American Car - November 2015

ACM 71

blueprints

“The best base van to choose depends upon the year. For eighties vans, I'd always pick a Chevy; for mid-nineties to current, either Ford or

Chevy. Dodges have never been quite as popular, though this is usually reflected in the price. Earlier ones were body-on-chassis and made

from thick steel; later ones seem to be thinner pressings. Not many dayvans will fit in a standard UK-size garage, so if they've been stored

outside, especially on grass, they're likely to start rotting.” - RB

“Most eighties Chevys seem to rust around the sills – especially under plastic body kits – and around the windows on the sides. Also, check

the channels that the windows run in in the front doors, as they can rust and break. Very few seem to rust around the roof gutters, as most

vans do. If the van's been in the UK for a long time, check for underbody protection, and if it isn't already undersealed, underseal it!” - SW

“Everyone wants a V8. In earlier vans, the

old Chevy 350 small-block was very good.

Later, the Ford 5.4 Triton was very good,

and the Chevy LS 5.3 is lovely. There isn't

a 'bad' engine out there, but I'd steer clear

of a V6 unless it was very cheap.” - RB

“Nobody wants the V6; the V8 is the one

to have and all manufacturers' V8s were

good motors. Some earlier Fords used the

4.9-litre straight six, which is tough and

trouble-free, whilst some Chevys use the

4.3 V6, the same as the Astro, which is

good enough. Dodge used the 3.9 V6, and

I've seen a few that have suffered with the

oil pump pick-up pipe in the sump getting

clogged and losing oil pressure, so be

sure to service them regularly. I struggle

to recommend LPG conversions as it all

depends entirely on the quality of the

conversion. All the engines in question

will happily run on LPG if it's set up right,

but most people only use their dayvans

on a sunny weekend so it'll take ages to

make your money back.” - SW

“Many cheaper conversions just used the

standard van panels, whilst many high-end

conversion companies made their own

bumper covers, side skirts, 'aero kits', grilles

etc, which you may struggle to replace if

they've been damaged.” - RB

“The running gear on a

dayvan will be the same as

a standard G20, E-150 or

whatever, with coil-sprung

front end and leaf-spring

rear. They're simple, and

shouldn't provide any

problems.” - RB

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