Just joined because everything I've searched out and poked through reflects a very helpful group, missing most of the sniping that seems to plague other car forums.

We're seriously considering a 95 B2500 Mark III conversion w/5.2 engine & 4 speed transmission, at around $1600.

(I'm an automotive bottom feeder with about an 80% success rate... just don't ask about the 68 Ambassador station wagon or the 95 VW Golf that the van might replace... $1600 is more than I usually cough up for a car)

Back to the point: What should I be looking for?

About the vehicle: some cons, outside of the age, but first the pros

-- not much rust
-- rebuilt tranny ~a year ago. Maybe.
-- clean title (getting harder to find here in Mass. for some reason) & not from The Auction
-- 111K miles
-- buying from 2nd owner
-- all the lights work
-- new muffler (but all the other exhaust bits inc. pipes are rusty)
-- new front whatever-it-is (sway bar? stabilizer links, anyway)
-- power bits seem to work (drive seat, far back bed/seat...)
-- a/c works, a little anemic


Now, the Cons
-- 2nd owner couldn't get any paper... no manuals, no repair records, no nothing from the original owner (we have only the original owner's word that the tranny was re-done -- that and the bright red, new-smelling fluid)
-- ABS light on (I've searched here and will begin with the rear sensor & wiring if there's no electronic diagnosis possible)
-- needs new shocks
-- tires may have a year to go, but not more; at least there are no bad wear patterns

It's been a long time since we've been in a full-size van -- we had a '72 B300 (now 3500) 15-passenger with lots of miles, a thirsty V8, and a steering gear that half broke off its mount, making for some sproingy steering until we had it illegally welded back on, but all-in-all it was a joy to drive.

I'll have one more session where I can go over it.

Any advice on what to look for is most welcome.

 

Best advise I can give is to find the cleanest rust-free body you can. Everything mechanical on these vans can be repaired with relative ease but the tinworm has a reputation of retiring B vans long before the mechanicals are ready to quit.

If rust is beginning to form along the rear frame rails you could have some serious problems and you may want to move along to another van. Because the Mark III is carpeted in the rear it is quite difficult to see just how much rust may be present without taking thing apart inside.

The carpet, while very nice in these conversion vans, traps and holds moisture along the floors in the rear cargo area and greatly assists in the formation of rust. If your van has lived up in the northeast where the roads are salted in winter check everything out carefully where the frame rails meet the cargo floor.

Be careful, good luck & take a pass if you suspect rust trouble.

 

Thanks, Rusty --

Will I be able to see rust from underneath? A quick check yesterday (1st view) didn't reveal much, but I didn't slide under the beast.

And are we talking about rust on the box floor or rust in the frame rails themselves?

Dave

 

You have to climb under. Look along the frame rails (starting at mid-van all the way back) where they meet the cargo floor, both inside and outside. Use a long thin screwdriver and see if you can push trhough to the inside of the cargo area in several places -- just be respectful and don't make a bunch of screwdriver holes in the van. There may be some surface rust inside the frame rails themselves, but I think the greater concern is the rust-thru where the rails meet the cargo floor.

If you can push through even once I would recommend taking a pass.

 

Again, thanks. Have added a screwdriver to my test kit.

 

Well, I thought this might be an easy way to wash this out... we're still on the fence... but while there is more or less rust along the transverse members, everything is sound. If this is a Massachusetts van, it's been garaged -- no sign of flooding, if it's a southern van.

Some of it has reached the flaking stage, but the majority of the rust is still somewhere between surface and granular. On average, the paint is gone or bubbled between 3/4 and 1 3/4 inches from the transverse stampings. IOW, it's fixable with POR-15.

Oh, and the transmission does in fact reflect re-build. It's completely clean and has a new, dry output seal.

I've never seen shock absorbers like the ones under it. They are the originals. They look like the crew in the ghost-ship episodes of Pirates of the Caribbean -- I don't know what's holding them together.