc. There are a lot of styled steels and alloys out there that fit it. About 4 decades plus of choices. I think rubber window seals are available on JC Whitney for front window sills, they used to have the side window rubber in a roll pretty cheap. Get some 303 Protectant for restoring most of the rubber thats in better shape, it will make some stuff a tad softer again. At least a lot of the van stuff can be swapped around on various years. Only some of the shifter linkage stuff is still around, you have to fabricate a few pieces there but nothing is too complicated to McGyver. Can’t wait to watch you get it running again.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Frank Grimes
10/11/2016 at 16:50

As long as you come over and tune the carburetors for me once a week.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
10/11/2016 at 16:54

This is going to be fun. I may look for a window guy on Craigslist to help me with the windows. Fortunately, we’re in an environment that has been kind rust wise. I’ve asked the Opposphere for opinions on wheels. Hopefully some of the replies will be helpful. I’m thinking there ought to be something out of the Malaise Era that would be affordable and not be those awful stock wheels.

Frank Grimes > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 17:25

No need that looks like mechanical fuel injection which now that I think about it would be even worse to tune! So how about once a month and you buy the pizza also you cant drive places with elevation differing from your house.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2016 at 18:30

And is there any chance that the end goal is some variation of this?

Kinja'd!!!