But it's what I HAVE to work with. After sitting for the last fifteen months, moved around only by tow trucks, I FINALLY have the bits I need to get this running. Three large truck battery cores (worth $39) to go towards a reconditioned used battery from Interstate (cost $40 plus tax) and a starter from Amazon.com (cost $53 shipped). I'll also be doing an oil change after it runs for a half hour to get the gummed up oil back into the pan (I hope). Then get it cleaned up under the hood, inside, outside, and air up the tires and make sure they're still good to use. Then I have to find a mechanic to swap out the torque converter for one with hardened splines (cost $120 at AutoZone for the DACCO brand, F68E, low stall). I just don't think I have enough vertical clearance to raise the van and drop the subframe in my garage, even if I turn it around nose in (my garage ceiling is higher away from the door). Once that's done I want to sell it. I originally purchased this van to fix up a bit and then drive for a courier service delivering packages. I'm not doing that line of work here in Ohio, as I'm driving a tow truck. So the van has been sitting here in my way for the last year and a few months, allowing my wife an excuse to say, "you can't buy that car, you have a van". Here's the catch, I tell her I want to fix up and sell the van, and she doesn't want me to sell it, instead she wants me to keep it for the oldest kids to drive to school. If I do that, you would think, well it's the kids van now and I could go buy something else, but no, she's already said as long as this van is here I can't have anything else. So I feel kinda trapped here. I missed out on opportunity after opportunity to get running $300 and $400 cars for the last several seasons and feel this van is the only thing in the way. Titled in my name, it's gonna go. If she wants something for the kids to learn to drive on, it'll be one of my famous beaters. This van should sell for enough to get two or three beaters. One of them darned well better be a station wagon and it will be mine. The others can be, whatever...
Hey, it's OK Alan........ (I saw your FB post........) I LIKE minivans... certain ones. - Mazda MPV ES, '03 - '07 (only the ES model) - Mitsubishi Expo ('92 - '96.. these are getting a bit long in tooth now though. Would be almost impossible to find a nice one.) - Dodge Colt Vista, AWD '85-'90 (Short on power, but would look pretty cool with some truck tread tires and maybe a brush guard on the front.) The minivans we have owned ('86 Colt Vista; '89 Ford Aerostar; '93 Chevy Astro) were all great vehicles..... ..................................................................... P.S. After my Focus wagon was totaled, I came this close to buying an '06 Mercury Monterey minivan (Mercury version of the Windstar). It drove wonderfully.......... would have been great to use as a mobile office when I was doing auto damage appraisal.
How much vertical clearance do you have? If you secure the engine with a cradle up top, you can use wood blocks cribbed on the body behind the cradle and drop the cradle after removing the front wheels, then slide the trans out the driver's side after unbolting and removing the LH strut and knuckle assembly. It can be done in a standard garage.
