80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

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80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby rcb » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:38 pm

I've been considering getting a van for the family. Naturally my thought was to grab a Dodge... being a Mopar man. Everything I'm finding is well above 2k... even for an old one (to drop a Cummins in XD). Really, for anything not rotting away, it's more up in the 3500-5000 category.

I know a few years ago when I had considered a diesel van conversion, I was finding them all over for 1-2k. I passed a very nice conversion van for 2500.

Is everyone suddenly after vans or something? Planning ahead for when the economy utterly folds? Maybe a spot picked out, "down by the river"?
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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby RumbleFish » Thu Mar 07, 2013 4:05 pm

Around here they go big cuz people who don't want real jobs just buy a van and haul amish.
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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby Mark Nixon » Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:53 am

Vans around here aren't too tough to find, yet.

I found out with some careful measuring that a Cummins can be made to fit into one.
It won't fit with a fan, but by my measurements, there is room for a pusher between the grille and radiator.
You also have to use a rear dump manifold (F-700/800 or FL-70/80) to locate the turbo "down and under".
Getting the NV5600 up under there without a car lift is gonna' be REAL "challenging". :lol:

Interestingly enough, I found a 1991 shorty panel van, with a V-6 5 speed, in a yard that I'm cabbage-ing the clutch pedal set-up out of for mine. 8)

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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby RumbleFish » Fri Mar 08, 2013 11:55 am

I thought I read somewhere that in the mid eighties, they put the cummins in a few b-vans for unde- the-radar testing before they put them in the trucks.
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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby rcb » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:57 pm

I had heard something of the same. That was corporate vehicles though wasn't it?
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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby jogl » Sat Mar 09, 2013 4:20 pm

If you just want a van to haul wife, kids, taters, whatever look at a G Van with the 6.2. We have a '90 Rally Van and we love it. Not fast, definitely not powerful, but rides nice and gets 20+ mpg. Bought it for peanuts 5 years ago. They are not real common around here though.
92 W250 and lots of others.
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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby Mark Nixon » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:28 pm

I had one of those I bought dirt cheap a couple years ago.
Couldn't get my head around it being a GM and sold it for decent profit.
The guy was re-powering a re-power with it, meaning he was putting it back into a diesel Chevy that was converted to gas.

What's old is new again. :roll:

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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby The_Head » Sun Mar 10, 2013 6:29 pm

Very rare in my part of the country. People simply buy trucks.

I did see a 4WD lifted 7.3L Econovan once though. I thought it was pretty damn awesome.
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Re: 80s-90s dodge vans... what's up with the cost?

Postby Mark Nixon » Sun Mar 10, 2013 6:43 pm

Here's what I'm sticking a Cummins in.
Forgive the incompleted de-construction, it's a slow-progression. :lol:
Pulled the 440 last week, been measuring and plotting the Cummins install, decided it'll be done through the passenger's door, with the seat and door removed.

Image

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