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97 B2500 Conversion

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Old Oct 25, 2012 | 12:58 PM
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Default 97 B2500 Conversion

Well I was finally able to get back to my motor work.

Still have a list to finish and few parts to get, but it's on its way back together:

E-Fan (still to do once get parts)
fire wall to under hood vac lines (have just have to re-route them)
AC system over haul (spring project as you will see in pictures my OEM ones are gettin bad)
Front wheel bearings
Rear axle (drain/fill and check)
 

Last edited by Hawkstr; Nov 18, 2012 at 02:06 AM.
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Old Oct 25, 2012 | 02:08 PM
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New heads???

Ive gotta say, Ive been where you are at twice...its fun and it isnt so fun

Hope you getting it back together soon
 
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Old Oct 25, 2012 | 05:20 PM
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Originally Posted by funair02
New heads???

Ive gotta say, Ive been where you are at twice...its fun and it isnt so fun

Hope you getting it back together soon
No not new heads, well close, I reman them myself over buying some. These will hold out til I decide if I wana beef it up more this summer or just ride it out til she blows, then buy a new Mopar Crate motor to drop in (depending on funds).

Sometimes its better to do it yourself over paying out the (edit) for someone else to do it. This way you know for sure what you have and know if there is anything else you might want to replace instead of waiting for it to junk out on you.

Got a few things left to pickup and/or find to finish it up. Then get to enjoy driving it again
 
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Old Oct 25, 2012 | 06:04 PM
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.....
 

Last edited by blackvan; Jul 31, 2016 at 03:07 AM. Reason: removed by me
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Old Oct 27, 2012 | 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by blackvan
Looking good, I like the purple

The factory steel A/C lines on these (pre 2000) always rust severely and off-the-shelf replacements don't seem to be available when I looked. I'm sure you could get a custom hose shop to make up a set for you but that sounds pricey. The later Dodge vans use aluminum lines. They seem fragile but at least they don't rust.
The coating on the OEM lines are really poor, and with the rubber in them its not like you could sand-blast them and then powder coat them (due to powder coating needs to be baked). Aluminum is not the best pick for replacement due to with age aluminum always cracks. So unless its a precast style (no welds) they will crack.

Keeping an eye on R34A on the clearance shelves (as I had just refilled the system for summer) to stock up on enough to drain the system. Would had been good if they had used a better rust proof primer prior to coating them. But that would take away job security for mechanics.

Have several other known problem areas to knock out as I go. Right now just trying to get it usable again then spring time it will go down again for some more upgrades for the summer travel enjoyment. Upside is spending time under it, found several areas where I can put some stow and go areas for like extra batteries and such (as I am looking at maybe putting in some solar panels).
 
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Old Oct 27, 2012 | 10:50 AM
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If you get into a pickle with AC hoses there is hope! When I was a Ford Tech we would go here to get customer and/or discontinued hoses made from the ground up!

Also there is alot of other interesting products here...they are real hosers!

goodyearrubberproducts.com
 
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Old Nov 11, 2012 | 08:17 AM
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Originally Posted by funair02
If you get into a pickle with AC hoses there is hope! When I was a Ford Tech we would go here to get customer and/or discontinued hoses made from the ground up!

Also there is alot of other interesting products here...they are real hosers!

goodyearrubberproducts.com
Not worried about the AC for now, right now need to get the rear air heater hoses hooked up. Problem is my kids took them all apart before I could snap a picture of how they went. I have a post under ProAir for it, but so far no luck. And no one has the info on how these go. If I by pass the rear air (for heat) it's easy, but the added valves\y connectors\hoses\different routing makes it a pain.
 
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