[muscle_collector]

so i get a call yesterday to buy 3 junk vans, 2 toyota and a chevy. i go an get the 2 toyotas yesterday and he says he needs to unload the chevy and to get it today. so as i am winching it up he says" this van was fast as sh!+ , i used to blow the doors off a lot of camaros and firebirds. i stripped all the interior out except for the 2 front bucket seats" i am thinking ok i hear this all the time and then he says "i pulled the engine out of a super fast GTO and built it up even better and put it and a 3:42 posi in this thing." i look at him and said so it still has the GTO engine in it? yep it probably will still run great with some new gas. wow sure enough its got a pontiac engine in it. 1968 dated intake and 16 casting heads. didnt have time to clean and check the block yet.

[johnta1]

Hippie van, time!
That would be a cool sleeper van.

[sdbob]

Nice find you never know. I learned that going to junkyards back in early 60s. I know a guy who has a opera window Tbird with a 428 in it. No its a 428 Pontiac. Witnessed it. Nice fitment. 64 Chevelle with 400 Pontiac.

[Verdoro 68]

Well that’s something you don’t see everyday.

[unruhjonny]

that is AWESOME!!!

[Stuart]

That era of Chevy van is becoming pretty desirable in its own right, but with the GTO engine it's even cooler.

[OG68]

Hook up that ol' Airstream in the back and you'll be crusin'

[RocktimusPryme]

That’s awesome!

My luck always goes the other way. I show up to buy a “hot 383” and it’s a bone stock 305 with 200k on it.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Nice fine and and get. ....found a HO D-Port manifold laying in a Junkyard 1950's sedan trunk.

[geeteeohguy]

About 15 years ago in a private junkyard out in the Mojave desert a guy had an old Ford (IIRC) F-250 with a work box bed and it had a '69 GTO RAIII engine in it. Not for sale, no parts for sale. All complete. At least it was sitting in a shed. Truck was painted white with a brush, a '68-'74 era Ford.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by muscle_collector

so i get a call yesterday to buy 3 junk vans, 2 toyota and a chevy. i go an get the 2 toyotas yesterday and he says he needs to unload the chevy and to get it today. so as i am winching it up he says" this van was fast as sh!+ , i used to blow the doors off a lot of camaros and firebirds. i stripped all the interior out except for the 2 front bucket seats" i am thinking ok i hear this all the time and then he says "i pulled the engine out of a super fast GTO and built it up even better and put it and a 3:42 posi in this thing." i look at him and said so it still has the GTO engine in it? yep it probably will still run great with some new gas. wow sure enough its got a pontiac engine in it. 1968 dated intake and 16 casting heads. didnt have time to clean and check the block yet.

Thought you were down sizing (you mentioned here, years ago)?

Nice shag'n wagon!!! Lol!!!

[thepontiacman]

Nice find! Have to look where others don't. Sometimes luck goes your way.

found a 455 Pontiac in a nova, 67 GP console in a 66 Ford truck, Knew a guy who had 60's ford truck with 67 Pontiac 400.

[will slow gto]

Originally Posted by geeteeohguy

About 15 years ago in a private junkyard out in the Mojave desert a guy had an old Ford (IIRC) F-250 with a work box bed and it had a '69 GTO RAIII engine in it. Not for sale, no parts for sale. All complete. At least it was sitting in a shed. Truck was painted white with a brush, a '68-'74 era Ford.

I wonder if I’m thinking of the same thing but I seem to recall someone on here out of the Sacramento area bought a similar panel style van with a 69 RA III correct for automatic (YZ). Got the whole shebang for less than the motor was worth by itself.

Anyhow, nice score, hopefully engine finds itself in a more dignified chassis sometime soon.

[blueghoast]

WOW Here in Mich thats a nice driver by the looks of it?
What ya gona do with it?

GT

[Heybuck]

NICE VAN but I'm also just interested in some pictures of the Toyota vans.

I didn't know you could buy a Toyota van in the US. I have a 30 y/o Toyota HiAce as my daily work unit. 3 litre manual diesel with A/C & PS. Absolutely reliable and costs nothing to run apart from regular service costs. Nothing stops it.

[Greg Reid]

They've been selling vans here for decades. I just saw a clean '86 model for sale in the Auto Trader.

[Stuart]

We never got the Toyota HiAce in the US. They did sell the Previa and Sienna minivans here.

[turbo69bird]

That’s an awesome score, I’d do that thing up in 70s fashion w a dragon on the side and some shag in wagon vibes . There’s nothing left like that out there anymore . Woukd be a great show vehicle

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by turbo69bird

That’s an awesome score, I’d do that thing up in 70s fashion w a dragon on the side and some shag in wagon vibes . There’s nothing left like that out there anymore . Woukd be a great show vehicle

Looks like a functional etal scrap container to me.
Too rusty to fix, yank the Pontiac engine & trans core. Too new to have one of the "good" tilt cores

Could be repurposed, can see it now Gubbermint advocated homeless encampments along the Arkansas need tiny homes.... Down by the river in an old Chevy van.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head

Looks like a functional etal scrap container to me.
Too rusty to fix, yank the Pontiac engine & trans core. Too new to have one of the "good" tilt cores

Could be repurposed, can see it now Gubbermint advocated homeless encampments along the Arkansas need tiny homes.... Down by the river in an old Chevy van.

Ha!!!
Roger, funny you mention that!
My 25X25 steel building garage was getting too full. I bought a non running 94 E150 Ford cargo van from the school I work for. I had worked on it a bunch during the covid lay off (I worked the whole time, too many old buses needing repair. I work in a huge building by myself). Didn't have enough time to spend on it, school decided to let it go. It is in my driveway now, full of Pontiac and Chevy pickup parts.
And it runs now!!! A cheap portable storage building!!!