Molly104 wrote:
I just located this forum and subject. I have a Tradesman 300 maxivan with bubble top 1978 440 engine, and must decide soon what to do with it (keep it and get it to pass smog and running reliably or sell it as is). Friends tell me to dump it to a wrecking yard. it has the original camper stuff which needs TLC but definitely restorable. For $65 my mechanic will go over it completely and let me know what it would take to get it road-ready again. with a special permit I would be allowed to drive it over there. I am having a terrible time with this decision.It has over 200,000 miles on it. engine and tranny rebuild about 20,000 miles ago. Any advice?
DO NOT send it to the junkyard. They'd just turn around and sell the engine and tranny for $1,000 or more. It probably has the heavy duty version of of the 440 (sometimes called a -3) which race-car builder love. They could probably also sell the rear axle for $500 or more. If it has dual wheels, they could get another $300 for the rims.
What's the body like? With it's new engine and tranny, it should be good for another 300,000 miles or so. With a good tune-up, some tweaking, and reasonable driving habits, you should be able to get 10-12 mpg (or better) out of it.
If you decide to get rid of it, sell the engine and tranny yourself and ship what's left up to me in Alaska. (I would then put a LA small block, CTD, or Hemi in it, just for fun.)
Someone in Washington state gave me Junior and I had it shipped up here.
I had my '77 B200 van for 7-1/2 years, put almost a half million miles on it, and it was still running when I sold it. I often wish I'd kept it because it was my second favorite vehicle in my life. (#1 favorite was my '49 Int'l Metro stepvan.)
