White94 said:
Share, Please!
What sort of trailer are you planning on using?
ok then, here it goes...
Ever since I saw Mark's E350 back in March, I realized I could too use a van to tow my NSX. Not wanting to put $5K to $10K, I've been looking on ebay and around my area for a towing vehicle. Initially we were planning on getting an MDX for the wife, but I was able to persuade her to look at an SLX instead and we finally settled for a cheap van (as long as she will never have to drive it). I ended up winning a 1989 E150 Conversion van on ebay a week ago. I got it cheap. Verrrrrry cheap. Since I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for, I wasn't ready to fly and attempt to drive it back, risking to break down the road. I couldn't justify to myself either paying more for a plane ticket than I paid for the van
In any case, wife and I drove up to Colchester, IL in a rental with GPS and drove both vehicles back to South Carolina. Van isn't in great shape, but every thing I expected to be bad isn't, and everything I expected to be ok, isn't. For instance, I never expected the A/C to work, but it did. I didn't expect the transmission to be ok but it shifts fine. On the other hand, I never expected the engine to be able to make it back 900 miles, with NO OIL PRESSURE WHATSOEVER
and a rod knock I could swear there is a woodpecker hiding somewhere inside there
I was impressed by the resistance of this engine to dying, especially going up those 6% Appalachian hills for 2 miles !
but it did... it actually runs fine, not even rough at idling (except the noise of the rod knock). There is some oil pressure only in the morning with the oil cold and viscous enough, then as it warms up it drops and the rod knock comes back. No smoking, no oil burning, nothing. If the rod knocking wasn't there, I wouldn't even suspect there is something wrong with the engine. In any case, this rig is cavernous and has the towing stuff on it, except the most import one, the tow hitch (was removed for some reason by the previous owner). Inside the van is dirty to filthy, but I already ordered parts to perform a full restoration.
While ordering, I had to double check the prices as I wasn't used anymore to paying parts so cheap !
Here are some pictures. Ugly as sin, but functional...
