In appreciation of vans

[Grumph]

Van engine swaps can be fun. Before my current HiAce - a turbo'd diesel coach with the seats out - I had a CF Bedford for years. Locally converted to the ubiquitous LD28. Previous owner had inserted a PC Cresta Diff head before I had the LD put in. The outfit who did the conversion loved it, reckoned it was the fastest one they'd done. Problems - couldn't put it on 14 inch wheels as the gearing would be too high, cut out the 13in rears too easy...And as Speedpro says, you could hear it rusting...finished up with a CF shaped block of bog.
The wife loved it, swears she dragged off a Porsche at lights in town. It would just lift one front if you were really savage off the line. Cruised easily at around 130Km. Took bikes from Puke to teretonga several times...

[Kickaha]

I had a CF Bedford for years. Locally converted to the ubiquitous LD28. .

I can remember you bringing that into the Moorhouse branch probably 20 odd years ago

[F5 Dave]

Funny the reference to the Paraparas. I borrowed Chris Sayles Bedford to pick up my dead roadbike & went that way. I was thinking of going back to erect a sign that said

"Have you had enough yet?"

at the summit. But I couldn't live through that again. What a workout in that thing. Glad it was night so you could see the approaching lights almost.

[seattle smitty]

Kiwis!! First you tell me about your sky-high fuel prices, and after that you start bragging about hopped-up engines that will propel your vans to twice the legal speed limits!!

Maybe we merkins don't pay so much per gallon, but we have 4X farther distances to drive, so my deal is creeping along at legal speeds with a combination that has better-than-factory fuel efficiency, not better top speed. For my purposes (some in-town chores, and mainly cross-country travel/camping/hunting/racing) a mid-'70s to mid-'80s Ford Econoline E150 standard-length full-sized van (GM and Chrysler have or had equivalents, but I'm a Ford guy when it comes to vans) is just heavy-duty enough to tow a pretty good-sized trailer when called-for, but with a maximized-for-practical-street-torque 300 cubic inch inline six it doesn't break the bank account as compared with the various big heavy V-8s that more frequently are thought necessary by van owners here. Rebuilt with "long" rods, pocket-ported head and big exhaust valves and a little higher lift, an aftermarket intake manifold and small spread-bore 4bbl carb, and street headers, the dynamic compression ratio is considerably improved over factory. I should add that I much prefer these older vans to anything from late-'80s on partly because they can be had cheap, and partly because the new cars/trucks have gotten FAR too complex, and I like SIMPLE.

The trick is in tuning the new combination, dialing-in a new spark advance curve, since the factory curve no longer applies. Well, another trick would be to recalibrate the crankcase ventilation system, which is similarly made less-than-ideal by the changes from factory specs, but there is very little info on doing this, and the only guy I know who has real expertise (ex-Ford engineer) hasn't said much more about this than, "Well, it's pretty complicated . . . ."

[Grumph]

Kiwis!! First you tell me about your sky-high fuel prices, and after that you start bragging about hopped-up engines that will propel your vans to twice the legal speed limits!!

The trick is in tuning the new combination, dialing-in a new spark advance curve, since the factory curve no longer applies. Well, another trick would be to recalibrate the crankcase ventilation system, which is similarly made less-than-ideal by the changes from factory specs, but there is very little info on doing this, and the only guy I know who has real expertise (ex-Ford engineer) hasn't said much more about this than, "Well, it's pretty complicated . . . ."

V8 vans are pretty rare here - and the sixes are diesels almost invariably. Getting a vacuum in the crankcase of a six isn't terribly easy either as the volume changes aren't as dramatic as other configurations. You could always simply fit a reed valve on the breather...In my experience, PCV valves are not always sensitive enough when the pulsations are either small or odd - spaced. The Britten V twin works motors with a reed breather valve have less problems bedding rings than the later customer ones which used PCV valves.

[Kickaha]

Maybe we merkins don't pay so much per gallon

A merkin gallon is smaller as well about 3.8 litres compared to 4.5 litres

[F5 Dave]

I was talking to a fellow HiAce owner when he lifted the seat to show a Lexus V8. Have the pics on me fine. Big brakes etc.

Still wonder if I could squeeze a bunch of spannies under there and fit a real engine.

[awayatc]

Maybe we merkins don't pay so much per gallon, but we have 4X farther distances to drive, so my deal is creeping along at legal speeds with a combination that has better-than-factory fuel efficiency, not better top speed. ."

Fuel efficient American vehicle ......?

that's a bit like saying you know an intelligent retard.....






oops, sorry .....
forgot you not only know of a few,
You vote them into office......

[speedpro]

We have a very tidy hiAce running round here, West Auckland, that is nearly a 2-stroke. Clearly has a serious PP rotary in it. No clue at all apart from the crazy idle.

[Kickaha]

I was talking to a fellow HiAce owner when he lifted the seat to show a Lexus V8. Have the pics on me fine. Big brakes etc.

There's at least two of those in Chch, I was told they are ex Japanese ambulance/emergency vehicle and the V8 was factory fitment

[sidecar bob]

The worst van is better than the best tent.
Although the Merc is huge & is by far the fastest van so far, good times Were had in my '73 Austin J4. Quite apart from all the shagging that was had in it, there was the ritual that whenever another race team caught up to us in between national rounds, it was compulsory to crank up Roadhouse Blues (the doors) & Scrivy would do the roof surfing thing, out the L/H door & leave it swinging in the breeze while he cavorted around on the roof doing a Jim Morrison impersonation. It was 1987, these things weren't as frowned on as much as today.
Then there was the time we missed the turn off to levels, realised our mistake, I ripped up the handbrake at 70k & turned it, I still don't know how the fuck it didn't tip over. The tools & parts & everything in the back was all against one side in a hell of a mess.
It was easy to change drivers without stopping. The driver just pulled the cable on the steering colum that I had attached to the throttle linkage & slid off on to the engine cover in the middle while continuing to steer & the replacement driver dropped into the drivers seat over from the back.
It was the only van that I've owned that I carried a spare freshly valve ground head that could be swapped out in case of a burnt valve while on tour.
Hi Ace, Transit & Mercedes storys to follow.

[Grumph]

Oh god, old pommie vans...I remember a trip to Levels from ChCh in a Fordson van. we ran into a mild southerly south of Ashburton and had to tack into it to pull top gear...
One of the BEARS founder members had a Thames with a Mk2 Consul engine and box. Dreadful van but at least it had enough power to go places in a reasonable time...

Rotaries - an older guy here in ChCh ran a race shop for mainly rally and the odd circuit race car. His shop hack and service van for rallies was a 60's Fiat van - think Combi with a normal rear axle - which had a 13B grafted in. Went very well. He's dead now and i imagine the van was probably wrecked for the rotary.

[Muzzab]

My bike mover started off as a necessity when we had to many kids to fit the car seats across the back of the Subaru.
When I needed to shift bikes I'd remove the middle 2 seats and fold up the back row and can fit 2 (smallish) bikes in the back and a swag of tools
and camping gear as required. It'll cruise at legal speeds easily, but when required has been known to nudge the "ton".
Fuel consumption another matter though. Guess that's due to the supercharger hidden away on it somewhere. it's also "All Wheel Drive" and has had
curious looks from people when it's got to the top of Porter's in the snow and the people looking were fitting chains to their 4WD to go down the hill.
It's a 1995 Toyota Previa 2.4lt petrol, I don't know if I'd recommend it as a bike mover, but I have no plans on getting rid of it.