BitchinRS

Ok it's not a third gen, hell it's not even a ford. Now I just want to warn you I am about swear... It's a Ford 1978 E150 Econoline van with a 351 V8 Windsor. I paid all of $0.00 for it. Guy wanted to get rid of it due to a bad rod. I'm still debating either rebuilding it or replacing it with a rebuilt short block. I'm not sure which would be cheaper. Either way it will be a first for me. I have never rebuilt an engine, or even swaped an engine.


I was hoping for some opoins on weater I should swap or rebuild.

WaynesRS

my neighbor has an 86 , I rode in it not to long ago .Damn that thing was smooth . Im so use to my car or my Dad's 96 grandprix beating the hell out of me when I drive . Hey any car is good for free .My other neighbor just GAVE away his RV to someone . Wish I would have nabbed it ! Would have cleaned it up real good and sold it !!!

Chevy 350s are commen in the boneyard . Is this thing carbed ? Im sure it is huh ? ...Swap a chevy 350 in it , or another 351 windsor if you can find it ! ....That seems like that would be hard though ! I know the space underneath a van is very limited !!!! I bet this isn't and easy swap at all . But even if you re-build it the motor will have to come out .

BitchinRS

Yeah it's a carb. Swaping the engine doesn't look to hard. I Will have to remove both front seats, but that will be easy. 4 bolts and out comes the seats. The seats were a bit of a bonus, they are new. Nice and comfy!!! After the seats are out you drop the trany as normal pull the motor turn it and walk it out of the door. The front doors are wide enough so thats no bigy. I will have to take as much as posible off the top off as I can in order to make life easier.

I don't know if a GM 350 will bolt up or not. I assume it wouldn't. I think I'm going to go with a 351 block from the scrap yard. A full rebuild kit will cost me $500 - $600 + all the machine work. A Reman Short block will cost me about $900 - $1400 so that's a no go. I don't need heads I can tell they pretty new and there doesn't seem to be a problem with them. I can tell there has been damage done to the block so I don't want to fiddle with it and have it crap out on me a short ways down the road. I found out the reason why it has a bad rod nock. It had no oil in it!!!!!! This guy never heard of changing or adding oil. It burns oil like it is going out style. I added oil and fired her up and I was laying down a nice smoke screen for the naiborhood!!!

This van is pretty sweat. It all ready has a rack up top and cabinet / shelf unit in the back, and a cage that sperates the drivers area from the cargo area. It's just what I need!!!! The body is in good shape. There is only one dent in the drivers side fender, but I can pound that out no prob. The paint is in dam good shape for a 1978 work van. I swear the tires are brand new!

If worse comes to worse I can sell it as is for $800 - $1000 and use the money to get some thing else. So I win either way!!! Milage shows 77,545 miles, but I'm not sure if it rolled over yet or not. Being that it is a 1978 I bet it did.

TomP

If I ever have kids and need a minivan- I'm not getting a minivan. I'm getting an old fullsize van, and recreating the A-Team van.

'Course the girlfriend said "Oh! We could do the Mystery Machine!" I'd be up for either. As long as the MM has a 350 under the hood, that is!

WaynesRS

Sounds like you have a real "pimp mobile " with the cage !!! That's what I need when Im cruising down the road is a cage to keep the girls off me

GhostRider84

If the thing is still running, you could check the compression, to make sure those heads are OK before you swap 'em onto a new engine. Try it once, then squrt some oil in the cylinders an let it sit over night. Try it again.


_____________________________

"Daddy ran whiskey in a big black dodge"
Steve Earle

BitchinRS

I all ready check compresion and the heads appear to be fine, but I think the rings have completly gone south due to the fact it burns so much oil. I have even compresion accross all pistons it just burns oil and and the rod is shot all to hell. I don't want to fire it up again becuase the knock is so bad I'm affraid of tossing it out side of the engine. I need it to at lest make it the scrap yard that is 2 miles away and back with out blowing up. It's going to have to pick up it's own engine, becuase I don't have truck or any thing I could use to hual it. Even at that it may have to make a second 5 mile run and back to pick up my Brothers engine for his 1978 Camaro Z28. I'm just hoping it can last that long.

Tom,

I know were you are comming from. When I have kids there is going to be a minimum of 2 cars / van. 1 to haul the family around in and the Camaro or Z06 that I don't yet have.