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Over the past few months, my 16-year-old son had developed an interest in getting a van for his first car. Initially, he was interested in a van that he and I could convert into a camper van, but then I think he discovered the world of conversion vans. So we began scouring the mid-Atlantic region for an affordable candidate.
About a month ago we ended up buying this van from a guy in DE (about 1.5 away). Armed with a can of Lysol, a cooler of food, and a plan to minimize interaction with other humans, we made the trip. The drive home was uneventful, and the van ran surprisingly well. It's got ~144K miles on it and a 5.7/4L60E.
We are in the process of renovating it mechanically and giving the interior an update. Below are some pics of the van as it was when we got it home.
The exterior of the van is dented up, has some peeling paint, looks like a UPS van, but it is solid and rust-free.
Aside from the front seat bottoms and some nasty 22 year old carpet, the interior is pretty good. We are also updating the less than state of the art entertainment system.
Your van looks great to me! Can't really see any dents you mentioned and the interior finishes look real nice.
I also started out thinking I wanted to do a full camper build to go camping with the family but realized my kids would probably be grown and out of the house by the time I finished. So, I went conversion van also. It's a good compromise for now and good bones if you ever want to rip it all out and go full custom.
Your van looks great to me! Can't really see any dents you mentioned and the interior finishes look real nice.
I also started out thinking I wanted to do a full camper build to go camping with the family but realized my kids would probably be grown and out of the house by the time I finished. So, I went conversion van also. It's a good compromise for now and good bones if you ever want to rip it all out and go full custom.
Fun project.
john
From ~15 ft away, the van looks great... And yes, the interior is pretty good. I was surprised at the quantity and quality of all the wood trim. You are spot on about going conversion to camper; a great platform.
Originally Posted by oldchevy
Welcome to the forum from Florida. For 22 years old, it looks good.
Originally Posted by tech2
van looks great. nice to people doing creative stuff during the lockdown.
Thank you all for the comments. The van is a welcome diversion from the current chaos, and has been a good way for me to spend some quality time with my otherwise elusive teenage son.
Aside from the from seat bottoms and that yucky carpet the interior is surprisingly good. The window behind the driver seat had been leaking for who knows how long. I resealed the window, and the van is now watertight. However, all that water really took its toll on the carpet and underlayment.
We bought a 20' X 6' piece of outdoor carpet from Home Depot for $80. While not super plush it is a vast improvement over the crusty and stinky old carpet.
The interior is almost completely put back together. I will use the excess carpet to cut a large mat for the second and third row, but I am looking for some decent all-weather front mats (considering
Did the previous owner mention if the lower intake manifold gasket had been replaced on the van? If not, you can plan on having to replace it very soon.
I’ve had 2 of that series (‘96-‘02) Express 1500 Conversion vans (5.7L V8) and both of them needed to have the lower intake manifold gasket replaced at about 130k miles. For both of them, the symptom was a slow leak/loss of radiator fluid/coolant. Other than that, they were both very reliable and wonderful “road trip” vehicles. I’m still driving the ‘02 Express.
Did the previous owner mention if the lower intake manifold gasket had been replaced on the van? If not, you can plan on having to replace it very soon.
I’ve had 2 of that series (‘96-‘02) Express 1500 Conversion vans (5.7L V8) and both of them needed to have the lower intake manifold gasket replaced at about 130k miles. For both of them, the symptom was a slow leak/loss of radiator fluid/coolant. Other than that, they were both very reliable and wonderful “road trip” vehicles. I’m still driving the ‘02 Express.
The previous owner did not mention much; he was a nice enough guy but not so mechanically savvy.
A while back I had a 95 Cutlass Supreme with a 3.1L V6. It had a leaking lower intake gasket. Coolant never dripped from the car but instead leaked internally into the engine mixing with the oil. Does the gripe on the 5.7L manifest itself similarly? If so, in addition to a general loss of coolant, would symptoms of this leak include signs of water in the oil? I ended up replacing the lower intake gasket on that Cutlass and it was not very fun. I can imagine the job on a 5.7L in a van would be even less fun...
Did the previous owner mention if the lower intake manifold gasket had been replaced in the van? If not, you can plan on having to replace it very soon. I’ve had 2 of that series (‘96-‘02) Express 1500 Conversion vans (5.7L V8) and both of them needed to have the lower intake manifold gasket replaced at about 130k miles. For both of them, the symptom was a slow leak/loss of radiator fluid/coolant. Other than that, they were both very reliable and wonderful “road trip” vehicles. I’m still driving the ‘02 Express.
Peter, the previous owner did not say much, so I can only assume that this gasket was never replaced. A few years back I had a 95 Cutlass Supreme with a 3.1L V6. It had a bad lower intake gasket. It didn't drip coolant, but instead, the coolant leaked into the oil, like a bad head gasket. Does the gripe on the 5.7L manifest itself in the same way? I changed the 3.1L gasket and it was not very fun.
I have watched a few videos of guys doing this gasket replacement on an Express van and it looks like even less fun... The van is not currently losing/leaking coolant and when I changed the oil/filter a few weeks ago, there was no sign of coolant in the oil. So, the gasket doesn't seem to be leaking. However, I will be doing the belt/pulleys/water-pump/hoses/thermostat in the near future, so maybe I will add this gasket to the job and just suck it up. I really really don't feel like doing that job, but I have been giving this van a lot of love and I would hate for that gasket to steal my glory.
April 14th, 2020 | 6:02 AM
The Corona Van (1998 Express Conversion Van)
